Features, Films, Women Directors, Women Writers

Weekly Update for November 22: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You

“The Mindy Project”
“Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story”

Films About Women Opening This Week

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (Documentary) — Directed by Alexandra Dean (Opens in NY November 24)

Austrian actress Hedy Lamarr fled an oppressive marriage to create a name for herself as one of Hollywood’s top leading ladies in the 1940s. Behind the glamour and sex appeal, though, was a talented and inquisitive inventor who created a radio system that is now considered the basis of Bluetooth technology. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Alexandra Dean.

Find screening info here.

Barbra: The Music… The Mem’ries… The Magic! (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Barbra Streisand (Available on Netflix)

“Barbra: The Music… The Mem’ries… The Magic!”

Iconic songstress Barbra Streisand culminates her 13-city tour in Miami with dazzling ballads, Broadway standards, and stories from behind the scenes. (Press materials)

Films About Women Currently Playing

“The Breadwinner”

The Breadwinner — Directed by Nora Twomey; Written by Anita Doron and Deborah Ellis
A Fantastic Woman
Big Sonia (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Leah Warshawski
Mr. Roosevelt — Written and Directed by Noël Wells
Soufra (Documentary)
On the Beach at Night Alone
Tumhari Sulu
Nails (Also Available on VOD)
Gold Star — Written and Directed by Victoria Negri (Also Available on VOD)
Thelma
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Lady Bird — Written and Directed by Greta Gerwig
Wait for Your Laugh (Documentary)
The Light of the Moon — Written and Directed by Jessica M. Thompson
A Bad Moms Christmas
Mansfield 66/67 (Documentary)
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami (Documentary) — Directed by Sophie Fiennes (UK)
Félicité — Co-Written by Delphine Zingg
The Divine Order — Written and Directed by Petra Volpe
Novitiate — Written and Directed by Margaret Betts
Tragedy Girls
Jane (Documentary)
I Am Not a Witch — Written and Directed by Rungano Nyoni (UK)
Happy Death Day
The Florida Project
Dina (Documentary)
My Little Pony: The Movie — Co-Written by Meghan McCarthy and Rita Hsiao
Chavela (Documentary) — Directed by Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi
Battle of the Sexes — Co-Directed by Valerie Faris
Victoria & Abdul
Friend Request
Dolores (Documentary)
Tulip Fever
Leap! — Co-Written by Carol Noble
The Teacher
Kidnap
Maudie — Directed by Aisling Walsh; Written by Sherry White
Lost in Paris — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Fiona Gordon

Films Directed by Women Opening This Week

“Eric Clapton: A Life in 12 Bars”: AccuSoft Inc.

Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (Documentary) — Directed by Lili Fini Zanuck (Opens in NY and LA November 24)

Eric Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an 18-time Grammy Award winner, and widely renowned as one of the greatest performers of all time. But behind the scenes is restlessness and tragedy. Clapton’s quest to grow his artistic voice left fans surprised as he constantly quit successful bands. His isolated pursuit of his craft, and fear of selling out, served as a catalyst for his evolution as an artist. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Lili Fini Zanuck.

Films Directed by Women Currently Playing

“Mudbound”: Steve Dietl/Netflix

Mudbound — Co-Written and Directed by Dee Rees (Also Available on Netflix)
Cook Off! — Co-Directed by Cathryn Michon; Co-Written by Cathryn Michon and Wendi McLendon-Covey (Also Available on VOD)
Rebels on Pointe (Documentary) — Written and Directed by Bobbi Jo Hart
Requiem for a Running Back (Documentary) — Directed by Rebecca Carpenter
The Party — Written and Directed by Sally Potter (UK)
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women — Written and Directed by Angela Robinson
Faces Places (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Agnès Varda
Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton (Documentary) — Directed by Rory Kennedy (Also Available on VOD)
Loving Vincent — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Dorota Kobiela
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (Documentary) — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Catherine Bainbridge

Films Written by Women Opening This Week

“The Man Who Invented Christmas”: Kerry Brown/Garlands Films

The Man Who Invented Christmas — Written by Susan Coyne

“The Man Who Invented Christmas” tells of the magical journey that led to the creation of Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and other classic characters from “A Christmas Carol.” The film shows how Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) mixed real-life inspirations with his vivid imagination to conjure up unforgettable characters and a timeless tale, forever changing the holiday season into the celebration we know today. (Press materials)

Find screening info here.

Films Written by Women Currently Playing

“Song of Granite”

Song of Granite — Co-Written by Sharon Whooley
Let There Be Light — Co-Written by Sam Sorbo
Kingsman: The Golden Circle — Co-Written by Jane Goldman

TV Premieres This Week

“She’s Gotta Have It”

Anne of Green Gables: The Good Stars (TV Movie) (Premieres November 23 on PBS)

“Anne of Green Gables: The Good Stars”

When Anne Shirley (Ella Ballentine) turns 13, she faces complex issues with her friends, inspirational adults, and Marilla (Sara Botsford) and Matthew (Martin Sheen). At the same time, she begins a friendship with Gilbert Blythe (Drew Haytaoglu) that emotionally escalates to disrupt the status quo of her peaceful world. Her free-spirited nature is challenged by her perceived need to become sensible, and her journey toward this goal is fraught with confusion and more than a few unfortunate — albeit, amusing — mishaps. (Press materials)

She’s Gotta Have It (Premieres November 23 on Netflix)

Nola Darling (DeWanda Wise) struggles to stay true to herself and her dreams while juggling three lovers in this Spike Lee series based on his breakout film. (Press materials)

The Lost Tapes: Patty Hearst (Premieres November 26 on Smithsonian)

Was she a victim of thought-control by terrorists or a millionaire turned revolutionary? The kidnapping of Patty Hearst by a leftist guerrilla group that called itself the Symbionese Liberation Army made front-page national news in 1974. But over the months, the drama and the media attention deepened as Hearst turned from a teenage American heiress to a machine gun-toting fugitive named “Tania.” “The Lost Tapes” places you at the heart of this astonishing story, presented solely through newscasts and rarely seen footage of the day. (Press materials)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino (Premieres November 29 on Amazon)

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

In 1958 New York, Midge Maisel’s (Rachel Brosnahan) life is on track: husband, kids, and elegant Yom Kippur dinners in their Upper West Side apartment. But when her life takes a surprise turn, she has to quickly decide what else she’s good at — and going from housewife to stand-up comic is a wild choice to everyone but her. (Press materials)

VOD/DVD Releasing This Week

“Lost in Paris”

Detroit — Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (VOD, November 28)
False Confessions — Co-Directed by Marie-Louise Bischofberger (DVD, November 28)
I Do… Until I Don’t — Written and Directed by Lake Bell (VOD/DVD, November 28)
Logan Lucky — Written by Rebecca Blunt (VOD/DVD, November 28)
Lost in Paris — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Fiona Gordon (DVD, November 28)
Love Is Thicker Than Water — Co-Directed by Emily Harris (VOD, November 28)
M.F.A. — Directed by Natalia Leite; Written by Leah McKendrick (DVD, November 28)
Tulip Fever (VOD/DVD, November 28)
Woodshock — Written and Directed by Kate Mulleavy and Laura Mulleavy (DVD, November 28)

Women and Hollywood in the News

How the Weinstein scandal could change life for fugitive Polanski (NBC News)
“Justice League’s” Skimpy Amazon Costumes Spark Criticism (E! Online)

Picks of the Week from Women and Hollywood

The End of the Beginning: A Reckoning Thousands of Years in the Making

On Women and Hollywood This Week

Lois Smith in “The Americans”: FX Networks

Women Comprise 60% of Variety‘s 2017 Screenwriters to Watch List
Indie Spirit Award Nominations: “Lady Bird,” “The Rider,” and More
Female-Led WWII Spy Thriller from Lydia Dean Pilcher and Sarah Megan Thomas in Development
Female-Led Bids Vie to Buy Weinstein Company, Support Women
The Quad Salutes Lois Smith by Screening Her Career Highlights
Marja-Lewis Ryan to Serve as Showrunner on Showtime’s “The L Word” Sequel
Pascal Pictures Acquires Kat Wood’s Sci-Fi Spec “Envoy”
Laura Dern, Julie Dash, & More to Be Honored at NYWIFT’s Muse Awards
“Orange Is the New Black” Creator Jenji Kohan Signs Overall Deal with Netflix
Viola Davis To Star in and Produce “I Almost Forgot About You”
Trailer Watch: A Girl Becomes a Warrior to Save Her Dad in Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time”
Lois Smith to Receive Career Achievement Honor at Key West Film Festival
Guest Post: How Film Schools Lead to Pipelines Full of Weinsteins
Liz Hannah and Amy Pascal Developing Female Astronaut Miniseries for Amazon
Women In Animation and Raising Films Join the Fight Against Sexual Harassment
Trailer Watch: Jesus Is Watching in Lena Waithe’s “The Chi”
DOC NYC 2017 Women Directors: Meet Lisa Immordino Vreeland — “Love, Cecil”

Weekly Reads from Around the Internet

The Story Women Have Been Trying to Tell for Years Now by Jennie Lanouette (Filmmaker Magazine)

What “Mudbound” Says About Black & White Women’s Experiences Is Still Depressingly True Today by Sesali Bowen (Refinery29)

“SMILF” Is a Must-Watch in a Post-Weinstein World by Anna Silman (The Cut)

The Legacy of Both Mindys on “The Mindy Project” by Mallika Rao (Vulture)

Follow. Women and Hollywood on Twitter @WomenaHollywood and Melissa Silverstein @melsil.

To contact Women and Hollywood, email melissa@womenandhollywood.com.

Exclusive: Noémie Merlant is a New Mom Struggling to Cope in “Baby Ruby” Clip

Noémie Merlant finds herself in another living nightmare in “Baby Ruby.” After escaping the clutches of an egomaniacal boss in ‘Tár,” the French actress plays a new mother...

Sundance 2023 Preview: Judy Blume, the Indigo Girls, and Bethann Hardison Make Their Mark on Park City

The first major fest of 2023 is nearly upon us. With over 100 films representing 23 countries, the 25th edition of Sundance Film Festival features plenty of promising titles from emerging voices as...

Quote of the Day: Michelle Yeoh Says “We Can Tell Our Own Stories on Our Own Terms”

Michelle Yeoh took home an award and made history at last night’s National Board of Review gala. The Oscar favorite received Best Actress honors for “Everything Everywhere All At...

Posts Search

Publishing Dates
Start date
- select start date -
End date
- select end date -
Category
News
Films
Interviews
Features
Trailers
Festivals
Television
RESET