Not Only The Substance: 5 Best New Movies Directed by Women

In 2025, Coralie Fargeat became only the ninth woman to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Director for her daring body horror film The Substance. We remembered several other outstanding films directed by women in recent years.

1. Past Lives, 2023

Past Lives is the directorial debut of Celine Song, who can now boast Golden Globe, Oscar and BAFTA nominations. The movie even made it into the Oscar top ten, but lost out to Oppenheimer.

The main characters of the story are classmates Na Young and Hae Sung. The plot of Past Lives follows Na Young as she emigrates with her family to Toronto and then moves to New York.

The girl now has a Western name, Nora. She dreams of becoming a writer. Meanwhile, Hae Sung decides to search for her childhood friend on social media.

2. Watcher, 2022

The psychological thriller Watcher was directed by Chloe Okuno, who previously worked on the horror anthology V/H/S/94. Watcher has been nominated for the Saturn Award in the category Best Independent Film, as well as participating in the program of the Sundance Film Festival.

The plot revolves around a young American woman, Julia, who moves from New York to Bucharest following her husband's promotion.

In a new country, without knowing the language, the woman feels not only lonely, but also begins to believe that someone is watching her. Meanwhile, reports appear about a serial maniac who stalks women.

3. Blink Twice, 2024

The psychological thriller marks the directorial debut of Zoe Kravitz. The actress, known from the blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road and as Catwoman in the latest The Batman movie, co-wrote the script and served as one of the film's producers.

The plot centers on waitress Frida, who is invited to his private island by billionaire Slater King. But the tropical paradise turns out to be a trap: over time, the main character begins to notice oddities, and then discovers that her friend has disappeared.

4. Fresh, 2022

The director of the thriller Fresh, which at first disguises itself as a romantic story, was Mimi Cave, who had previously only shot short films and music videos.

The story begins with a chance meeting in a supermarket: the young woman Noa, disillusioned with online dating, is sure that the charming Steve is the man of her dreams. Her best friend's suspicions do not deter the woman. She goes out of town with Steve. There, Noa discovers his terrible secret.

5. The Outrun, 2024

The movie is based on the memoirs of the writer Amy Liptrot. In the book, she spoke candidly about returning to the Orkney Islands after several years in London and recovering from alcoholism.

The drama directed by Nora Fingscheidt premiered at Sundance and later screened at the Berlinale. The project received two BAFTA nominations.

However, Conclave won the Best British Film category, and its lead actress – Saoirse Ronan – lost to recent Oscar winner Mikey Madison.