FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING
Unicorn Store – Directed by Brie Larson; Written By Samantha McIntyre (Available on Netflix)
“Unicorn Store”
After failing out of art school and taking a humdrum office job, a whimsical painter (Brie Larson) gets a chance to fulfill her lifelong dream of adopting a unicorn.
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Brie Larson.
Blowin’ Up (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Stephanie Wang-Breal (Opens in NY; Opens in LA April 12)
Working within a broken criminal justice system, a team of rebel heroines work to change the the way women arrested for prostitution are prosecuted. With intimate camerawork that lingers on details and brings the Queens criminal courtroom to life, “Blowin’ Up” celebrates acts of steadfast defiance, even as it reveals the hurdles these women must face.
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Stephanie Wang-Breal.
Find screening info here.
Amazing Grace (Documentary) (Opens in NY and LA)
“Amazing Grace”
A documentary presenting the live recording of Aretha Franklin’s album “Amazing Grace” at The New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January 1972.
Find screening info here.
The Wind – Directed by Emma Tammi; Written by Teresa Sutherland (Also Available on VOD)
“The Wind”
Demons are everywhere in “The Wind” — although it’s unclear whether they’re of the religious or internal variety. Emma Tammi’s solo directorial debut follows Lizzy Macklin (Caitlin Gerard), a tough, no-nonsense frontierswoman living in (near) isolation. Her husband is often away on long treks to town and their only neighbor moved after the tragic death of his wife. Even for an independent, strong-willed person like Lizzy, the solitude can be overwhelming. Similar to “The Others” and “The Witch,” “The Wind” focuses on the horror of essentially being trapped at home alone. Something is definitely haunting Lizzy — an actual monster, her own mind, or both — and the constant, monotonous isolation isn’t helping matters. “The Wind” not only delivers on the thrills, it deftly suggests that, no, a woman’s place is not always in the house. (Rachel Montpelier)
Catching Sight of Thelma & Louise (Documentary) – Directed by Jennifer Townsend (Opens in NY; Opens in LA April 19)
Powerful and authentic, “Catching Sight of Thelma & Louise” dives off the edge into the truth of women’s experience in the world. It revisits the journey of “Thelma & Louise” through the lens of viewers who saw that iconic film in 1991 and shared intimate, personal stories at that time. The same women and men were tracked down 25 years later. Are their responses different now? Has anything changed in the way women are treated?
Find screening info here.
The Haunting of Sharon Tate (Also Available on VOD)
Pregnant with director Roman Polanski’s child and awaiting his return from Europe, 26-year-old Hollywood actress Sharon Tate (Hilary Duff) becomes plagued by visions of her imminent death.
FILMS MADE BY WOMEN OPENING
“High Life”
High Life – Directed by Claire Denis; Written by Claire Denis, Jean-Pol Fargeau, and Geoff Cox (Opens in NY and LA)
Claire Denis is a unique director. “High Life,” her first English film, is not for the faint of heart. It is incredibly bold and reminded me of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The film takes place on a spaceship full of convicts on a mission to nowhere led by Robert Pattinson. Juliette Binoche plays a doctor who’s sexually experimenting on the convicts. The whole film is a wild ride, and I took that ride. It makes you think about what it means to be human, what it means to be free, and lots of other deeply relatable questions we ponder on an ongoing basis. (Melissa Silverstein)
Find screening info here.
We Are Columbine (Documentary) – Directed by Laura Farber (Opens April 9) (Also Available on VOD)
“We Are Columbine”: Joseph Fitzgerald/Lioness Productions
Nearly 20 years, four Columbine survivors feel they have a safe outlet to tell their stories, honest, uncensored, and in their own words. As collective narrators, their respective accounts are interwoven between present-day verite, who they are today, brief introductions into adolescence/pre-Columbine, what they experienced during those 4 years at school, and how they have been healing and suffering as adults. Columbine alumni trace their feelings as the film reaches back, through, and ultimately forward, exploring what happened on April 20, 1999.
Find screening info here.
Division 19 – Written and Directed by S.A. Halewood
A dystopian drama set in a future where mass incarceration has led to prisons becoming online entertainment portals where viewers decide what the felons eat, wear, and read, as well as when they fight.
Find screening info here.
TV PREMIERES
Persona (Anthology) – Directed by Lee Kyung Mi, Jeon Go Woon, Lim Pil Sung, and Kim Jong Kwan (Premieres April 5 on Netflix)
An experimental four-part short film series centered around the persona of K-pop singer and actress IU. (Allkpop)
Quicksand – Written by Camilla Ahlgren, Malin Persson Giolito, Veronica Zacco, and Alex Haridi (Premieres April 5 on Netflix)
“Quicksand”: Netflix
Maja (Hanna Ardéhn), a student in Stockholm, finds herself on trial for murder after a tragedy happens at her school. As new revelations are made, more doubts and suspicions arise.
Tijuana – Created by Zayre Ferrer and Daniel Posada (Premieres April 5 on Netflix)
Local news reporters uncover a conspiracy after a Mexican presidential candidate is gunned down in the streets of Tijuana.
Native Son (TV Movie) – Written by Suzan-Lori Parks (Premieres April 6 on HBO)
“Native Son”
Bigger “Big” Thomas (Ashton Sanders), a young African American man, lives with his mother and siblings in Chicago. Half-heartedly involved with a girlfriend, he sports green hair and a punk jacket, smokes weed, and carries a pistol but rebuffs his buddy’s easy-money scheme to knock off a corner store. Full of self-determination, Big accepts a job as the chauffeur for wealthy businessman Will Dalton’s (Bill Camp) family. Moving into their mansion, he begins driving Dalton’s vehemently progressive daughter, Mary (Margaret Qualley). But his involvement in an accidental death places Big on a collision course with the powerful social forces pitted against him.
Black Summer (Premieres April 11 on Netflix)
Rose (Jaime King) searches for her daughter after civilization collapses due to a zombie outbreak.
VOD/STREAMING RELEASES
“My Days of Mercy”
My Days of Mercy – Directed by Tali Shalom-Ezer (VOD, April 5)
Blood Craft (VOD, April 9)
A Dog’s Way Home – Written by Cathryn Michon and W. Bruce Cameron (VOD, April 9)
Moynihan (Documentary) – Directed by Toby Perl Freilich and Joseph Dorman (VOD, April 9)
On the Basis of Sex – Directed by Mimi Leder (VOD, April 9)
Welcome to Marwen – Written by Caroline Thompson and Robert Zemeckis (VOD, April 9)
PICKS OF THE WEEK FROM WOMEN AND HOLLYWOOD
Time’s Up Now Accepting Applications for Who’s in the Room Mentorship Program
Anna Boden Makes History as “Captain Marvel” Crosses $1 Billion Mark
Michelle Williams and Laura Dern Talk Equal Pay and the Power of Standing United
Quotes of the Day: Taraji P. Henson, Bette Midler, & Gigi Hadid on the Power of Women
Time’s Up and NowThis Are Creating Content Focused on Women’s Experiences in the Workplace
Beyoncé Wins Entertainer of the Year Prize at NAACP Image Awards
AFI to Study Gender Parity in American Film History with $350K NEH Grant
April 2019 Film Preview
Quote of the Day: “Abby’s” Natalie Morales on Making History & the Power of LGBTQ Representation
Smashing Stigmas: Crowdfunding Picks
Note: All descriptions are from press materials, unless otherwise noted.
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