28 Rising Female Filmmakers to Watch in 2023

Samantha Bergeson
·2 min read
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Each year, IndieWire curates a list of the top female filmmakers to watch over the next 12 months, and the women ushering in the next generation of cinema makes for a truly exciting 2023.

This International Women’s Day, IndieWire invites audiences to celebrate the rising directors, especially coming off of a history-making 2023 Sundance where first-time filmmaker A.V. Rockwell was awarded the top prize for “A Thousand and One.” Rockwell is the third Black woman to win the Grand Jury Prize for the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the festival, following Nikyatu Jusu’s 2022 win for surreal thriller “Nanny.”

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“I think of Black women filmmakers and there are still not many doing it at the highest level,” Rockwell told IndieWire’s Eric Kohn of breaking barriers, “but I think that going from making one or two if they’re lucky theatrical movies to now being able to consistently make movies into our seventies or eighties, that’s what success will really look like to me. If I choose to make films until I can’t wake up anymore, I have that ability, because the industry creates space for our voices in that way.”

Mary Nighy and Zelda Williams, the daughters of famous actors Bill Nighy and Robin Williams, plus Alice Englert, the daughter of Oscar winner Jane Campion, are making their own first-time features, as well as actresses Lily Rabe, Molly Gordon, Laura Chinn, and Brittany Snow turning to directing.

In the TV space, Nzingha Stewart helms Amazon series “Daisy Jones and the Six” coming off of acclaimed Netflix shows “Maid” and “Inventing Anna,” while “Succession” and “Jessica Jones” director S.J. Clarkson makes her foray into features with “Spider-Man” franchise installment “Madame Web.”

Keep scrolling to see all the female filmmakers to follow this year, in partnership with Adobe.

Premiere sponsor Adobe — with a mission to enable creativity for all — is committed to supporting, elevating and amplifying underrepresented creators, so the world can see, learn and benefit from diverse perspectives. Learn more at Adobe.com.

Filmmakers are listed in alphabetical order.

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