Weekly Update for July 8: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You

Films About Women Opening This Week

Under the Sun (Documentary) (Opens in NY; Opens in LA July 15)

“My father says that Korea is the most beautiful country… Korea is the land of the rising sun,” says eight-year-old schoolgirl Zin-mi. Despite continuous interference by government handlers, director Vitaly Mansky still managed to document life in Pyongyang, North Korea in this fascinating portrait of one girl and her parents in the year as she prepares to join the Korean Children’s Union on the “Day Of The Shining Star” (Kim Jong-Il’s birthday). As the family receives instruction on how to be the ideal patriots, Mansky’s watchful camera capture details from comrades struggling to stay awake during an official event to Zin-mi’s tears at a particularly grueling dance lesson. (Press materials)

Our Little Sister

Sachi (Haruka Ayase), Yoshino (Masami Nagasawa), and Chika (Kaho) are three sisters living happily together in a relaxed, tight-knit seaside town south of Tokyo. When their long-estranged father passes away they travel to the countryside to attend his funeral, where they meet their shy teenage half-sister, Suzu (Suzu Hirose). Bonding quickly, they invite the orphaned Suzu to live with them and she eagerly agrees, sparking a journey of self-discovery for all four sisters, looking back into painful pasts but also reaching forward to hopeful futures. (Press materials)

The Dog Lover (Also available on VOD; Available on DVD July 12

“The Dog Lover” is a suspenseful and provocative drama based on true events. Sara Gold (Allison Paige) is a rising star at the United Animal Protection Agency, a major animal rights organization that conducts animal rescues and lobbies for better animal welfare laws. Handpicked for a major assignment, Sara goes undercover as a college intern to infiltrate a suspected “puppy mill” run by the enigmatic Daniel Holloway (James Remar). Sarah soon ingratiates herself with Daniel and his family, and learns all about the world of dog breeding but is hard pressed to find any sign of animal abuse. The UAPA teams up with local law enforcement and raids the farm, accusing Daniel of the inhumane treatment of animals. Sara finds herself torn between doing her job and doing what’s right, and she awakens to the moral contradictions of her work with the UAPA. (Press materials)

Films About Women Currently Playing

The Innocents — Directed by Anne Fontaine; Co-Written by Anne Fontaine, Sabrina B. Karine, and Alice Vial (Opens in NY and LA)
Roseanne for President (Documentary; Also available on VOD)
The Shallows
The Neon Demon — Co-Written by Mary Laws and Polly Stenham
Wiener-Dog
Adult Life Skills — Written and Directed by Rachel Tunnard (Playing in the UK)
Finding Dory
Diary of a Chambermaid — Co-Written by Hélène Zimmer
The Witness (Documentary)
The Fits — Written and Directed by Anna Rose Holmer
Me Before You — Directed by Thea Sharrock; Written by Jojo Moyes
Alice Through the Looking Glass — Written by Linda Woolverton
Presenting Princess Shaw (Documentary) (Also available on VOD)
Maggie’s Plan — Written and Directed by Rebecca Miller
Sunset Song
Love & Friendship
Dark Horse (Documentary) — Written and Directed by Louise Osmond
The Meddler — Written and Directed by Lorene Scafaria
Hello, My Name is Doris — Co-Written by Laura Terruso
Eye in the Sky
Miracles From Heaven — Directed by Patricia Riggen
Zootopia

Films Directed by Women Opening This Week

Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (Documentary) — Directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Opens in NY; Opens in LA July 15)

Arguably the most influential television creator of all time, Norman Lear indelibly altered America’s social landscape, sparking national conversations regarding race, class, and politics with his groundbreaking shows “All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons,” “Good Times,” and “Maude.” Praised for its structural innovation, Grady and Ewing’s film features the 93-year-old Lear, as vital and charming as ever, revisiting the most controversial moments from his career and life. Along the way, comedy and TV icons including Jon Stewart, Amy Poehler, Lena Dunham, George Clooney, Mel Brooks, and Carl and Rob Reiner comment on Lear’s extraordinary influence. (Press materials)

Indian Point (Documentary) — Directed by Ivy Meeropol

Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant looms just 35 miles from Times Square. With over 50 million people living in close proximity to the aging facility, its continued operation has the support of the plant’s operators and the NRC ( Nuclear Regulatory Commission) yet has stoked a great deal of controversy in the surrounding community, including a vocal anti-nuclear contingent concerned that what happened at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant could happen here. In the brewing fight for clean energy and the catastrophic possibilities of government complacency, director Ivy Meeropol presents a balanced argument about the issues surrounding nuclear energy and offers a startling reality check for our uncertain nuclear future.(Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Ivy Meeropol.

Don’t Blink — Robert Frank (Documentary) — Directed by Laura Israel; Written by Laura Israel and Melinda Shopsin (Open July 13 in NY)

Robert Frank revolutionized photography and independent film. He documented the Beats, Welsh coal miners, Peruvian Indians, The Stones, London bankers, and the Americans. This is the bumpy ride, revealed with unblinking honesty by the reclusive artist himself. (Press materials)

Films Directed by Women Currently Playing

Our Kind of Traitor — Directed by Susanna White
NUTS! (Documentary) — Directed by Penny Lane
Germans & Jews (Documentary) — Directed by Janina Quint
Chevalier — Co-Written and Directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari
Weiner (Documentary) — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Elyse Steinberg
Unlocking the Cage (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Chris Hegedus
Money Monster — Directed by Jodie Foster
The Invitation — Directed by Karyn Kusama (Also available on VOD)
Kung Fu Panda 3 — Co-Directed by Jennifer Yuh

Films Written by Women Opening This Week

The Infiltrator — Written by Ellen Brown Furman (Opens July 13)

Based on a true story, Federal agent Robert “Bob” Mazur (Bryan Cranston) goes deep undercover to infiltrate Pablo Escobar’s drug trafficking scene plaguing the nation in 1986 by posing as slick, money-laundering businessman Bob Musella. Teamed with impulsive and streetwise fellow agent Emir Abreu (John Leguizamo) and rookie agent posing as his fiancé Kathy Ertz (Diane Kruger), Mazur befriends Escobar’s top lieutenant Roberto Alcaino (Benjamin Bratt). Navigating a vicious criminal network in which the slightest slip-up could cost him his life, Mazur risks it all building a case that leads to indictments of 85 drug lords and the corrupt bankers who cleaned their dirty money, along with the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, one of the largest money-laundering banks in the world. (Press materials)

Films Written by Women Currently Playing

The BFG — Written by Melissa Mathison
High-Rise — Written by Amy Jump
Barbershop: The Next Cut — Co-Written by Tracy Oliver

TV Premieres This Week

Blue: A Secret Life — Co-Written by Karen Graci (Mini-Series) (Premieres July 8 on Lifetime Movie Network)

LMN turns up the heat this July with the premiere of the award-winning drama “Blue: A Secret Life” starring Julia Stiles (“Jason Bourne”) as a single mother trying to keep her life as an escort hidden from all around her, including her teenage son (Uriah Shelton). Blue (Stiles) does her best to make ends meet for her and her 13-year-old son Josh, working at an office during the day, while moonlighting as a call girl at night. Blue’s secret life threatens to be revealed when a new client turns out to have ties to her childhood. The series also stars Golden Globe, Emmy, and SAG nominee Sarah Paulson (“American Horror Story”). “Blue: A Secret Life” will air as a two-hour block in its entirety on Friday July 8, at 10pm ET/PT. (Press materials)

Princess Diana: Behind Closed Doors (Documentary) (Premieres on REELZ July 9)

Throughout her life Diana, Princess of Wales held many titles: Lady Di, Shy Di, her royal highness, single mother, divorcee, style icon, and humanitarian. In “Princess Diana: Behind Closed Doors” Natalie Morales of NBC News’ “Today” hosts a special look at what we don’t know about Diana. What went on behind the gates at Kensington Palace and what led to her bombshell revelations in books and interviews about her husband, their marriage, and the inner workings of the British monarchy? “Princess Diana: Behind Closed Doors” will feature interviews with Diana’s personal friends as well as historians, biographers, and contemporaries who cover the royal family. (Press materials)

VOD/DVD Releasing This Week

Miracles from Heaven — Directed by Patricia Riggen (DVD, July 12)
The Divergent Series: Allegiant (DVD, July 12)