17 Rising Female Filmmakers to Watch in 2024

In honor of International Women’s Day, IndieWire is pleased to share its annual female filmmakers to watch list featuring a rising assortment of women writers and directors with some of the biggest projects of the year.

On the big screen, Theda Hammel’s Sundance breakout “Stress Positions” went on to become a leading title on this year’s New Directors/New Films lineup and is set to close out the festival. Alessandra Lacorazza’s “In the Summers” won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance, and also earned Lacorazza the Directing prize. Cazzie David and Elisa Kalani co-wrote and co-directed SXSW selected film “I Love You Forever,” which is produced by Diablo Cody.

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While David also co-stars in the film, another actress makes her directorial debut with a similarly sinister premiere: Anna Kendrick directs and stars in “Woman of the Hour” based on the haunting true story of the “Dating Game” killer. The film was a hit at TIFF and will hit Netflix this year.

On the small screen, as Warner Bros. comes off of the Greta Gerwig-“Barbie” hype (and its subsequent Oscar nominations), the studio has promoted “True Detective” Season 4 showrunner Issa López to be the series’ sole voice once more for an upcoming Season 5.

Also in the TV space, Nicole Taylor has seen her profile raised thanks to their heartbreaking adaptation of novel “One Day” for Netflix, while Jess Brownell takes over the new highly-anticipated season of “Bridgerton,” also for the streamer. Karena Evans directing “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” along with series co-creator Francesca Sloane, has also spelled out a buzzy new collaboration. Melanie Marnich’s upcoming “Apples Never Fall” Peacock adaptation has already garnered attention due to its stellar cast including 2024 Oscar nominee Annette Bening.

As female filmmakers still grapple with gender inequity and sourcing funding, it’s high time we celebrate the breakout stars of this year. Keep scrolling to see all the female filmmakers to follow in 2024, in partnership with Adobe.

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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