Weekly Update for April 27: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You

Films About Women Opening This Week

Let the Sunshine In — Directed by Claire Denis; Written by Claire Denis and Christine Angot (U.S. Release) (Also Available on VOD)

Isabelle (Juliette Binoche) is a divorced Parisian painter searching for another shot at love, but refusing to settle for the parade of all-too-flawed men who drift in and out of her life. There’s a caddish banker (Xavier Beauvois) who, like many of her lovers, happens to be married; a handsome actor (Nicolas Duvauchelle) who’s working through his own hang-ups; and a sensitive fellow artist (Alex Descas) who’s skittish about commitment. (Press materials)

Disobedience — Co-Written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Opens in NY and LA)

A woman (Rachel Weisz) returns to the community that shunned her for her attraction to a childhood friend (Rachel McAdams). Once back, their passions reignite as they explore the boundaries of faith and sexuality. (Press materials)

Kings — Written and Directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Millie (Halle Berry) is a hardworking, tough, and protective single mother with an affection for homeless children. She already has eight children living in her house, and will soon bring home another. Her neighbor Obie (Daniel Craig) is the local loose cannon, and the only white man in an area largely inhabited by African Americans, Latinos, and Koreans. With racial tensions running dangerously high, Millie and Obie would appear to be unlikely allies. Yet following the acquittal of four of the officers accused of beating Rodney King, these two must navigate the gathering chaos in the city to bring Millie’s kids home safely. (Press materials)

Ava — Written and Directed by Sadaf Foroughi (Opens in NY)

“Ava” is a gripping debut about a young girl’s coming-of-age in a strict, traditional society. Living with her well-to-do parents in Tehran, Ava (Mahour Jabbari) is a bright and focused teen whose concerns — friendships, music, social status, academic performance — resemble that of nearly any teenager. When Ava’s mistrustful and overprotective mother questions her relationship with a boy — going so far as to visit a gynecologist — Ava is overwhelmed by a newfound rage. Formerly a model student, Ava begins to rebel against the strictures imposed by her parents, her school, and the society at large. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Sadaf Foroughi.

Find screening info here.

Jewel’s Catch One (Documentary) — Directed by C. Fitz; Written by C. Fitz and Pat Branch (AvailableMay 1 on Netflix)

“Jewel’s Catch One” explores the legacy of America’s oldest Black-owned disco club, as well as the life of businesswoman and activist Jewel Thais-Williams. Jewel provided safe spaces for LGBTQ, Black, and AIDS-impacted communities in Los Angeles for four decades. Exclusive interviews from Sharon Stone, Thelma Houston, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Sandra Bernhard, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and others illuminate the triumph, the tragedy, the truth, and the tenacity of a specific time of great import to queer and Black communities in Los Angeles. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with C. Fitz.

The Rachel Divide (Documentary) — Co-Written and Directed by Laura Brownson (Also Available on Netflix)

Spokane-area NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal ignited an unprecedented media storm when a local news station outed her as a white woman who had been living as black. Since the controversy erupted, director Laura Brownson and team exclusively filmed with Rachel, her sons, and her adopted sister Esther, capturing the intimate, vérité life story of a damaged character who lands squarely in the cross-hairs of race and identity politics in America — and exploring how that character still provokes negative reactions from millions who see her as the ultimate example of white privilege. (Press materials)

Duck Butter — Co-Written by Alia Shawkat (Available on VOD May 1)

“Duck Butter”: Duplass Brothers Productions

Two women (Alia Shawkat and Laia Costa) who are dissatisfied with the dishonesty they see in dating and relationships, decide to make a pact to spend 24 hours together, hoping to find a new way to create intimacy. (Press materials)

Films About Women Currently Playing

Little Pink House — Written and Directed by Courtney Moorehead Balaker
I Feel Pretty — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Abby Kohn
Imitation Girl — Written and Directed by Natasha Kermani
Lou Andreas-Salomé: The Audacity to be Free — Directed by Cordula Kablitz-Post; Written by by Cordula Kablitz-Post and Susanne Hertel
After Auschwitz (Documentary)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (UK)
Funny Cow (UK)
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami (Documentary) — Directed by Sophie Fiennes
Nana (Documentary) — Co-Written and Directed by Serena Dykman
The Judge (Documentary) — Directed by Erika Cohn
Cake
This Is Our Land
The Miracle Season — Co-Written by Elissa Matsueda
Where Is Kyra? — Written by Darci Picoult
Pandas
Gemini
Finding Your Feet — Co-Written by Meg Leonard
Acrimony
Tomb Raider — Co-Written by Geneva Robertson-Dworet
Unsane
Midnight Sun
Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (Documentary) — Directed by Lorna Tucker (UK)
I Got Life! — Co-Written and Directed by Blandine Lenoir (UK)
Mary Magdalene — Written by Helen Edmundson and Philippa Goslett (UK)
The Happys
Apocalypsis
A Wrinkle in Time — Directed by Ava DuVernay; Written by Jennifer Lee
Claire’s Camera
Red Sparrow
Oh Lucy! — Written and Directed by Atsuko Hirayanagi
Annihilation
Dark River — Written and Directed by Clio Barnard (UK)
Double Lover
Tehran Taboo
A Fantastic Woman
The Post — Co-Written by Liz Hannah
Vazante — Co-Written and Directed by Daniela Thomas
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
In Between — Written and Directed by Maysaloun Hamoud
I, Tonya
The Shape of Water — Co-Written by Vanessa Taylor
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (Documentary) — Written and Directed by Alexandra Dean
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Films Directed by Women Currently Playing

Lives Well Lived (Documentary) — Directed by Sky Bergman
Love & Bananas: An Elephant Story (Documentary) — Directed by Ashley Bell; Co-Written by Ashley Bell and Fernanda Rossi
20 Weeks — Written and Directed by Leena Pendharkar (Also Available on VOD)
The Rider — Written and Directed by Chloé Zhao
Zama — Written and Directed by Lucrecia Martel
You Were Never Really Here — Written and Directed by Lynne Ramsay
Blockers — Directed by Kay Cannon
Outside In — Co-Written and Directed by Lynn Shelton (Also Available on VOD)
Keep the Change — Written and Directed by Rachel Israel
Itzhak (Documentary) — Directed by Alison Chernick
The Party — Written and Directed by Sally Potter
Forever My Girl — Written and Directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf
Faces Places (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Agnès Varda

Films Written by Women Opening This Week

“In the Last Days of the City”: Zero Production

In the Last Days of the City — Co-Written by Rasha Salti (Opens in NY; Opens in LA May 4)

“In the Last Days of the City” is a haunting, lyrical chronicle of recent years in the Arab world where revolutions seemed to spark hope for change, and yield further instability in one stroke. A filmmaker (Khalid Abdalla) in Cairo attempts to capture the zeitgeist of his city as the world changes around him — from personal love and loss to the fall of the Mubarak regime. Throughout, friends send footage, and stories from Berlin, Baghdad, and Beirut, creating a powerful, multilayered meditation on the meaning of homeland. (Press materials)

Find screening info here.

Films Written by Women Currently Playing

Truth or Dare — Co-Written by Jillian Jacobs
Pacific Rim Uprising — Co-Written by Kira Snyder and Emily Carmichael
Ismael’s Ghosts — Co-Written by Léa Mysius and Julie Peyr
A Bag of Marbles — Co-Written by Alexandra Geismar
Love, Simon — Co-Written by Elizabeth Berger
The Leisure Seeker — Co-Written by Francesca Archibugi
The Insult — Co-Written by Joëlle Touma
The Greatest Showman — Co-Written by Jenny Bicks

TV Premieres This Week

Bobby Kennedy for President (Docuseries) — Directed by Dawn Porter (Premieres April 27 on Netflix)

Robert F. Kennedy’s passion and vision helped his brother John get elected president, sparked a country’s conscience, guided the nation through terrifying crises, and inspired a generation. In the decade before his assassination at age 42, as Attorney General, a United States Senator, and a candidate for President, RFK also riled the establishment as he sharpened his political acumen, and challenged America to become the best version of itself. Told through rare and never-before-seen footage, director Dawn Porter’s four-part documentary series “Bobby Kennedy For President” examines the “Bobby Phenomenon” of the 1960s and the continuing influence of the man many see as the greatest loss of a troubling and turbulent era. (Press materials)

Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie (Documentary) — Written and Directed by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins (Premieres April 27 on Hulu)

“Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie” examines the world’s most popular doll, from her humble origins to her controversial persona today. In her 59 years, Barbie has become a fashion icon, a lightning rod, and a target for feminists. This funny, revealing documentary, featuring newly discovered footage and unprecedented access to the inner workings of a toy giant during Barbie’s biggest reinvention, surveys 60 years of women in popular culture through the lens of this 11.5 inch, Zelig-like plastic icon. Features interviews with Gloria Steinem, Roxane Gay, and Peggy Orenstein. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Andrea Nevins.

For Our Lives: Parkland (Documentary Special) — Hosted by Elaine Welteroth (Premieres April 30 on Freeform)

“For Our Lives: Parkland” follows the lives of student survivors from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL through the aftermath of the mass shooting that took place on February 14 and claimed the lives of their friends, classmates and teachers. The hour-long special will feature footage documenting several students as they turned their unimaginable grief and fear into action during the difficult weeks after the attack. (Press materials)

Being Serena (Docuseries) (Premieres May 2 on HBO)

“Being Serena” is a documentary series chronicling tennis icon Serena Williams at a pivotal moment in her personal and professional life. It provides viewers unprecedented access to Williams during her pregnancy, new motherhood, and marriage, while documenting her journey back to supremacy on the court. The intimate first-person show delves into her landmark career, family life, and expanding role as a businesswoman and investor in the worlds of tech, fashion, fitness, and philanthropy. (Press materials)

VOD/DVD Releasing This Week

All I Wish — Written and Directed by Susan Walter (DVD, May 1)
The Insult — Co-Written by Joëlle Touma (VOD/DVD, May 1)
In the Fade (DVD, May 1)
Mary and the Witch’s Flower — Co-Written by Riko Sakaguchi (VOD/DVD, May 1)
Maya the Bee 2: The Honey Games (VOD/DVD, May 1)
Please Stand By (VOD/DVD, May 1)
Wait For Your Laugh (Documentary) — Co-Written by Christina Tucker (VOD/DVD, May 1)
Winchester (VOD/DVD, May 1)