Chantal Anne Akerman June 6 1950October 5 2015 was a Belgian film director artist and professor of film at the City College of New York Her bestknown film is Jeanne Dielman 23 quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles 1975 Despite being categorised as such by others Akerman frequently distanced herself from the feminist label explaining when people say there is a feminist film language it is like saying there is only one way for women to express themselves Instead Akerman acknowledged that her cinematic approach took inspiration from the writings of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari as well as from filmmakers Michael Snow and JeanLuc Godard Many directors have cited Akermans directorial style as an influence on their work Kelly Reichardt Gus Van Sant and Sofia Coppola have noted their exploration of filming in real time as a tribute to Akerman