Directing Concentration Head and Professor of Professional Practice Bette Gordon has been featured in the book Cinema Her Way: Visionary Female Directors in Their Own Words, published by Rizzoli International Publications on February 25, 2026.
The book, written by author, film critic, and historian Marya E. Gates, is a celebration of women directors and their remarkable contributions to the craft of filmmaking, spanning a sweeping historical timeline beginning from the late 1890s to today’s global box office.
"A decade ago, Gates vowed to spend a year watching only films made by women 'as a sort of protest.' A continuation of that project, this illustrated volume covers 60 years of film history as told by 19 trailblazing female directors,” The New York Times Book Review noted.
The hardcover volume features in depth interviews with a range of singular female directors—from feminist pioneers and independent mavericks to Academy Award winners. Gordon is among the 19 filmmakers profiled alongside directors such as Jane Campion, Mira Nair, Susan Seidelman, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Julie Dash, Karyn Kusama, and Miranda July.
Through illuminating discussions, each filmmaker shares their unique journey of navigating the film industry and guides readers through a deep exploration of their creative processes and artistic vision. Replete with illustrations of the directors on location and vivid film stills, the result is a rare and intimate portrait of the movie making business—offering direct insight from the trailblazing women directors who helped shape it.
A pioneer in American independent cinema, Bette Gordon is known for her bold explorations of themes related to sexuality, violence, and power. Her film Variety premiered at the Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious Director’s Fortnight, where it was referred to as a "Feminist Vertigo–a daring departure into the dark, obsessional world of female fantasy." Her subsequent films have been screened theatrically in the US and abroad, as well as in all the major film festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, Locarno, Rotterdam, Tribeca, London, Sao Paulo, Lisbon, and Warsaw. In addition, her work is featured in the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum, The Centre Georges Pompidou, The Royal Film Archives of Belgium, The British Film Institute, MoMA and Anthology Film Archives.
Order the book here.
