Women’s History Month celebrates the accomplishments of women and acknowledges the struggles many of them face in modern society. The film industry consists of many women who made ground-breaking contributions that shape movies today.

I’ve chosen four movies from a variety of genres that reflect some of the many contributions women make in the film industry.

“Pitch Perfect” trilogy

The “Pitch Perfect” trilogy directed by Elizabeth Banks is a fun way to kick things off. It is one of my favorite series because it features a group of talented and hilarious women who perform in an a cappella group.

Each “Pitch Perfect” film shows how the characters evolve from the time that they meet in college in the first “Pitch Perfect” until graduation in “Pitch Perfect 3.” I like that these movies establish a sense of sisterhood and that they are always supportive of one another.

Most importantly, the cast is led by female comedians making jokes that are relatable and funny because they come from their own perspectives and life experiences. At times they even make fun of the men that they compete against in the a cappella competitions.

“Maleficent”

“Maleficent” needed to be on this list because she is the first female Disney villain to have a solo movie. She is one of the strongest Disney villains and Angelina Jolie portrays her extremely well.

I love villains and learning about their backstories. These types of movies make me think about the characters from a different perspective and question why they behave this way, rather than only assuming that they are evil.

The Disney film does an excellent job of explaining more of who Maleficent is. The storytelling and visual effects in this movie set it apart from any other live-action film I have seen.

I appreciated that the franchise started their villains series with a woman. The plot twists presented in the storyline seemed to create its own genre within Disney films, setting the example for later movies.

“Lady Bird”

“Lady Bird” directed by Greta Gerwig is a coming-of-age story centered around a teenager from Sacramento. This film is Gerwig’s first solo directorial effort.

When this movie came out, I was excited to watch it because it is set in Sacramento where Gerwig grew up. It was so interesting to see the places I drive past frequently in a movie like this.

The main character who goes by the film’s name, “Lady Bird”, explains that she named herself this because it symbolizes how she is taking control of her own life.

I enjoy the way Gerwig tells the story about “Lady Bird” because it steers away from stereotypical coming of age movies and questions why we do the same old things every day.

“The Devil Wears Prada”

Women’s History Month cannot be celebrated properly without the presence of Miranda Priestly, portrayed in “The Devil Wears Prada” by Meryl Streep. The ending of the movie is horrible, but I love every scene with Streep’s iconic character.

I appreciate the elements of fashion and comedy presented in this film and the mainly female cast with Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt. Their individual personalities work really well together because they are drastically different from one another.

Streep’s character is the woman in charge at the fashion magazine the characters work at, Hathaway is the shy new girl who doesn’t understand fashion and Blunt is the manager who tries to keep everything together.

“The Devil Wears Prada” was one of the first films I watched with a strong female lead. It stands out to me because it isn’t afraid to let women be who they are, which was lacking in other films released at the time.

These four films are only a handful of the many incredible films directed by, produced by and starring women.

Seeing representation of women in these films is such a relief because they are not degraded or cast as side characters with very few lines. More women are leading films and having full control of storylines today which makes the content more relatable.

The film industry is constantly changing because of the impact women have and I am so excited for more films in the future!