Weekly Update for March 17: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You

Films About Women Opening This Week

Beauty and the Beast

Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” a live-action retelling of the studio’s animated classic, refashions the characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle (Emma Watson), a bright, beautiful, and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a Beast (Dan Stevens) in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within. (Press materials)

Find tickets and screening info here.

Atomica (Opens in NY and LA) (Available on VOD on March 21)

In the near future, when communications go offline at a remote nuclear power plant isolated in the desert, a young safety inspector, Abby Dixon (Sarah Habel), is forced to fly out to bring them back online. Once inside the facility, mysterious clues and strange behaviors cause Abby to have doubts about the sanity, and perhaps identities, of the two employees onsite. (Press materials)

Find screening info here.

SPLit — Written and Directed by Deborah Kampmeier (Opens March 18 in NY) (Available on VOD March 21)

“SPLit” tells the story of Inanna (Amy Ferguson, “The Master,” “Inherent Vice”), a young actress working as a stripper, who becomes obsessed with a mask maker (Morgan Spector, “Boardwalk Empire”) and sacrifices parts of herself, piece by piece, in order to win his love. At the same time, the film depicts a mythic journey that blurs theater performance, dreams, and real life, as Inanna connects with other women’s experiences of trauma and repressed sexuality. This provocative and powerful confrontation frees Inanna, and she’s able to claim her rage and rise to her own independence. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Deborah Kampmeier.

A Woman, a Part — Written and Directed by Elisabeth Subrin (Opens March 22 in NY)

Anna Baskin (Maggie Siff, “Mad Men,” “Billions”) is at a crossroads. She’s a successful television actress on a hit network show in Los Angeles and has played the same brittle “career woman” part for years. After a particularly egregious confrontation on set, Anna reveals to her manager, Leslie (Khandi Alexander, “Scandal”), that she wants to quit acting — even though leaving her show would result in a huge lawsuit and ruin her career. She impulsively flies to New York in an attempt to return to the past life she left behind, reconnecting with lapsed friends from her ’90s experimental theater troupe: Kate (Cara Seymour, “The Knick”), a now-sober, queer ex-actress, and Isaac (John Ortiz, “Silver Linings Playbook”), a married, struggling playwright. (Press materials)

Films About Women Currently Playing

One Under the Sun — Co-Directed by Riyaana Hartley; Written by Katherine Tomlinson (Also Available on VOD)
Personal Shopper
Raw — Written and Directed by Julia Ducournau
This Beautiful Fantastic
Brimstone (Also Available on VOD)
The Ottoman Lieutenant
Kidnap
A Very Sordid Wedding
The Dark Below
Before I Fall — Directed by Ry-Russo Young; Written by Maria Maggenti
The Last Word
Table 19
The Women’s Balcony — Written by Shlomit Nechama
XX (Anthology) — Directed by Roxanne Benjamin, Sofia Carrillo, Karyn Kusama, Annie Clark (St. Vincent), and Jovanka Vuckovic; Co-Written by Roxanne Benjamin and Jovanka Vuckovic (Also Available on VOD)
Sophie and the Rising Sun — Written and Directed by Maggie Greenwald (Also Available on VOD)
Lovesong — Co-Written and Directed by So Yong Kim
Everybody Loves Somebody — Written and Directed by Catalina Aguilar Mastretta
Rings
The Lure — Directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
20th Century Women
Underworld: Blood Wars — Directed by Anna Foerster
Hidden Figures — Co-Written by Allison Schroeder
Toni Erdmann — Written and Directed by Maren Ade
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Julieta
Jackie
Moana — Co-Written by Pamela Ribon
Arrival
Elle
The Eagle Huntress

Films Directed by Women Opening This Week

Fittest on Earth: A Decade of Fitness (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Mariah Moore (Also Available on VOD)

The 2016 Reebok CrossFit Games were a grueling five-day, 15-event test to find the fittest man and woman on Earth. “Fittest on Earth: A Decade of Fitness” follows the dramatic story of the top athletes who qualified and competed, and offers an inside look at what it takes to be among the world’s elite athletes, both in training and on the competition floor. The CrossFit Games challenge competitors to perform intense physical tasks, but the hardest part is sometimes mental. Athletes often learn the details of the events only minutes before they begin, and everyone handles the pressure differently. Which of these fierce competitors will rise to the top and earn the title of Fittest on Earth? (Press materials)

Bluebeard — Written and Directed by Soo-youn Lee

When a doctor (Jin-woong Jo) learns a murderous secret from a sedated patient, he finds himself in the middle of an unsolved serial murder case. As dismembered bodies start showing up close to home, the doctor realizes he must solve the riddle before the killer realizes what he may know. (Press materials)

Films Directed by Women Currently Playing

Tickling Giants (Documentary) — Directed by Sara Taksler
Uncertain (Documentary) — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Anna Sandilands (Also Available on VOD)
The Last Laugh (Documentary) — Directed by Ferne Pearlstein
Viceroy’s House — Directed by Gurinder Chadha; Co-Written by Moira Buffini
Jasper Jones — Directed by Rachel Perkins (Australia)
A United Kingdom — Directed by Amma Asante

Films Written by Women Opening This Week

Beautiful Devils — Written by Jennifer Majka (Opens March 22 in the UK)

This modern twist on Shakespeare’s legendary story “Othello” sees promising musician Oz (Osy Ikhile) abandon his confidant and musical sidekick, Ivan (Elliot James Langridge), for his lover (Rachel Hurd Wood). Out for revenge, Ivan plots to destroy Oz in this classic tale of lies, treachery, and murder. Fueled by ambition and greed, and with the pressures of modern social media culture, this dark thriller portrays the youngsters’ bloody tragedy. (Press materials)

Films Written by Women Currently Playing

My Life as a Zucchini — Written by Céline Sciamma
A Dog’s Purpose — Written by Cathryn Michon
The Red Turtle — Co-written by Pascale Ferran
Sleepless — Co-Written by Andrea Berloff
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them — Written by J.K. Rowling

TV Premieres This Week

Julie’s Greenroom — Created by Judy Rothman Rofé, Julie Andrews, and Emma Walton Hamilton (Premieres March 17 on Netflix)

Ms. Julie (Julie Andrews) teaches performing arts workshops with the help of her assistant Gus at their Wellspring Center for the Performing Arts. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton.

Striking Out — Directed by Lisa James Larsson (Premieres March 17 on Acorn TV)

“Striking Out” is a drama series set in the world of Ireland’s legal system. A shock discovery leaves solicitor Tara Rafferty (Amy Huberman, “The Stag”) striking out on her own, both professionally and personally. (Press materials)

Shots Fired — Co-Created by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Premieres March 22 on Fox)

When Joshua Beck (Mack Wilds, “The Wire”), an African-American Sheriff’s deputy, kills an unarmed white college student, a small town in North Carolina is turned upside-down. Before the town has a chance to grapple with this tragedy, the neglected murder of an African-American teen is brought to light, opening wounds that threaten to tear the community apart. Leading the Department of Justice’s inquiry into these shootings is seasoned investigator Ashe Akino (Sanaa Lathan, “Love and Basketball”) and a young special prosecutor, Preston Terry (Stephan James, “Selma”), both of whom are African-American. As they start to peel back the layers of both cases, they suspect a cover-up that may involve some of the state’s most powerful people, including North Carolina Governor Patricia Eamons (Helen Hunt, “The Sessions”). As Ashe and Preston navigate the media attention, public debate, and social unrest that come with such volatile cases,”Shots Fired” tackles the racial divide from every seat in the house. (Press materials)

Ingobernable (Premieres March 23 on Netflix)

The First Lady of Mexico (Kate del Castillo) has big plans to improve conditions for the country. As she starts to lose faith in her husband, President Diego Nava (Erik Hayser), she finds herself at a crossroads where she will need to find a way to deal with a great challenge. (Press materials)