52 Films Directed By Women To Watch In 2022

“Rosaline”
Kaitlyn Dever is everywhere these days, and thank God. After “Booksmart” and “Unbelievable” catapulted the “Short Term 12” actor into the mainstream, she’s staying booked and busy. Most notably for 2022 she’ll be starring as the titular character in “Rosaline,” a Hulu riff on “Romeo & Juliet” that focuses on Juliet’s cousin and Romeo’s recent ex. “Yes God Yes” director Karen Maine is at the helm, and Isabela Merced (“Transformers: The Last Knight”), Kyle Allen (“West Side Story,” “XX”), Bradley Whitford, and Minnie Driver also star. With a script by “(500) Days of Summer” scribes Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustadter, the film is based on the novel “When You Were Mine” by Rebecca Serle.
Release date: TBD via Hulu.

“Run Woman Run”
This Canadian festival darling by first-time feature director Zoe Leigh Hopkins tells the story of a single mom (Dakota Ray Hebert) still reeling from her mother’s suicide who finally learns to take care of herself thanks to a ghost named Tom (Asivak Koostachin). Set in the Six Nations in Ontario, the film matter-of-factly wrestles with indigenous struggles like lasting trauma from residential “schools” and language loss, but still manages to come out a comedy. This is the sort of story you never get to see on the big screen, and it swept the awards at the American Indian Film Festival, ImagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival, and WorldFest Houston. Here’s hoping MUBI or someone similar snatches it up so lots of folks can enjoy it!
Release date: TBD.

“She Said”
Perhaps the Oscar-baitiest entry on this list, Maria Schrader (“I’m Your Man,” “Unorthodox”) is directing Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan in an adaptation of New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor’s book “She Said.” The book is a chronicle of Twohey and Kantor’s efforts to expose the predatory behavior of Harvey Weinstein. Their resulting 2017 exposé kickstarted the mainstream #MeToo movement and changed the face of Hollywood forever. Kazan plays Kantor and Mulligan plays Twohey, with Patricia Clarkson as their dogged editor Rebecca Corbett. “Colette” screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz has adapted the film, and Universal has already grabbed distribution rights. Look out for it this fall.
Release date: November 18 via Universal.

“Showing Up”
A24 putting in the work to make Kelly Reichardt cool is easily one of their best contributions to society. The “First Cow” director is expected to release her eighth feature this year with “Showing Up,” another Michelle Williams starrer about an artist navigating relationships in the lead-up to a career-changing exhibition. Reichardt co-wrote the script with regular collaborator Jonathan Raymond. The film also reunites her with cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt, costume designer April Napier, and production designer Anthony Gasparro, all of whom also worked on her last two films, “Certain Women” and “First Cow.” A24 hasn’t announced a release date for this one yet, but a festival run and then an awards bid seems the most likely route. Maybe it’ll be ready in time for Cannes.
Release date: TBD via A24.

“The Sky Is Everywhere”
“Shirley” and “Madeline’s Madeline” director Josephine Decker has another coming-of-age tale coming out shortly courtesy of A24 and Apple TV+. “The Sky Is Everywhere,” based on Jandy Nelson’s novel of the same name, tells the story of a high school girl navigating love and loss in the wake of her sister’s death. Nelson has adapted her own novel for the screen, and Grace Kaufman (“Man with a Plan”) plays the lead, with Jason Segel and Cherry Jones in supporting roles. After her last two mind-bending films, it’ll be fascinating to see how Decker takes on this material. If these first look photos are any indication, we’re in for a heartwarming tearjerker.
Release date: February 11 via A24 and Apple TV+.

“Spellbound”
Animation maven Vicky Jenson (“Shrek,” “Shark Tale”) has been out of the game for nearly 20 years, so it’s exciting to see her returning to direct a new animated film, “Spellbound.” This marks Skydance Animation’s second ever feature – the first will be “Luck,” another female-directed venture debuting February 18. (This is perhaps a calculated move on Skydance’s part, since they’ve been in some hot water for bringing on John Lasseter after he was #MeToo’d out of Pixar.) As part of an overall deal, Apple TV+ will release both films. Perhaps most of note here is the presence of composer Alan Menken, who wrote the film’s original score and songs. There’s no casting information out yet, but the film follows Elian, a teenager who comes of age using her powers to defend her family when the opposing forces of light and darkness threaten to divide her kingdom. Sounds like the kind of stuff that Jenson and Menken can easily turn into magic.
Release date: November 11 via Apple TV+.

“Till”
In 2019, director Chinonye Chukwu became the first Black woman to receive the Sundance U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize with “Clemency.” Now, she’s slated to helm “Till,” a biographical drama about Marnie Till-Mobley, which tells the story of her life as an activist following the 1955 lynching of her son Emmett Till. Danielle Deadwyler (“Station Eleven,” “The Harder They Fall”) plays Till-Mobley, alongside stars like Whoopi Goldberg, Frankie Faison (“The Wire”) and Haley Bennett (“Cyrano”). So far it’s set for a limited fall release, courtesy of United Artists Releasing, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this one becomes an awards contender.
Release date: October 7 via United Artists Releasing.

“Turning Red”
Though longtime Pixar artist Domee Shi’s feature directorial debut “Turning Red” was originally slated to be a theatrical release, it’s now been pushed to Disney+ thanks to the pandemic. “Turning Red” centers on Mei (Rosalie Chiang), a 13-year-old girl navigating adolescence – and an ancestral curse that turns her into a red panda whenever she feels too many feelings. The supporting cast includes Sandra Oh, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Jordan Fisher, and Fineas O’Connell. This looks like a sweet animated love letter to blended cultures (and red pandas).
Release date: March 11 via Disney+.

“Unclenching the Fists”
Playlist contributor Robert Daniels described Kira Kovalenka’s “Unclenching the Fists” as an “unflinching,” “off-putting,” and “bold,” film that “operates on the suspicion of incest.” That sounds about right for a Russian coming-of-age film. Kovalenka’s second feature is about Ada (Milana Aguzarova), a girl who both struggles against and loves her stiflingly patriarchal family. “Unclenching” debuted in the Un Certain Regard program at Cannes 2021 before a long festival run. Mubi snatched it up at Cannes, so hopefully, some kind of wider U.S. release is imminent. People keep comparing it to “Beanpole,” and that’s all the convincing we need.
Release date: TBD via Mubi.

“Where the Crawdads Sing”
“First Match” director Olivia Newman is directing her first studio film this year courtesy of Sony. “Where the Crawdads Sing,” based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Delia Owens, tells the tale of a precocious, neglected girl named Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a murder, and life in a North Carolina marsh. “Normal People” star Jones plays opposite love interest Taylor John Smith (“Sharp Objects”) and villain Harris Dickinson (“Beach Rats”). Reese Witherspoon, who majorly boosted the book by including it in her book club, is also helping to back the film adaptation through her company Hello Sunshine. This story is full of sticky southern heat, so it’s no surprise it’s slated for a late summer release.
Release date: July 22 via Sony.

“The Woman King”
Gina Prince-Bythewood absolutely slayed the superhero genre with 2020’s Netflix exclusive “The Old Guard,” so it’s a pleasure to see her in line to direct another action-packed epic. “The Woman King” is a historical film set in an all-female military unit in the Kingdom of Dahomey, where a general (Viola Davis) and a new recruit (Thuso Mbedu) work together to face down enemies of all kinds. This marks Mbedu’s first film role, hot off of an award-winning run as Cora in Barry Jenkins’s “The Underground Railroad.” Oh, also John Boyega is going to be there, playing a king.
Release date: September 16 via Sony.

“Women Talking”
It has been far too long since Sarah Polley graced us with a film – her last was 2012’s “Stories We Tell,” an exquisite documentary that cleaned up at festival and critics’ circle awards ceremonies. But ten years later she’s back to the big screen with “Women Talking,” a star-studded adaptation of Miriam Toews’s eponymous novel. Polley also wrote the script, which follows eight Mennonite women as they struggle to reconcile their faith with their experiences of systemic sexual abuse. The cast includes Frances McDormand, Ben Whishaw, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Jessie Buckley, just to name a few.
Release date: Awards season at the latest, via United Artists Releasing.

That’s (mostly) all, folks! Of course, there are a handful of other projects that could have made it onto this list, so if you didn’t see something you’re excited about, don’t let that deter you! A few picks from our 2021 list that were festival-only last year may hit theaters this year, too, so keep an eye out for titles like “Mothering Sunday,” “Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon,” and “Pleasure.” And Karyn Kusama, if you’re reading this, we’re ready for that new “Dracula” adaptation whenever you are.