Admiring the 2009 releases from several leading female filmmakers,The Independent's James Mottram asked this week: 'Have women ever had a better year behind the camera?' Highlighting Jane Campion's Bright Star, alongside An Education (produced by ex-Wellingtonian Finola Dwyer), plus new releases yet to reach New Zealand screens - The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow), 1 Day (Penny Woolcock), Jennifer's Body (Karyn Kusama) and Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold) - the British journalist suggests it is high time a woman won an Academy Award for Best Director.
As Mottram notes, 'in the 80-year history of the Oscars, only three women have been nominated in the Best Director category,' and Campion remains the only female director to win the Cannes Palme d'Or.
Check out clips from some of these films along with the responses of these inspirational filmmakers to the question of why there are so few women directors, in The Independent, here.