How Female Directors Dominate The Documentary World

Mommy Dead and Dearest, HBO‘s latest true-crime venture, debuted on the platform this week and has been dubbed something of a “true crime must watch“. The documentary, directed by Erin Lee Carr, explores the horrifying story of the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard by her abused daughter Gypsy Rose, and it has received rave reviews from a slew of outlets. Carr isn’t the only woman behind a popular, powerful documentary getting attention right now; flicks like Newtown, I Am Jane Doe, Hot Girls Wanted, Blackfish, Stories We Tell, Citizenfour, What Happened, Miss Simone?, 13th, and Netflix‘s Casting JonBenet all boast female directors. While discrimination against women within the film and television industries is certainly alive and well, their continued innovation in the field of documentary has delivered some of the most hard-hitting films of the last few decades.

Female directors have been finding a home in the documentary world for years; Nazi propaganda master Leni Riefenstahl can be credited for much of the imagery associated with Nazism and fascism due to her massive 1935 documentary Triumph of the Will. While her legacy prompted questions of the morality and responsibility behind documentary filmmaking that are still debated to this day, the mere fact that a woman was responsible for one of the most largely-referenced documentaries of World War II is absolutely mind-boggling. Women in England would go on to pioneer a movement with their own documentary films in the 1930s and 1940s, and French filmmaker Agnès Varda heavily influenced the French New Wave with her documentary work in the 1950s. While women have certainly thrived in this genre – female documentarians have traditionally fared better at the Oscars than narrative directors – there is no denying that the genre is just as exclusive as the rest of them. Despite this, we’ve continued to see some incredible work come out of the category.

“When you are making a documentary you can set out on your own,” Eleanor Mortimer, director of Territory, told IndieWire. “You don’t have to impress people, or assert your authority; you can just be you.” Trapped director Dawn Porter echoed this sentiment: “There are fewer gatekeepers in documentary film – less sitting around waiting for a green light.” The self-starting nature of the genre has certainly lent itself to women being able to open their own doors; without having to wait for someone to buy a script, back their flick, and hire actors, a documentarian can often be inspired by a subject, pick up a camera, and set off on their filmmaking venture. It’s not always so easy, but it’s certainly more accessible.

The wide range of stories told by these women have allowed for widespread enlightenment on a variety of topics, and even had real-world effects. Blackfish, helmed by Gabriela Cowperthwaithe, can perhaps be credited in large part for the steady demise of SeaWorld. Her exposing of their controversial handling of killer whales led to a series of protests, boycotts, and eventual massive decline in revenue for the parks. Citizenfour, Laura Poitras‘ eye-opening account of Edward Snowden and the NSA spying scandal, took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2015 and opened a slew of conversational doors surrounding government surveillance. Platforms like HBO and Netflix have steadily demonstrated they will also serve as a stepping stone for these filmmakers; Mommy Dead and Dearest, Abortion: Stories Women Tell, and Citizenfour call HBO home, while Casting JonBenet, 13th, and What Happened, Miss Simone? have settled in at Netflix.

This steady continuation of women’s domination of the documentary field is a breath of fresh air among the heavily male-produced content that is constantly being released. Stories like Hot Girls Wanted and Abortion: Stories Women Tell often require a female gaze to effectively and honestly be told, and the fact that this is being acknowledged and put into action is incredibly significant. Only time will tell if the genre will continue the movement towards equality – but from where we’re standing, the films from these women are a clear demonstration of just how capable they are to take the documentary world by storm.