Last year, the world watched as Barbara Streisand announced "the time has come", and for the first time a Best Director Oscar was presented to a woman. Only three women (Lina Wertmuller, Jane Campion, and Sophia Coppola) had ever been nominated for this honor before 2009. Kathryn Bigelow's win caused people all over the world to shout that the glass ceiling had been shattered.

Although I don't classify myself as an "angry feminist", I start shaking my fist as I jump on board the feminist bandwagon on this one. It's no secret that women are largely ignored as a demographic in Hollywood. Recently, hits like Mama Mia have shown the power of audiences age 30 and above. Critiques agree that studios are beginning to realize the potential of this starved demographic. Many hope that this realization will lead to a creation of films geared towards this group in the future.

However, the problem of gender in Hollywood doesn't end there. According to a study done by San Diego State University, despite the fact that women make up roughly half of film school graduates, just 4% of Hollywood directors are female. The cause of the huge disparity between genders in Hollywood is somewhat shrouded in mystery.

The cause for the disparity is debated upon time and time again. But regardless of the cause, it is important to appreciate women who have made a substantial contribution to film. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this list has been complied not only to honor women, but to inspire a new generation of women to become filmmakers no matter the odds. In the words of Kathryn Bigelow:

"If there's specific resistance to women making movies, I just choose to ignore that as an obstacle for two reasons: I can't change my gender, and I refuse to stop making movies. It's irrelevant who or what directed a movie, the important thing is that you either respond to it or you don't. There should be more women directing; I think there's just not the awareness that it's really possible. It is."