Germaine Dulac
Germaine Dulac (1882–1942) was a French director, theorist, and journalist, one of the central figures of French Impressionist cinema in the 1920s and a pioneering woman in early European filmmaking. A committed feminist who came to film through journalism and a fascination with the new medium's potential as a 'visual symphony,' she produced features and shorts that combined Impressionist visual experimentation with surrealist provocation. Her acclaimed films include The Smiling Madame Beudet, The Folly of the Valiant, La Coquille et le Clergyman, Disque 957, and Themes and Variations.