>> 2026 CHALLENGE <<
Welcome to my clumsy attempt at creating an expansive, female-centred challenge to boost my exploration of women in film and whittle down my humongous watchlist.
The rules are simple: unless specific instructions are provided (e.g. a list, an award, or a crew position), all selections should either be directed by a woman (preferably), written by a woman, or feature a central female performance.
Tag your lists and logs with "lcw2025" (lists | reviews)
Progress: 78/100
Participants: marve | sulienyx | Chariot_Choogle | Lyssa | kraina | linjitah | Redclown | bbb | Carlos (Hache) | evilchachouuu
Categories & Prompts:
WOMEN BEHIND THE CAMERA
☑ 1. Female Director
☑ 2. Female Writer
☑ 3. Female Producer
☑ 4. Female Cinematographer…
>> 2026 CHALLENGE <<
Welcome to my clumsy attempt at creating an expansive, female-centred challenge to boost my exploration of women in film and whittle down my humongous watchlist.
The rules are simple: unless specific instructions are provided (e.g. a list, an award, or a crew position), all selections should either be directed by a woman (preferably), written by a woman, or feature a central female performance.
Tag your lists and logs with "lcw2025" (lists | reviews)
Progress: 78/100
Participants: marve | sulienyx | Chariot_Choogle | Lyssa | kraina | linjitah | Redclown | bbb | Carlos (Hache) | evilchachouuu
Categories & Prompts:
WOMEN BEHIND THE CAMERA
☑ 1. Female Director
☑ 2. Female Writer
☑ 3. Female Producer
☑ 4. Female Cinematographer
☑ 5. Female Editor
☑ 6. Female Composer
WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD
☑ 7. Non-English Speaking Film
☑ 8. Britain and Ireland
☑ 9. France
☑ 10. Germany
☑ 11. Italy
☑ 12. Scandinavia
☑ 13. Spain
☑ 14. Eastern Europe
☑ 15. Other European (excluding those mentioned)
☑ 16. Japan
☑ 17. South Korea
☑ 18. India
☑ 19. Other Asian (excluding those mentioned)
☑ 20. Australia & New Zealand
☑ 21. Africa
22. Middle East
☑ 23. Latin America and the Caribbean
☑ 24. Canada
☑ 25. Indigenous Cinema
WOMEN ACROSS GENRE
☑ 26. Action / Adventure
☑ 27. Animation
☑ 28. Biopic
☑ 29. Comedy
☑ 30. Coming-of-age
☑ 31. Crime / Mystery / Thriller
☑ 32. Documentary
☑ 33. Fantasy
☑ 34. Historical or Period Drama
☑ 35. Horror
☑ 36. Romance / Musical
☑ 37. Sci-Fi
38. Short Film
☑ 39. Sports
DECADES OF WOMEN
☑ 40. 1920s-30s-40s
☑ 41. 1950s-60s
☑ 42. 1970s
☑ 43. 1980s
☑ 44. 1990s
☑ 45. 2000s
☑ 46. 2010s
☑ 47. 2020s
WOMEN AND SEXUALITY
☑ 48. Female Desire, Pleasure & Sensuality
☑ 49. Queer Experience
☑ 50. Age and Sexuality
☑ 51. Race and Sexuality
☑ 52. Sexual Awakening
☑ 53. Sexual Repression
54. Sexual Violence and Gender-Based Abuse
☑ 55. Sex Work
☑ 56. Taboo Relationships
THE BEST OF WOMEN'S CINEMA
☑ 57. Women Directors: The Official Top 250 Narrative Feature Films
☑ 58. BBC's The 100 greatest films directed by women
59. IndieWire's The All-Time Greatest Films Directed by Women
☑ 60. The female gaze: 100 overlooked films directed by women
☑ 61. Asian Women Directors: The Official Top 100 Narrative Feature Films
☑ 62. TimeOut's 100 Best Feminist Movies Of All Time
☑ 63. autostraddle's The 100 Best Lesbian Movies Of All Time
NOTABLE COMMUNITY LISTS
☑ 64. quiet little female character studies by mary
☑ 65. “Good For Her” Cinematic Universe by claira curtis
☑ 66. b-movies for the GIRLS by annie
67. Dirtbag Dykes by girlsgutsgiallo
☑ 68. “female rage” but show some representation for women of color, too by 𝐜𝔢𝐜𝒆
69. Black Female Directors/Black Female Writers by ❤︎Kaila❤︎
AWARDS SPOTLIGHT
70. Oscars Best Picture Nominees Directed by Women
☑ 71. Major Award Winners or Nominees in a Non-Acting Category
☑ 72. Major Best Lead Performance Award Winners or Nominees
☑ 73. Major Best Supporting Performance Award Winners or Nominees
☑ 74. Best Actress at Cannes
75. Major Award Winners and Nominees among Women of Colour
EXTRA MILE
76. Abortion
77. Activism / Politics
☑ 78. Cheerleaders
☑ 79. Female Friendship and Sisterhood
☑ 80. Femme Fatale
☑ 81. Geisha Culture
82. Motherhood / Daughterhood
83. Mental Health
84. Nuns
☑ 85. Nurses
☑ 86. Race and Ethnicity
☑ 87. Vampires
88. Western
89. Witchcraft
☑ 90. Women and Disability
91. Women and War
92. Women in Art and Literature
☑ 93. Women in Education
94. Women in Journalism
95. Women in Law Enforcement
☑ 96. Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
97. Women in the Military
☑ 98. Women in the Workplace
99. Women Over 50
☑ 100. Any Triple F-rated Film (directed by, written by, AND starring a woman in a central role)
Tips:
1. If you can't find a dedicated list, you can use tags to help you find films with specific female crew members, themes etc.
e.g. letterboxd.com/tag/woman-composer/films/
*Just remember to double check your choices before selecting any film as tags are not always accurate
2. If you have an extensive watchlist, you can use the function "Show films in watchlist" with any list to only see the films you have watchlisted
Reference Lists:
Directed by Women by thaizy
Stuff by women, about women by Meagan
Girls on Film by Tara
Directed by Japanese women by Giulia
Films with Female Composers by Dani Pinto
Women in Westerns by Willow Maclay
Taboo Affairs by Miriam
Indigenous cinema by funtimess
Age Gaps & Controversial Relationships by Lady Layana
Sapphic Women Of Colour Watchlist by sapphicsummers
The Ultimate Femme Fatale List by Lari The Villain
Lesbian Vampire Master List by girlsgutsgiallo
Essential Feminist Films (worldwide) by Bruna Léo
Women in Sports by Clara
Cheerleaders by Allegra Beatrix
Over 100 Narrative Feature Films Directed by Arab Women by Arab Film & Media Institute
List of female Academy Award winners and nominees for non-gendered categories
List of black Academy Award winners and nominees