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Film writer Marya E. Gates is the author of the book Cinema Her Way: Visionary Film Directors in Their Own Words, in which interviews are paired with a history of women filmmakers. Below, Gates names six of her favorite books about such artists.
'Without Lying Down' by Cari Beauchamp (1998)
This essential text focuses on the life of pioneering screenwriter Frances Marion, once the highest-paid professional in her field, while seamlessly weaving in the careers of other women in early Hollywood, including stars Marie Dressler and Mary Pickford. The book serves as a business primer, using Marion's career as a lens to track the industry's growing pains. Buy it here.
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'Universal Women' by Mark Garrett Cooper (2010)
Cooper's book traces the history of 11 remarkable women who worked as directors at Universal Studios between 1912 and 1919, directing 170 films, including features, shorts, and serials. Cooper shows how they became directors, then suggests what may have led to the decline in their ranks in the 1920s. Buy it here.
'Daughters of the Dust' by Julie Dash (1991)
A richly illustrated companion to Dash's groundbreaking 1991 film of the same name, this book includes the script, an enlightening dialogue between Dash and Bell Hooks, as well as the story behind the film's 16-year journey to completion. Buy it here.
'Desperately Seeking Something' by Susan Seidelman (2024)
Each chapter of this hilarious memoir from the director of Desperately Seeking Susan begins with a song title that sets the mood. She details how she went from the suburbs of Philadelphia to New York City to becoming one of Hollywood's most distinctive directors. Buy it here.
'Archive' by Sofia Coppola (2023)
As poetic and dreamy as Coppola's films, this scrapbook-style coffee-table book features insights and snippets of memories from her singular career. It's composed of image collages, annotated script excerpts, behind-the-scenes photographs, and ephemera that contribute to and express her creative vision. Buy it here.
'Bright Star' by John Keats (2009)
The introduction to this book was written by filmmaker Jane Campion, whose masterpiece Bright Star was inspired by the work of the Romantic-era poet John Keats and his tragic love affair with his muse Fanny Brawne. It collects the pair's love letters and the poems by Keats that were inspired by their great love. Buy it here.
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