Germaine Dulac (fr) was the first feminist filmmaker and a key figure in the development of the French Avant Garde cinema of the '20s. In the early 1900s, she had been a photographer and writer in two feminist journals, La Fronde and Le Francaise. In addition to abstract images, Dulac was also known for her abiding commitment to feminist issues as can be seen in her more traditional, and best-known film La Souriante Madame Beudet (1923). (lightcone.org)