FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING
Like a Boss
Best friends Mia (Tiffany Haddish) and Mel (Rose Byrne) are living their best lives, running the cosmetics company they’ve built from the ground up. Unfortunately, they’re in over their heads financially, and the prospect of a big buyout offer from a notorious titan of the cosmetics industry, Claire Luna (Salma Hayek), proves too tempting to pass up, putting Mel and Mia’s lifelong friendship in jeopardy.
Find screening info here.
Chhapaak – Directed by Meghna Gulzar; Written by Meghna Gulzar and Atika Chohan
“Chhapaak”
Malti (Deepika Padukone) was attacked with acid on a street in New Delhi, in 2005. Through her story, “Chhapaak” makes an attempt to understand the on-the-ground consequences of surviving an acid attack in India, and the medico-legal-social state of affairs that transpires after the acid has been hurled and the face is irreparably burnt.
Afterward (Documentary) – Directed by Ofra Bloch; Written by Ofra Bloch, Michael J. Palmer, and Jack Pettibone Riccobono (Available on VOD January 28)
“Afterward”: Alex Stikich
Jerusalem-born trauma expert Ofra Bloch forces herself to confront her personal demons in a journey that takes her to Germany, Israel, and Palestine. Set against the current wave of fascism and anti-Semitism sweeping the globe, “Afterward” delves into the secret wounds carried by victims as well as victimizers, through testimonies ranging from the horrifying to the hopeful. Seen as a victim in Germany and a perpetrator in Palestine, Bloch faces those she was raised to hate as she searches to understand the identity-making narratives of the Holocaust and the Nakba, violent and non-violent resistance, and the possibility of reconciliation. The film points towards a future — an “afterward” — that attempts to live with the truths of history in order to make sense of the present.
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Ofra Bloch.
Find screening info here.
The Woman Who Loves Giraffes (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Alison Reid (Opens in NY)
“The Woman Who Loves Giraffes”
Dr. Anne Innis Dagg re-traces the steps of her groundbreaking 1956 journey to South Africa to study giraffes in the wild — and discovers a startling contrast between the world of giraffes she once knew and the one it has become. Weaving through the past and present, her harrowing journey gives us an intimate look into the factors that destroyed her career and the forces that brought her back.
Find screening info here.
Advocate (Documentary) – Directed by Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche (Now Playing in NY and LA)
“Advocate”
Lea Tsemel defends Palestinians: from feminists to fundamentalists, from non-violent demonstrators to armed militants. As a Jewish-Israeli lawyer who has represented political prisoners for five decades, Tsemel, in her tireless quest for justice, pushes the praxis of a human rights defender to its limits. As far as most Israelis are concerned, she defends the indefensible. As far as Palestinians are concerned, she’s more than an attorney, she’s an advocate. “Advocate” follows Tsemel’s caseload in real-time, including the high-profile trial of a 13-year-old boy — her youngest client to date — while also revisiting her landmark cases and reflecting on the political and professional significance of her work as well as the personal price one pays for assuming the role of “devil’s advocate.”
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Rachel Leah Jones.
Find screening info here.
The Sonata (Also Available on VOD)
After being informed of the sudden death of her long-lost composer father, a young virtuoso violinist, Rose (Freya Tingley), inherits the old mansion in which he used to live. There, she discovers her father’s final work: a mysterious music score marked with strange symbols. With the help of Charles (Simon Abkarian), her agent and manager, she deciphers the symbols and, little by little, starts to unlock secrets concerning her father’s past, setting in motion the mechanisms of a somber plan imagined since the very day she was born.
The Dawn (Also Available on VOD)
Following the murder of her family at the hands of her father in the wake of World War I, a young woman is sent to live in a convent. However, the demons that plagued her father follow, reawakening the nightmares of her past.
Reality Queen! (Also Available on VOD)
This satirical comedy revolves around the exploits of London Logo (Julia Faye West), a vapid blonde heiress and celebutante struggling to retain her place in the limelight. The narrative is framed by the attempts of a fictional BBC journalist (Kate Orsini) to make sense of London’s outrageous antics and the culture of celebrity in contemporary America.
Jezebel – Written and Directed by Numa Perrier (Available on Netflix January 16)
“Jezebel”
In the last days of her mother’s life, 19-year-old Tiffany (Tiffany Tenille) crashes with five family members in a Las Vegas studio apartment. In order to make ends meet, her older sister, a phone sex operator, introduces her to the world of internet fetish cam girls. Tiffany becomes popular as the only “live black model” at the new adult site and soon becomes too close to one of her frequent callers. Dynamics shift in the sister relationship as each woman explores and exploits their sexuality, using their created fantasy worlds as an escape from the realities of their challenging real life circumstances.
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Numa Perrier.
FILMS MADE BY WOMEN OPENING
Diving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike deGruy (Documentary) – Directed by Mimi Armstrong deGruy
“Diving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike deGruy” tells the story of Mike deGruy, an irrepressibly curious and enthusiastic underwater filmmaker who died suddenly in 2012. DeGruy filmed the oceans for more than three decades, becoming as famous for his on-camera storytelling as for his glorious, intimate visions of the sea and the creatures who live in it. Inspired to share his legacy as a filmmaker and storyteller, and to spread his mission for protecting the ocean, his wife and filmmaking partner Mimi deGruy returned to the edit room to produce “Diving Deep.”
Find screening info here.
TV PREMIERES
AJ and the Queen (Premieres January 10 on Netflix)
“AJ and the Queen”
While traveling across the country in a run-down RV, drag queen Ruby Red (RuPaul) discovers an unlikely sidekick in AJ (Izzy G.), a tough-talking 10-year-old stowaway.
Sanditon (Premieres January 12 on PBS)
“Sanditon”
Based on Jane Austen’s final and incomplete novel, written only months before her death in 1817, “Sanditon” tells the story of the joyously impulsive, spirited, and unconventional Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) and her spiky relationship with the charming, enigmatic Sidney Parker (Theo James).
Leslie Jones: Time Machine (Comedy Special) (Premieres January 14 on Netflix)
“Leslie Jones: Time Machine”
Comedian, actress, and Emmy Award-nominated “SNL” alum, Leslie Jones, is all about having fun. Through the years that fun has encompassed wild times, crazy experiences, celebrity encounters, and a few awkward mishaps. Now older, and enlightened, the comedian imparts her hilarious wisdom on all ages. Strap in, because you’re headed on a wild, side-splitting ride from young adulthood to the present with Leslie Jones.
VOD/STREAMING RELEASES
“Speed of Life”
Speed of Life – Written and Directed by Liz Manashil (VOD, January 10)
Give Me Liberty – Written by Alice Austen and Kirill Mikhanovsky (VOD, January 14)
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil – Written by Linda Woolverton, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, and Noah Harpster (VOD, January 14)
Terminator: Dark Fate (VOD, January 14)
WOMEN AND HOLLYWOOD IN THE NEWS
Harvey Weinstein on trial, what has changed for justice and equity in Hollywood? (UpFront, 94.1 KPFA)
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE BLOG
Female protagonists were most likely to appear in horror films, such as “Us”
40 Percent of Last Year’s Top Films Featured a Female Protagonist, New Study Finds
DGA Awards: Mati Diop, Alma Har’el, and Melina Matsoukas Nominated for First-Time Feature Film
“Little Women” and “Frozen 2” Among Nominees for Producers Guild of America Awards
DGA Award Nominations: Ava DuVernay, Jessica Yu, Nanfu Wang, & More Land Nods
Writers Guild Film Nominations: “Little Women,” “Booksmart,” & More
“Frozen 2” Is the Highest-Grossing Animated Film Ever
Golden Globes: Awkwafina Makes History, Kate McKinnon Pays Tribute To Ellen DeGeneres
Apply Now: The Stephanie Rothman Fellowship for Women Student Horror Filmmakers
2019 Celluloid Ceiling Report: Women Hit Historic Highs Offscreen, But Are Still Far From Parity
Time’s Up Releases Safety Guide for the Entertainment Industry
Note: All descriptions are from press materials, unless otherwise noted.
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