FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING
The Nightingale – Written and Directed by Jennifer Kent
“The Nightingale” is Jennifer Kent’s follow-up to her 2014 horror hit “The Babadook.” It was the only film directed by a woman to screen in Competition at last year’s Venice Film Festival — this year there will be two. The film tells the story of a young woman (Aisling Franciosi) who, after serving a prison sentence in what is now known as Tasmania, experiences a horrific tragedy and seeks revenge against the soldiers who have wronged her. She goes about her hunt with the help of an indigenous man (Baykali Ganambarr) whose land is being stolen and desecrated by the colonizers. “The Nightingale” is a story of two unlikely companions. It is a story of — trigger alert — rape and pilfering. It is tough to watch, but important because the violence it depicts is the violence of colonization. White people usurping land just because they can and have guns. People losing everything because their skin is different. It is a story of a difficult past that has extreme relevance today. Kent shows everything and in that display you must not turn away. You must see and you must feel. It is an extremely brave movie. (Melissa Silverstein)
Them That Follow – Written and Directed by Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage
“Them That Follow”
In the rugged wilderness of Appalachia, the members of an isolated community of Pentecostal snake handlers led by Pastor Lemuel (Walton Goggins) risk their lives to attest themselves before God. Lemuel’s daughter, Mara (Alice Englert), prepares for her upcoming wedding to the young believer her father has singled out for her under the watchful eye of Hope (Olivia Colman), while scrambling to hide a secret that has the potential to drive her father’s church to ruin.
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Britt Poulton.
Old Boyfriends (Theatrical Re-Release) – Directed by Joan Tewkesbury (One Week Only in NY)
The directorial debut of Joan Tewkesbury, “Old Boyfriends” follows Talia Shire’s clinical psychologist through a process of emotional bottoming-out and stock-taking, deciding after a breakdown to reconnect with exes played by Richard Jordan and John Belushi, her trip down memory lane leading to Keith Carradine as the brother of a girlhood sweetheart. Tewkesbury nimbly moves between registers of romantic comedy and psychodrama, delivering an eccentrically digressive, tonally unpredictable, and roundly revelatory first feature. (Metrograph)
Find screening info here.
Animals – Directed by Sophie Hyde; Written by Emma Jane Unsworth (Opens in the UK)
“Animals”: Sundance Institute/Tamara Hardman
Would-be writer Laura (Holliday Grainger) and her free-spirited bestie Tyler (Alia Shawkat) share a messy Dublin apartment and a hearty appetite for booze, Molly, and one-night stands. Yet when Laura falls for Jim (Fra Fee), a charming but straitlaced classical pianist, Tyler worries that the party may soon be over.
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Sophie Hyde.
Otherhood – Directed by Cindy Chupack; Written by Cindy Chupack and Mark Andrus (Also Available on Netflix)
Three mothers (Patricia Arquette, Angela Bassett, and Felicity Huffman) who are long-time friends and empty nesters decide to drive to New York City to reconnect with their adult sons. In the process, they realize their sons are not the only ones whose lives need to change.
Coyote Lake – Directed by Sara Seligman; Written by Sara Seligman and Thomas Bond (Also Available on VOD)
“Coyote Lake,” inspired by the real-life Falcon Lake, is a reservoir on the Rio Grande along a dangerous drug smuggling route that has become synonymous with cartel violence and mysterious disappearances. It is there, on the lake, that Teresa (Adriana Barraza) and her 17-year-old daughter, Ester (Camilla Mendes), run a boarding house where they routinely drug, rob, and drown the unsuspecting drug-runners and human traffickers who stay the night. Teresa justifies the killings to her daughter, claiming they are ridding the world of bad people and saving the stolen money to leave Coyote Lake and start anew. But when they are taken hostage themselves by two intruding cartel gangsters, their dark routine is interrupted. Ester begins to develop feelings for one of their captors, Teresa’s lies are eventually exposed, and their lives are turned on their heads in an explosive and violent conclusion.
Holiday – Directed by Isabella Eklöf; Written by Isabella Eklöf and Johanne Algren (Opens in the UK)
The trophy girlfriend of a Danish drug lord (Victoria Carmen Sonne) sets a dangerous game in motion when she seeks the attention of another man, while on vacation with her boyfriend on the Turkish Riviera.
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Isabella Eklöf.
Find screening info here.
Ladyworld – Directed by Amanda Kramer; Written by Amanda Kramer and Benjamin Shearn
Eight teenage girls become trapped in an endless birthday party after a massive ecological event. The girls’ sanity and psyches dissolve as they run out of food and water. Eventually, they regress to their baser instincts, exploiting each other’s fears and insecurities.
Union – Written and Directed by Whitney Hamilton
A woman disguises herself as her dead brother, Henry, in order to survive in the Confederate ranks during the Civil War. With the help of Indians hiding in the mountains “Henry” is reunited with the widow, Virginia, who saved his life at the battle of Antietam and marries her to rescue Virginia from an unfortunate arranged betrothal. They keep each other’s secrets and forge an unusual family. It is the alchemy of gratitude.
Find screening info here.
The Operative
“The Operative”
“The Operative” follows the story of Rachel (Diane Kruger), a rogue spy from Israel’s feared national intelligence force Mossad, who vanishes without a trace while attending her father’s funeral in London. The only clue to her whereabouts is a cryptic phone call she places to her former handler, Thomas (Martin Freeman), who is then summoned from Germany to Israel by Mossad. With Rachel’s life immersed in her assignments as part of a vast espionage effort against Iran’s nuclear program, Thomas must retrace her steps to determine what threats she may now pose to their operation, while also working to protect her.
La Flor (Opens in NY)
“La Flor”
A decade in the making, “La Flor” is an unrepeatable labor of love and madness that redefines the concept of binge viewing. The same four remarkable actresses — Elisa Carricajo, Valeria Correa, Pilar Gamboa, and Laura Paredes — star in each of the epic film’s six parts. Overflowing with nested subplots and whiplash digressions, “La Flor” shape-shifts from a B-movie to a musical to a spy thriller to a category-defying metafiction to a remake of a very well-known French classic and, finally, to an enigmatic period piece. An adventure in scale and duration, “La Flor” is a wildly entertaining exploration of the possibilities of fiction that lands somewhere close to its outer limits.
Find screening info here.
Is That You?
Living in a modest shack in the Cuban countryside, 13-year-old Lili (Gabriela Ramos) and her mother appear trapped in a meager, suffocating existence by her domineering father, Eduardo. His sudden absence should represent a new freedom for the girl and her mother, but Lili is distraught, and we come to discover just how strong the influence of this monstrous man is over his family. In desperation at losing Eduardo, Lili carries out a ritual taught to her by a spiritualist to help bring him back, leading her to uncover a disturbing truth about her father’s disappearance.
FILMS MADE BY WOMEN OPENING
Enter the Anime (Documentary) – Directed by Alex Burunova; Written by Julia Yorks and Meggy Garol (Available on Netflix August 5)
What is anime? Through deep-dives with notable masterminds of this electrifying genre, this fast-paced documentary seeks to find the answers.
Leo Da Vinci: Mission Mona Lisa – Written by Anna Manfio, Sergio Manfio, Francesco Manfio, and Davide Stefanato
A young Leonardo Da Vinci (Johnny Yong Bosch) is struggling with his incredible inventions, when a mysterious storyteller comes to town and speaks of a hidden treasure. Leo and his friends embark on an unforgettable adventure.
TV PREMIERES
A Black Lady Sketch Show – Created by Robin Thede (Premieres August 2 on HBO)
“A Black Lady Sketch Show”
“A Black Lady Sketch Show” is a narrative series set in a limitless magical reality full of dynamic, hilarious characters and celebrity guests. The show presents sketches performed by a core cast of black women, including Robin Thede, Ashley Nicole Black, Gabrielle Dennis, and Quinta Brunson.
American Masters: Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Arwen Curry (Premieres August 2 on PBS)
The film explores the personal and professional life of the notoriously private author through revealing conversations with Ursula Le Guin as well as her family, friends, and the generations of renowned writers she influenced. Visually rich, “Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin” illustrates the dramatic real-world settings that shaped Le Guin’s invented places using lush original animations over her own readings of her work to provide a firsthand experience of her fantastic worlds.
Descendants 3 (TV Movie) – Written by Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott (Premieres August 2 on Disney Channel)
“Descendants 3”
The teenagers of Disney’s most infamous villains return to the Isle of the Lost to recruit a new batch of villainous offspring to join them at Auradon Prep.
My Life Is Murder (Premieres August 5 on Acorn TV)
Investigator Alexa Crowe (Lucy Lawless) can’t help fighting the good fight – whether it’s solving murders or combating the small frustrations of everyday life. Fearless and unapologetic, Alexa’s unique skills and insights into the darker quirks of human nature allow her to provoke, comfort and push the right buttons as she unravels the truth behind the most baffling crimes.
VOD/STREAMING RELEASES
“The Souvenir”
Inventing Tomorrow (Documentary) – Directed by Laura Nix (PBS.org, Available Now)
Amazing Grace (Documentary) (VOD, August 6)
The Curse of La Llorona – Written by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis (VOD, August 6)
Girls of the Sun – Written and Directed by Eva Husson (VOD, August 6)
Perception – Directed by Ilana Rein; Written by Ilana Rein and Brian Smith (VOD, August 6)
Poms – Directed by Zara Hayes (VOD, August 6)
The Souvenir – Written and Directed by Joanna Hogg (VOD, August 6)
Stoke – Directed by Zoe Eisenberg and Phillips Payson; Written by Zoe Eisenberg (Amazon Video, August 6)
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE BLOG
“Orange Is the New Black”
Writers Lab for Women Screenwriters Over 40 Announces 2019 Participants
Natasha Lyonne Lines Up Directing Work on Awkwafina-Led Series, “Shrill,” & “High Fidelity” Reboot
August 2019 Film Preview
Luisa Leschin Will Be Honored with Norman Lear Writer’s Award at Imagen Awards
Viola Davis and Julia Hart Developing a “Fast Color” Series Adaptation at Amazon
Women Directed Over Half of San Sebastian’s 2019 New Directors Lineup
The Black List Introduces New List Amplifying Stories By and About Latinx Community
Society, Expectations, and the “Other”: VOD and Web Series Picks
“Orange Is the New Black” Carrying On Its Work Via the Poussey Washington Fund
Apply Now: Leica Camera’s New Gender Diversity Initiative
Note: All descriptions are from press materials, unless otherwise noted.
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