Agnieszka Holland, Joan Micklin Silver and Ida Lupino,

(putting her terrible politics to one side) Leni Riefenstahl who pretty much invented modern cinematography. Also, the mother of experimental film Maya Deren. I'll probably think of more, but most of the ones I like work in experimental film or video.

Lucrecia Martel. I really reccomend The Swamp (La ciénaga)

@oscillian oh yes, and Laura Mulvey (great theorist too, but not as great as Maya technically), Sadie Benning, Marte Aas (made an excellent music video for Phonophanis Kreken track recently. very, very Maya in style though. Actually its an experimental film fans trainspotter classic ;)), Heike Aumüller and Emily Richardson (who makes beautiful poetic films). Also liked the NY scene in the 80s for Lydia Lunch, Scooter & Jinx etc.

Oh, and almost forgot, and how could I tbh, Mary Ellen Bute as her short films were a big influence on me for more than a few years.

Lucile Hadzihalilovic (Innocence is incredible), Angela Schanelec, Agnes Varda

Isabel Coixet

No one has mentioned Lina Wertmuller, aka Arcangela Felice Assunta Wertmüller von Elgg Español von Braueich (!) : Swept Away and Seven Beauties amongst others....

I got to put up a vote for Nora Ephron, who directs mostly romantic comedies does it with a much higher level compared to many others. Besides writing a great script for When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and Julie & Julia are very well made romantic comedies. She has well written, thought out characters who often go beyond the shallow archetypes found in most rom-coms, plus stories that are a lot less formula (or if they use it, she often acknowledge's it, like with the use of An Affair To Remember in Sleepless in Seattle) and her jokes tend to genuinely funny. While rom-coms tend to be a genre often dismissed, she together with writer Richard Curtis (Four Weddings & A Funeral, Notting Hill) show that they can be smart, funny and having a light mood, without becoming forgettable.

All Euro-American names. How about Asians?

Ann Hui, whose recent Simple Life swept major awards at first tier festivals, including Best Actress at Venice. If you haven't seen it, you should be so ashamed of yourself.

Then there are Mira Nair, Deepa Metha, Clara Law, Naomi Kawase (who directed the sublime Memoirs of a Fig Tree), Ning Ying, and Samira Makhalbaf, who directed her first film at 17, and won Best Jury at Cannes in 2000.

Larisa Shepitko. I've only seen "The Ascent," the last film she made before an untimely auto accident killed her and her crew. It was such a good one that I'll say she's a great director among both sexes.

is Sofia Coppola... yaaa

@oscillian

+1 for Bigelow. Zero Dark Thirty . . . Sure. The Hurt Locker . . . Yeah.

But Point Break is hands down her best film. No contest. Nada. 100% Pure Adrenaline, man. Keanu Reeves is FBI agent Johnny Utah, teaming up with Busey to catch bank robbers in Cali that wear rubber ex-presidents masks?

You can't beat that. No. Way.

@B3Guy I can see that film over and over again. Pure magic!