This list of the 100 highest-rated narrative feature films directed by Asian women is current as of August 30, 2023, and ranked by average member rating. Please read the accompanying essay by Jessica Siu-yin Yeung, for the thematic discoveries she made while exploring this list.
Compiled by our lists editor Jack Moulton, with gratitude for Vanessa’s extensive list of films directed by women and thanks to Mihir Nanda for ongoing suggestions. To be included, films must have a minimum of 1,000 member ratings.
Eligibility Rules:
• Includes female directors of south, east and central Asian heritage, regardless of where they were born, or the country they make their films in.*
• Includes women co-directors, even if uncredited. For example, Slumdog Millionaire is…
This list of the 100 highest-rated narrative feature films directed by Asian women is current as of August 30, 2023, and ranked by average member rating. Please read the accompanying essay by Jessica Siu-yin Yeung, for the thematic discoveries she made while exploring this list.
Compiled by our lists editor Jack Moulton, with gratitude for Vanessa’s extensive list of films directed by women and thanks to Mihir Nanda for ongoing suggestions. To be included, films must have a minimum of 1,000 member ratings.
Eligibility Rules:
• Includes female directors of south, east and central Asian heritage, regardless of where they were born, or the country they make their films in.*
• Includes women co-directors, even if uncredited. For example, Slumdog Millionaire is included due to Loveleen Tandan’s co-director credit.
• Films must be feature-length (45+ minutes), with a theatrical and/or festival release.
• Documentaries of any kind, short films, theater/stage, TV movies, TV series or miniseries, and TV episodes are excluded.
• Films must have at least 1,000 ratings.
* Directors of west Asian heritage will be celebrated in an upcoming list. In the meantime, follow this list for films by Iranian women.
Statistics of Interest:
The countries with the greatest representation are Japan (eighteen directors), South Korea (fifteen directors), and India (thirteen directors). China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia and Mongolia are all represented.
More Statistics
Top Decade: 2010s (52 films)
Top Years: 2019 (11 films, by premiere year)
Newest Film: Past Lives (2023)
Oldest Film: Love Letter (1953)
Longest Film: 0.5 mm (198 mins)
Shortest Film: Given (60 mins)
Oscar Nominations: 17 (between 3 films, Slumdog Millionaire, Nomadland and Salaam Bombay!)
Oscar Wins: 11 (between 2 films, Slumdog Millionaire and Nomadland)
Best Picture Nominees: 2 (Slumdog Millionaire and Nomadland, the only two Best Picture winners by Asian women)
Best Director Nominees: 1 (Chloé Zhao for Nomadland, as co-directors aren’t recognized by the Academy)
Films in the Letterboxd Top 250: 1
Films in the Female Top 250: 49
Animated Films: 11
English Language Films: 13
Male Co-Directors credited: 6 (Sean Baker for Take Out; Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire; Chih-yen Hsu for Dear Ex; Yutaro Kubo for The Girl from the Other Side; Pushkar for Vikram Vedha; Rich Williamson for Scarborough)
Directors tally:
• Naomi Kawase – 5 films
• Mira Nair – 5 films
• Naoko Ogigami – 4 films
• Naoko Yamada – 4 films
• Zoya Akhtar – 3 films
• Kinuyo Tanaka – 3 films
• Chloé Zhao – 3 films
• Yoon Ga-eun – 2 films
• Maghna Gulzar – 2 films
• Ann Hui – 2 films
• Maïwenn – 2 films
• Mouly Surya – 2 films
• Yuki Tanada – 2 films
