Most Recent Film: Zero Dark Thirty (2012) Next Film: N/A Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty (2012) Kathryn Bigelow, who once had the "pleasure" of being married to James Cameron, is arguably the most famous of all female directors still at large today (aside from Sofia Coppola, of course, who - on account of her recent work - failed to make this list). Bigelow originally made her mark in the '80s and '90s with vampire flick Near Dark and high-octane thriller Point Break, thus setting the stage for her later exploits: after a period of absence she came back to Hollywood with The Hurt Locker - and there was a move (and a movie) that nobody expected. It was gritty, real, and hard-hitting; an unforgettable film. Indeed: it won Best Picture and Director at the Oscars, marking Bigelow as the first female director to have won said prize. She followed that with Zero Dark Thirty, arguably a better - albeit more controversial - film about a woman's obsessive quest to track down Osama Bin Laden. It's a modern masterpiece, and the kind of film that puts an end to any conversations regarding the inferiority of female directors. If only more could get the chance.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
