Intersectional FeminismFilms

Zoë Kravitz's directorial debut, a psychological thriller starring Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum. Following cocktail waitress Frida who is invited to tech billionaire Slater King's private island vacation, only to discover the men on the island are plotting sinister activities. The film deeply explores crucial issues including power abuse, sexual violence, collective trauma, female solidarity, and elite corruption, showcasing women's awakening and resistance when facing systemic oppression.

A groundbreaking work by Indian director Payal Kapadia, this historic masterpiece won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. Following three women of different ages - Prabha, Anu, and Parvaty - working together at a hospital in Mumbai, it explores their complex personal lives and the power of their mutually supportive friendship. With its poetic visual language, the film deeply examines crucial themes including female friendship, intergenerational solidarity, identity formation in urban development, and gender politics in modern India.

A romantic comedy-drama directed by Sean Baker, winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Mikey Madison stars as sex worker Ani who falls in love and impulsively marries Vanya, the son of a Russian oligarch, before facing fierce opposition from his family's forces. With its authentic, nuanced performances and sharp social critique, the film deeply explores crucial issues including sex worker rights, class differences, economic inequality, and women's survival struggles in capitalist society.

A black comedy drama directed by Zambian filmmaker Rungano Nyoni, starring Susan Chardy. Following young woman Shula who discovers her uncle Fred's body late at night, the film explores the revelation of buried family sexual assault secrets during funeral proceedings with her cousins. With its unique African perspective, the film examines the complex relationships between family trauma, cultural traditions, and women's voices, becoming an important representative work of contemporary African feminist cinema.

A superhero film directed by Nia DaCosta, the first Black woman to helm a Marvel movie, following three female superheroes Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan who are forced to work together to save the universe when their powers become entangled. The film explores themes of intergenerational female solidarity, multicultural identity, and women's representation in superhero cinema.

A groundbreaking sci-fi comedy-fantasy film starring Michelle Yeoh as a Chinese-American immigrant mother who must save the world across the multiverse. Directed by the Daniels, this film redefines the concept of action heroes through its profound exploration of Asian American women, intergenerational relationships, identity, and family dynamics.

Nearly 40-year-old African American playwright Radha decides to reinvent herself as a rapper after facing setbacks in New York's art world. This semi-autobiographical black-and-white film deeply explores ageism, intersectional oppression of race and gender, artistic autonomy, and middle-aged women's identity reconstruction in male-dominated industries.

The story of East London Black teenage girl Olushola (nicknamed 'Rocks') who must survive independently with her brother Emmanuel after their mother suddenly leaves home, evading social services. This coming-of-age drama showcases deep friendships between girls, urban youth resilience, and the vital role of female mutual aid networks in times of crisis through delicate perspective.

Lulu Wang's semi-autobiographical work tells the story of Chinese-American writer Billi returning to China to say goodbye to her cancer-stricken grandmother. This warm and profound family drama explores death, family, cultural identity, and the complex roles of women in families through a cross-cultural perspective, showcasing deep emotional bonds between women across generations.

Adapted from Angie Thomas's bestselling novel, follows 16-year-old African American girl Starr's journey from silence to voice after witnessing her friend Khalil being shot by police. This coming-of-age drama deeply explores police violence, systemic racism, Black women's voices and agency, and young women's awakening and growth in social justice movements.

A biographical drama about 19th-century French writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette's growth and awakening. Keira Knightley brilliantly portrays this pioneering female writer who challenged gender norms, fought for authorial credit, and explored gender fluidity in her legendary life.

Writer and director Alfonso Cuarón has described Roma as a love letter to all the women who raised him. It's a beautiful rumination on all the 'hoods' women go through: girlhood, womanhood, motherhood. A domestic drama about a maid and the middle-class family she cares for in Mexico City, the story is told in crisp black-and-white, but it doesn't take long to see that a woman's work never ventures far out of the gray area.

The true story of three African-American female mathematicians who played crucial roles in NASA's space race during the 1960s. They not only had to face racial discrimination but also overcome gender bias, ultimately making indelible contributions to America's aerospace program through their exceptional talents.

This HBO television movie stars Kerry Washington as Anita Hill, a law professor whose story of sexual harassment is worth revisiting through a post-#MeToo lens. This film dives into one of recent American history's watershed moments, chronicling the testimony given before the nation regarding the sexual harassment of women in the workplace.

A biographical drama adapted from Cheryl Strayed's memoir, starring Reese Witherspoon as a woman who hikes the Pacific Crest Trail alone. This 2014 film deeply explores themes of female self-redemption, identity reconstruction, and independent survival in a male-dominated world.

At the end of the American Civil War, three women living alone on a desolate Southern farm must fight to defend themselves against two rogue soldiers who have broken off from the Union Army. This revisionist feminist western reexamines the brutality of war from a female perspective, exploring complex themes of women's self-defense rights, racial relations, and survival instincts.

Based on the true story of 18th-century historical figure Dido Elizabeth Belle, this costume drama follows a mixed-race aristocratic woman navigating her place in British high society while fighting for justice amid intersecting racism and sexism. The film explores complex themes of race, class, gender intersectionality, and female agency.

18-year-old Mexican-American Ana García struggles between her college dreams and traditional family expectations. This groundbreaking independent film explores themes of body autonomy, cultural identity, class mobility, and intergenerational conflict through a Latina lens, becoming a milestone in the body positivity movement and Latina feminist cinema.

Adapted from Amy Tan's novel, this film tells the stories of four pairs of Chinese-American mothers and daughters across two generations. Through complex mother-daughter relationships, it explores cultural inheritance, transmission of women's experiences, and identity issues in cross-cultural contexts.

Canadian avant-garde cinema mostly seen and analyzed by college students, Patricia Rozema's fairy-tale whimsy, about an artist on her journey to self-discovery, is one you should seek out - particularly because it's made by a fantastic team of women.