Films About Women Opening
Run and Jump — Directed by Steph Green and Written by Ailbhe Keogan
Oscar-nominated director Steph Green’s feature debut is the first great film of 2014. Centering on an Irish woman (an astounding Maxine Peake) whose husband suffers a catastrophic stroke, Run and Jump explores her feelings of guilt, hope, and longing as she finds herself reluctantly attracted to her husband’s buttoned-up medical observer (Will Forte). In my Los Angeles Times review, I called the film “sensitive, expected, yet visionary, [and] shot with a magnificent play of color and light that makes the characters’ corner of the world seem like the cradle of compassion.”
Read our interview with Steph Green here.
Gimme Shelter
Based on a true story that centers on 16-year-old Agnes “Apple” Bailey (Vanessa Hudgens), Gimme Shelteruncovers the struggle for survival and the hope of redemption through the harsh realities of life on the streets. As a pregnant teenager, Apple’s journey plummets her into a perilous struggle until finding salvation in a suburban shelter for homeless teens. With provisions of unprecedented comfort, a collective sisterhood connection and female empowerment, the shelter elevates Apple to break the shackles of her past and inspires her to embrace the future with clarity, maturity and hope not only for herself, but her unborn child. (IMDB)
Gloria
Gloria is a “woman of a certain age” but still feels young. Though lonely, she makes the best of her situation and fills her nights seeking love at social dance clubs for single adults. Her fragile happiness changes the day she meets Rodolfo. Their intense passion, to which Gloria gives her all, leaves her vacillating between hope and despair — until she uncovers a new strength and realizes that, in her golden years, she can shine brighter than ever. Gloria stars Paulina Garcia in a tour-de-force performance that captured the Silver Bear Best Actress Award at last year’s Berlin Film Festival. (IMDB)
Mercedes Sosa: The Voice of Latin America (doc)
Almost fifty years ago, Mercedes Sosa drafted together with other young artists, the so-called “Manifesto del Nuevo Cancionero” (The New Songbook Manifesto). Apart from the millions of records she sold, the thousands of concerts she made all over the world, her countless fans and detractors, Mercedes Sosa left behind an indelible legacy. This film is a deep, intimate journey into Mercedes Sosa’s world, not only as an artist but as human being. An autobiography through her own voice, with never-seen-before archive and several international artists giving their testimony about Mercedes. (Indiewire)
Films About Women Currently Playing
Band of Sisters (doc) — Written and Directed by Mary Fishman
Maidentrip (doc) — Directed by Jillian Schlesinger; Written by Laura Dekker, Penelope Falk, Jillian Schlesinger
Raze
Cold Comes the Night
The Truth About Emanuel
In Bloom — Written and Co-Directed by Nana Ekvtimishvili
August: Osage County
The Invisible Woman — Written by Abi Morgan
Saving Mr. Banks — Written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith
Frozen — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Jennifer Lee
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Book Thief
Blue is the Warmest Color
Gravity
Films Directed by Women Opening
Aatsinki: The Story of Arctic Cowboys (doc) — Directed by Jessica Orek
In the forests of Finnish Lapland, brothers Aarne and Lasse Aatsinki carry on the generations-old tradition of reindeer herding. These modern cowboys maintain an intricate bond with the environment that has allowed them to preserve their lifestyle in one of the harshest climates imaginable. Jessica Oreck’s intimate, gorgeously lensed documentary follows the brothers for a year, sharing in the hard work, daily rituals and small joys that make up life above the Arctic Circle. (Indiewire)
Films Written by Women Currently Playing
Devil’s Due — Written by Lindsay Devlin
The Hobbit — The Desolation of Smaug — Co-Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens
Dallas Buyers Club — Co-Written by Melissa Wallack
Films By and About Women on DVD/And Or On Demand
I Used To Be Darker
Concussion — Written and Directed by Stacie Passon
Run and Jump — Directed by Steph Green and Written by Ailbhe Keogan
