Kathryn Bigelow has been a director, producer and screenwriter for over forty years. Since 1981, she has made many films in the action film genre, often influenced by Alfred Hitchcock. In 1987 she made Near Dark, which combines elements of the western and horror film genres, and the thriller Point Break in 1991. It wasn't until 2010, though, that she achieved greater fame, when she became the first woman to receive an Academy award for Best Director for The Hurt locker. However, she has always refused to be called a 'woman film-maker'. She has also divided critics: some love her films, while others feel the content is too violent.