Kathryn Bigelow
Bigelow’s first feature was The Loveless, an independent film about trouble-making motorcycle gangs in small-town U.S.A. Near Dark followed suit, this time blending the small-town punk aesthetics with the genre stylings of both the horror film and the western. These two films, along with her work as a music video director, allowed Bigelow the opportunity to jump into the mainstream. Though still low budget and not exactly a financial success, Blue Steel was still a landmark in her career and afforded her the opportunity to make Point Break, a hugely successful mainstream action film. Bigelow’s indie career was already tailored towards the mainstream, focusing on hard-edged criminals and genre tropes so her transition to big-budget studio filmmaking was relatively seamless. From here, Bigelow’s career was allowed to operate on its own terms. With creative freedom, she ventured on to do what fit her interests—combining social critique and topical issues with thrills and action. With The Hurt Locker, her portrait of the war in Iraq, she became the first-ever woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director.
Kathryn Bigelow and Barry Ackroyd on the set of The Hurt Locker. Photograph by Jonathan Oiley
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