Female-powered SCI-FI centers on a woman’s point of view, where a female character is vital to the story. Increasingly, women Writers and Directors working behind the camera are making their voices heard … through powerful Characters up on the big screen.
Writers
Women writers have helped shape Science Fiction ever since Frankenstein was penned by Mary Shelley (1818).
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (1962) has probably introduced more young Sci-Fi fans to the genre than any other novel.
African American author Octavia Butler, multiple recipient of the Hugo and Nebula awards, is perhaps best known for the Patternist series and stand-alone novels like Kindred (1979).
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985) is widely considered to be one of the best (and most terrifying) Sci-Fi novels of all time.
Directors
Female Sci-Fi Directors often get less opportunities, less news coverage, less awards, and less credit (than men) for the amazing work they do. High-profile directorial success stories are beginning to change all that.
Patty Jenkins — Wonder Woman (2017)
The first female-led superhero movie in over a decade and the big-screen live-action debut of DC’s reigning queen, there was a lot riding on the critical and commercial success of this film. With Wonder Woman, Jenkins set the standard for not just women-led superhero cinema but the genre as a whole.
Ava Duvernay — A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
DuVernay is the first woman of color to direct a live-action film with a budget of over $100 million, and the second woman to do so after Patty Jenkins. A Wrinkle in Time made the list for the top 100 grossing movies of 2018, making Ava DuVernay one of four female directors that made the list that year.
Cathy Yan — Birds of Prey (2020)
In April 2018, Yan was selected to direct the Harley Quinn DC Extended Universe superhero film Birds of Prey, based on the comic of the same name. The film was released on February 7, 2020 to positive reviews. Yan was the second woman and the first Asian woman to direct a DC film (or any US superhero film).
Chloe Zhao — Eternals (2021)
In September 2018, Marvel Studios hired her to direct Eternals, following the events of the 2019 Marvel movie Avengers: Endgame, featuring a new team of superheroes that must reunite in order to fight an ancient enemy of the human race. It made $161.7 million during its opening weekend and became No. 1 at the box office.
Powerful Characters
Sci-Fi films with strong female Characters — who know a thing or two about commanding a starship, defeating a killer cyborg, or fighting Aliens — are an inspiration to women everywhere.
Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) — Star Trek (1979 – 1991)
As a communications officer, Lieutenant Uhura served a critical function on the bridge of the Enterprise, and she wasn’t afraid to fight for the lives of her crewmates.
Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) — Alien film series (1979 – 1997)
Heroes are normal people called upon by circumstance to do extraordinary things. Ripley deftly and narrowly survived the xenomorph’s attack in the first film, only to face swarms of them again and again, in the sequel and beyond.
Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) — Terminator film series (1984-2019)
It was clear from Sarah Connor’s first appearance in Terminator 2: Judgment Day that her experiences in the previous film had radically changed her. Connor had become a full-fledged warrior with unwavering determination to protect her son, the savior of humanity’s future, and a dogged desire to erase that future altogether.
Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) — The Matrix film series (1999-2021)
The revelation that the film’s depiction of life at the end of the 20th century was actually a simulation by sentient machines using humans as living batteries was mind-blowing. Trinity dispatches some police officers with a physics-defying kick, introducing her unique ability to consistently kick-ass with style and purpose.
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) — The Hunger Games film series (2012-2015)
Katniss volunteers to replace her sister in the annual Hunger Games in order to spare her life. Using her cunning, wilderness survival skills, and archery, she manages to buck the rules of the system by taking on a partner to jointly win the tournament … then parlays that success into a full-blown rebellion.
THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY
Created to empower Women and People of Color, each life-changing story in the TRILOGY sheds light on racial injustice — as it explores the human connection to Ancient Aliens through the eyes of Native Mythology.
In Book 1 A GLEAM OF LIGHT (2016) — UNA Waters, half-Hopi bureaucrat from D.C., is summoned to Hopiland. Her connection to the white man’s world makes her uniquely qualified to help solve a mystery linked to an ancient discovery, as she tries to reconnect with her roots and cultural identity.
In Book 2 THE DRAGON’S GLARE (2017) — UNA is on special assignment to investigate unexplained violence in Chinatown, New York City. She discovers a deep-seated cultural connection with Tibetan immigrants as Ancient Chinese wisdom battles a threat from Ancient Evil.
In Book 3 BEYOND THE WORLD (2018) — UNA, briefly stranded on her honeymoon adventure in Yosemite, uncovers a UFO mystery that leads to an Alien Conspiracy. Together with teen members of Explorer’s Club from the Kikuyu Tribe, she must track down the source of strange events and fight to save humanity.
Female-powered SCI-FI — centered on a woman’s point of view — may hold the key to our Future.
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