H'wood director Joan passes away at 85

Hollywood director Joan Micklin Silver, who had directed movies like 'Hester Street' and 'Crossing Delancey' died at the age of 85. She passed away from vascular dementia at her home in New York, her daughter Claudia Silver told 'The Associated Press'.

"Joan Micklin Silver was one of the most courageous artists I ever knew. She knew she could prevail at a time when women were not being taken seriously as film directors," said Carol Kane, who was nominated for a best actress Academy Award for her role in 'Hester Street'.

A black-and-white period piece partly in Yiddish about a family of Jewish immigrants attempting to assimilate in New York, 'Hester Street' became an unlikely triumph after Silver fought to make it.

"I had always wanted to be a director. It seemed that I should not postpone it any longer," Silver had said in 1983 German documentary on her films.

She had also stated: "I was hardly deluged with offers from Hollywood. People have subsequently said to me if any man had made 'Hester Street' he would have had a three-picture deal from 'Paramount' or 'Warners'."

Joan finally made her first studio movie with 1979's Chilly Scenes of Winter, originally released as Head over Heels. However, the film was not well-received.