Dubbed by the Village Voice as "arguably the most important European director of her generation," Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman is known for her distinctive and provocative minimalism, a formal rejection of so much of the basic tools of the cinema in service of a more profound direct address.

Working on the fringes of the film scene in New York in the early '70s, Akerman became an enthusiastic participant in the avant garde of the time, gravitating around Anthology Film Archives and the host of idiosyncratic artists the institution attracted and fostered. And Akerman has, in her own way, become a guiding light in making films about the real issues faced by women, casting aside virtually every convention of filmmaking and grappling with the loneliness, sadness, and solidarity of the lives of working women, most famously in the masterpiece Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai de Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles.