The 100 highest-rated films of the 2010s directed by women and femmes (as at 1 January 2020).

To be included, films had to be narrative (no documentaries), 60 minutes or longer, have a 1,000-view minimum, and a US theatrical release between 1/1/2010 and 12/31/2019 (with exceptions for films that had no US distribution). We have allowed TV movies, but excluded direct-to-video/DVD movies. We’ve also excluded animated films—you’ll find them in this list.

We include co-directors, even if they are uncredited (see this list if you need help understanding our reasoning).

Céline Sciamma is this list’s MVP with three feature films, including the first-placed Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Greta Gerwig has two films in the top ten. Other directors to appear twice are: Kathryn Bigelow, Dee Rees, Lynne Ramsey, Marielle Heller, Andrea Arnold, Maren Ade, Juliana Rojas, Zoya Akhtar, Meghna Gulzar, Nadine Labaki, Kelly Reichhardt and Naoko Ogigami. This list has a big recency bias, with 22 films from 2017 versus one film from 2013.

and the US continue to represent highly, as they do in other lists, but this is a truly international cross-section of directors, including those who are from and/or have connections to India, Poland, Brazil, Zambia, Sweden, the Sàmi people, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, Pakistan, Norway, Philippines, Indonesia, Georgia, China, South Korea, Japan, Israel, Spain, Hong Kong, Mexico, and Argentina.

More Statistics of Interest:

Highest Rated by Year (US release, or country of origin if undistributed)
2010: Fish Tank
2011: Pariah
2012: The Turin Horse
2013: The Selfish Giant
2014: Selma
2015: The Second Mother
2016: The World of Us
2017: Lady Bird
2018: Capernaum
2019: Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Notable exclusions, due to either not reaching the minimum viewer threshold, or having an average rating just outside this top 100:
Obvious Child, Winter’s Bone, Wonder Woman, The Love Witch, The Beguiled, Battle of the Sexes, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Revenge, Queen & Slim, Lovesong, The Lure, Wuthering Heights, Palo Alto, The Bling Ring, Beach Rats, The Babadook, The Invitation, Somewhere, Always Shine, The Meddler, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, The Intern, Mr. Roosevelt, Blockers, Captain Marvel, Frozen, Bird Box, Cloud Atlas, High Life, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Always Be My Maybe, The Souvenir, Ruby Sparks, To the Bone, Madeline’s Madeline, The Kids Are All Right, Late Night, Blinded by the Light, Enough Said, Please Give, Mississippi Grind, Take This Waltz, Belle, Atlantics, Greener Grass, The Lodge, Your Sister’s Sister, First They Killed My Father, Girl Asleep, The Wonders, Most Beautiful Island, Still the Water, Archipelago, Songs My Brother Taught Me.