It's hard to believe, but less than 100 years ago, many women were denied the right to vote. With the new film Suffragette, director Sarah Gavron (pictured above, on set) shines a light on the activists who risked their jobs, marriages, homes and lives for the sake of the suffrage movement in England. To celebrate this inspiring docudrama's march into theaters, we are taking a look back at film history to herald the medium's female pioneers.

 

On the set of 'You've Got Mail,' 1998

Who: Nora Ephron

Claim to Fame: She wrote the classic romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally before writing and directing such beloved rom-coms as Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail.  

How She Influenced Hollywood: Her movies made Meg Ryan a household name and transformed Tom Hanks from a goofy comedian to a sweet romantic lead. But Ephron's biggest influence was how she reinvigorated the rom-com genre, elevating it to new heights that have inspired the next generation of rom-com writers like Mindy Kaling, Lena Dunham and Nicholas Stoller.  

 

"Smile for the cameras!"

Who: Dorothy Arzner

Claim to Fame: A prolific filmmaker of early Hollywood, Arzner worked with timeless stars like Lucille Ball (Dance, Girl, Dance), Katharine Hepburn (Christopher Strong) and Joan Crawford (The Bride Wore Red). She was the first female inductee into the DGA. 

How She Influenced Hollywood: Arzner's greatest impact came from her invention of the boom mic. By hanging a microphone from a fishing pole to keep it out of sight (and out of mind) of anxious ingénue Clara Bow, she innovated a technique that is still used to this day. Years later, as a film professor, she was a mentor to a young Francis Ford Coppola, who'd go on to helm The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now.

 

Making 'Lost in Translation,' 2003

Who: Sofia Coppola

Claim to Fame: The daughter of Arzner’s protégé is not only an Academy Award-winning screenwriter and the third woman ever to be nominated for the Best Director Oscar, but also the fourth American filmmaker and first American woman to win the Golden Lion, the top prize at the prestigious Venice Film Festival.

How She Influenced Hollywood: With 2003's Lost in Translation, Coppola introduced the world to Scarlett Johansson, while offering a freshly compelling side to comedian Bill Murray. Since then, her films have brought poetry to tales of privilege that have influenced an emerging wave of indie auteurs.

 

From left: Stacey Dash, Amy Heckerling and Alicia Silverstone (seated), on the set of 'Clueless' in 1995

Who: Amy Heckerling

Claim to Fame: She helmed zeitgeist-defining teen comedies for the '80s and '90s with Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Clueless, respectively.

How She Influenced Hollywood: She launched the careers of Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash and Brittany Murphy. Moreover, Heckerling's respectful treatment of teens, paired with her willfully silly brand of humor, raised the bar on teen comedies so high that today's are still compared to hers.

 

Making 'The Hurt Locker,' 2008

Who: Kathryn Bigelow

Claim to Fame: In 2010, her work on The Hurt Locker made Bigelow the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar.

How She Influenced Hollywood: Aside from launching Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie, Bigelow boldly broke the mold of female filmmaker. Instead of family dramas and romantic tales, she was drawn to war stories with films like The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty, K-19: The Widowmaker, as well as that anthem to male bonding that is Point Break. By just being true to herself, this celebrated auteur challenged Hollywood to reconsider what a girl could do in the director's chair.

 

Suffragette opens October 23.

Who is your favorite female director? Comment below.