Armstrong, Gillian (May) (1950– )

Australian writer and film director. Her first feature film, My Brilliant Career (1980), established her concern with the theme of female role models. Her subsequent Australian films include the edgy, realistic dramas High Tide (1987) and Last Days of Chez Nous (1992). In the USA she has made the turn-of-the-century drama Mrs Soffel (1984); a popular adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women (1995); an adaptation of Peter Carey's historical novel Oscar and Lucinda (1997); and the war drama Charlotte Gray (2001). She has also made documentaries, often based on feminist themes.