Women have always been a force in filmmaking, but often their talents were suppressed by a male dominated industry. Alice Guy-Blanche was a pioneer filmmaker, and has paved the way to opening doors over the decades for filmmakers of the silent era like Lois Weber and Chaplin protégé Mabel Norman. But until the rise of feminism in the late 60s, female filmmaker’s voices were suppressed until such directors as Penny Marshall, Katheryn Bigelow, Soffia Coppola, and others were recognized. We will examine the dynamics of sexism in the film industry, the challenges women have met and often overcome, and the artistic achievements of female directors over the years.