Films About Women Opening This Week
Sky — Directed by Fabienne Berthaud; Co-Written by Fabienne Berthhaud and Lucy Allwood
Fleeing from the scene of a terrible crime, a young woman (Diane Kruger) embarks on a life-changing road trip across California and Nevada. (Press materials)
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Fabienne Berthaud.
Hostile Border — Written and Co-Directed by Kaitlin McLaughlin (Also available on VOD)
Raised in the U.S., Claudia (Veronica Sixtos) is an undocumented immigrant chasing the bling of the lux life and living beyond her means in a twisted version of the American dream. When she’s arrested by the FBI for credit card fraud, Claudia is quickly deported to México. Speaking no Spanish and lost in her foreign “homeland,” she reluctantly takes refuge at her estranged father’s cattle ranch. As she clashes with her unyielding father (Julio Cedillo), her attempts to return home to the U.S. thrust her into a dangerous bond with a handsome and dangerous foreign smuggler, Ricky (Roberto Urbina). Caught between her father’s sermons, Ricky’s promises and the encroaching military, Claudia must navigate a tightrope of impossible choices. Both a slow burning thriller and western, the film follows the transformative journey of a young woman confronting the high price of American ideals in the dark places between two cultures. (Press materials)
Read Kaitlin McLaughlin’s guest post on Women and Hollywood.
Wedding Doll (Opens in NYC; Opens in LA April 29)
Hagit (Moran Rosenblatt), a young talented woman with a mild mental deficiency who lives with her mother Sara (Assi Levy), a divorced mother, in a small suburb town in the desert. She has a part time job in a toilet paper factory and longs to be independent. Her mother, who gave up her dreams, works as a chambermaid in a hotel and her life surrounds around taking care of her daughter. Hagit’s biggest dream is to get married. Secretly and without the knowledge of her mother, she’s in love. In her mind, she believes that one day they’ll get married. The announcement of the closing of the factory shakes Hagit and Sara’s life and jeopardizes Hagit’s love story. (Press materials)
Films About Women Currently Playing
One More Time (Also available on VOD)
Look at Us Now, Mother! (Documentary) — Written and Directed by Gayle Kirschenbaum
The Boss — Co-Written by Melissa McCarthy
No Home Movie (Documentary) — Written and Directed by Chantal Akerman
Jeanne Dielman 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles — Written and Directed by Chantal Akerman (Restored Print, Opens in NYC)
H. — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Rania Attieh
Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hanna Arendt (Documentary) — Written and Directed by Ada Ushpiz
Sold
God’s Not Dead 2
Darling
Miss India America — Written by Meera Simhan
Jane Wants A Boyfriend (Also available on VOD)
I Don’t Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman (Documentary) — Directed by Marianne Lambert
April and the Extraordinary World
My Big Fat Greek Greek Wedding 2 — Written by Nia Vardalos
Krisha
The Bronze — Co-Written by Melissa Rauch
The Divergent Series: Allegiant
Lolo — Directed by Julie Delpy; Written by Julie Delpy and Eugenie Grandval
Hello, My Name is Doris — Co-Written by Laura Terruso
Marguerite — Co-Written by Marcia Romano
10 Cloverfield Lane
Eye in the Sky
Miracles From Heaven — Directed by Patricia Riggen
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Zootopia
The Other Side of the Door
Cemetery of Splendour
The Witch
How To Be Single — Co-Written by Dana Fox and Abby Kohn
The 5th Wave — Co-Written by Susannah Grant
The Lady in the Van
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Mustang — Directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven; Written by Deniz Gamze Ergüven and Alice Winocour
Brooklyn
Films Directed by Women Opening This Week
The Adderall Diaries — Written and Directed by Pamela Romanowsky
Based on the bestselling memoir by Stephen Elliott, “The Adderall Diaries” is the gripping and complex story of how an author’s fascination with a high-profile murder case leads him to come to terms with his troubled past while embarking on a potentially life-changing romance in the present. Starring James Franco and Amber Heard. (Press materials)
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Pamela Romanowsky.
Echo Park — Directed by Amanda Marsalis; Written by Catalina Aguilar Mastretta (Opens in NYC and LA; Also available on Netflix)
Starring Mamie Gummer and Anthony Okungbowa, “Echo Park” takes viewers inside a diverse East Los Angeles neighborhood where residents contend with life and love while being challenged to define themselves in spite of their zip code. Sophie (Gummer) flees from her life of status and security, developing an unexpected romance with Alex (Okungbowa) who is also in search of a new start. “Echo Park” chronicles the heartbreak and heartbeat of a thriving city through the eyes of a talented new woman filmmaker. (Press materials)
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Amanda Marsalis.
Rio, I Love You — Co-Directed by Nadine Labaki; Co-Written by Nadine Labaki and Elena Soarez
“Rio, I Love You” is the Brazilian film from the franchise “Cities of Love” that has also portrayed Paris and New York. Eleven directors accepted the challenge of translating love into captivating stories that connect to each other over a period of two days in the city. It’s a declaration of love and passion to the Marvelous City, from some of the most important directors in the world today. A cinematographic kaleidoscope reflecting the human and physical diversity of the city, the film tells stories of transient, eternal, bitter, conflicted and tender loves, through an international cast. Harvey Keitel, Emily Mortimer, John Turturro, Fernanda Montenegro, Rodrigo Santoro, Vincent Cassel, Vanessa Paradis, Ryan Kwanten and Jason Isaacs, among many others, star in these stories. (Press materials)
The Syndrome (Documentary) — Directed by Meryl Goldsmith (Also available on VOD)
In “The Syndrome,” filmmaker Meryl Goldsmith teams with national award-winning investigative journalist Susan Goldsmith to expose the unimaginable nightmare for those falsely accused of “shaken baby syndrome.” A child abuse theory responsible for hundreds of prosecutions each year in the U.S., this documentary focuses on the men and women dedicating their lives to defending the prosecuted and freeing the convicted. “The Syndrome” examines how the myth of “shaken baby syndrome” began and unflinchingly exposes the people who have built careers on, and profited from, this unsubstantiated theory that has led to the convictions of too many innocent people and ruined the lives of countless others. (Press materials)
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Meryl Goldsmith.
Films Directed by Women Currently Playing
Be Here Now: The Andy Whitfield Story (Documentary) — Directed by Lilibet Foster
The Invitation — Directed by Karyn Kusama (Also available on VOD)
Standing Tall — Directed by Emmanuelle Bercot; Written by Emmanuelle Bercot and Marcia Romano
Catching the Sun (Documentary) — Directed by Shalini Kantayya
Sweet Bean — Written and Directed by Naomi Kawase
City of Gold (Documentary) — Directed by Laura Gabbert
Kung Fu Panda 3 — Co-Directed by Jennifer Yuh
Films Written by Women Opening This Week
Barbershop: The Next Cut — Co-Written by Tracy Oliver
It’s been more than 10 years since our last appointment at Calvin’s Barbershop. Calvin (Ice Cube) and his longtime crew, including Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer), are still there, but the shop has undergone some major changes. Most noticeably, the once male-dominated sanctuary is now co-ed. The ladies bring their own flavor, drama and gossip to the shop challenging the fellas at every turn. Despite the good times and camaraderie within the shop, the surrounding community has taken a turn for the worse, forcing Calvin and our crew to come together to not only save the shop, but their neighborhood. (Press materials)
Films Written by Women Currently Playing
High Strung — Co-Written by Janeen Best Damian
Meet the Blacks — Co-Written by Nicole DeMasi
No Letting Go — Co-Written by Randi Silverman
Kapoor & Sons — Co-Written by Ayesha Devitre Dhillon
My Golden Days — Co-Written by Julie Peyr
The Preppie Connection — Co-Written by Ashley Rudden (Also available on VOD)
The Young Messiah — Co-Written by Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh
London Has Fallen — Co-Written by Katrin Benedikt
Race — Co-Written by Anna Waterhouse
In the Shadow of Women — Co-Written by Caroline Deruas and Arlette Langman
The Good Dinosaur — Written by Meg LeFauve
Room — Written by Emma Donoghue
TV Premieres This Week
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Season 2 — Co-Created by Tina Fey (Premieres April 15 on Netflix)
After living in a cult for fifteen years, Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) decides to reclaim her life and start over in New York City. (Press materials)
Read Women and Hollywood’s review of the first season of “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”
Confirmation — Written by Susannah Grant (Premieres April 16 on HBO)
While watching the new HBO film “Confirmation,” about the Anita Hill hearings in 1991 (and I use the term “Anita Hill hearings” deliberately), I had flashbacks. I recalled being a young woman working in an office of mostly men who had all the power. Those October days changed everything for me and many other women. When I wasn’t being yelled at to get back to my desk, l would sneak over to the single TV in the office. We all sat there riveted, watching this lone African-American woman in a suit, sitting at a big table all by herself, talking about things she never, ever wanted to utter in private, let alone in public. We saw all those male senators across the room loom over her, not understanding how this could actually be happening to them. They were incredulous. They had no idea how to process it, but women did. (Melissa Silverstein)
Read more of Women and Hollywood’s feature on “Confirmation.”
Dying To Be Loved (Premieres April 16 on Lifetime)
Lindsay Hartley plays Jill Yates, a successful lawyer, engaged to Connor (Dan Payne), a self-made business man. They are busy planning their wedding. Jill’s daughter, Emily (Paloma Kwiatkowski) is a freshman in college. Extremely introverted and suffering from bouts of depression, Jill is thrilled when Emily asks if she can invite a young man to dinner. The thrill is gone, however, when she and Connor meet Gary (Jedidiah Goodacre), an obnoxious and self-involved young man with a temper. Emily can see no wrong and Connor suggests Jill not criticize Gary as it will only draw Emily closer to him. But Gary proves to be more dangerous than anyone thought when he is involved in a road rage incident while out with Emily and he ends up killing a man. Emily is also charged with the crime because she handled the gun — even though she was trying to keep Gary from using it. (Press materials)
Containment — Written by Julie Plec (Premieres April 19 on The CW)
When a mysterious and deadly epidemic breaks out in Atlanta, a vast urban quarantine is quickly enforced, forcing those stuck on the inside to fight for their lives while local and federal officials desperately search for a cure. (Press materials)
Time Traveling Bong — Co-Created by Ilana Glazer and Lucia Aniello (Premieres April 20 on Comedy Central)
“Time Traveling Bong” centers on two cousins, played by Ilana Glazer and Paul W. Downs, who discover a time traveling bong and ride high as they blaze through time. Their buzz is killed when the bong breaks and the cousins are forced to bounce around the space time continuum, learning to appreciate there’s no time like the present. (Press materials)
Inside Amy Schumer Season 4 — Created by Amy Schumer (Premieres April 21 on Comedy Central)
Straight from Amy Schumer’s provocative and hilariously wicked mind, “Inside Amy Schumer” explores sex, relationships and the general clusterf**k that is life with sketches, stand-up comedy and woman-on-the-street interviews. (Press materials)
Read Women and Hollywood’s feature on Amy Schumer.
VOD/DVD Releasing This Week
When Karma Calls — Written and Directed by Eli and Lu Bevins (Streaming online, Available Now)
Holidays — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Sarah Adina Smith (VOD, April 15)
Den of Darkness — Co-Written and Directed by Sandra Lindo (DVD and Blu-Ray, April 19)
