Arts & Faith: Top 25 Spiritually Significant Films Directed by Women

CHAPEL HILL, NC: The Arts & Faith Community has announced their Top 25 list of spiritually significant films directed by women. Project leader Lindsey Dunn explains, “After releasing the most recent edition of the Top 100 list in 2025 and realizing that only eight films had female directors, our next priority became clear: shine the spotlight on the many talented but often unheralded women who have crafted spiritually compelling films since the beginning.”

Work began in the fall of 2025, with a panel of 25 jurors asked to consider a list of 105 nominations, rating them on quality and spiritual significance. After two rounds of voting, the final list has taken shape. Films span from 1906 to 2023 and represent 13 countries and six languages. The list is a resource for readers to discover lesser-known works, find new significance in established classics, and reframe popular work through a spiritual lens.

On seeing the final list, Dunn reflects, “With women making up about half of the world’s population, it’s essential that their voices as directors are heard. Otherwise, we’re receiving an incomplete picture of God’s world.”

The final list includes documentaries, shorts, animated stories, musicals, silent films, and narrative features. Jurors chose to recognize films that cover a wide variety of themes, including coming of age (Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird), female embodiment (Sarah Polley’s Women Talking), generational interdependence (Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust), women on the margins (Agnès Varda’s Vagabond), and memory (Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun).
Arts & Faith seeks to elevate films that invite deeper reflection and engage questions of belief, suffering, redemption, justice, and the human search for purpose – universal experiences that span religious traditions around the world.

Originally an internet discussion board, Arts & Faith began publicly curating lists of spiritually significant films in 2004. It is currently led by Dr. Kenneth Morefield, who established the group’s current online home in 2019, ArtsandFaith.com. Lists are designed to serve as a resource for faith communities, educators, and viewers seeking films that encourage spiritual contemplation and formation. View the list webpage to find reflections about each film, ranked in order:

Screenmancer Staff thanks Dunn at 1ofmystories.com + Arts & Faith – for more info: