Within the past five years, we've seen some much overdue representation of diversity, not just onscreen but also behind the scenes, specifically in the director's chair. For decades, the industry has been dominated by men, especially of the older, white, straight demographic. This is especially apparent in award seasons. For example, in the Academy Awards alone, only three female directors have won the coveted Oscar for Directing in its ninety-four years of history.

Thankfully, the past few years have seen a rise in not just female directors but also Asian female directors and their films that gaining recognition for their work. And that's not just in the awards circuit. Quite a few of these films have become a part of mainstream culture, which has provided unprecedented opportunities for diverse storytelling. In the season of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage month, these ten movies highlight female Asian directors and their talent and impact in the industry.

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Destroyer by Karyn Kusama

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Image via Annapurna Pictures

Kicking off the list is the 2018 crime drama Destroyer, which was directed by Karyn Kusama. The story focuses on an LAPD detective, Erin Bell (Nicole Kidman), who realizes that an old gang she was involved with in an undercover case has come back to haunt her. This sends her on a mission to track down the remaining gang members to finally put their case to rest.

Prior to this movie, Kusama was also known for some memorable films from the 2000s including the 2005 live-action adaption of Æon Flux with Charlize Theron and the 2009 cult classic Jennifer's Body starring Megan Fox. She's very familiar with female-led stories of a gritty or violent nature and manages to balance fast-paced action and serious reflective moments. The movie's success is also credited to Kidman's robust performance as she disappears into the role of the tortured detective. The rest of the talented cast includes Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) who further help to make this bleak setting immersive with their performances. This gripping film is available for purchase or rental on Apple TV and Google Play.

Blinded by the Light by Gurinder Chadha

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Image via New Line

Switching gears to a lighter tone, we have the 2019 drama-comedy Blinded by the Light by Indian-British director Gurinder Chadha. Its story is set in 80s England where Pakistani-British teenager, Javed Khan (Viveik Kalra), wishes for more in life given the hardships of economic struggle and unemployment that affect his family, along with the rampant racism that Pakistani and Muslim people experience in Britain. The shining beacons of hope for him are his writing and Bruce Springsteen's music.

Blinded by the Light is a joyful addition to Chadha's repertoire of heartfelt coming-of-age tales, joining the likes of her iconic films such as the 2002 sports film Bend It Like Beckham and the 2004 Bollywood-infused adaption Bride and Prejudice. Her impact was already breaking barriers by including Indian female protagonists and Indian culture at the forefront of her films. She provides the same for Javed, who endures the clash of his cultural identity, stemming from the Asian immigrant experience of being dutiful to one's family but also wanting to pursue a personal dream. Ultimately, it's a story with a happy ending, considering it's based on the life of Pakistani-British journalist Sarfraz Manzoor who helped write the script. This upbeat love letter to the 80s and Asian British immigrants can be streamed on HBO Max.

Lucky Grandma by Sasie Sealy

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Image via Good Deed Entertainment

Chinese-American director Sasie Sealy made her directorial debut at Tribeca Film Festival with her dark comedy Lucky Grandma. It follows the titular Grandma Wong (Tsai Chin), a cynical, recently widowed Chinese woman who visits an Atlantic City casino after being told by her neighborhood fortune-teller (Wai Ching Ho) that her "lucky day is coming".

Unfortunately, the predicted luck goes sideways as Grandma gets caught up in a mafia war that leads her into some trouble. It's not every day that a film's lead character is of Asian background or let alone, the elderly demographic. Sealy delivers a charming and refreshing story that allows Chin to shine in such an entertaining role. It's also remarkable to see how an American-set film had a majority of the dialogue in Mandarin, which still engages the audience in Grandma's situation. Such a simple premise ends up entailing a crazy adventure that reminds the audience of the film's major tagline to "respect your elders". This compelling and delightful film is available for rental or purchase on Apple TV and Amazon.

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Yellow Rose by Diane Paragas

Eva Noblezada in Yellow Rose
Image via Sony

Providing recent Filipino representation is the Filipino-American director Diane Paragas with her 2019 film Yellow Rose. The movie is centered on Rose Garcia (Eva Noblezada), a Filipina teenager who wants to pursue her dream of being a country singer while living in Texas. Similar to Blinding of the Light, Rose faces a lot of hardship especially as an immigrant when her mother, Priscilla (Princess Punzalan) is taken away by ICE officers. This forces Rose to make ends meet and contemplate the worth of her dream.

Paragas beautifully captures this coming-of-age story through the weaving of its original country soundtrack (with some key songs sung by Noblezada - a Broadway actress) throughout the story. The film also demonstrates the reality of immigrant experiences where Rose's mother had to work hard before being taken away due to being deemed an illegal immigrant. On the other hand, Rose's Tita Gail (Lea Salonga) lives comfortably after marrying a white man and has completely assimilated to the American lifestyle. There's no denying the power of music and a moving underdog story in this movie, which is also available for purchase or rental on Amazon or Apple TV.

Always Be My Maybe by Nahnatchka Khan

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Image via Netflix

Another one of the lighthearted films on this list is the 2019 Netflix rom-com Always Be My Maybe, directed by Iranian-American director Nahnatchka Khan. The film stars Ali Wong and Randall Park who also both wrote the screenplay due to being long-time friends since the 90s, and reportedly wanting to develop "[the Asian] version of When Harry Met Sally...". The story follows Sasha (Wong) and Marcus (Park) who were childhood friends who were briefly romantic in their teenage years before separating after an argument. After 15 years, they reunite as adults where they're both at different stages of their lives but decide to rekindle their friendship and see what will happen.

Khan was picked for the project with her connection to Park as the creator and executive producer of the sitcom Fresh off the Boat. The film marked her directorial debut where she rightfully exercises her experience as a comedy writer and producer for American Dad! and the short-lived sitcom Don't Trust the B____ in Apartment 23. The film has an easy flow of laughs thanks to Wong and Park's chemistry and even an appearance by Keanu Reeves in an absurd but meme-worthy role. Khan also highlights the Vietnamese and Korean cultures of Sasha and Marcus, which serves as excellent Asian representation in the rom-com genre that rarely had Asian leads until the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians. Following the success of Always Be My Maybe, she went on to produce and direct Wong's third comedy special titled Ali Wong: Don Wong. Khan is also currently working on her next directorial project, Totally Killer, a horror comedy. Until then, Khan's refreshing rom-com can be streamed on Netflix.

The Farewell by Lulu Wang

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Image via A24

Returning to the independent film circuit, 2019 also delivered a poignant and personal feature film from Chinese-American director Lulu Wang. The Farewell focuses on a Chinese family reconciling with the unfortunate diagnosis of terminal cancer of their grandma, Nai Nai (Shuzhen Zhao). They decide to not burden her with the news and instead stage a wedding within the family as a final reunion, much to the dismay of Billi (Awkwafina), the American-raised granddaughter. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2019 and gained lots of accolades, with Awkwafina's dramatic performance earning her a Golden Globe win as Best Leading Actress.

What made this film special was that the plot was based on a true story of Wang's own life, specifically the time when her grandma was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. This only enhanced the melancholic tone of the film and the very real issue of cultural identity for first-generation Asian Americans when confronted with traditional values. Wang further manages to create such a grounded family of characters that wrestle with the conflict of lying about Nai Nai's condition for the sake of blissful ignorance. This sentimental film is available for purchase or rental on Apple TV, Google Play, and YouTube.

Related:The Best Asian Animated Films That Aren't Anime

Birds of Prey by Cathy Yan

Image via Warner Bros.

Within the comic book movie realm, women have thankfully had the chance to direct quite a few films, especially those focusing on female characters. It was the same for the 2020 spin-off film Birds of Prey, which was led by Chinese-American director Cathy Yan. The film was certainly one of the more fun entries into the DC Extended Universe, following Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) after the events of Suicide Squad.

After her break-up with the Joker, Harley gets involved with a young pickpocket named Cass (Ella Jay Basco) who stole a diamond that crime lord Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor) is seeking. Along the way, she teams up with three other fighters, Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth-Winstead), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), who are all connected to the cause of stopping Roman. Following the release of female-led comic book films like Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel, Birds of Prey was an excellent addition that went the further step in presenting an all-female team. The movie also did a great job in reinventing and properly developing Harley Quinn as a character beyond the sexualized, one-note depiction in Suicide Squad. Here, she thrives in experiencing a fully-fledged arc without being attached to the Joker and even finds some camaraderie with the next DC female heroes in line. Yan's excellence in directing a talented ensemble carried over to when she got to direct an episode of the HBO series Succession during its third season. For a vibrant and entertaining blockbuster, Birds of Prey can be streamed on HBO Max.

Reminiscence by Lisa Joy

Hugh Jackman in Reminiscence
Image via Warner Bros.

Another feature film produced by Warner Bros., this movie was the directorial debut of Taiwanese-American writer and producer Lisa Joy. The story of Reminiscence is set in the near future where Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) is a specialist who helps people relive their memories through special technology. He eventually meets Mae (Rebecca Ferguson), who he falls in love with, and they pursue a relationship until she disappears months later and ignites a mystery that Nick gets caught in.

Joy is no stranger to mind-bending sci-fi stories since she is also one of the creators and producers of the hit HBO series Westworld with her husband Jonathan Nolan (brother of Christopher Nolan). Similar to the series, she creates a thrilling mystery that unfolds from the perspective of the obsessed protagonist trying to find answers. The film takes on a noir style that is also reminiscent of other movies such as Memento or Chinatown. Though Reminiscence received some negative scores from critics, Joy puts her earnest effort into the movie with an enigmatic and unique plot, along with strong performances from Jackman and Ferguson. The evocative film can be streamed on HBO Max.

Eternals by Chloé Zhao

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Image via Marvel Studios

Following Cathy Yan, Chloé Zhao was the next Asian female director in line to lead another comic book movie, which was the 2021 Marvel film Eternals. Coming off the heels of a successful award season for her 2020 film Nomadland, major hype surrounded the new addition to Phase 4 of the MCU, especially after the Chinese director won the prestigious Best Director Oscar (in turn, becoming the second woman ever in Oscars history to win the award).

Eternals is an origin story film that concentrates on a group of super-powered, godly beings who have remained on Earth since the dawn of humanity. Having separated across the globe and lived in secret for millennia, they are called to reunite once more when dangerous creatures called Deviants resurface. With the film drawing from an obscure comic book series, it was a whole new scope of lore and characters to explore, which resulted in a mixed reaction from the public. Despite receiving a polarizing reception among the critics and audience, Eternals was one of the most ambitious and unique entries in the MCU that dared to break away from the set formula of Marvel movies. Zhao contributed philosophical themes and stunning on-location visuals to create an epic globe-trotting, family drama with a specially picked cast packed full of talented stars and diversity. Eternals broke several barriers as it included deaf representation in the character Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) and even LGBTQ+ representation with Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) and his husband Ben (Haaz Sleiman). The epic tale can be streamed on Disney+.

Turning Red by Domee Shi

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Image via Disney
 

Capping off the list is the feel-good animated feature film Turning Red, which was directed by Chinese-born Canadian animator Domee Shi. She already has an impressive resume working under Disney and Pixar as a storyboard artist for films like Inside Out and Toy Story 4. Most notably, she was the director for the animated short Bao, a story following a Chinese-Canadian mother who takes care of a handmade dumpling that comes to life and helps her deal with her sadness after her real son moves out. The short film earned Shi an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film and soon enough led her to Turning Red.

The movie follows Meilin Lee (Rosalie Chiang), a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl who carefully balances her straight-A schoolwork, social life with her boy-band obsessed BFFs, and duty to help her mother, Ming (Sandra Oh). However, a family curse throws a spanner in the works since it causes her to transform into a giant red panda. Between Bao and Turning Red, Shi nails the use of Asian-themed metaphors that hold depths of meaning that are both universal but also specifically relevant to Asian audiences. Whether it be the close-knit nature of Asian parent and child relationships or the conflict between one's Asian and assimilated cultural identity, Shi delivers beautiful and profound stories through the medium of animation. This adorable family movie can be streamed on Disney+.