It’s June, but there’s no gloom here! The moment we’ve been waiting (literally years) for is here. Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” starts the month off with a bang, following Diana Prince — aka Wonder Woman — as she becomes the superheroine she’s destined to be. We cannot emphasize enough what a big deal this is; in fact, Women in Film (WIF) has launched a campaign encouraging folks to support the film during its opening weekend.
That said, “Wonder Woman” is, of course, just the first of many women-centric and women-led movies that will hit theaters in June.
If blockbuster comic adaptations aren’t your thing, you may want to check out Sundance favorites “Band Aid” and “Sami Blood” the first weekend of June. The former marks actress-screenwriter Zoe Lister Jones’ directorial debut, and follows a musically-inclined couple who begin to incorporate their never-ending arguments into their songs. Told through a 14-year-old girl’s perspective, Amanda Kernell’s “Sami Blood” emphasizes the complicated relationship between social prejudice, cultural ties, and individualism.
“Megan Leavy,” directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite opens June 9. The military film focuses on a female marine — because someone had to remind Hollywood that they exist — and her combat dog.
Mid-June presents both humor and drama. Lucia Aniello’s raunchy comedy “Rough Night” arrives just in time for the summer wedding season, highlighting the craziness that ensues during bachelorette parties.
Sofia Coppola is only the second woman to win best director for her latest film “The Beguiled” which offers a war film that puts women at the center. Set in a girls’ school in Virginia, this star-studded ensemble follows a group of women who take in a wounded Union solder. His presence sparks jealousy, sexual tension, and violence — which may or may not read as a commentary on the disruptive nature of masculinity. We’ll let you be the judge.
June’s final weekend features “The Little Hours,” starring Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, and Kate Micucci. The comedy follows three less-than-holy nuns as they become sexually infatuated with their priest’s new hired hand.
Here are all of the women-centric, women-directed, and women-written films debuting in June. All descriptions are from press materials unless otherwise noted.
June 2
“Wonder Woman” — Directed by Patty Jenkins
Before she was Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained warrior. When a pilot crashes and brings to paradise conflict in the outside world, she leaves home to fight a war to end all wars, discovering her full powers and true destiny. Check out Melissa Silverstein’s piece on the historic nature of the film.
“Band Aid” — Written and Directed by Zoe Lister-Jones (Available on VOD June 9)
“Band Aid,” the refreshingly raw, real, and hilarious feature debut from Zoe Lister-Jones, is the story of a couple, Anna (Lister-Jones) and Ben (Adam Pally), who can’t stop fighting. Advised by their therapist to try and work through their grief unconventionally, they are reminded of their shared love of music. In a last-ditch effort to save their marriage, they decide to turn all their fights into song, and with the help of their neighbor, Dave (Fred Armisen), they start a band. A story of love, loss, and rock and roll, “Band Aid” is a witty and perceptive view of modern love, with some seriously catchy pop hooks to boot.
“Past Life”
Based on a true story, “Past Life” tracks the daring 1977 trans-European odyssey of two sisters — one is an introverted, ambitious classical music composer (Joy Rieger), and the other is a combative politics and porn magazine editor (Nelly Tagar). As they try to unravel a disturbing wartime mystery that has cast a foreboding shadow on their entire lives, they realize that freedom from the shackles of the past requires painful sacrifices, as does the struggle to discover one’s unique voice.
“Sami Blood” — Written and Directed by Amanda Kernell (Opens in NY; Opens in LA June 30)
Elle Marja (Lene Cecilia Sparrok), 14, is a reindeer-breeding Sámi girl. Exposed to the racism of the 1930s and race biology examinations at her boarding school, she starts dreaming of another life. To achieve this other life, she has to become someone else and break all ties with her family and culture.
“Letters from Baghdad” (Documentary) — Directed by Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum (U.S. Premiere) (Opens in NY)
“Letters from Baghdad” tells the extraordinary and dramatic story of Gertrude Bell, the most powerful woman in the British Empire in her day. She shaped the modern Middle East after World War I in ways that still reverberate today. More influential than her friend and colleague Lawrence of Arabia, Bell helped draw the borders of Iraq and established the Iraq Museum. So why has she been written out of history?
“Churchill” — Written by Alex von Tunzelmann
Tensions mount for the beleaguered British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Brian Cox) in the days leading up to infamous Allied D-Day landings in Normandy, France in June 1944. Fearful of repeating his deadly mistakes from World War I in the Battle of Gallipoli, exhausted by years of war, plagued by depression and obsessed with his historical destiny, Churchill is reluctant to embark on the large-scale campaign, one that the entire war effort hinges upon. Clashing with his Allied political opponents, U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower (John Slattery) and British Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery (Julian Wadham), the troubled Churchill receives support and devotion from his wife, the brilliant and unflappable Clementine Churchill (Miranda Richardson). With her strength and shrewdness, Clemmie halts Winston’s physical, mental, and spiritual collapse, and inspires him on to greatness.
“3 Idiotas” — Co-Written by Martha Higareda
Five years after graduating from college, Felipe (Christian Vázquez) and Beto (Germán Valdés) decide to look for Pancho (Alfonso Dosal), leader of the group, who disappeared without a trace on graduation day.
“Love, Kennedy”
Kennedy Hansen (Tatum Chiniquy) is a funny, loving child but inexplicably she begins to fail. It takes years for the diagnosis… Juvenile Batten Disease, an extremely rare, terrible, and terminal prognosis. There is no cure for Batten Disease and after living only 16 years, Kennedy leaves behind a great legacy of love and friendship. But her story doesn’t end at her death; that’s when the miracles really begin. Based on a true story.
“Didi’s Dreams”
Didi is an actress trying to prove herself to her superstar sister. Chunmei owns a noodle shop and just got dumped by the boy she has fancied forever. When these two distinct lives cross paths, where will fate take them?
“Beautiful Accident”
When a single, successful female lawyer (Gwei Lun-Mei) is involved in a highway car accident, she wakes up to find herself in an alternate reality where she’s forced to take on the responsibility of a full time mother and wife, dealing with her demanding architect husband (Chen Kun) and two difficult children.
“God of War”— Co-Written by Maria Wong
During the 16th century, Japanese pirates proliferate along the Chinese coastline. In 1557, the pirates take over Cengang in Zhejiang. After months of futile advances, Commander Yu (Sammo Hung) finally defeats them under the leadership of newly promoted General Qi (Vincent Zhao). The Pirates, however, manage to escape.
June 7
“Ascent” — Written and Directed by Fiona Tan
This art film project is in essence a film made entirely with stills, a filmic experiment balancing delicately between documentary and fiction. As the narrative unfolds, unexpected and surprising paths are explored. Together with the two protagonists the viewer climbs Mount Fuji across geographical, temporal, and cultural divides.
June 9
“Megan Leavey” — Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite; Co-Written by Pamela Gray and Annie Mumolo
“Megan Leavey” is based on the true life story of a young Marine Corporal (Kate Mara) whose unique discipline and bond with her military combat dog saved many lives during their deployment in Iraq. When she is assigned to clean up the K9 unit after a disciplinary hearing, Leavey identifies with a particularly aggressive dog, Rex, and is given the chance to train him. Over the course of their service, Megan and Rex completed more than 100 missions until an IED explosion injures them, putting their fate in jeopardy.
“Beatriz at Dinner”
Beatriz (Salma Hayek), an immigrant from a poor town in Mexico, has drawn on her innate kindness to build a career as a health practitioner in Southern California. Don Strutt (John Lithgow) is a real estate developer whose cutthroat tactics have made him a self-made, self-satisfied billionaire. When these two polar opposites meet at a dinner party, their worlds collide and neither will ever be the same.
“As Good As You” — Directed by Heather de Michele; Written by Gretchen M. Michelfeld (Opens in LA)
Jo (Laura Heisler) is having a bad year. She has major writer’s block, a rather dire caffeine addiction, and is deeply mourning the untimely death of her beautiful wife. To top it all off, her biological alarm clock is ringing off the wall. In an attempt to address the latter issue, Jo asks her late-partner’s brother, Jamie (Bryan Dechart), to be her sperm donor. Craziness ensues in the form of a visit to the fertility clinic’s psychologist (Annie Potts), and a love triangle with her two best friends (Raoul Bhaneja and Anna Fitzwater). “As Good As You” is a serious comedy about trying to grieve the right way, and maybe growing up a bit in the process.
“Raising Bertie” (Documentary) — Directed by Margaret Byrne
Set in Bertie County, a rural African American-led community in Eastern North Carolina, “Raising Bertie” takes audiences deep into the emotional lives of three boys — Reginald “Junior” Askew, David “Bud” Perry, and Davonte “Dada” Harrell — over six years as they come of age. “Raising Bertie” movingly weaves the young men’s stories together as they try to define their identities, interconnecting narratives of family, youthful innocence, first love, systemic racism, educational inequity, poverty and unemployment, and the will to succeed in the face of formidable odds.
“I Love You Both” — Co-Written by Kristin Archibald (Also Available on VOD)
Twins Krystal and Donny (real life siblings Doug and Kristin Archibald) have been codependent for 28 years, still living together in a converted one-bedroom house. When they both meet and start dating the same guy (Lucas Neff), they remain in denial until he picks only one of them, forcing them to confront that they can no longer live the same life. With nowhere to turn for advice except each other and their only two friends — Linda (Artemis Pebdani), Krystal’s co-worker, and their mother (real life mom Charlene Archibald) — the twins are finally forced to look for answers from within.
“Awakening the Zodiac” — Co-Written by Jennifer Archer (Also Available on VOD)
In 1968 one of the deadliest serial killers in U.S. history disappeared without a trace. His identity and cryptic messages remained unsolved for decades…until now. After a fortune-seeking couple (Shane West and Leslie Bibb) uncovers a 40-year-old film reel depicting two gruesome murders taken by the killer himself, they set out to solve the mystery and claim the $100,000 reward. But the situation quickly changes, as the hunters become the hunted.
“Radio Dreams” — Co-Written by Aida Ahadiany
Hamid (actor/musician Mohsen Namjoo) immigrates to the U.S. to pursue his writing career and the American Dream. Instead, he winds up working at a small Iranian radio station. Meanwhile, the owners of the station try to cash in on Hamid’s only program that they see fit for commercial success — the bringing together of an on-air jam session with Kabul Dreams and their long-time idols, Metallica. The ensuing collision between artistic integrity and crass commercialism resonates with hilarity and a poignant message, as Hamid fights to maintain a balance between his ambitions and his moral compass.
June 14
“Moka”
To find the driver of the vintage mocha-colored Mercedes which she thinks hit her son and devastated her life, Diane Kramer (Emmanuelle Devos) embarks on a trip to take revenge. She goes to Évian, where she has learned the driver of the Mercedes lives, but she now has to face another woman, Marlene (Nathalie Baye) — a beauty salon proprietor and owner of the car. In order to get closer to her, Diane pretends to be a potential buyer for the car, but the path of revenge is more tortuous and complicated than it seems.
June 16
“Maudie” — Directed by Aisling Walsh; Written by Sherry White (U.S. Premiere)
“Maudie,” based on a true story, is an unlikely romance charts the unlikely romance between Maud Lewis (Sally Hawkins), a folk artist who blossoms in later life, and the curmudgeonly recluse, Everett (Ethan Hawke). Maudie, bright-eyed but hunched with crippled hands, yearns to be independent, to live away from her protective family and she also yearns, passionately, to create art. Maud and Everett unexpectedly fall in love. As they make their life, Maudie becomes a success as a folk painter.
“Rough Night” — Co-Written and Directed by Lucia Aniello
In this edgy R-rated comedy, five best friends from college (played by Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer, and Zoë Kravitz) reunite 10 years later for a wild bachelorette weekend in Miami. Their hard partying takes a hilariously dark turn when they accidentally kill a male stripper. Amidst the craziness of trying to cover it up, they’re ultimately brought closer together when it matters most.
“47 Meters Down” (Also Available on VOD)
Two sisters (Claire Holt and Mandy Moore) vacationing in Mexico are trapped in a shark cage at the bottom of the ocean. With less than an hour of oxygen left and great white sharks circling nearby, they must fight to survive.
“Hearing Is Believing” (Documentary) (Opens in NY and LA) (Available on VOD June 20)
Born 15 weeks premature, Rachel Flowers lost her eyesight due to Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). When she was two years old, Rachel began picking up melodies from her musician parents and was soon playing every song she heard by ear. Starting her formal musical education at the age of four, Rachel spent the next 10 years studying at the Southern California Conservatory of Music. “Hearing is Believing” is an engaging portrait of a year and a half in the life of a tight knit American family, a single mom and her two kids living paycheck to paycheck in working class Oxnard, California, with Rachel’s stunning music as the soundtrack.
“Lost in Paris” — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Fiona Gordon (Opens in NY)
When Fiona’s (Fiona Gordon) orderly life is disrupted by a letter of distress from her 88-year-old Aunt Martha (Emmanuelle Riva) who is living in Paris, Fiona hops on the first plane she can and arrives only to discover that Martha has disappeared. In an avalanche of spectacular disasters, she encounters Dom (Dominique Abel), the affable but annoying tramp who just won’t leave her alone. “Lost in Paris” is a wondrously fun and hectic tale of peculiar people finding love while lost in the City of Lights.
“Hare Krishna! The Mantra, The Movement and the Swami Who Started It All” (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Jean Griesser and Lauren Ross (Opens in NY; Opens in LA June 23)
1965: America is in turmoil. Unprecedented introspection and questioning of societal norms roil the country. Prabhupada, an unassuming 70-year-old Swami from India, arrives in New York City alone and without support or money. “Hare Krishna!” is the true story of the unexpected, prolific, and controversial revolutionary. The film takes the audience behind-the-scenes of a cultural movement born in the artistic and intellectual scene of New York’s Bowery, the hippie mecca of Haight Ashbury, and the Beatle mania of London, to meet the Swami who started it all.
“Whitney: Can I Be Me” (Documentary) (Opens in the UK)
Documentarian Nick Broomfield and iconic music video director Rudi Dolezal offer a never-before-seen backstage look at the height of Whitney Houston’s stardom and trace with penetrating detail the forces that contributed to her shortened career and subsequent death in 2012, at age 48. Whether it be racism, religion, drugs, sexuality, self-doubt, gossip, rivalry, insufficient training, the demands of parents and the industry, a troubled marriage playing out in headlines, or the inevitable toll those stresses take from so muscular and passionate a singer, the directors leave nothing unturned. They create a picture of a remarkable woman who needed more help than she received and provide an unflinching, gripping, and wholly committed exploration of talent given and taken away. (Tribeca Film Festival)
“From Hollywood to Rose” — Co-Directed by Liz Graham (One Week Only in LA)
In the city of Angels, everyone is on a quest. A disheveled, middle-aged woman (Eve Annenberg) in a bridal gown boards a Metro bus on Hollywood Boulevard in the middle of the night. As the bus heads further west, she meets an assortment of eccentrics and social outcasts who make her question where she’s been and where she’s going. Each person she meets is at their own personal crossroads, who in turn shape the course of her bizarre journey.
“Pray for Rain” — Written by Christina Moore and Gloria Musca
A young New York journalist (Annabelle Stephenson) returns to the idyllic Central California farming community where she was raised only to find it has been ravaged by drought and has become a place ruled by gangs, violent threats, and greed. She is forced to investigate the suspicious circumstances of her father’s death even though it puts her in great danger.
“Cars 3” — Co-Written by Kiel Murray
Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) sets out to prove to a new generation of racers that he’s still the best race car in the world.
June 23
“The Beguiled” — Written and Directed by Sofia Coppola (Limited Release; Wider Release June 30)
“The Beguiled” is an atmospheric thriller from acclaimed writer-director Sofia Coppola. The story unfolds during the Civil War, at a Southern girls’ boarding school. Its sheltered women (Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, Emma Howard, Oona Laurence, Angourie Rice, and Addison Riecke) take in an injured enemy soldier (Colin Farrell). As they provide refuge and tend to his wounds, the house is taken over with sexual tension and dangerous rivalries, and taboos are broken in an unexpected turn of events.
“The Bad Batch” — Written and Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour
In a dystopian future United States, a young girl (Suki Waterhouse) condemned to wander a desert wasteland is captured by a community of cannibals. Managing to escape, the girl later encounters and befriends one of her former captors (Jason Momoa) — but will the two of them be able to avoid getting slaughtered in this world where savagery is central to survival? (Toronto International Film Festival)
“The Big Sick” — Co-Written by Emily V. Gordon
Based on the real-life courtship between Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, “The Big Sick” tells the story of Pakistan-born aspiring comedian Kumail (Nanjiani), who connects with grad student Emily (Zoe Kazan) after one of his standup sets. However, what they thought would be just a one-night stand blossoms into the real thing, which complicates the life that is expected of Kumail by his traditional Muslim parents. When Emily is beset with a mystery illness, it forces Kumail to navigate the medical crisis with her parents, Beth and Terry (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano), who he’s never met, while dealing with the emotional tug-of-war between his family and his heart.
“Good Fortune” (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Rebecca Harrell Tickell
“Good Fortune” is the rags to riches tale of conscious capitalism pioneer John Paul DeJoria. Born with nothing, at times homeless on the streets of LA, “JP” spent his early adulthood in and out of motorcycle gangs only to wheel and deal his way to the top of a vast hair and tequila empire. A modern day Robin Hood, JP’s motto is “Success unshared is failure.” The son of immigrants, JP defies the stereotype of “the one percent” and is the poster boy of the triple bottom line — people, planet, and profit.
June 28
“Okja” (Limited Release) (Also Available on Netflix)
For 10 idyllic years, young Mija (Seo-Hyun Ahn) has been caretaker and constant companion to Okja — a genetically modified massive pig — at her home in the mountains of South Korea. But that changes when family-owned multinational conglomerate Mirando Corporation takes Okja for themselves and transports her to New York, where image obsessed and self-promoting CEO Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton) has big plans for Mija’s dearest friend. With no particular plan but single-minded in intent, Mija sets out on a rescue mission, but her already daunting journey quickly becomes more complicated when she crosses paths with disparate groups of capitalists, demonstrators, and consumers, each battling to control the fate of Okja… while all Mija wants to do is bring her friend home. (Cannes Film Festival)
June 30
“The Little Hours”
Medieval nuns Alessandra (Alison Brie), Fernanda (Aubrey Plaza), and Ginevra (Kate Micucci) lead a simple life in their convent. Their days are spent chafing at monastic routine, spying on one another, and berating the estate’s day laborer. After a particularly vicious insult session drives the peasant away, Father Tommasso (John C. Reilly) brings on new hired hand Massetto (Dave Franco), a virile young servant forced into hiding by his angry lord. Introduced to the sisters as a deaf-mute to discourage temptation, Massetto struggles to maintain his cover as the repressed nunnery erupts in a whirlwind of pansexual horniness, substance abuse, and wicked revelry. (Sundance Institute)
“The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Documentary” (Documentary)
Portrait photographer Elsa Dorfman found her medium in 1980: the larger-than-life Polaroid Land 20 x 24 camera. For the next 35 years she captured the “surfaces” of those who visited her Cambridge, Massachusetts studio: families, Beat poets, rock stars, and Harvard notables. As pictures begin to fade and her retirement looms, Dorfman gives Errol Morris an inside tour of her backyard archive.
“Amityville: The Awakening”
“Amityville: The Awakening” is a revival of the popular franchise and a modern twist on the classic horror film. Belle (Bella Thorne) and her family move into a new house. When strange phenomena begin to occur in the house, Belle begins to suspect her mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) isn’t telling her everything and soon realizes they just moved into the infamous Amityville house.
“Inconceivable’ — Written by Chloe King (Also Available on VOD)
A mysterious young woman, Katie (Nicky Whelan), and her daughter move to a new town to escape her past and quickly befriends Angela Morgan (Gina Gershon), a mother of one who longs for a bigger family. As their lives become intricately entwined, Angela and her husband, Brian (Nicolas Cage), invite Katie to live in their guest-house and to serve as their nanny. Over time, the blossoming friendship between the two women spirals into a dangerous obsession as Katie becomes overly attached to the Morgans’ daughter. Enduring lies and manipulations, Angela and Brian realize that sweet Katie is actually trying to destroy their family from within.
“13 Minutes “— Co-Written by Léonie-Claire Breinersdorfer
In November 1939, Georg Elser’s (Christian Friedel) attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler fails, and he is arrested. During his confinement, he recalls the events leading up to his plot and his reasons for deciding to take such drastic action.
“Darkness Rising”
Haunted by a mysterious past, the lone survivor of a family massacre (Katrina Law) revisits her childhood home on the eve of its destruction, awakening the otherworldly evil that resides there.
