The First Female Behind The Camera

July 15, 2016

Born in France, the woman who is considered the world’s first female director and filmmaker is Alice Guy-Blaché, who started in the film business as a secretary and made her directing debut with the film La Fée aux Choux (1896), a quaint magical tale about a fairy she did for Gaumont-Paris studios. Once she started directing, she began averaging a remarkable two films per week and was quickly made Gaumont-Paris’ production director, overseeing all other directors.

Guy-Blaché moved to America in the early 1900s and set up her own production company in New York, plus a studio in Fort Lee, N.J. She would go on to establish the Solax Film Company with her husband, Herbert Blaché. Over the course of her film career, she amassed a staggering 433 directorial credits.

She experienced success in the film world for many years, but after her divorce from Blaché in 1922, she moved back to France and found her ties with Hollywood had weakened. She never made a film again and didn’t return to the U.S. until later in her life. She passed away in 1968.

Guy-Blaché’s most famous quote explained her early efforts to break into the film industry: “My youth, my lack of experience, my sex all conspired against me,” she said. — Kristi Kates