Films About Women Opening This Week
Unexpected — Directed by Kris Swanberg; Written by Megan Mercier and Kris Swanberg
Rarely do we see stories about pregnancy represented onscreen. Rarer still are depictions where mothers-to-be have seriously conflicted feelings about the imminent arrival of their bundles of responsibility. Kris Swanberg’s “Unexpected” tackles two unplanned pregnancies: teacher Samantha’s (Cobie Smulders) and one of her brightest students, Jasmine’s (Gail Bean). While being pregnant might be the common thread between the two, the film truly illuminates issues related to class, race and age that each of them deals with. (Laura Berger)
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Kris Swanberg.
A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile (Documentary) — Directed and Written by Sophie Deraspe
When well-known Syrian blogger Amina Arraf — purportedly kidnapped by local authorities during the Arab Spring — was revealed to be an elaborate hoax persona, an entire international community realized it had been catfished. But the betrayal cut deepest for Canadian activist Sandra Bagaria, who had been involved in an online relationship with Amina. Playing out like a detective story, “A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile” reconstructs this astounding tale of global deceit from Sandra’s perspective. As she crosses the globe in search of answers, questioning journalists, activists and intelligence agencies, she prepares for a face-to-face confrontation with Amina’s creator. (Press materials)
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Sophie Deraspe.
Phoenix
A disfigured concentration-camp survivor (Nina Hoss), unrecognizable after facial reconstruction surgery, searches ravaged postwar Berlin for the husband (Ronald Zehrfeld) who might have betrayed her to the Nazis. (Press materials)
The Outrageous Sophie Tucker (Documentary) — Co-Written by Susan Ecker
“The Outrageous Sophie Tucker” is the rags to riches story of one of old time showbiz’s biggest personalities. From 1906 through the beginning of television, Sophie Tucker and her bawdy, brash and risqué songs paved the way for performers such as Mae West, Marilyn Monroe, Bette Midler, Cher, Madonna, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. After eight years spent reading hundreds of Tucker’s personal scrapbooks, visiting fourteen archives and interviewing dozens of family, friends and fellow icons of stage and screen, Susan and Lloyd Ecker have completed their comprehensive documentary about the Last of the Red Hot Mamas. (Press materials)
Frank the Bastard (Also available on VOD)
A woman (Rachel Miner) returns to a small murky New England community where she grew up to uncover the mystery behind her mother’s untimely death. However, some of the locals intend to stop her. (Press materials)
Films About Women Currently Playing
Trainwreck — Written by Amy Schumer
Lila & Eve (Also available on VOD)
Twinsters (Documentary) — Co-Directed and Written by Samantha Futerman
The Mama Sherpas (Documentary) — Directed by Brigid Maher (Also available on VOD)
Tangerine
Stations of the Cross- Co-Written by Anna Bruggemann
Amy (Documentary)
A Little Chaos — Co-Written by Alison Deegan
Runoff — Written and Directed by Kimberly Levin
Spy
Tomorrowland
I’ll See You In My Dreams
Pitch Perfect 2 — Directed by Elizabeth Banks; Written by Kay Cannon
Hot Pursuit — Directed by Anne Fletcher
Aloft — Written and Directed by Claudia Llosa
Woman in Gold
Iris (Documentary)
Gemma Bovary — Directed by Anne Fontaine
She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry (Documentary) — Directed by Mary Dore
Films Directed by Women Opening This Week
On Beauty (Documentary) — Directed by Joanna Rudnick — Opening in LA
“On Beauty” follows fashion photographer Rick Guidotti, who left the fashion world when he grew frustrated with having to work within the restrictive parameters of the industry’s standard of beauty. After a chance encounter with a young woman who had the genetic condition albinism, Rick re-focused his lens on those too often relegated to the shadows to change the way we see and experience beauty. (Press materials)
Films Directed by Women Currently Playing
Meet Me in Montenegro (Also available on VOD) — Co-Directed and Co-Written by Linnea Saasen
Stray Dog (Documentary) — Directed by Debra Granik
Batkid Begins (Documentary) — Directed and Co-Written by Dana Nachman
Infinitely Polar Bear — Directed and Written by Maya Forbes
The Yes Men Are Revolting (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Laura Nix
The Wolfpack (Documentary) — Directed by Crystal Moselle
Films Written by Women Opening This Week
Lucky Stiff — Written by Lynn Ahrens
An English shoe salesman (Dominic Marsh) inherits 6 million dollars from a recently deceased uncle he has never met before, on the condition that he takes the uncle’s corpse on a trip to Monte Carlo. (Press materials)
Films Written by Women Currently Playing
Steak (R)evolution (Documentary) — Co-Written by Verane Frediani
Terminator: Genisys — Co-Written by Laeta Kalogridis
Jurassic World — Co-Written by Amanda Silver
TV Premiering This Week
Runaway Island (TV One) July 25 — Directed by Dianne Houston, Starring Lorraine Toussaint
The film revolves around troubled strangers seeking solace from the hurricane of life on a secluded island. The interwoven storylines include a pastor and his wife struggling with their faith after their daughter’s death, an engaged socialite coming to grips with the trappings of fame and the dysfunctional relationship between a widowed grandmother and her grandson. (Press materials)
VOD/DVD Releasing This Week
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night — Directed and Written by Ana Lily Amirpour (DVD)
Runoff — Directed and Wrtten by Kimberly Levin (VOD release)
52 Tuesdays — Directed by Sophie Hyde (DVD)
