The summer movie season is kicking off with dozens of films helmed by and centered on women. From Sundance pics to mega blockbusters, June promises to be a month chock-full of exciting releases.
The highly anticipated, Mindy Kaling-penned “Late Night” (June 7) features Emma Thompson as the only female late-night talk show host — who it turns out does not have a single woman on her writing staff. Kaling’s character is in the right place at the right time and gets her dream job. The same week, “Game of Thrones” star Sophie Turner will reprise her role as Jean Grey in “Dark Phoenix” (June 7), the latest installment in the “X-Men” franchise.
Women in animation will have plenty to celebrate, with a handful of women-written releases this month. “Funan” (June 7), penned by Magali Pouzol and Denis Do, travels back in time to the Cambodian Genocide to follow a woman separated from her four-year-old son as she attempts to navigate life under the Khmer Rouge regime. And of course, “Toy Story 4” (June 21) will hit theaters across the country this month. In the franchise’s newest chapter, writers Stephany Folsom and Andrew Stanton take Woody and the gang on a road trip, where they meet new friends and discover how big the world truly is.
June will also feature a number of politically-charged documentary releases. Shannon Service and Jeffrey Waldron’s “Ghost Fleet” (June 7) observes the activists fighting for justice and freedom for enslaved fishermen in Indonesia. “Life Overtakes Me” (June 14), directed by Kristine Samuelson and John Haptas, takes a look into a devastating syndrome affecting refugee children at risk of being deported from Sweden. Lastly, “This Changes Everything” (June 28) will feature interviews with influential Hollywood figures such as Meryl Streep and Shonda Rhimes as it takes a look at sexism in Hollywood, the #MeToo movement, and the feminist filmmaker movements of the past.
Finally, in honor of Pride Month, two pivotal women-directed documentaries will be re-released in theaters. Jennie Livingston’s iconic “Paris Is Burning” (June 14) gives an inside look into New York City’s drag scene from 1985-1989. Greta Schiller and Robert Rosenberg’s “Before Stonewall” (June 21) explores the gay and lesbian community’s history before the events that solidified its movement for equality. And with “Elisa & Marcela” (June 7), Netflix will also pay homage to pride, as Isabel Coixet’s film centers on a lesbian couple in 1885 who make a daring plan in order to remain together.
Here are all of the women-centric, women-directed, and women-written films premiering this June. All descriptions are from press materials unless otherwise noted.
June 1
“Oh, Ramona!” – Directed by Cristina Jacob; Written by Cristina Jacob, Alex Cotet, and Andrei Ciobanu (Available on Netflix)
Awkward 16-year-old Andrei (Bogdan Iancu) is infatuated with his alluring but aloof schoolmate Ramona (Aggy K. Adams) — until he meets stunning hotel clerk Anemona (Holly Horne) while on vacation.
June 6
“Alles ist gut” – Written and Directed by Eva Trobisch (Available on Netflix)
“Alles ist gut”
Eva Trobisch’s poised and formally restrained feature directorial debut poses questions about how one can resist victimization following sexual assault. Does one attempt to move past it or confront the crime and trauma head on? Aenne Schwarz delivers a gut-wrenching performance as a woman trying to stay composed as she deals with the aftermath of a nightmarish evening that leaves an unerasable scar and affects all aspects of her life. (MoMA)
June 7
“Late Night” – Directed by Nisha Ganatra; Written by Mindy Kaling
“Late Night”: Sundance Institute
A legendary late-night talk show host’s (Emma Thompson) world is turned upside down when she hires her only female staff writer (Mindy Kaling). Originally intended to smooth over diversity concerns, her decision has unexpectedly consequences as the two women separated by culture and generation are united by their love of a biting punchline.
“Elisa & Marcela” – Directed by Isabel Coixet; Written by Isabel Coixet and Narciso de Gabriel (Available on Netflix)
“Elisa & Marcela”: Netflix
1885. Elisa (Natalia de Molina) and Marcela (Greta Fernández) meet at the school where they both work. What begins as a close friendship ends in a romantic relationship that they must keep secret. Marcela’s parents are suspicious and send her abroad for a couple of years. When she returns, the reunion with Elisa is magical and they decide to share a life together. Now the focus of social pressure and gossip, they decide to map out a plan. Elisa will leave town for a time in order to come back disguised as Mario and be able to marry Marcela. But nothing will be that easy for this forbidden love.
“Dark Phoenix”
“Dark Phoenix”
Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix. Now the X-Men will have to decide if the life of a team member is worth more than all the people living in the world.
“Framing John DeLorean” – Directed by Sheena M. Joyce and Don Argott; Written by Alexandra Orton and Dan Greeney (Also Available on VOD)
“Framing John DeLorean” recounts the extraordinary life and legend of the controversial automaker, tracing his meteoric rise through the ranks of General Motors, his obsessive quest to build a sports car that would conquer the world, and his shocking fall from grace on charges of cocaine trafficking. Interweaving a treasure trove of archival footage with dramatic vignettes, “Framing John DeLorean” is a gripping look at a man who gambled everything in his pursuit of the American Dream.
“I Am Mother” (Available on Netflix)
“I Am Mother”: Sundance Institute
A teenage girl (Clara Rugaard) is raised underground by a kindly robot, “Mother” (Rose Byrne), designed to repopulate the earth following the extinction of humankind. But their unique bond is threatened when an inexplicable stranger arrives with alarming news.
“Funan” – Written by Magali Pouzol and Denis Do (Opens in NY; Opens June 14 in LA)
Cambodia, April 1975. Chou (Bérénice Bejo) is a young woman whose everyday world is suddenly upended by the arrival of the Khmer Rouge regime. During the chaos of the forced exile from their home, Chou and her husband are separated from their four-year-old son, who has been sent to an unknown location. As she navigates her new reality, working in the fields day and night under the careful watch of soldiers, and surviving the small indignities and harrowing realities of the increasingly grim work camps, Chou remains steadfast in her determination to reunite her family — even if it means risking everything.
“Ghost Fleet” (Documentary) – Directed by Shannon Service and Jeffrey Waldron
“Ghost Fleet”
“Ghost Fleet” follows a small group of activists who risk their lives on remote Indonesian islands to find justice and freedom for the enslaved fishermen who feed the world’s insatiable appetite for seafood. Bangkok-based Patima Tungpuchayakul, a Thai abolitionist, has committed her life to helping these “lost” men return home. Facing illness, death threats, corruption, and complacency, Patima’s fearless determination for justice inspires her nation and the world.
“Pachamama” – Written by Patricia Valeix, Nathalie Hertzberg, Olivier de Bannes, Juan Antin, and Christophe Poujol (Available on Netflix)
When a sacred statue is taken from his Andean village, a spirited boy who dreams of becoming a shaman goes on a brave mission to get it back.
“Katie Says Goodbye” (Also Available on VOD)
“Katie Says Goodbye”
Katie (Olivia Cooke), a kindhearted 17-year-old in the American Southwest, turns to prostitution to fulfill her dream of a new life in San Francisco.
“Rock My Heart” (Available on Netflix)
“Rock My Heart”: Bernd Spauke, Wild Bunch Germany
Jana (Lena Klenke), a thrill-seeking teenage girl with a heart defect, bonds with a rowdy black stallion and fights to ride in a race despite her life-threatening illness.
June 13
“The 3rd Eye 2” – Written by Riheam Junianti and Fajar Umbara (Available on Netflix)
Working in an orphanage, Alia (Jessica Mila) meets teen Nadia (Nabilah Ratna Ayu Azalia), who says she hears a strange voice in the walls. When they try to find the source, things go very wrong.
June 14
“Paris Is Burning” (Documentary) (Theatrical Re-Release) – Directed by Jennie Livingston (Opens in NY; Opens July 5 in LA)
“Paris Is Burning”
Jennie Livingston’s documentary offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the golden age of New York “Drag Balls,” where rival fashion houses come together to celebrate, vogue, and compete for bragging rights. Shot between 1985 and 1989, the narrative inter-cuts between individual stories that chronicle the experiences of the African-American and Latino, gay and transgender subculture in a time when the city was consumed by the ideals of wealth and glamour.
“American Woman”
“American Woman”
In a blue-collar town in Pennsylvania, a 32-year-old woman’s (Sienna Miller) teen daughter goes missing and she is left to raise her infant grandson alone. The story is told over the course of 11 years: We journey with her from the time her daughter vanishes, through the trials-and-tribulations of subsequent years, and ultimately to the long-awaited discovery of the truth.
“Back to the Fatherland” (Documentary) – Directed by Kat Rohrer and Gil Levanon; Written by Susan Korda and Anneliese Rohrer (Opens in NY)
“Back to the Fatherland”: GreenKat Productions
“Back to the Fatherland” is the story of young people leaving their home country to try their luck somewhere else. A universal tale in today’s globalized world, young women and men are moving from Israel to the countries where their families were persecuted and killed less than a century ago, Germany and Austria.
“Head Count” – Directed by Elle Callahan (Also Available on VOD)
Newcomer Evan (Isaac Jay) joins a group of teens on a getaway in Joshua Tree. While exchanging ghost stories around the campfire, Evan reads aloud a mysterious chant from an internet site. From that moment, someone — or something — is among them. As unsettling, inexplicable events become more frequent, Evan realizes this summoned shape-shifting creature is targeting them to fulfill a deadly ritual.
“Say My Name” – Written by Deborah Frances-White (Also Available on VOD)
When a one night stand gets interrupted by a robbery, two complete strangers are forced to navigate the seedy underbelly of a sleepy Welsh isle in order to get back their stolen property. Along the way, their opposite personalities and differing outlooks on life bring them to an outcome neither of them could have predicted.
“Life Overtakes Me” (Documentary) – Directed by Kristine Samuelson and John Haptas (Available on Netflix)
Hundreds of refugee children in Sweden, who have fled with their families from extreme trauma, have become afflicted with “uppgivenhetssyndrom,” or Resignation Syndrome. Facing deportation, they withdraw from the world into a coma-like state, as if frozen, for months, or even years.
“Being Frank” – Directed by Miranda Bailey
It’s 1992, the year Grunge music becomes mainstream, hitting middle American teenagers directly in their angst. Phillip (Logan Miller) longs to leave his small town for music school in The Big Apple. His dreams are dashed when his overbearing father, Frank (Jim Gaffigan), forbids it. In retaliation to his father’s dictatorial parenting, he sneaks away for a wild spring break. However, when he crosses state lines he instead finds a charming lake community where he spots his father with another woman. Turns out, his father lives in this town and has an entire other family. With this new heartbreaking information, Philip realizes he can wallow in his father’s deceit or take matters into his own hands.
June 19
“The Edge of Democracy” (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Petra Costa (Also Available on Netflix)
“The Edge of Democracy”: Sundance Institute
A cautionary tale for these times of democracy in crisis — the personal and political fuse to explore one of the most dramatic periods in Brazilian history. With unprecedented access to Presidents Dilma Rousseff and Lula da Silva, we witness their rise and fall and the tragically polarized nation that remains.
June 21
“Endzeit – Ever After” – Directed by Carolina Hellsgård; Written by Olivia Vieweg (Opens in NY)
“Ever After”: AnkeNeugebauer, GrownUpFilms, ZDF, Arte
Post apocalyptic Europe, two years after zombies have overrun Earth. Only two citadels of civilization remain in the East German towns of Weimar and Jena. In Weimar, newly infected zombies are shot on site without mercy. The Jena authorities take a more humane approach by trying to find a cure for plague victims. Vivi (Gro Swantje Kohlhof) and Eva (Maja Lehrer), in search of a more humane world, are stranded in the No Man’s Land of the Black Forest where they have to rely on each other and nature in order to survive. But their survival has also unleashed demons from their past that they must confront.
“Wild Rose” – Written by Nicole Taylor
“Wild Rose”
“Wild Rose” tells the complicated story of Rose-Lynn (Jessie Buckley), a woman on a quest to become a country music star, while also grappling with the responsibilities of being recently released from prison and a young mother of two children.
“Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am” (Documentary) (Opens in NY and LA)
This artful and intimate meditation on the legendary storyteller examines her life, her works, and the powerful themes she has confronted throughout her literary career. Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers, critics, and colleagues on an exploration of race, history, America, and the human condition.
“Mari” – Written and Directed by Georgia Parris (Opens in the UK)
“Mari” is a moving dance drama focused on a mother and her two daughters dealing with the devastating gradual decline and eventual passing of their mother and grandmother, Mari. Centered on the tensions that linger over the family’s strained relationships, Mari’s ill health brings them all together, forcing them to deal with their issues and find a way through a time of shared loss.
“Toy Story 4” – Written by Stephany Folsom and Andrew Stanton
“Toy Story 4”
When a new toy called “Forky” (Tony Hale) joins Woody (Tom Hanks) and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy.
“Before Stonewall” (Documentary) (Theatrical Re-Release) – Directed by Greta Schiller and Robert Rosenberg (Opens in NY; Opens in LA June 28)
“Before Stonewall”
“Before Stonewall” moves through the 20th century, examining the social and cultural context leading up to the “sudden” burst of political energy of the Stonewall riots — highlighting the social experimentation of the Roaring Twenties, to the discovery of the true size of this “hidden society” during World War II, to the scapegoating of homosexuals during the McCarthy era, and to the African-American experience, exploring how the Black Power and Civil Rights movements were prototypes for the gay rights movement. Narrated by iconic author Rita Mae Brown, “Before Stonewall” includes groundbreaking interviews with Ann Bannon, Martin Duberman, Allen Ginsberg, Barbara Gittings, Harry Hay, Mabel Hampton, Dr. Evelyn Hooker, Frank Kameny, Audre Lorde, Richard Bruce Nugent, Jose Sarria, and many others.
“Nightmare Cinema” (Anthology) – Written by Sandra Becerrill, Mick Garris, Alejandro Brugués, David Slade, and Lawrence Connolly (Also Available on VOD)
In this twisted horror anthology, five strangers are drawn to an abandoned theater and forced to watch their deepest and darkest fears play out before them. Lurking in the shadows is the Projectionist (Mickey Rourke), who preys upon their souls with his collection of disturbing films. As each reel spins its sinister tale, the characters find frightening parallels to their own lives.
“La Misma Sangre” – Written by Ana Cohan and Miguel Cohan
The strong family Santiago (Diego Velázquez) and Carla (Dolores Fonzi) have built is challenged when Carla’s mother appears dead after an accident and Santiago suspects that his father-in-law is to blame.
“Anna”
“Anna”: Central Partnership
Beneath Anna Poliatova’s (Sasha Luss) striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the world’s most feared government assassins. An electrifying thrill ride unfolds with propulsive energy, startling twists, and breathtaking action.
June 26
“The Chambermaid” – Directed by Lila Avilés; Written by Lila Avilés and Juan Carlos Marquéz
“The Chambermaid”
Eve (Gabriela Cartol), a young chambermaid at a luxurious Mexico City hotel, confronts the monotony of long workdays with quiet examinations of forgotten belongings and budding friendships that nourish her newfound and determined dream for a better life.
June 28
“Ophelia” – Directed by Claire McCarthy; Written by Semi Chellas (Available on VOD July 3)
“Ophelia”
Something is rotten in medieval-era Denmark, where political intrigue swirls around the imperial court like dark magic. Amid it all, the queen’s brightest lady-in-waiting, Ophelia (Daisy Ridley), finds herself drawn to Hamlet (George MacKay), the charismatic and elusive crown prince. As their secretive love affair takes flight, betrayal strikes the court, threatening to derail their union and devastate the royal family for good. Caught between her desires and her loyalty, Ophelia has to decide where her devotion will ultimately lie.
“Euphoria” – Written and Directed by Lisa Langseth
“Euphoria”: Jürgen Olczyk
Ines (Alicia Vikander) and Emilie (Eva Green), sisters in conflict, travel through Europe towards a mystery destination.
“Maiden” (Documentary)
“Maiden”
“Maiden” is the story of how Tracy Edwards, a 24-year-old cook in charter boats, became the skipper of the first ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World in 1989. Tracy’s inspirational dream was opposed on all sides: Her male competitors thought an all-women crew would never make it, the chauvinistic yachting press took bets on her failure, and potential sponsors rejected her, fearing they would die at sea and generate bad publicity. But Tracy refused to give up: She remortgaged her home and bought a secondhand boat, putting everything on the line to ensure the team made it to the start line. Although blessed with tremendous self-belief, Tracy was also beset by crippling doubts and was only able to make it through with the support of her remarkable crew. With their help she went on to shock the sport world and prove that women are very much the equal of men.
“This Changes Everything” (Documentary)
‘This Changes Everything”
The topic of sexism in Hollywood is explored in this documentary film that looks into not only the #MeToo movement but the feminist filmmaker movements of the past. Speaking with several successful actresses working in Hollywood today, this documentary gives them a platform to share their experiences and opinions on the subject.
“Killers Anonymous” – Written by Elizabeth Morris, Seth Johnson, and Martin Owen (Also Available on VOD)
Tensions mount at Killers Anonymous, a support group for killers, as the members of the group try to unravel the mystery behind which one of them is responsible for the assassination attempt on a U.S. senator that has the police authorities in the city on high alert. But things are not what they seem, and when new truths are discovered, secret alliances and betrayals emerge as the session explodes into violence and chaos, forcing the killers to kill or be killed.
