2020 Movies Directed or Written by Women

This is a ongoing list of 2020 movies written or directed by women, mostly narrative films, but I’ve thrown in some documentaries, too. I’ve included specific dates when available, but as you’ll see, there are many movies at the bottom of my list that are slated for 2020 but don’t yet have release dates. I’m sure I’ve missed some titles, so if you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.

Last updated: 4/23/20, I added color coding to help me make sense of all the postponements and streaming changes due to quarantine.

RED = postponed or unknown (to me) release date
GREEN = premiering on video on demand and drive-in theaters
BLUE = originated in theaters, now streaming or will soon stream on paid platforms
PURPLE = originated on streaming subscription platforms

It may be that in a few weeks this color-coding will be obsolete because everything will just have a new streaming release date. Or it could be that I’ll have to have a new color for movies that are postponed but will be released in theaters in the fall.

JANUARY
The Turning  Director: Floria Sigismondi (Jan 24)
The Assistant  Writer & Director: Kitty Green (Jan 31)
The Rhythm Section  Director: Reed Morano (Jan 31)
Taylor Swift: Miss Americana  Director: Lana Wilson (Netflix: Jan 31)

(See Sundance premieres in this post)

FEBRUARY
Birds of Prey  Director: Cathy Han, Writer: Christina Hodson (Feb 7) (Will stream in early April)
Horse Girl  Writers: Jeff Baena and Alison Brie (Netflix: Feb 7)
The Lodge Co-directors: Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz (Feb 7)
To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You  Writer: Sofia Alvarez, based on the novel by Jenny Han (Netflix: Feb 12)
Buffaloed Director: Tanya Wexler (Feb 14)
I Was At Home But . . .  Writer & Director: Angela Schanelec (Feb 14)
Ordinary Love  Co-Directors: Lisa Barros D’Sa & Glenn Leyburn (Feb 14)
The Photograph Writer & Director: Stella Meghie (Feb 14)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire  Writer & Director: Céline Sciamma (Feb 14)
The Rest of Us  Director: Aisling Chin-Yee, Writer: Alanna Francis (Feb 14)
Emma.  Director: Autumn de Wilde, Writer: Eleanor Catton (Feb 21) (Now streaming!)
The Last Thing He Wanted  Writer & Director: Dee Rees based the novel by Joan Didion (Netflix: Feb 21)
10 Things We Should Do Before We Break Up  Writer & Director: Galt Niederhoffer (Feb 21)
All the Bright Places Writer: Liz Hannah, based on the novel by Jennifer Niven (Netflix: Feb 28)
Saint Frances  Writer: Kelly O’Sullivan (Feb 28)
Wendy  Director: Benh Zeitlin Writer: Benh and Eliza Zeitlin (Feb 28)

MARCH
First Cow Director: Kelly Reichardt (Mar 6)
Go Back to China  Writer & Director: Emily Ting (Mar 6, now streaming on multiple platforms)
Hillary  Director: Nanette Burstein (Hulu documentary series: Mar 6)
Lost Girls  Director: Liz Garbus (Netflix: Mar 13)
Lost Transmissions  Writer & Director: Katharine O’Brien (Mar 13, now streaming on multiple platforms)
Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often  Writer & Director: Eliza Hittman (Mar 13, now streaming on multiple platforms)
The Roads Not Taken  Writer & Director: Sally Potter (Mar 13, now streaming on https://bleeckerstreetmedia.com) 
Stargirl  Director: Julia Hart  Writers: Kristin Hahn and Jordan Horowitz (Mar 13, Disney+)
Blow the Man Down  Co-directors: Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy (Amazon: Mar 20)
Crip Camp  Co-directors: James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham (Netflix: March 25)
Tape  Writer & Director: Deborah Kampmeier (Mar 27 – virtual premiere: https://www.tapevirtualpremiere.com/)

See this post  for a list of SXSW movies were cancelled due to the Coronavirus.

APRIL
Radium Girls  Co-Directors: Lydia Jean Pilcher & Ginny Mohler, Writers: Ginny Mohler, Brittany Shaw (Apr 3)
The Other Lamb Director: Malgorzata Szumowska, Writer: C.S. McMullen (Apr 3, now streaming on Amazon)
Saint Maud  Writer & Director: Rose Glass (Apr 3)
Promising Young Woman  Writer & Director: Emerald Fennell (Apr 17)

MAY
The Half of It  Writer & Director: Alice Wu (Netflix) (May 1)
Valley Girl  Director: Rachel Lee Goldenberg, Writer: Amy Talkington (May 8)
How To Build A Girl  Director: Coky Giedroyc, Writer: Caitlin Moran (May 8)
Finding Ohana  Director: Jude Weng, Writer: Christina Strain (May 21)
Military Wives Writers: Rosanne Flynn and Rachel Tunnard (May 22)

JUNE
Babyteeth  Director: Shannon Murphy  Writer: Rita Kalnejais (Jun 19)
Kajillionaire  Writer & Director Miranda July (Jun 19)

JULY
Mulan  Director: Niki Caro, Writers: Amanda Silver and Lauren Hynek  (July 24)

AUGUST
The One and Only Ivan  Director: Thea Sharrock, based on the book by K.A. Applegate (Aug 14)
Wonder Woman 1984  Director: Patty Jenkins (Aug 14)

SEPTEMBER
Last Night in Soho  Writer: Krysty Wilson-Cairns and Edgar Wright (Sept 25)
Candyman  Director: Nia DaCosta (Sept 25)

OCTOBER
As Sick As They Made Us  Writer & Director: Mayim Bialik (Oct 20)

NOVEMBER
Black Widow  Director: Cate Shortland (Nov 6)
Happiest Season Director: Clea DuVall, Writers: Clea DuVall and Mary Holland (Nov 25)
Hillbilly Elegy  Writer: Vanessa Taylor

Expected 2020-ish, Release date TBD
Aggie (documentary) Director: Catherine Gund
Bergman Island Writer & Director: Mia Hansen-Løve
Black Beauty  Writer & Director: Ashley Avis
Breaking News in Yuba County  Writer: Amanda Idoko
Collection  Director: Marianna Palka
Come Away Director: Brenda Chapman
False Positive  Co-writer: Ilana Glazer
Fear Street  Director: Leigh Janiak
Feel The Beat  Director: Elissa Down (Netflix)
Girls Night  Director: Marianna Palka, Writer: Cristina Kinon
The Glorias  Director: Julie Taymor, Writer: Sarah Ruhl and Gloria Steinem
Harry Haft  Writer: Justine Juel Gillmor
Holidate  Writer: Tiffany Paulsen (Netflix)
I’m Your Woman  Writer & Director: Julia Hart
Jolt  Director: Tanya Wexler
Love, Guaranteed  Writers: Hilary Galanoy and Elizabeth Hackett
Love, Weddings, and Other Disasters  Co-writer: Eileen Conn
Mainstream Writer & Director: Gia Coppola
Marry Me  Director: Kat Coiro
May Day Writer & Director: Karen Cinorre
Mothertrucker  Writer & Director: Jill Solloway
A Mouthful of Air  Writer & Director: Amy Koppelman
The Old Guard  Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Nomadland  Director: Chloé Zhao, based on the book by Jessica Bruder
On the Rocks Director: Sophia Coppola (Distributed by Apple TV+)
Over The Moon  Writers: Jennifer Yee McDevitt, Audrey Wells
Passing Writer & Director: Rebecca Hall, based the novel by Nella Larsen
Pig  Writer: Vanessa Block
The Princess Switch: Switched Again Writers: Robin Bernheim, Megan Metzger
Radioactive Director: Marjane Satrapi
Rebecca  Writer: Jane Goldman, Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier
Reminiscence  Writer & Director: Lisa Joy
Seacole  Writers: Marnie Dickens and Dianne Houston
Secret Society of Second Born Royals  Director: Anna Mastro (Disney+)
The Sky Is Everywhere Director: Josephine Decker, Writer: Jandy Nelson (Apple TV+)
The Souvenir: Part II  Writer & Director: Joanna Hogg
The Stand-in  Director: Jamie Babbit
To All The Boys: Always and Forever, Laura Jean (Netflix)
The 40-Year-Old Version Writer & Director: Radha Blank (Netflix)
The United States vs. Billie Holiday  Writer: Suzan Lori-Parks
Things Heard & Seen Co-Writers & Co-Directors: Shari Springer Bergman & Robert Pulcini, based on the novel by Elizabeth Brundage
Untitled Lila Neugebauer Project  Director: Lila Neugebauer, Writer: Elizabeth Sanders
The Water Man  Writer: Emma Needell
The World to Come  Director: Mona Fastvold