Weekly Update for January 6: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You

Films About Women Opening This Week

Underworld: Blood Wars — Directed by Anna Foerster

The next installment in the blockbuster franchise, “Underworld: Blood Wars” follows Vampire death dealer Selene (Kate Beckinsale) as she fends off brutal attacks from both the Lycan clan and the Vampire faction that betrayed her. With her only allies, David (Theo James, “Downton Abbey”) and his father, Thomas (Charles Dance, “Game of Thrones”), she must stop the eternal war between Lycans and Vampires, even if it means she has to make the ultimate sacrifice. (Press materials)

Hidden Figures — Co-Written by Allison Schroeder (Opens Nationwide)

“Hidden Figures” tells the extraordinary true story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), the brilliant African-American women working at NASA who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. The space race of the 1960s would not have been won here in America without these women, yet they were invisible in many historical tellings of the era. Until now. Prepare to be inspired. It’s about time that the women of the space race were celebrated like the dudes of “The Right Stuff” or “Apollo 13.” (Casey Cipriani)

Films About Women Currently Playing

Toni Erdmann — Written and Directed by Maren Ade (Opens in NY and LA)
20th Century Women
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
The Bad Kids (Documentary)
Julieta (Opens in NY and LA)
Jackie
Things to Come — Written and Directed by Mia Hansen-Løve
The Eyes of My Mother (Also Available on VOD)
Miss Sloane
A United Kingdom — Directed by Amma Asante (Playing in the UK)
Moana — Co-Written by Pamela Ribon
Arrival
The Love Witch — Written and Directed by Anna Biller
Elle
Shut In — Written by Christina Hodson
The Eagle Huntress
The Handmaiden
Queen of Katwe — Directed by Mira Nair

Films Directed by Women Opening This Week

None

Films Directed by Women Currently Playing

Dr. Feelgood: Dealer or Healer? (Documentary) — Directed by Eve Marson; Co-Written by Eve Marson and Sara Goldblatt

Films Written by Women Opening This Week

A Different American Dream (Documentary) — Co-Written by Jane Wells

On the edge of the magical Badlands in Western North Dakota lies the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, home to 6,500 members of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara tribes. When the largest shale oil field in North America was discovered on the reservation, the explosion of industry brought sweeping changes to daily life. The landscape is now littered with oil wells, fracking towers, and toxic waste dumps. The average life expectancy on the reservation has dropped to an alarming 57, as compared to the rest of the state’s 79. “A Different American Dream” follows the story of this upheaval and the remarkable attempts of some tribal leaders to save their land and the future of their society. (Press materials)

Films Written by Women Currently Playing

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”

Ocean Waves — Written by Kaori Nakamura (Opens in NY)
A Kind of Murder — Written by Susan Boyd (Also Available on VOD)
Office Christmas Party — Co-Written by Laura Solon
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them — Written by J.K. Rowling
Bad Santa 2 — Co-Written by Shauna Cross
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children — Written by Jane Goldman

TV Premieres This Week

Emerald City (Series Premieres January 6 on NBC)

Swept up into the eye of a tornado, 20-year-old Dorothy Gale (Adria Arjona, “True Detective”) is transported to another world — a mystical land where an all-powerful ruler (Vincent D’Onofrio, “Daredevil”) governs over one kingdom, has outlawed magic, and faces not only the wrath of a growing cauldron of witches but a looming disaster brought on by a mythical force. Epic, romantic, and fantastical, “Emerald City” is an empowering tale of a young woman finding her true strength and identity as she battles to bring a divided world together. (Press materials)

One Day at a Time — Co-Written and Co-Executive Produced by Gloria Calderon Kellett (Series Premieres January 6 on Netflix)

Based on Norman Lear’s 1975 series, this multi-camera comedy will follow three generations of one Cuban-American family living in the same house: a newly divorced former military mother (Justina Machado, “Six Feet Under”), her teenage daughter and tween son (Isabella Gomez and Marcel Ruiz), and her old-school mother (Rita Moreno, “Jane the Virgin,” “West Side Story”). (Press materials)

Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Alexis Bloom (Premieres January 7 on HBO)

In light of the recent and unexpected deaths of both Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, HBO Documentary Films presents this intimate portrait of Hollywood royalty in all its eccentricity. Carrie and her mother, Debbie, live in the same Beverly Hills compound. The 83-year-old grand dame still has a Las Vegas act, but performing is taking its toll. Carrie’s response is both hilarious and heart-rending. “Bright Lights” features vintage family films that bring iconic old-world Hollywood to life, as well as extensive vérité footage. (Press materials)

Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am — Written, Directed, and Created by Sarah Bishop, Greta Lee Jackson, and Adele Vuko (Series Premieres January 12 on Seeso)

From Skit Box, the all-female comedy group behind the viral sensation “Activewear,” comes “Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am” — a twisted sketch comedy from a uniquely female perspective. Join a world of yoga moms and superheroes, travel back to a ’70s swingers party and Ancient Rome, and meet our all-female police force and the world’s biggest pop band: The Sheetles. (Deadline)

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