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

FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING THIS WEEK

Ocean’s 8 – Co-Written by Olivia Milch

“Ocean’s 8”: Barry Wetcher/Warner Bros.

Five years, eight months, 12 days and counting — that’s how long Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) has been devising the biggest heist of her life. She knows what it’s going to take — a team of the best people in the field, starting with her partner-in-crime Lou Miller (Cate Blanchett). Together, they recruit a crew of specialists, including jeweler Amita (Mindy Kaling), street con Constance (Awkwafina), suburban mom Tammy (Sarah Paulson), hacker Nine Ball (Rihanna), and fashion designer Rose (Helena Bonham Carter). Their target: a necklace that’s worth more than $150 million. (Press materials)

Find screening info and tickets here.

Half the Picture (Documentary) – Directed by Amy Adrion (Opens in NY; Opens in LA June 22)

At a pivotal moment for gender equality in Hollywood, successful women directors tell the stories of their art, lives, and careers. Having endured a long history of systemic discrimination, women filmmakers may be getting the first glimpse of a future that values their voices equally. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Amy Adrion.

Find screening info here.

Hereditary

“Hereditary”: Reid Chavis

When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s (Toni Collette) family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited. (Press materials)

Find screening info and tickets here.

Nancy – Written and Directed by Christina Choe

“Nancy”

“Nancy” is a provocative psychological thriller about love, intimacy, and trust — and what happens when lies become truth. Craving connection with others, Nancy (Andrea Riseborough) creates elaborate identities and hoaxes under pseudonyms on the internet. When she meets a couple whose daughter went missing 30 years ago, fact and fiction begin to blur in Nancy’s mind, and she becomes increasingly convinced these strangers are her real parents. As their bond deepens, reasonable doubts give way to willful belief — and the power of emotion threatens to overcome all rationality. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Christina Choe.

Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (Documentary) – Directed by Lorna Tucker (Opens in NY; Opens in LA June 15)

“Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist”

Since igniting the punk movement with ex-partner and Sex Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren, Dame Vivienne Westwood has been redefining British fashion for over 40 years, and is responsible for creating many of the most distinctive looks of our time. The film blends archive, beautifully crafted reconstruction, and insightful interviews with Vivienne’s fascinating network of collaborators, guiding us on her journey from a childhood in postwar Derbyshire to the runways of Paris and Milan. This is an intimate and poignant homage to one of the true cultural icons of our time, as she fights to maintain her brand’s integrity, her principles, and her legacy in a business driven by consumerism, profit, and global expansion. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Lorna Tucker.

Find screening info here.

Hotel Artemis

Jean Thomas, aka The Nurse (Jodie Foster), is the manager of the Hotel Artemis, an ultra-exclusive, members-only hospital hidden in a hotel redolent of faded ‘20s glamour. Tough, sharp, and utterly fearless, The Nurse treats an assortment of assassins, gunrunners, thieves, and gangsters in an unexpected state-of-the-art emergency room. One night as a violent riot rages on the streets of Los Angeles, legendary crime boss Niagara (Jeff Goldblum) arrives needing immediate treatment after a failed attempt on his life. Niagara’s sudden arrival creates a violent clash among the criminals in the hospital. The Nurse makes a decision that could jeopardize the future of the ER, and everyone in it. Now the safest place for criminals in the city has become the most dangerous. (Press materials)

Find screening info and tickets here.

Haikara-San: Here Comes Miss Modern

“Haikara-San: Here Comes Miss Modern”

During the Taisho era of 1918, 17-year-old Benio Hanamura (Saori Hayami) thrives on bucking tradition. As a boisterous and quarrelsome tomboy, Miss Hanamura leads a life of kendo and tree-climbing adventure with her best friends Tamaki and Ranmaru. Benio determines to find love on her own, though her family has other plans. Benio will encounter tests of love, independence, and friendship during wartime. (Press materials)

2036 Origin Unknown

After the first manned mission to Mars ends in a deadly crash, mission controller Mackenzie “Mack” Wilson (Katee Sackhoff) assists an artificial intelligence system, A.R.T.I. Their investigation uncovers a mysterious object under the surface of Mars that could change the future of our planet as we know it. (Press materials)

FILMS DIRECTED BY WOMEN OPENING THIS WEEK

“The Valley”

The Valley – Written and Directed by Saila Kariat (Also Available on VOD)

“The Valley” explores the struggle of one family to survive intact amidst a culture in which relationships and human connection are almost impossible to maintain. It is the story of an Indian American entrepreneur, Neal Kumar (Alyy Khan), his wife Roopa (Suchitra Pillai), and his daughters Monica (Salma Khan) and Maya (Agneeta Thacker), who reside in the high octane, technologically driven culture that is Silicon Valley. His ambitions and affluent life appear idyllic from the exterior; however, when his daughter Maya tragically commits suicide, the fractured nature of his interior life becomes apparent to himself, and those around him. (Press materials)

Find screening info here.

Middleground – Co-Written and Directed by Alisa Khazanova (Also Available on VOD)

“Middleground”

“Middleground” tells the story of a husband and a wife staying in a cozy hotel where it is easy to get trapped in the daily routine. Their time is like a flat circle in a deceptively intimate setting filling with the near psychedelic despair of a David Lynch film. (Press materials)

TV PREMIERES THIS WEEK

“Sense8”: Murray Close/Netflix

Sense8 Series Finale (TV Movie) – Co-Created by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski (Premieres June 8 on Netflix)

Personal lives are pushed aside as the cluster, their sidekicks, and some unexpected allies band together for a rescue mission and BPO take-down in order to protect the future of all Sensates. (Press materials)

VOD/DVD RELEASING THIS WEEK

“Motherland”

Discreet Airlift (Short Documentary) – Directed by Johanna Hamilton (The Intercept andField of Vision, Available Now)
Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (Documentary) – Directed by Lili Fini Zanuck (DVD, June 8)
Acrimony (VOD, June 12)
Alex & Me (VOD, June 12)
Elizabeth Blue (DVD, June 12)
Ice Mother (DVD, June 12)
Love, Simon – Co-Written by Elizabeth Berger (VOD/DVD, June 12)
Motherland (Documentary) – Directed by Ramona S. Diaz (DVD, June 12)
Tehran Taboo (DVD, June 12)
Tomb Raider – Co-Written by Geneva Robertson-Dworet (VOD/DVD, June 12)