Susan Seidelman ( born December 11 , 1952 ) is an American film director , producer and writer . She came to prominence in the 1980s with '' Smithereens '' , the first American independent feature to be screened in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival . Her next feature '' Desperately Seeking Susan '' co-starred Madonna in her first film . '' She-Devil '' starred Roseanne Barr in her first feature-film role , and Meryl Streep in her first starring comedic film role . Seidelman 's subsequent films mix comedy with drama , blending genres and pop-cultural references with a focus on women protagonists , particularly outsiders . She also works in television and directed the pilot episode of '' Sex and the City ''
Cannes Film Festival
1982 Cannes Film Festival
Susan Seidelman