FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING
Vita & Virginia – Directed by Chanya Button; Written by Chanya Button and Eileen Atkins (Available on VOD August 30)
Set amidst the bohemian high society of 1920s England, “Vita & Virginia” tells the scintillating true story of a literary love affair that fueled the imagination of one of the 20th century’s most celebrated writers. Vita Sackville-West (Gemma Arterton) is the brash, aristocratic wife of a diplomat who refuses to be constrained by her marriage, defiantly courting scandal through her affairs with women. When she meets the brilliant but troubled Virginia Woolf (Elizabeth Debicki), she is immediately attracted to the famed novelist’s eccentric genius and enigmatic allure. So begins an intense, passionate relationship marked by all-consuming desire, intellectual gamesmanship, and destructive jealousy that will leave both women profoundly transformed and inspire the writing of one of Woolf’s greatest works.
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Chanya Button.
Brittany Runs a Marathon
“Brittany Runs a Marathon”
Brittany (Jillian Bell) is a 27-year-old mess. She has no focus, no prospects, no ambition. And it turns out she’s not even healthy. A doctor’s visit sets her on a new course — she takes up running. And slowly but surely she runs her way to a new life. Running becomes Brittany’s focus, her mantra. She’s feeling things she has taken drugs to blunt out. She’s becoming herself. This star-making turn is inspirational and aspirational. The film, based on a true story, reminds all of us that we have the power to change. (Melissa Silverstein)
Find screening info here.
Twice the Dream – Written and Directed by Savannah Ostler (Opens in Cerritos, CA)
After years of being forced to live their mother’s aspirations, Amber (Savannah Ostler) and Sam Bradshaw (Monica Moore Smith) are offered an opportunity to chase their own dream of becoming musicians. Upon this quest, a family tragedy strikes. In the wake of this tragedy, they discover that it is their dreams that hold the family together.
Find screening info here.
Becoming Burlesque – Written and Directed by Jackie English
Fatima (Shiva Negar) is a Toronto-born modern Muslim girl raised in a family of mixed-cultures and mixed messages about what her role in the world is. She gets sucked into the empowering world of a sexy Burlesque cabaret, and unleashes her brave and confident Burlesque identity, “Babylon.” Then she must reconcile her old self with the new.
Parallel Chords – Written and Directed by Catherine Dudley-Rose (Opens in LA)
A young violinist struggles to assert her individuality amidst the intense pressure of her pianist father, and the weight of her own musical ability.
Find screening info here.
Tone-Deaf (Also Available on VOD)
After losing her job and imploding her latest dysfunctional relationship, Olive (Amanda Crew) flees the city for the weekend, escaping to the countryside for some peace and self-reflection. She rents an ornate country house from an eccentric widower named Harvey (Robert Patrick). Soon two generations collide with terrifying results as Olive awakens Harvey’s homicidal tendencies and is plunged into a blood-soaked fight for her life.
FILMS MADE BY WOMEN OPENING
Jawline (Documentary) – Directed by Liza Mandelup (Also Available on Hulu)
“Jawline”
Liza Mandelup’s feature debut, “Jawline,” follows 16-year-old Austyn Tester, a rising star in the live-broadcast ecosystem who built his following on wide-eyed optimism and teen girl lust, as he tries to escape a dead-end life in rural Tennessee.
The Miracle of the Little Prince (Documentary) – Directed by Marjoleine Boonstra; Written by Marjoleine Boonstra, Lies Janssen, and Pieter van Huystee (Opens in NY August 28)
A documentary about passionate translators of the book “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who fight for the preservation of their endangered languages. Next to the Bible, “The Little Prince” is the most translated book in the world. It has been translated in over 300 languages. Why do people from very diverse cultures precisely choose this book to keep their languages and cultures alive?
Angel Has Fallen – Written by Katrin Benedikt, Ric Roman Waugh, Creighton Rothenberger, and Robert Mark Kamen
When there is an assassination attempt on U.S. President Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman), his trusted confidant, Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), is wrongfully accused and taken into custody. After escaping from capture, he becomes a man on the run and must evade his own agency and outsmart the FBI in order to find the real threat to the President. Desperate to uncover the truth, Banning turns to unlikely allies to help clear his name, keep his family from harm, and save the country from imminent danger.
Find screening info here.
Give Me Liberty – Written by Alice Austen and Kirill Mikhanovsky (Opens in NY)
“Give Me Liberty”
Medical transport driver Vic (newcomer Chis Galust) is running late, but it’s not his fault. Roads are closed for a protest, and no one else can shuttle his Russian grandfather and his emigre friends to a funeral. The new route uproots his scheduled clients, particularly Tracy (Lauren “Lolo” Spencer), a vibrant young woman with ALS. As the day goes from hectic to off-the-rails, their collective ride becomes a hilarious, compassionate, and intersectional portrait of American dreams and disenchantment.
Find screening info here.
Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles (Documentary) – Written by Valerie Thomas and Max Lewkowicz
“Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles” is the origin story behind one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals, “Fiddler on The Roof,” and its creative roots in early 1960s New York, when “tradition” was on the wane as gender roles, sexuality, race relations, and religion were evolving.
Naukar Vahuti Da – Written by Shreya Srivastava and Vaibhav Suman
Shivinder is a family man and wants to be a songwriter. His wife wants him to choose one of the two. But before Shivinder can make his choice, she leaves him and goes back to her parents’ house along with their daughter, Mannat. What option is a man left when his in-laws won’t let him be with his wife and daughter? Becoming their driver is one!
Just a Friend – Written and Directed by Annette Galloway
This is a story of a man and a woman who try to defy the odds and prove to everyone that men and women can be just friends. Sounds simple enough; yet it becomes one of the most complicated journeys of all time for the two friends.
Jacob’s Ladder – Written by Sarah Thorpe and Jeff Buhler (Also Available on VOD)
After the death of his brother in Afghanistan, Jacob Singer (Michael Ealy) is finally getting his life back together. He has a beautiful wife, a newborn child, and a successful career as a surgeon in a VA hospital. When a stranger approaches him and tells him that his brother is actually alive and living in an underground shelter with other homeless vets, Jacob’s life starts to unravel. He begins hallucinating, believes he is being followed by violent attackers, and becomes paranoid about the truth of what really happened to his brother. When he discovers that his brother is alive and addicted to an experimental drug, he uncovers a secret he never could have been prepared for.
Falling Inn Love – Written by Hilary Galanoy and Elizabeth Hackett (Available on Netflix August 29)
When city girl Gabriela (Christina Milian) spontaneously enters a contest and wins a rustic New Zealand inn, she teams up with bighearted contractor Jake Taylor (Adam Demos) to fix and flip it.
TV PREMIERES
“On Becoming a God in Central Florida”: Showtime
Alice Wetterlund: My Mama Is a Human and So Am I (Comedy Special) – Written by Alice Wetterlund (Premieres August 23 on Amazon Prime)
Follow comedian/actor Alice Wetterlund as she reveals her personal struggles with peeping toms, cat-rearing, alcoholism, and the secret alien conspiracy behind new country music in her breakout comedy special.
#IMomSoHard Live (Comedy Special) (Premieres August 23 on Amazon Prime)
Comedians Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley, of the viral web series “#IMomSoHard,” bring you their two-person stand-up show! Combining stand-up and improvisation, the two share their honest and self-effacing humor on topics ranging from friendship, periods, sex after marriage, body image, and parenting failures. Because, hey: You’re not in this alone, ladies.
OWN Spotlight: Black Women OWN the Conversation (Talk Show) (Premieres August 24 on OWN)
“OWN Spotlight: Black Women OWN the Conversation” features intimate conversations about important issues with honest opinions and surprising solutions that put people first. The four one-hour episodes feature a panel of celebrity guests and 100 Black women with a focus on key issues including love and relationships, motherhood, beauty, and mind, body, and soul.
On Becoming a God in Central Florida (Premieres August 25 on Showtime)
Set in a small Orlando-adjacent town in 1992, this dark comedy series stars Kirsten Dunst as Krystal Stubbs, a minimum-wage water park employee who lies, schemes, and cons her way up the ranks of Founders American Merchandise (FAM) — the cultish, flag-waving, multibillion-dollar pyramid scheme that drove her family to ruin in the first place. Determined to make a better life for herself, Krystal dives deep into FAM, until her business begins to affect those closest to her.
A Lifetime of Sundays (Documentary) – Written by Ouisie Shapiro (Premieres August 25 on ESPN)
“A Lifetime of Sundays”
“A Lifetime of Sundays” offers an unprecedented look at the history of the NFL through the eyes of four iconic female owners: Virginia Halas McCaskey (Chicago Bears), Martha Ford (Detroit Lions), Patricia Rooney (Pittsburgh Steelers), and Norma Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs). Affectionately known as the “Fab Four of Football,” the famously private women come together for the first time to discuss the history of the game from their unique perspective. What ties them together is not just their colorful memories and the competitive friendship they have shared, but their incredible love of the game.
VOD/STREAMING RELEASES
Killers Anonymous – Written by Elizabeth Morris, Seth Johnson, and Martin Owen (VOD, August 27)
Ladyworld – Directed by Amanda Kramer; Written by Amanda Kramer and Benjamin Shearn (VOD, August 27)
Miss Arizona – Written and Directed by Autumn McAlpin (VOD, August 27)
WOMEN AND HOLLYWOOD IN THE NEWS
Nate Parker’s ‘American Skin’ Producer: He “Deserves a Second Chance” (The Hollywood Reporter)
“Completely Tone Deaf”: How Venice Became the F-You Film Festival (The Hollywood Reporter)
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE BLOG
“Chez Jolie Coiffure”: Courtesy Icarus Films
Screen Australia’s Gender Matters Program Surpasses Parity Target, Sets New Goal
Germany Adds “System Crasher” to the International Feature Film Oscar Race
Lana Wachowski to Write and Direct a Fourth “Matrix”
Exploring Trauma: VOD and Web Series Picks
“Varda by Agnès” Gets Release Date, Will Coincide with Touring Retrospective of Varda’s Work
Mati Diop to Receive Inaugural Mary Pickford Award at TIFF 2019
Exclusive: Rosine Mbakam’s Features to Make Joint Theatrical Premiere
Paley Center to Honor Carol Burnett and Lily Tomlin
“Finding Farideh” Is Named Iran’s Submission for the International Feature Film Oscar
Writer to Watch: Sofia Alvarez of the “To All the Boys” Films
Note: All descriptions are from press materials, unless otherwise noted.
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