Greta Gerwig has earned much praise for her work behind the camera, receiving numerous Academy Award nominations for her films Lady Bird and Little Women. Her latest blockbuster amplifies her place among history's most accomplished women directors, a list that includes the following.

Lina Wertmuller

This Italian director and screenwriter, noted for her comedies, became the first woman to receive an Academy Award nomination for best director, for her 1975 film Seven Beauties.

Sofia Coppola

She's the first American woman to be nominated for a best director Academy Award, for Lost in Translation in 2004. Though she lost, Coppola did take home the best screenplay award that year.

Kathryn Bigelow

Best known for action films such as Point Break and Zero Dark Thirty, Bigelow's the first woman to win an Academy Award for best director, for her 2008 film The Hurt Locker.

Ava DuVernay

Her 2014 film Selma was nominated for an Academy Award for best picture, and made her the first African American woman to receive a Golden Globe nod for best director.

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