14 Movies by Women We Can’t Wait to See in 2016

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Women are routinely shut out of opportunities to write and direct films, and rarely get the chance to work on big-budget projects. Last year, women made up just 9% of directors and 11% of writers for the top-grossing 250 films, according to a recent study. The problem has grown so bad that the federal government is currently investigating sexism in Hollywood.

Though female filmmakers will again be outnumbered by their male counterparts in 2016, some progress is being made. There are many female-directed or -written films to look forward to this year, including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Ghostbusters and Kung Fu Panda 3.

Kung Fu Panda 3, co–directed by Jennifer Yuh.
Jennifer Yuh, who helmed Kung Fu Panda 2, returns to co-direct Kung Fu Panda 3. Release date: Jan. 29 20th Century Fox; Imeh Akpanudosen—Getty Images
The Bronze, co–written by Melissa Rauch.
Best known for playing Bernadette on The Big Bang Theory, Melissa Rauch takes on her first feature film script with The Bronze. (She will also star in the film.) Release date: March 18Sony Pictures Classics; Jason LaVeris—Getty Images
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, written by Nia Vardalos.
Fourteen years after she released the original film, Nia Vardalos is writing My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. Release date: March 25 Universal Pictures; Steve Granitz—Getty Images
Alice Through the Looking Glass, written by Linda Woolverton.
Linda Woolverton, who co-wrote The Lion King, Maleficent and Tim Burton's 2010 Alice in Wonderland retelling, gets a solo writing credit for Alice Through the Looking Glass. Release date: May 27Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Jennifer Lourie—Getty Images
Ghostbusters, co-written by Katie Dippold.
The Heat scribe Katie Dippold co-wrote the all-female reboot of Ghostbusters starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. Release date: July 15Columbia Pictures; Brian Killian—Getty Images
Bridget Jones’ Baby, written by Helen Fielding & Emma Thompson, directed by Sharon Maguire
Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding teamed up with actress Emma Thompson to write Bridget Jones’ Baby, which will be directed by Sharon Maguire and starring—who else?—Renée Zellweger. Release date: Sept. 16 Universal Pictures; David M. Benett, Mark Robert Milan, Jason Merritt/Getty Images
The Girl on the Train written by Erin Cressida Wilson.
Erin Cressida Wilson, the writer behind Secretary, is adapting Paula Hawkins' The Girl on the Train with Emily Blunt as the movie's star. Release date: Oct. 7 Universal Pictures; Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them, written by J.K. Rowling.
J.K. Rowling is adapting her Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as her very first screenplay. Release date: Nov. 18Warner Bros. Pictures; Danny E. Martindale—Getty Images
Underworld 5, directed by Anna Foerster.
Anna Foerster, whose resume includes episodes of Criminal Minds and Outlander, will direct Underworld 5, starring Kate Beckinsale. Release date: Oct. 21 Screen Gems; Gary Friedman—Getty Images
Maggie’s Plan, written and directed by Rebecca Miller.
Writer-director Rebecca Miller releases Maggie’s Plan starring Julianne Moore and Ethan Hawke this year. Release date: at Sundance in January Sony Pictures Classics; Paul Zimmerman—Getty Images
The Zookeeper’s Wife, directed by Niki Caro, pictured, written by Angela Workman.
The Zookeeper’s Wife is a female-dominated production with Angela Workman adapting Diane Ackerman's book, Niki Caro directing and Jessica Chastain starring. Release date: TBDW. W. Norton & Company; Jesse Grant—Getty Images
Ana Lily Amirpour/Megan Ellison for the Bad Batch.
The acclaimed director of A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Ana Lily Amirpour, wrote and directed The Bad Batch, a romance set in a community of cannibals starring Jim Carrey, Keanu Reeves and Giovanni Ribisi. Release date: TBDDavid Livingston, George Pimentel—Getty Images
Amma Asante for A United Kingdom
Amma Asante, the screenwriter and director behind Belle, will direct A United Kingdom about the international stir caused by the marriage of an interracial couple in the 1940s (played by Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo). Release date: TBDDanny Martindale—Getty Images

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Write to Eliana Dockterman at eliana.dockterman@time.com