FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING
Never Rarely Sometimes Always – Written and Directed by Eliza Hittman
Eliza Hittman’s latest depicts 17-year-old Autumn’s (Sidney Flanigan) attempts to deal with her unwanted pregnancy. Along with her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder), she travels from rural Pennsylvania to New York City in the hopes of accessing an abortion. Besides being emotionally fraught, their journey is made more complicated by a cash shortage, having nowhere to sleep, and crossing paths with predatory men. The drama is also a terrifying look into what goes on in crisis pregnancy centers. In addition to putting immense pressure on the teen to keep her pregnancy, the fake clinic’s staff also gives her false, misleading information about how far along she is in an effort to thwart her from terminating. “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” isn’t just an important — and unfortunately, timely — exploration of the barriers facing women who want to exercise control over their reproductive health, it’s also a moving portrait of Autumn and Skylar’s relationship, and the former’s efforts to reclaim ownership of her body. (Laura Berger)
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Eliza Hittman.
Watch Women and Hollywood’s exclusive “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” clip.
Find screening info here.
Lost Girls – Directed by Liz Garbus (Also Available on Netflix)
“Lost Girls”: Sundance Institute
Liz Garbus’ narrative debut is fueled by rage — rage over a broken, unjust system. Based on Robert Kolker’s non-fiction book, the film sees a mother searching for her missing daughter and unearthing a series of related murders. When Mari (Amy Ryan) can’t get in touch with her eldest daughter, Shannan, she goes to the police and doesn’t find much help. She refuses to be ignored and the authorities finally — and begrudgingly — start looking for Shannan, even though she’s a sex worker and therefore not a priority. By pure accident, the police discover a body whose profile is similar to Shannan’s. Then they find others. Pretty soon, it’s clear a serial killer has been preying on sex workers for years. Because law enforcement couldn’t be bothered to find missing prostitutes, they enabled a murderer to work unencumbered for years. The events of “Lost Girls” really did happen. Let’s hope those who see this movie consider it a cautionary tale, and ensure history doesn’t repeat itself. (Rachel Montpelier)
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Liz Garbus.
The Hunt
“The Hunt”: Universal
Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are, or how they got there. They don’t know they’ve been chosen for a very specific purpose — The Hunt. In the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory, a group of globalist elites gathers for the very first time at a remote Manor House to hunt humans for sport. But the elites’ master plan is about to be derailed because one of the hunted, Crystal (Betty Gilpin, “GLOW”), knows The Hunters’ game better than they do. She turns the tables on the killers, picking them off, one by one, as she makes her way toward the mysterious woman (Hilary Swank) at the center of it all.
Find screening info here.
Justine – Written and Directed by Stephanie Turner (Available on Netflix)
“Justine” chronicles the turbulent time of grief for Lisa Wade (Stephanie Turner), a wife and mother of two whose happiness is tragically disrupted when her military husband is killed. Consumed with mourning as every aspect of her life falls apart, Lisa’s challenging relationships with her devastated father-in-law (Glynn Turman) and the feisty eight-year-old Justine (Daisy Prescott), whom she cares for as a nanny, provide the motivation she needs to begin an uphill journey back to herself.
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Stephanie Turner.
Misbehaviour – Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe; Written by Rebecca Frayn and Gaby Chiappe (Opens in the UK)
“Misbehaviour”
Starring Keira Knightley and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, “Misbehaviour” is a dramedy about the 1970 Miss World beauty pageant, which was disrupted by the Women’s Liberation Movement, and made history when it crowned the first black Miss World, Jennifer Hosten.
Ride Like a Girl – Directed by Rachel Griffiths; Written by Elise McCredie and Andrew Knight (Also Available on VOD)
“Ride Like a Girl”
In this true story, Michelle Payne (Teresa Palmer) dreams of the impossible: winning the Melbourne Cup, horse-racing’s toughest two-mile race. After a series of early failures she finds her feet — but a family tragedy, followed by a near fatal horse fall, all but ends the dream. But with the love of her dad (Sam Neill) and her brother (Stevie Payne), Michelle will not give up. Against all the medical advice, and the protests of her siblings, she rides on, and meets the Prince of Penzanc. Together, they overcome impossible odds for a shot at the dream: a ride in the 2015 Melbourne Cup.
Miss Fisher & the Crypt of Tears – Written by Deborah Cox (Available on Acorn TV March 23)
The theatrical movie spin-off “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries” follows Essie Davis’ private detective as she embarks on a global adventure to find missing treasure, solve murders, and break aviation records. After freeing a young Bedouin girl from her unjust imprisonment in Jerusalem, Phryne Fisher begins to unravel a decade-old mystery concerning priceless emeralds, ancient curses, and the truth behind the suspicious disappearance of Shirin’s forgotten tribe.
Find screening info here.
M.O.M. (Mothers of Monsters) – Written and Directed by Tucia Lyman (One Week Only in LA)
A distraught mother (Melinda Page Hamilton) suspects her teenage son (Bailey Edwards) is plotting a school shooting, but when he slips through the cracks of the system, she is forced to take matters into her own hands. After installing an elaborate spy camera system in their home, Abbey captures a series of disturbing videos that confirm her worst fears. Torn between a mother’s unconditional love and a mother’s acute intuition, Abbey caters her videos to all the other “mothers of monsters” online. Abbey’s plan backfires when Jacob uses a dark family secret against her, launching both mother and son on a terrifying, and ultimately deadly, game of cat and mouse.
Find screening info here.
PJ Harvey: A Dog Called Money (Documentary) (Opens in NY March 18)
“A Dog Called Money”: Seamus Murphy
“PJ Harvey: A Dog Called Money” follows writer and musician PJ Harvey and award-winning photographer Seamus Murphy on a journey through the creative process behind Harvey’s new album, conceived by their travels around the globe.
FILMS MADE BY WOMEN OPENING
The Roads Not Taken – Written and Directed by Sally Potter
“The Roads Not Taken”
Sally Potter is one of the world’s most interesting filmmakers. She’s made films with shoestring budgets, and some bigger movies as well. Some are great, some not so much — but they are always intriguing. “The Roads Not Taken” is a movie about memory. Leo (Javier Bardem) is suffering from some undefined dementia. He’s become incapable of taking care of himself. His daughter, Molly (Elle Fanning), comes to take him to two different doctors appointments. No longer living in the present, Leo keeps revisiting his past and the decisions he’s made. The pic, which recently premiered at the Berlinale, is an exploration of love, loss, and how we come to terms with our choices. (Melissa Silverstein)
Watch Women and Hollywood’s exclusive “Roads Not Taken” clip.
Find screening info here.
Stargirl – Directed by Julia Hart; Written by Julia Hart, Kristin Hahn, and Jordan Horowitz (Available on Disney+)
Leo Borlock (Graham Verchere) is an average student at Mica High School. He gets decent grades, is a member of the school’s marching band, and has always been content flying under the radar. But all that changes when he meets Stargirl Caraway (Grace VanderWaal), a confident and colorful new student with a penchant for the ukulele, who stands out in a crowd.
The Dog Doc (Documentary) – Directed by Cindy Meehl (Opens in NY; Opens in LA March 20)
“Dog Doc”
A founding father of integrative veterinary medicine, Dr. Marty Goldstein and his colleagues in South Salem, NY have created a mecca for holistic care, offering hope to scores of previously hopeless animals — and their owners. “The Dog Doc” poses a serious question about whether we are over-medicating our pets, our children, and ourselves, while offering an immersive view into a seldom seen world to paint a complete picture of the dedication and joy of being a veterinarian.
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Cindy Meehl.
Find screening info here.
Lost Transmissions – Written and Directed by Katharine O’Brien (Also Available on VOD)
“Lost Transmissions”
When an acclaimed music producer (Simon Pegg) goes off his medication for schizophrenia, his friends chase him though the LA music scene to help commit him to a psychiatric hospital, revealing the troubling inadequacies of our mental health care system.
Fat Fiction (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Jennifer Isenhart (Opens in LA)
What if everything we’ve been told about saturated fat is fiction? And what if the “low fat, heart healthy” diet represents one of the most damaging public health recommendations in the history of our country? “Fat Fiction” is a feature-length documentary film that examines the history of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines and questions decades of dietary advice insisting that saturated fats are bad for us.
Human Nature (Documentary) – Written by Regina Sobel and Adam Bolt
A breakthrough called CRISPR opens the door to curing diseases, reshaping the biosphere, and designing our own children. “Human Nature” is a provocative exploration of its far-reaching implications, through the eyes of the scientists who discovered it.
Find screening info here.
The Postcard Killings – Written by Liza Marklund and Andrew Stern (Also Available on VOD)
New York detective Jacob Kanon’s (Jeffery Dean Morgan) world is destroyed when his daughter and son-in-law are brutally murdered in London. Unable to sit idly by and do nothing, Jacob travels to London to get the answers he needs. As he learns of similar heinous murders happening across Europe — each preceded by a postcard sent to a local journalist — Jacob is in a race against time to stop the killings and find justice for his little girl.
Find screening info here.
Heart of Africa – Written by Margaret B. Young and Tshoper Kabambi
A Congolese man runs from a terrible accident and finds himself at a revolutionary camp, where he is told that he has a great destiny. He tries to escape by going to another town, joining a religion, becoming a missionary. Ultimately, though, he finds himself back in the very place he tried to leave. He must face his fears and his shame, but also his magnificent possibilities.
TV PREMIERES
Jessy & Nessy (Premieres March 13 on Amazon Prime)
“Jessy & Nessy” is a series about Jessy, an innately curious little girl and her best friend, Nessy, a five-and-a-half-thousand-year-
The Pale Horse (Miniseries) – Directed by Leonora Lonsdale; Written by Sarah Phelps (Premieres March 13 on Amazon Prime)
Based on the Agatha Christie novel of the same name, “The Pale Horse” follows the story of Mark Easterbrook (Rufus Sewell), whose name appears on a list found inside the shoe of a dead woman. He begins an investigation into how and why his name came to appear on the list which leads him to The Pale Horse, the home of three rumored witches.
Women of the Night (Premieres March 13 on Netflix)
Haunted by a shadowy past, the wife of a rising star in Amsterdam’s mayoral office finds herself drawn into the city’s underworld of sex and drugs.
More Funny Women of a Certain Age (Comedy Special) – Directed by Kristen Hartley (Premieres March 14 on Showtime)
Caroline Rhea headlines a cast of the funniest women of standup in a night of uninhibited, outrageous comedy. Starring Caroline Rhea, Carol Leifer, Tammy Pescatelli, Thea Vidale, Carole Montgomery, and Julia Scotti.
Little Fires Everywhere (Miniseries) – Written by Celeste Ng and Liz Tigelaar (Premieres March 18 on Hulu)
“Little Fires Everywhere”
Starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, “Little Fires Everywhere” follows the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. Based on Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestseller, the story explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious pull of motherhood — and the danger in believing that following the rules can avert disaster.
Motherland: Fort Salem (Premieres March 18 on Freeform)
Set in an alternate America where witches ended their persecution over 300 years ago by cutting a deal with the burgeoning government to fight for their country, “Motherland: Fort Salem” follows three young women from basic training in combat magic into early deployment. In this world, the traditional roles of gender and power are flipped, with the more dominant women on the front lines fighting looming terrorist threats that are familiar to our world, but with supernatural tactics and weapons.
Feel Good – Created and Written by Mae Martin and Joe Hampson; Directed by Ally Pankiw (Premieres March 19 on Netflix)
“Feel Good”
“Feel Good” stars Mae Martin as Mae, a rising talent on the stand-up circuit and recovering addict whose addictive behaviors and intense romanticism dominate every single part of her life. When she meets pragmatic — but so far heterosexual — George (Charlotte Ritchie) she’s smitten, and much to her surprise George feels the same. They embark on an intoxicating romance as Mae juggles relationships with her parents, fellow addicts in a drugs support group, her colleagues at the local stand up club, and most importantly tries to transform her relationship with George from an addictive one to a healthy one. But the real question is: can Mae replace a toxic addiction to love with love itself? “Feel Good” is a deeply personal, dark but hilarious story about two young people navigating the modern-day landscape of love, addiction, and sexuality — and trying to form a meaningful and lasting connection.
Ruthless (Premieres March 19 on BET+)
This spinoff of “The Oval” follows Ruth Truesdale (Melissa L. Williams) as she’s forced to play nice with a scandalous religious cult of powerful sex crazed fanatics in the hopes of freeing herself and her daughter.
VOD/STREAMING RELEASES
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
Black Christmas – Directed by Sophia Takal; Written by Sophia Takal and April Wolfe (VOD, March 17)
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (VOD, March 17)
To Your Last Death – Written by Tanya C. Klein and Jim Cirile (VOD, March 17)
THE GIRLS CLUB IS NOW LIVE
The Girls Club is a community for women creatives, culture-changers, and storytellers to connect, create, network, advocate, support, and redefine entertainment. Together, we will build a new future, imagine a new industry, and tell new stories where every woman’s voice matters.
If you identify as a woman, we’d love for you to be a part of this exciting new adventure. Never before have we been able to gather in one location to learn from each other and to push for systemic change. If you would like an invitation to this community, please email girlsclubnetwork@gmail.
The goal is to have an environment free from trolls, where your data is not sold or used nefariously. The charge for the Girls Club is $9.99/month or $99.99/year (or the equivalent in the currency of your country at the time you sign up).
This is an exciting new step for Women and Hollywood. We look forward to connecting with people through the next phase of this work. Thanks for all your support.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE BLOG
“The Vote”
Has Your Project Been Impacted by SXSW or Another Fest’s Cancellation? W&H Wants to Help
Eliza Hittman On Why Abortion Drama “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” Is Both Personal and Political
Film Independent Selects All Women Filmmakers for the 2020 Documentary Lab
Julia Bacha, Michelle Latimer, and More Receive Grants from Abigail Disney’s Fork Films
Exclusive: Chicken & Egg Pictures Announces 2020 (Egg)celerator Lab Grantees
Exclusive: “American Experience” Explores the History Behind Women and the Ballot Box in “The Vote”
First On-Site Childcare Facility at a UK Studio to Open at Warner Bros. Leavesden
Exclusive Trailer: An Actress Becomes the Protégée of a Suspicious Producer in “Tape”
Note: All descriptions are from press materials, unless otherwise noted.
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