She admits Jolie, who is currently working on a Bosnian war movie, inspired her - and she also credits Kathryn Bigelow's award-winning work on "The Hurt Locker" with making her want to direct a film.
Mendes tells Britain's Hello! magazine, "I loved the whole experience. I believe we need more women behind the camera. This year, with Kathryn Bigelow winning an Oscar and Angelina Jolie directing a film, it's a great time for women to step behind the camera."
"I certainly felt very empowered by it when I made my film. It's about time we heard more women's voices and points of view in cinema because it's a male-dominated industry. It's starting to equal out a bit, though, which is exciting."