Women's History Month Watchlist 2026

Written by Mariane Tremblay

With Women's History Month celebrated in many countries around the world and International Women's Day on March 8, our team decided to curate a list of movies directed (and co-directed) by women.

It has always been important to us to promote women filmmakers because, let's be honest, even in 2026, women are still not always given the recognition they deserve. In 98 years, only eleven women—Lina Wertmüller (1976), Jane Campion (1993 and 2021), Sofia Coppola (2003), Kathryn Bigelow (2009), Greta Gerwig (2017), Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell (2020), Justine Triet (2023), Coralie Fargeat (2024), and Chloé Zhao (2025)—have been nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards, and only three have won. The first was Kathryn Bigelow in 2009. But it's not only about awards, it's more than that. 

So, if the industry still cannot fully recognize the true value of women and their work, we must keep talking about it and keep watching their movies, now more than ever. So here is a list of 31 movies directed (and co-directed) by women to watch in March and all year round.

A League of Their Own (1992)
Directed by Penny Marshall

A League of Their Own changed the landscape for movies about women. People began to realize that women belonged in other genres of movies, not just rom-coms or dramas. It introduced women into the sports genre, delivering some of the best performances of the decade. Penny Marshall did an incredible job of bringing together a mostly female cast and delivering a heartfelt story. — Lara Rosales

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on Crave Canada and on Netflix in the U.S 

Something's Gotta Give (2003)
Written and directed by Nancy Meyers

Nancy Meyers's work has been key in creating spaces for women's stories to shine and be highlighted. While Erica's storyline isn't the only one in Something's Gotta Give, the movie proves that a woman is never too old to be in touch with her sexuality, fall in love, and start her life over. There is also nothing wrong with a woman being successful in a male-dominated industry. — Lara Rosales

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on Crave Canada and on TUBI in the U.S 

Mamma Mia! (2008)
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd
Written by Catherine Johnson

Phyllida Lloyd took well-known and beloved ABBA songs and a renowned Broadway show and turned them into the musical masterpiece of a lifetime. Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, and Julie Walters prove time and time again that "women of a certain age" can always lead, be funny, sexy, and fall in love. Mamma Mia! has everything women in the audience need to feel the true spirit of life. — Lara Rosales

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on Netflix Canada

The Watermelon Woman (1996)
Directed and co-written by Cheryl Dunye

"Sometimes you have to create your own story."

As the first feature film directed by a Black, openly lesbian woman, The Watermelon Woman is a landmark in both queer and Black cinema. With her distinctive humour, Cheryl Dunye blends documentary and fiction to explore race, sexuality, and politics of absence and representation in Hollywood, reclaiming Black lesbian visibility and paving the way for future generations of queer filmmakers of colour. — Giorgia Cattaneo

The first feature film directed by a Black lesbian, The Watermelon Woman, is a truly groundbreaking work and a key title in New Queer Cinema. It beautifully intertwines contemporary and historical narratives, shedding light on the way that Black actresses were treated in early Hollywood. The film is incredibly funny, romantic, and just all-around enjoyable— it’s a classic that I think everyone should see. — Andie Kaiser

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on the Criterion Channel

The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995)
Written and directed by Maria Maggenti

Maria Maggenti’s The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love captures the tender, turbulent highs and lows of first love between two teenage girls. From the discovery of one’s sexuality to the thrilling spark of new desire on one hand and the fear of social backlash on the other, this 90s indie gem offers a rare and joyful depiction of young queer romance. It serves as a much-needed reminder that happy endings for lesbians aren’t just possible — they’re essential. — Giorgia Cattaneo

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on TUBI

Paradise Is Burning (2023)
Directed and co-written by Mika Gustafson

With Paradise Is Burning, Mika Gustafson emerges as a striking new voice in contemporary European cinema. The film delivers an unfiltered portrait of sisterhood as a fierce form of survival, where the bond between girls becomes a sanctuary against an adult world shaped by absence and rigid expectations. Set in a restless, sun-drenched Swedish summer, it is a raw but tender, all-female tale of resilience and the wild, fleeting beauty of youth. — Giorgia Cattaneo

Available to rent or buy at home

Daisies (1966)
Directed by Věra Chytilová
Co-written by Věra Chytilová and Ester Krumbachová

If the world is "spoiled," why should we be good? Věra Chytilová’s Daisies is a colourful, experimental explosion of female agency — and a film with no boundaries. Two girls, both named Marie (Jitka Cerhová and Ivana Karbanová), decide to stop obeying society’s rules and start misbehaving, shredding every cinematic boundary in their path. Banned by the Czechoslovak regime for its radical subversion, this deeply surreal, weird, and intentionally unconventional visual manifesto remains a bold statement of women going against what is imposed on them. — Giorgia Cattaneo

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on the Criterion Channel

There’s Still Tomorrow (2023)
Directed by Paola Cortellesi
Co-written by Paola Cortellesi and Giulia Calenda

Paola Cortellesi’s directorial debut marked something unprecedented in Italian cinema. By blending neorealist aesthetics with a modern sensibility, There’s Still Tomorrow follows a woman navigating the shadows of patriarchy in post-war Italy, offering a vivid, almost poetic exploration of its most insidious forms. As visually stunning as it is socially urgent, the film captures the struggles, resilience, and hopes of women across generations, opening a vital conversation that continues to resonate today. — Giorgia Cattaneo

Available to rent or buy at home

Mädchen in Uniform (1931)
Co-directed by Leontine Sagan

Widely considered the first explicitly lesbian film in cinema history — released in 1931 and co-directed by a woman with an entirely female cast — Leontine Sagan’s Mädchen in Uniform traces young Manuela’s (Hertha Thiele) fearless love for her teacher, Miss von Bernburg (Dorothea Wieck), within the rigid confines of a Prussian boarding school. More than a forbidden romance, the film unfolds as a subtle act of resistance against the authoritarian and repressive values of its time, offering a rare early vision of emotional truth and female solidarity. — Giorgia Cattaneo

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on Hoopla

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Written and directed by Céline Sciamma

There is a "before" and an "after" Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Arguably one of the most beautiful representations of love between two women ever put to screen, the film marks a quiet yet irreversible shift in the way desire can be represented. Céline Sciamma gives birth to a radical, revolutionary "female gaze." In her world, the muse and the artist stand as equals, looking is recognition and reciprocity, and love becomes the act of truly seeing and being seen. — Giorgia Cattaneo

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on MUBI Canada, CBC Gem and on HBO Max

Girl (2025)
Written and directed by Shu Qi

Having been in front of the camera for nearly three decades, with acting credits such as Millennium Mambo (2001) and more recently, Resurrection (2025), Shu Qi has long been celebrated for her remarkable acting career. But it wasn’t until a few years ago, after being urged by her long-time collaborator, director and mentor Hou Hsiao-hsien, that she finally picked up the pen for her directorial debut. The story centers on the portrait of a young girl in late-1980s Taipei, growing up in a deeply abusive family, depicting a painful girlhood shaped by cruelty and fear, sustained only by hopes of escape. In parallel, the girl’s mother, herself surrounded by the violence of a "traditional family," perpetuates the cycle by passing down her own trauma. Partly drawn from her own upbringing, Shu Qi approaches this difficult subject with aching grace, bringing attention to the unbearable, suffocating reality of being a woman in that era, let alone being a young girl. — Xiaoyi Wang

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
Directed and co-written by Justine Triet

Directed and co-written by Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall is a masterpiece that brought her three César Awards and earned her tremendous international recognition. Not only did this mark her as the third female director to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes, but she is also the first French female filmmaker to win Best Original Screenplay and one of nine women to have been nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards. The meticulous script of this legal drama mystery serves to unveil the intimate complexity of a marriage, all the while challenging the audience’s own assumptions and interpretations. Between the truth, the lies, the forgeries, the facades, and what may be lost amidst the languages, this film is like reading and deciphering through a novel. Written alongside Arthur Harari, they created an incredible protagonist who must defend her entire person at trial following the sudden death of her husband. Triet’s masterful directing is paired with the monumental performance of the main character by Sandra Hüller. A beautiful collaboration between the two women in one of the best features of recent years. — Xiaoyi Wang

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on Hulu and on Amazon Prime Video

The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Written and directed by Sofia Coppola

Being Sofia Coppola’s directorial debut, this film marks an important starting point in the career of someone dedicated to telling women’s stories. It’s here that Coppola establishes her signature filmmaking style, and depicts a narrative that could’ve been sensationalized with nuance and care instead. To me, it feels both like a time capsule of teenage girlhood struggle and a commentary on how these struggles are fundamentally misunderstood. In terms of coming-of-age movies, this is one of the most poignant ones out there. — Andie Kaiser

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on the Criterion Channel and on Paramount+

Raw (2016)
Written and directed by Julia Ducournau

Raw is a coming-of-age film that’s unapologetic in its intensity. Using cannibalism as a core motif, it follows one girl’s experience moving away to university and working to find herself in this new social structure. The sense of fear, insecurity, and desire for a grown-up identity captured in the film are so unique, and the elements of body horror become deeply moving. It certainly won’t be for everyone, but I’m so glad it exists. — Andie Kaiser

Available to rent or buy at home

Late Night (2019)
Directed by Nisha Ganatra
Written by Mindy Kaling

I have never felt more represented in a film than in Nisha Ganatra and Mindy Kaling’s Late Night. Molly Patel (Kaling) has always wanted to work in TV, but, having gone to community college and then transferred to a bigger university rather than a prestigious college like the majority of television writers she looks up to, she’s always felt that dream has been unattainable…she’s asked to join the writing team for the first and only female late-night host, Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson), as a diversity hire. Molly has no experience in television, having given up her dream, but throughout the film, she proves that she does belong there. She comes up with ideas that help raise Katherine’s ratings, and the two form an unlikely bond. It’s almost like Late Night ran, so Hacks could run. It’s a sweet film that reminds us that what’s meant for us will come to us, and that it’s never too late to go after your dreams. — Sydney Grulloń-Matos

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on Amazon Prime Video

Little Women (2019)
Written and directed by Greta Gerwig
Novel written by Louisa May Alcott

Greta Gerwig’s Little Women adaptation is for the girls who want more than what society expects of them, but it reminds us that it is okay if you do want what society expects of you, too. Each of the March sisters is someone you can relate to. When Jo (Saoirse Ronan) cries about how women have so much more to them than just being fit for love, yet she’s still so lonely, it cuts deep. It’s a stunning film, beautifully written and so resonant of the different ways we, as women, experience life, with incredible performances all around, especially from Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Laura Dern. — Sydney Grulloń-Matos

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on Club Illico

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022)
Directed by Sophie Hyde
Written by Katy Brand

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is a reminder that Emma Thompson will always be one of the greatest actresses of all time. As sexual-novice Nancy Stokes, who throughout the film meets with the same escort (Daryl McCormack) over and over again to gain experience, Thompson’s performance in this film was Oscar-worthy — it’s a damn shame it didn’t even conjure up a nomination. It’s her most vulnerable role to date — the first time in her five-decade-long career where she’s done any sort of nudity, a testament to the strength of Katy Brand’s script and Sophie Hyde’s direction. This film takes women’s sexual desires seriously and holds them close to the heart. It reminds us that it’s nothing to be ashamed of, that women’s pleasure should never be seen as taboo, and that it’s never too late to love yourself. — Sydney Grulloń-Matos

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on Hulu

Past Lives (2023)
Written and directed by Celine Song

Celine Song’s Past Lives is a film that has stayed with me since watching it in theatres. A heartbreakingly stunning film about reconnecting with missed connections from the past and wondering about the what-ifs. The performances by Greta Lee and Teo Yoo are remarkable as Nora and Hae Sung, childhood friends who find each other again as adults, after Nora’s family moved from Korea to the U.S. The pain they both feel at never being able to know what would’ve happened if they hadn’t separated is palpable. Song’s script is beautifully human, putting us all in the shoes of these characters and letting us truly understand the depths of their emotions. — Sydney Grulloń-Matos

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on Crave Canada and on HBO Max

Montréal, Ma Belle (2025)
Written and directed by Xiaodan He

Montreal, My Beautiful is a heartfelt drama set in Montreal, following a Chinese immigrant (Joan Chen) navigating love, identity and cultural challenges in a vibrant summer city. The movie explores themes of new beginnings and connections. Directed and written by Xiaodan He, this film features the love story of two women, making it an ideal choice to support female filmmakers. — Maria Paula Acosta

Now playing in theatres in Québec (Rimouski, Québec, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Longueuil & Montréal), Toronto, and Vancouver

Lucid (2025)
Co-written and co-directed by: Deanna Milligan

Lucid is a psychological thriller telling the story of Mia (Caitlin Taylor), an art student on the verge of being expelled. To combat her creative block, she starts taking magical lucid dreaming elixir and begins a journey that will unleash monsters and dark memories she will have to fight to find her artistic voice. Lucid truly is a perfect watch if you're questioning yourself, your choices and even your existence right now. This movie altered my brain chemistry, and even months later, I can't stop thinking about it.

And as mentioned by the directors, Lucid is a movie for young adults, and more particularly young women, "we know it’s really hard to be a young person in this world right now. And we really need people who are questioning this terrible system that's falling apart all around us. And you guys just have to keep forging ahead, and to start making stuff  [...] we want to hear your voices. And that's the most important thing." 

Lucid has been acquired by Filmoption International, and we're hoping it'll get released soon. In the meantime, the movie is being screened in different film festivals around the world. — Maria Paula Acosta

But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)
Directed by Jamie Babbit

But I'm a Cheerleader is a satirical comedy about a teenage girl (Natasha Lyonne) sent to a conversion therapy camp who discovers her sexuality, questions authority, and finds love and self-acceptance. If you’re looking for something quirky and funny, this movie is a must-watch. Bold, colourful, and full of heart, with a sharp take on identity and self-discovery. — Maria Paula Acosta

Available to rent or buy at home, or to watch on Tubi and on Crave Canada

Babygirl (2024)
Written and directed by Halina Reijn

If you know me, I'll find a way to mention Babygirl every time I can. And if you don't know me yet, beware. It's not a secret to anyone: I love this movie a lot, and I do believe it's a perfect movie to add to this kind of watchlist. Written and directed by Halina Reijn, the movie follows Romy (Nicole Kidman, who gives a beautiful and vulnerable performance), a high-powered CEO whose life is put upside down when she starts an affair with a young intern (Harris Dickinson). 

What makes this movie particularly compelling is its exploration of older women’s sexual fantasies and desires, and the difficulty some of them face in acknowledging and confronting that "beast" that lives inside them. But it's not only about Gen X and older women, but this movie can be just as compelling for younger women who grew up with mothers who weren't comfortable with sexuality and who passed it down to their daughters. Anyone who ever felt ashamed about their fantasies and desires will find something deeply resonant in this movie. And to be honest, there aren’t enough films about women’s fantasies—especially ones this raw and vulnerable, with older women at their center—and for that, we should all thank Halina Reijn. I know I'm very grateful for this movie. — Mariane Tremblay

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on Prime Video and on HBO Max

The Substance (2024)
Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat

"Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself?"

When I think of films about women directed by women, The Substance is the first one that comes to my mind. Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, this film [accurately] captures the challenges women face as they age. Set in the entertainment world, the movie follows the beloved actress Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), whose career is gradually declining as she gets older. When she’s dismissed from her long-running aerobics TV show by her producer (Dennis Quaid), her self-confidence is shaken, and she turns to a black-market serum that promises a “better” version of herself. 

What I love about The Substance is that it doesn't shy away from exposing society’s obsession with youth and beauty, showing what some people, especially women, may feel pressured to go through to meet impossible standards. Darkly thrilling and gruesome as it can be, Fargeat's approach sparks reflection on age, self-worth, and the pressure women face. And Demi Moore gives such a heartbreaking performance, it still haunts me two years later. 

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on MUBI and HBO Max

Sweetness (2025)
Written and directed by Emma Higgins

Sweetness is a perfect depiction of stan culture, and if you've been there, done that (hopefully not everything she did), you will feel seen, too. The movie tells the story of Rylee (Kate Hallett), an outcast who's head over heels for pop star singer, Payon Adler (Herman Tømmeraas). Living in her own fantasy world, she's maintaining a parasocial relationship with the singer, thinking only she can save him. Not only is this movie about a teenage girl, but it's also Emma Higgins' feature debut, which makes it even more relevant in this watchlist. And for a debut, it's good, really good.

So if you've ever felt alone, thought that no one understood you, and have ever found comfort listening to films, music, series, or interviews of certain celebrities, this film is for you (and I know that may seem strange to some of you, but you must have gone through it to understand that feeling). Fan girls, it's your time to shine! — Mariane Tremblay

Available to rent or buy at home in the U.S, and to watch in Canadian theatres on March 6

Blue Black Permanent (1996)
Written and directed by Margaret Tait

Tait is one of the most important filmmakers who has ever come from Scotland, yet her work is overlooked, and her significance to Scottish cinema is undervalued. Blue Black Permanent is just one example of her many films that explore the myriad of complex emotions that women hold in a deeply profound and poetic manner. Tait brings out remarkable performances of the three generations of women played by Gerda Stevenson, Celia Imrie and Liz Robertson, effortlessly weaving in and out of each of their stories in a non-linear structure. If you resonate with films like Sentimental Value (2025), Aftersun (2022) and Manchester By The Sea (2016), you should add Blue Black Permanent to your watchlist immediately. — Nandita Joshi

Available to watch on Ovid

All We Imagine as Light (2024)
Written and directed by Payal Kapadia

India is a multicultural hub, being a country that boasts a rich history consisting of approximately 2,500 distinct ethnic groups. Kapadia beautifully conveys this in All We Imagine As Light, following three women at different stages of their lives living in Mumbai. From the seamless flipping between Malayalam, Hindi, and Marathi to the gracious articulation of inter-faith relationships, working-class struggles and womanhood in India, we are shown a side of the country outside of Bollywood perception. Its inclusion at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival marked the first Indian film in 30 years to compete in the main competition and became the first Indian film to win the prestigious Grand Prix. Now more than ever, Kapadia makes it evident that the future of Indian independent cinema lies within their women filmmakers. — Nandita Joshi

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on the Criterion Channel and on Crave Canada

L'une chante, l'autre pas (1977)
Written and directed by Agnès Varda

Agnès Varda is a revolutionary filmmaker in every sense of the term. One Sings, the Other Doesn’t (L’une chante, l’autre pas) is a further testament to it. Following the intertwined lives of two women in the 1970s, Varda paints a moment of a societal shift, with the progress of the women’s movement, in which she participated in real life. An accurate representation of abortion, a portrayal of feminists and their struggle through the prism of a non-idealized women’s friendship. Through always beautifully assembled set designs and a meticulous cinematography, she does not shy away from the ugliness of what the fighting entails, of the anger at the forefront of women’s daily life, but also from the sheer beauty of what it means to share this journey together, united as sisters. She offers a stunning portrayal of what it means to be a woman at that time. — Kenza Bouhnass Parra

Available to watch on the Criterion Channel and on HBO Max

Mustang (2015)
Directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven
Written by Deniz Gamze Ergüven and Alice Winocour

Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s debut feature delves into the family dynamics of five orphaned sisters and their tribulations while members of their family prepare for their arranged marriages. A confining story with strong characters that make you feel as if you were a sixth sister, experiencing all this adversity right there with them. The bond that unites them is fierce, but also achingly tender is how they constantly look after one another with the most care. It is a film about the quest for freedom, for women in their rights, for sisters in their family, and for each of them in their wants,  needs and thoughts. A shout from the heart that permeates itself onto your soul. — Kenza Bouhnass Parra

Available to rent or buy at home

Divines (2016)
Directed and co-written by Houda Benyamina

A shiny little gem from filmmaker Houda Benyamina. A first feature which gave her the Camera d’Or from the Cannes Film Festival in 2015 and three César Awards, including Best First Feature. Divines paints the friendship of Dounia and Maimouna, who live in an impoverished neighbourhood outside of Paris. Caught between religion and drug trafficking, they try to make a name for themselves in a world where the law of the most powerful always takes over. It is a bold film, playing with the established gender conventions and turning upside down the idea of what it means to be a woman in a world usually inhabited by men. Here, balls and their ego don’t get in the way; they’ve got clito. — Kenza Bouhnass Parra

Available to watch on Netflix

Geographies of Solitude (2022)
Directed and written by Jacquelyn Millsv

A melancholic and beautiful look at the life of environmentalist Zoe Lucas on Nova Scotia’s Sable Island, Geographies of Solitude remains one of the most magnificent films I have ever seen. Director Jacquelyn Mills approaches the subject matter with love, sensitivity, and a truly impressive creative vision. — Paige Irwin

Available to rent or buy at home

La Chimera (2023)
Directed and written by Alice Rohrwacher

With La Chimera, Alice Rohrwacher crafted a film that will simultaneously break your heart in two and carefully stitch it back together. Stunning performances across the board ground the story in its realism, all the while welcoming in moments of magic. La Chimera reminds us of everything that makes us human, how love and grief are parts of that, and that some things are not made for human eyes. — Paige Irwin

Available to rent or buy at home

Photos: Letterboxd, Cinema Public, Conic Films, The Belcourt Theatre, Film Option International, MUBI

Our watchlist on Letterboxd