The 37-year-old actress is making her directorial debut with "All We Had," an adaptation of Annie Weatherwax's popular novel.
"You need to concentrate on the work of the person rather than the gender. If you're nervous about it, then figure out what you're nervous about exactly and fix that," Holmes said.
The actress, who is also playing the role of Rita, a drug and alcohol addict and homeless mother to a young teen in the film, said she admires women filmmakers including Jodie Foster and Sarah Polley, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"All We Had" premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.