I’m interested in watching more movies made by women. Where should I start?

I’m so glad to hear that!

I love finding movies made by women. I think it’s important to hear stories of all kinds, and right now it takes more effort than it should to see a movie directed or written by a woman. We can change that by seeking out films made by women and about women.

My first foray into this realm was the year I tracked my movies to see how many passed the Bechdel Test. I figured a lot of the movies I watched would pass, because I like such a variety of movies.

But NO! Halfway through the year I was disturbed how few of the movies I watched passed even the first test (has two women). The few movies with more than one woman did not tend to pass the second test (who talk to each other) and only a tiny fraction passed the third (about something besides a man). Dispirited, I stopped keeping track after a year.

Awareness is the first step. For those of you who want to go further, I suggest attempting #52moviesbywomen. This is a pledge to watch one movie a week either written or directed by a woman. I did it in 2016. I found a lot of new directors I didn’t know and caught up with movies made by directors I did know.

If you aren’t up for the full-on one-per-week challenge, cut it in half, or pledge to watch one per month. Or attend a women’s film festival.

I also suggest the website Women and Hollywood. There, you can read a lot of articles, and also sign up for a weekly email that delivers a list of movies created by women right to your inbox.