by Eboni Boykin and Diana Martinez
Women filmmakers and protagonists are especially brave in poignant stories being released this month, shedding light on global issues that affect countless lives and overcoming dangerous obstacles.
The first of a handful of important documentaries by and about women opening this month is “Roseanne For President,” an intimate look at comedian Roseanne Barr’s campaign for president, and her journey to champion issues for working class Americans.
In theaters July 8, “Our Little Sister” depicts the journey of three sisters, who after attending the funeral of their estranged father, take in their half-sister. “Our Little Sister” is the story of how four sisters come together to reconcile their past, present, and future.
The highly anticipated “Ghostbusters” reboot premieres this month on July 15, and the all-female comedian cast will save the world from a supernatural outbreak that only their special ghost-busting abilities can conquer.
Director Nanfu Wang was awarded the 2016 Nestor Almendros Award for courage in filmmaking at this year’s Human Rights Watch Film Festival for her heart-pounding film “Hooligan Sparrow.” This documentary follows a group of activists as they protest the alleged rape of six schoolgirls by school officials. The protesters eventually find themselves on the run from antagonistic undercover government agents.
July 29 brings us another high-profile female-driven comedy with “Bad Moms,” which stars Mila Kunia, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn as they throw caution to the wind and commit to having as much non-mom related fun as they possibly can. The first Wall Street film to feature female protagonists also premieres on the 29th, with Meera Menon’s “Equity.” The film follows an investment banker (Anna Gunn) as she navigates a web of corruption and scandal.
Here is a list of women-centric, directed, and written films releasing in July. All descriptions are from press materials, unless stated otherwise.
July 1
“The BFG” — Written by Melissa Mathison
Directed by Steven Spielberg, Disney’s “The BFG” tells the imaginative story of a young girl (Ruby Barnhill) and the Giant who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country. The BFG (Mark Rylance), while a giant himself, is a Big Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Upon her arrival in Giant Country, Sophie (Barnhill), a precocious 10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realize that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a giant before, has many questions. Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for one another quickly grows, but Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more bothersome. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.
“Roseanne For President!” (Documentary) (Opens in NY; Also available on VOD)
In 2012, Roseanne Barr ran for president of the United States. Although she enjoyed calling herself “the only serious comedian in the race,” the campaign was not a joke. “Roseanne for President!” is the hilarious, remarkable, moving, and illuminating film that documents how one of the most influential and controversial comedians of all time boldly and passionately extends her legacy as an advocate and symbol for everyday Americans. While peering behind the curtain to see the unusual and highly entertaining world of “other” party politics, “Roseanne for President!” is also a revealing look at Roseanne’s life and career, and how this bold, brash, Jewish grandmother from Utah made herself into a working class hero.
“The Innocents” — Directed by Anne Fontaine; Co-Written by Anne Fontaine, Sabrina B. Karine, and Alice Vial (Opens in NY and LA)
Warsaw, December 1945: the second World War is finally over and Mathilde (Lou de Laâge) is treating the last of the French survivors of the German camps. When a panicked Benedictine nun appears at the clinic one night begging Mathilde to follow her back to the convent, what she finds there is shocking: a holy sister about to give birth and several more in advanced stages of pregnancy. A non-believer, Mathilde enters the sisters’ fiercely private world, dictated by the rituals of their order and the strict Rev. Mother (Agata Kulesza). Fearing the shame of exposure, the hostility of the new anti-Catholic Communist government, and facing an unprecedented crisis of faith, the nuns increasingly turn to Mathilde as their belief and traditions clash with harsh realities.
“Our Kind of Traitor” — Directed by Susanna White
While on holiday in Marrakech, an ordinary English couple, Perry (Ewan McGregor) and Gail (Naomie Harris), befriend a flamboyant and charismatic Russian, Dima (Stellan Skarsgård), who unbeknownst to them is a kingpin money launderer for the Russian mafia.
July 8
“Our Little Sister”
Sachi (Haruka Ayase), Yoshino (Masami Nagasawa), and Chika (Kaho) are three sisters living happily together in a relaxed, tight-knit seaside town south of Tokyo. When their long-estranged father passes away they travel to the countryside to attend his funeral, where they meet their shy teenage half-sister, Suzu (Suzu Hirose). Bonding quickly, they invite the orphaned Suzu to live with them and she eagerly agrees, sparking a journey of self-discovery for all four sisters, looking back into painful pasts but also reaching forward to hopeful futures.
“Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You” (Documentary) — Directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Opens in NY; Opens in LA July 15)
Arguably the most influential television creator of all time, Norman Lear indelibly altered America’s social landscape, sparking national conversations regarding race, class, and politics with his groundbreaking shows “All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons,” “Good Times,” and “Maude.” Praised for its structural innovation, Grady and Ewing’s film features the 93-year-old Lear, as vital and charming as ever, revisiting the most controversial moments from his career and life. Along the way, comedy and TV icons including Jon Stewart, Amy Poehler, Lena Dunham, George Clooney, Mel Brooks, and Carl and Rob Reiner comment on Lear’s extraordinary influence.
“Under the Sun” (Documentary) (Opens in NY; Opens in LA July 15)
“My father says that Korea is the most beautiful country… Korea is the land of the rising sun,” says eight-year-old schoolgirl Zin-mi. Despite continuous interference by government handlers, director Vitaly Mansky still managed to document life in Pyongyang, North Korea in this fascinating portrait of one girl and her parents in the year as she prepares to join the Korean Children’s Union on the “Day Of The Shining Star” (Kim Jong-Il’s birthday). As the family receives instruction on how to be the ideal patriots, Mansky’s watchful camera capture details from comrades struggling to stay awake during an official event to Zin-mi’s tears at a particularly grueling dance lesson.
“Indian Point” (Documentary) — Directed by Ivy Meeropol
Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant looms just 35 miles from Times Square. With over 50 million people living in close proximity to the aging facility, its continued operation has the support of the plant’s operators and the NRC — Nuclear Regulatory Commission — yet has stoked a great deal of controversy in the surrounding community, including a vocal anti-nuclear contingent concerned that what happened at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant could happen here. In the brewing fight for clean energy and the catastrophic possibilities of government complacency, director Ivy Meeropol presents a balanced argument about the issues surrounding nuclear energy and offers a startling reality check for our uncertain nuclear future.
“The Dog Lover” (Also available on VOD; Available on DVD July 12)
“The Dog Lover” is a suspenseful and provocative drama based on true events. Sara Gold (Allison Paige) is a rising star at the United Animal Protection Agency, a major animal rights organization that conducts animal rescues and lobbies for better animal welfare laws. Handpicked for a major assignment, Sara goes undercover as a college intern to infiltrate a suspected “puppy mill” run by the enigmatic Daniel Holloway (James Remar). Sarah soon ingratiates herself with Daniel and his family, and learns all about the world of dog breeding but is hard pressed to find any sign of animal abuse. The UAPA teams up with local law enforcement and raids the farm, accusing Daniel of the inhumane treatment of animals. Sara finds herself torn between doing her job and doing what’s right, and she awakens to the moral contradictions of her work with the UAPA.
July 13
“Don’t Blink — Robert Frank” (Documentary) — Directed by Laura Israel; Written by Laura Israel and Melinda Shopsin (Opens in NY)
Robert Frank revolutionized photography and independent film. He documented the Beats, Welsh coal miners, Peruvian Indians, The Stones, London bankers, and the Americans. This is the bumpy ride, revealed with unblinking honesty by the reclusive artist himself.
“The Infiltrator” — Written by Ellen Brown Furman
Based on a true story, Federal agent Robert “Bob” Mazur (Bryan Cranston) goes deep undercover to infiltrate Pablo Escobar’s drug trafficking scene plaguing the nation in 1986 by posing as slick, money-laundering businessman Bob Musella. Teamed with impulsive and streetwise fellow agent Emir Abreu (John Leguizamo) and rookie agent posing as his fiancé Kathy Ertz (Diane Kruger), Mazur befriends Escobar’s top lieutenant Roberto Alcaino (Benjamin Bratt). Navigating a vicious criminal network in which the slightest slip-up could cost him his life, Mazur risks it all building a case that leads to indictments of 85 drug lords and the corrupt bankers who cleaned their dirty money, along with the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, one of the largest money-laundering banks in the world.
July 15
“Ghostbusters” — Co-Written by Katie Dippold
“Ghostbusters” makes its long-awaited return, rebooted with a cast of hilarious new characters. Thirty years after the beloved original franchise took the world by storm, director Paul Feig brings his fresh take to the supernatural comedy, joined by some of the funniest actors working today — Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Chris Hemsworth. This summer, they’re here to save the world!
“Tulip Fever”
Set in 17th century Amsterdam, “Tulip Fever” follows a married woman (Alicia Vikander) who begins a passionate affair with an artist (Dane DeHaan) hired to paint her portrait. The lovers gamble on the booming market for tulip bulbs as a way to raise money to run away together.
“Hooligan Sparrow” (Documentary) — Directed by Nanfu Wang (Opens in NY)
The danger is palpable as intrepid young filmmaker Nanfu Wang follows maverick activist Ye Haiyan (also known as Hooligan Sparrow) and her band of colleagues to Hainan Province in southern China to protest the case of six elementary school girls who were sexually abused by their principal. Marked as enemies of the state, the activists are under constant government surveillance and face interrogation, harassment, and imprisonment. Sparrow, who gained notoriety with her advocacy work for sex workers’ rights, continues to champion girls’ and women’s rights and arms herself with the power and reach of social media. Filmmaker Wang becomes a target along with Sparrow, as she faces destroyed cameras and intimidation. Yet she bravely and tenaciously keeps shooting, guerrilla-style, with secret recording devices and hidden-camera glasses, and in the process, she exposes a startling number of undercover security agents on the streets.
July 22
“Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie” — Directed by Mandie Fletcher; Written by Jennifer Saunders
Appropriate for their big screen debut, Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone (Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley) are still oozing glitz and glamour, living the high life they are accustomed to, shopping, drinking, and clubbing their way around London’s trendiest hot spots. But when they accidentally push Kate Moss into the river Thames at an uber fashionable launch party, Eddy and Patsy become entangled in a media storm surrounding the supermodel’s untimely demise and are relentlessly pursued by the paparazzi. Fleeing penniless to the glamorous playground of the super-rich, the French Riviera, they hatch a plan to make their escape permanent and live the high life forever more!
“Lights Out”
When Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) left home, she thought she left her childhood fears behind. Growing up, she was never really sure of what was and wasn’t real when the lights went out… and now her little brother, Martin (Gabriel Bateman), is experiencing the same unexplained and terrifying events that had once tested her sanity and threatened her safety. A frightening entity with a mysterious attachment to their mother, Sophie (Maria Bello), has reemerged. But this time, as Rebecca gets closer to unlocking the truth, there is no denying that all their lives are in danger… once the lights go out.
“Summertime” — Directed by Catherine Corsini; Written by Catherine Corsini and Laurette Polmanss (Opens in NY and LA)
France, 1971. Delphine (Izïa Higelin) moves from her conservative parents’ home near Limoges to Paris to break free from her rural lifestyle and gain financial independence. There, she meets and is drawn to Carole (Cécile de France), with whom she embarks on a passionate, mutually invigorating love affair. When a family sickness pulls Delphine back to the farm, their bliss is interrupted and Carole has to decide whether to follow her into hostile territory, where their relationship becomes more complicated and fraught than its seductive, luminous visual palette initially suggests.
July 27
“Nerve” — Written by Jessica Sharzer
Industrious high school senior Vee Delmonico (Emma Roberts) has had it with living life on the sidelines. When pressured by friends to join the popular online game Nerve, Vee decides to sign up for just one dare in what seems like harmless fun. But as she finds herself caught up in the thrill of the adrenaline-fueled competition partnered with a mysterious stranger (Dave Franco), the game begins to take a sinister turn with increasingly dangerous acts, leading her into a high stake finale that will determine her entire future.
“On Meditation” (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Rebecca Dreyfus (Opens in NY)
“On Meditation” is an evolving series of portrait films that explore the deeply personal practice of meditation. Practiced for thousands of years, meditation is at once profound and simple: the focused attempt to move beyond conditioned “thinking” into a deeper state of awareness. Yet, what does that path — the path of the inner journey, which is above all a private, interior one — really look like? “On Meditation” conveys first-hand experiences of those who have developed meaningful practices and are willing to share their experiences. From teachers to everyday people to celebrities, the subjects of “On Meditation” offer a rare glimpse into the private insights and rituals of its subjects. Each film, or portrait, focuses on a single individual — and explores how meditation works for them, how it has changed or continues to change them in the deepest or subtlest ways, and what it looks like on the most basic physical level.
July 29
“Bad Moms”
Amy (Mila Kunis) has a seemingly perfect life — a great marriage, over-achieving kids, beautiful home, and a career. However she’s over-worked, over-committed, and exhausted to the point that she’s about to snap. Fed up, she joins forces with two other over-stressed moms (Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn) on a quest to liberate themselves from conventional responsibilities — going on a wild, un-mom-like binge of long overdue freedom, fun, and self-indulgence — putting them on a collision course with PTA Queen Bee Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate) and her clique of devoted perfect moms.
“Into the Forest” — Written and Directed by Patricia Rozema
For a predominant portion of their lives sisters, Eva (Evan Rachel Wood) and Nell (Ellen Page) lived with their parents near the redwood forests of Northern California, educated at home by their father, Sam (Callum Keith Rennie), a schoolteacher. All is well until humanity is struck by the inevitable crumble of society. Over 30 miles from the nearest town, and several miles away from their nearest neighbor, Nell and Eva struggle to survive as society begins to decay and collapse around them. No single event precedes society’s fall. The sisters consume the resources left in the house, waiting for the power to return. In their bittersweet arrival into adulthood, they are forced to re-examine their place in the world, their relationship to the land, and one another.
“Miss Sharon Jones!” (Documentary) — Directed by Barbara Kopple (Opens in NY)
On the eve of the release of her new album, internationally recognized soul singer Sharon Jones was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Tour dates were cancelled, the album pushed back and Sharon entered into a fight for her life and career. “Miss Sharon Jones!” intimately follows this intense and courageous year in Sharon’s life.
“Equity” — Directed by Meera Menon; Written by Amy Fox (Opens in NY and LA)
When Senior investment banker Naomi Bishop (Anna Gunn) is passed over for a promotion at her firm, she fights for the opportunity to take a start-up public, hoping this promising IPO will secure her a place at the firm’s highest level. But when an employee at the start-up raises questions about a possible crack in the company’s walls, Naomi must decide whether to investigate rumors that may compromise the deal, or push forward with the confidence her superiors expect.
“Tallulah” — Written and Directed by Sian Heder
“Tallulah,” the Netflix original film, was written and directed by Sian Heder, and tells the story of young vagabond, Lu (Ellen Page), who lives in a van and is fiercely independent in her hand-to-mouth existence. When a chance encounter incites her to impulsively “rescue” a baby from a negligent mother, Lu, at a loss for what to do, turns to the only responsible adult she knows: Margo (Allison Janney), who mistakenly believes she’s the child’s grandmother.
