A series of 12 films celebrating 'malicious', 'treacherous' and 'control freak' female leads has been slammed for an absence of female directors on the line-up. Organised by the British Film Institute the the series has been titled 'Playing the B****' and will focus on the stereotype of the 'defiant' woman. 'Self-determining, independent, but always charismatic anti-heroines in film and TV' will be featured, according to organisers. Death Becomes Her (1992) starred Meryl Streep as Madeline Ashton and Goldie Hawn as Helen Sharp. The British Film Institute organised a series of 12 films and titled the series 'Playing the B****' But despite a dozen films being picked not one was directed by a woman, with one Twitter user saying 'they almost had to work harder to have no female directors'. On Twitter Ruby Martin wrote: 'How hard would it be to put some films directed by women?' Blockbusters such as The Favourite, Gone Girl and Dangerous Liasons will be included in the event. Strong women in the line-up include Bette Davis as a malevolent Southern aristocrat in The Little Foxes, Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn as sworn enemies in Death Becomes Her, Nicole Kidman as an ambitious weather girl in To Die For, Rosamund Pike as the anti-heroine in Gone Girl and ruthless Linda Fiorentino in The Last Seduction. Despite a dozen films being picked not one was directed by a woman, with one Twitter user saying 'they almost had to work harder to have no female directors' Others have taken offence to the use of the word 'b****' to describe strong female characters. Joanna Pocock said: 'I can't stop thinking about this! It's made by blood boil. How are they planning to 'reframe' the term 'b****' I wonder?' NadjaBee added: 'The name of the season: unacceptable.' In December, when the series was first announced, the working title was 'B****es'. It said the season was about 'social climbing broads' and 'self-destructive chicks'. More than 300 academics, film critics and programmers from across the world then signed an open letter objecting to the series. The Little Foxes (1941) Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall and Teresa Wright. Regina Hubbard Gibbens, played by Bette Davis, works with her brothers to tap in to the wealth of her sickly husband Others have taken offence to the use of the word 'b****' to describe strong female characters. Joanna Pocock said: 'I can't stop thinking about this! It's made by blood boil. How are they planning to 'reframe' the term 'b****' I wonder?' The letter says the screenings reinforce the 'misogynist logics that inform so much Hollywood cinema.' It adds: 'In this context, being called a b**** is insulting, not empowering.' Anna Bogutskaya, the series' programmer, wrote on the BFI website: 'I realise the word 'b****' is offensive to many people. 'It has powerful connotations that vary depending on generational and cultural factors, but it is perhaps the most powerful gendered word for a powerful gendered character. 'We could argue ad nauseam about whether this word has been reclaimed or whether it can be reclaimed. 'Personally, I use it (sparingly) with friends as a term of endearment and empowerment.' Heather Stewart, BFI creative director, said: 'In recent years, here at the BFI we have committed to a programme that re-appraises and celebrates women's contribution to film and TV, not only looking at women directors, but also at the contribution that women actors and writers make. Gone Girl's anti-heroine, played by Rosamund Pike, will also feature in the series of films 'In 'Playing the B****' we want to look at a key stereotype, where the woman protagonist is a malicious, treacherous, control freak.' A BFI spokesman said: 'The BFI is committed to supporting women across all of its activities. 'The BFI Film Fund supports the work of female filmmakers and in fact has recently reached its target of funding 50 per cent women. 'In fact, in the same month as 'Playing the B****' at BFI Southbank we have a season dedicated to the work of filmmaker Claire Denis, an event celebrating Early Female Filmmakers and the returning Woman with a Movie Camera Summit.' The male directors in 'Playing the B****' included David Fincher, Robert Zemeckis and Gus Van Sant. Kathryn Bigelow is the only female director to win the Oscar for best picture, with the Hurt Locker in 2009. The BFI is a registered charity, governed by a Royal Charter, which promotes the film and TV industry in the UK. All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility