FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING
Body at Brighton Rock – Written and Directed by Roxanne Benjamin (Also Available on VOD)
“Body at Brighton Rock”
Wendy (Karina Fontes), a part-time summer employee at a mountainous state park, takes on a rough trail assignment at the end of the season, trying to prove to her friends that she’s capable enough to do the job. When she takes a wrong turn and ends up deep in the backcountry, she stumbles upon what might be a potential crime scene. Stuck with no communication after losing her radio and with orders to guard the site, Wendy must fight the urge to run and do the harder job of staying put — spending the night deep in the wilderness, facing down her worst fears and proving to everyone, including herself, that she’s made of stronger stuff than they think she is.
Find screening info here.
J.T. LeRoy – Written by Savannah Knoop and Justin Kelly (Also Available on VOD)
“J.T. LeRoy”
Kristen Stewart moves to New York City and finds herself serving as the avatar of a celebrated author in “J.T. LeRoy.” Savannah’s (Stewart) life takes an unexpected turn when their sister-in-law, Laura (Laura Dern), encourages them to explore “all these selves” inside of them — by taking on the role of J.T. LeRoy, the name Laura writes under. She hires Savannah to play the male author in interviews and public appearances. An exploration of gender fluidity, fame, identity, power, and creativity in its many forms, the drama doesn’t offer overly simplistic answers, and Stewart and Dern shine. (Laura Berger)
Find screening info here.
Queen of Diamonds (Theatrical Re-Release) – Written and Directed by Nina Menkes (Opens in NY)
“Queen of Diamonds”
“Queen of Diamonds” follows the alienated life of Firdaus (Tinka Menkes), a blackjack dealer in a Las Vegas landscape juxtaposed between glittering casino lights and the deteriorating desert oasis. Negotiating a missing husband and neighboring domestic violence, Firdaus’ world unfolds as a fragmented but hypnotic interplay between repetition and repressed anger.
Find screening info here.
Knock Down the House (Documentary) – Directed by Rachel Lears (Opens May 1) (Also Available on Netflix)
When tragedy struck her family in the midst of the financial crisis, Bronx-born Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had to work double shifts in a restaurant to save her home from foreclosure. After losing a loved one to a preventable medical condition, Amy Vilela didn’t know what to do with the anger she felt about America’s broken health care system. Cori Bush was drawn into the streets when the police shooting of an unarmed black man brought protests and tanks into her neighborhood. Paula Jean Swearengin was fed up with watching her friends and family suffer and die from the environmental effects of the coal industry. At a moment of historic volatility in American politics, these four women decide to fight back, setting themselves on a journey that will change their lives and their country forever. Without political experience or corporate money, they build a movement of insurgent candidates challenging powerful incumbents in Congress. Their efforts result in a legendary upset.
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Rachel Lears.
Find screening info here.
Demon Eye (Also Available on VOD)
A young woman, Sadie (Kate James), returns to her father’s country house in the moors following his mysterious death and finds a cursed amulet, connected to local witchcraft. She unlocks two deadly demons, who haunt her.
FILMS MADE BY WOMEN OPENING
If the Dancer Dances (Documentary) – Directed by Maia Wechsler (Opens in NY; Opens May 3 in LA)
“If the Dancer Dances”
“If the Dancer Dances” invites viewers into the intimate world of the dance studio. Stephen Petronio, one of today’s leading dance-makers, is determined to help his dancers breathe new life into RainForest (1968), an iconic work by the legendary choreographer Merce Cunningham. With help from three members of the former Cunningham company, the film tracks Petronio’s dancers as they strive to re-stage this great work, revealing what it takes to keep a dance — and a legacy — alive.
Find screening info here.
Chasing Portraits (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Elizabeth Rynecki
“Chasing Portraits”
Moshe Rynecki (1881-1943) was a prolific Warsaw-based artist who painted scenes of the Polish-Jewish community in the interwar years. Sadly, he was murdered at Majdanek. After the Holocaust, Moshe’s wife was only able to recover a small fraction of his work, but unbeknownst to the family, many other pieces survived. For more than a decade his great-granddaughter, Elizabeth Rynecki, has searched for the missing art, with remarkable and unexpected success. Spanning three generations, this documentary is a deeply moving narrative of the richness of one man’s art, the devastation of war, and one woman’s unexpected path to healing.
Find screening info here.
Marilyn – Written by Mara Pescio, Mariana Docampo, and Martín Rodríguez Redondo (Opens in LA; Available on VOD April 30)
Marcos (Walter Rodríguez), a 17-year-old farm worker, discovers his sexuality in a hostile environment. Nicknamed Marilyn by other teenagers in town, he becomes the target both of human desire and discrimination and feels himself being pushed into a corner more and more.
Nureyev (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Jacqui Morris and David Morris (Currently Playing)
This striking documentary traces the extraordinary life of Rudolf Nureyev, the most famous male dancer, who transcended fame in the dance world to become a pop culture icon of his time. It charts his rise from humble beginnings to his eventual defection to the West, an event that shocked the world.
Find screening info here.
TV PREMIERES
Chambers – Created by Leah Rachel (Premieres April 26 on Netflix)
“Chambers”
A young heart attack survivor (Sivan Alyra Rose) becomes consumed by the mystery surrounding the heart that saved her life. However, the closer she gets to uncovering the truth about her donor’s sudden death, the more she starts taking on the characteristics of the deceased — some of which are troublingly sinister.
The Red Line – Created by Caitlin Parrish and Erica Weiss (Premieres April 28 on CBS)
“The Red Line”
“The Red Line” follows three Chicago families as they journey toward hope and healing after an unarmed African American doctor is shot by a white cop.
Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries – Created by Deborah Cox and Fiona Eagger (Premieres April 29 on Acorn TV)
“Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries”
In this spin-off to the wildly popular Australian mystery series “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries,” Phryne Fisher’s long-lost niece, Peregrine (Geraldine Hakewill, “Wanted”), decides to follow in her stylish aunt’s footsteps as a lady detective for a new era. With the help of the handsome, straitlaced Detective James Steed (Joel Jackson, “Peter Allen”) and a group of accomplished women, Peregrine investigates murders in 1960s Melbourne.
Liberation Heroes: The Last Eyewitnesses (Documentary) – Directed by Vanessa Roth (Premieres May 1 on Discovery)
In this one-hour documentary, heroic veterans vividly share their World War II liberation experiences in their own words, drawing parallels between the past and the present. By illuminating the powerful stories of these key eyewitnesses, the film shares their cautionary tale of what can happen when insidious hatred remains unchecked.
VOD/STREAMING RELEASES
Miss Bala – Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (VOD, April 30)
PICKS OF THE WEEK FROM WOMEN AND HOLLYWOOD
“Varda By Agnès”
Submit Now: Women In Film’s 2019 Finishing Fund
Quote of the Day: Amy Poehler on Unpacking Misogyny and Working with Women
Agnès Varda’s Last Film “Varda By Agnès” Acquired by BFI
Cannes 2019: Directors’ Fortnight Features Lineup Is Just 17 Percent Women-Directed
“Gentleman Jack’s” Sally Wainwright and Suranne Jones on Bringing Anne Lister to Life
Cannes 2019: Only One Woman-Directed Film Selected for Critics’ Week Feature Competition
Tribeca 2019 Preview: Cheerleaders Fighting Wage Theft, the USA Gymnastics Scandal, & More
Under the Radar: Ash Mayfair’s “The Third Wife” Explores a Complicated Coming of Age
Quote of the Day: Josie Rourke on the Lack of Appreciation for Female Auteurs
“Killing Eve” and “Hannah Gadsby: Nanette” Among Peabody Entertainment Winners
Note: All descriptions are from press materials, unless otherwise noted.
Follow Women and Hollywood on Twitter @WomenaHollywood and Melissa Silverstein @melsil.
To contact Women and Hollywood, email melissa@womenandhollywood.com.
