Weekly Update for May 25: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You

Films About Women Opening This Week

Mary Shelley – Directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour; Written by Emma Jensen and Haifaa Al-Mansour (Available on VOD June 1)

“Mary Shelley”

She will forever be remembered as the writer who gave the world “Frankenstein.” But the real life story of Mary Shelley – and the creation of her immortal monster – is nearly as fantastical as her fiction. Raised by a renowned philosopher father (Stephen Dillane) in 18th-century London, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (Elle Fanning) is a teenage dreamer determined to make her mark on the world when she meets the dashing and brilliant poet Percy Shelley (Douglas Booth). So begins a torrid, bohemian love affair marked by both passion and personal tragedy that will transform Mary and fuel the writing of her Gothic masterwork. (IFC Films)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Haifaa Al-Mansour.

Find screening info and tickets here.

Summer 1993 - Directed by Carla Simón; Written by Carla Simón and Valentina Viso

After her mother’s death, six-year-old Frida (Laia Artigas) is sent to her uncle’s family to live with him in the countryside. But Frida finds it hard to forget her mother, and adapt to her new life. (Press materials)

Find screening info here.

Ibiza – Written by Lauryn Kahn (Available on Netflix)

“Ibiza”

When Harper’s (Gillian Jacobs) two best friends (Vanessa Bayer and Phoebe Robinson) tag along on her work trip to Barcelona, they ditch work, and fly to Ibiza for Harper, who against her better judgement falls for a hot DJ. (Press materials)

In Darkness – Co-Written by Natalie Dormer (Also Available on VOD)

Blind pianist Sofia (Natalie Dormer) overhears a struggle in the apartment above hers that leads to the death of her neighbor Veronique (Emily Ratajkowski). It is the start of a journey that pulls Sofia out of her depth and brings her into contact with Veronique’s father, Milos Radic (Jan Bijvoet), a Serbian businessman accused of being a war criminal. Sofia is drawn into a dangerous world of corruption, investigating police, hitmen, and the Russian mafia – a world with links to Sofia’s own hidden past and a path of revenge she has kept hidden until now. (Press materials)

Who We Are Now

“Who We Are Now”

An ex-con (Julianne Nicholson) tries to get back custody of her son with the help of an idealistic young public defender (Emma Roberts), and at the same time falls into a romantic fling with a traumatized former U.S. soldier. (Press materials)

Kasal

Lia Marquez (Bea Alonzo) is a simple lass who is set to marry Cebu’s most eligible bachelor, Philip Cordero (Paulo Avelino), who is currently running to clinch the mayoral position after his father’s term ends. However, things get complicated when Lia’s ex-boyfriend Wado dela Costa (Derek Ramsay) returns to work for them in a project that will help Philip win the elections. Inevitably, feelings resurface and doubts arise. As we get closer to the wedding day, Lia becomes unsure if she is choosing the right man to marry, torn between the man from her past and the man she’s building a future with. (Press materials)

Sara’s Notebook (Available on Netflix May 26)

When her sister Sara (Marian Álvarez) goes missing while working in the Congo, sheltered Spanish lawyer Laura (Belén Rueda) embarks on a dangerous journey to find her. (Press materials)

Films Directed by Women Opening This Week

“The Gospel According to André”

The Gospel According to André (Documentary) – Directed by Kate Novack

From the segregated American South to the fashion capitals of the world, operatic fashion editor André Leon Talley’s life and career are on full display in a poignant portrait that includes appearances by Anna Wintour, Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Bethann Hardison, Valentino, and Manolo Blahnik. “The Gospel According to André” draws fascinating, heretofore unexplored connections between the elegance of André’s beloved grandmother and the Black Church of his youth and his later iconic, barrier-breaking work at publications like Women’s Wear Daily, W, and Vogue. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Kate Novack.

Find screening info here.

Films Written by Women Opening This Week

“How to Talk to Girls at Parties”

How to Talk to Girls at Parties – Co-Written by Philippa Goslett

Enn (Alex Sharp) is a shy suburban London teenager in 1977, sneaking out with his best friends to after-hours punk parties. One night they stumble upon a bizarre gathering of sexy teenagers who seem like they are from another planet. In fact, they are from another planet, visiting Earth to complete a mysterious rite of passage. That doesn’t stop Enn from falling madly in love with Zan (Elle Fanning), a beautiful and rebellious alien teenager who, despite her allegiance to her strange colony, is fascinated by Enn. Together they embark on a delirious adventure through the kinetic punk rock world of 1970s London, inadvertently setting off a series of events that will lead to the ultimate showdown of punks vs. aliens, and test the limits of how far each of them will go for true love. (Press materials)

Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran – Co-Written by Sanyukta Shaikh Chawla

“Parmanu”

“Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran” is based on the nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by the Indian Army at Pokhran in 1998, during the time of PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure. The film tells the audience about the failures and the hidden facts that no one paid attention to and brings out the unsung heroes of the experiment that put India on the map as global nuclear superpower. (Press materials)

TV Premieres This Week

“Picnic at Hanging Rock”

Picnic at Hanging Rock – Written by Beatrix Christian and Alice Addison (Premieres May 25 on Amazon)

A reimagining of the iconic Australian novel that plunges us into the mysterious disappearances of three schoolgirls and their governess on Valentine’s Day, 1900. Exploring the event’s far-reaching impact on the students and staff of Appleyard College, their enigmatic headmistress (Natalie Dormer), and the nearby township, theories soon abound, paranoia sets in, long-held secrets surface, and the mystery deepens. (Press materials)

The Tale – Written and Directed by Jennifer Fox (Premieres May 26 on HBO)

“The Tale”: Kyle Kaplan/HBO

On a horse farm during the summer of 1973, 13-year-old Jennifer began a relationship with two coaches that would shape her identity for the rest of her life. Based on a true story, “The Tale” chronicles Jennifer’s (Laura Dern) adult journey to distinguish the reality she has constructed from the truth she must confront. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Jennifer Fox.

The Fourth Estate (Docuseries) – Directed by Liz Garbus (Premieres May 27 on Showtime)

“The Fourth Estate”: TJ Kirkpatrick/Showtime

From the first time President Trump called The New York Times “highly inaccurate” in its coverage of his administration, through his false claim that the paper is “failing” and losing thousands of subscribers, to ultimately declaring the majority of the nation’s major news outlets “fake news,” a chief task for The Times, long considered the “newspaper of record,” has been to find the best way to accurately and honestly cover this new and unconventional president. With unprecedented access to the inner workings of The Times, including filming inside closed-door meetings, rare interviews with the editors and reporters who cover the President and the tumult around him, as well as an insider’s view of the Sulzberger family publisher transition, director Liz Garbus intimately chronicles the tenacious men and women in the trenches who are fighting for the freedom of the press and America’s right to know. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Liz Garbus.

The Break with Michelle Wolf – Written by Michelle Wolf (Premieres May 27 on Netflix)

A weekly half hour variety series starring Michelle Wolf where she will “take a break” from the seriousness of current late-night shows, blending sketches with live comedy, and in-studio guests.

Reverie (Premieres May 30 on NBC)

“Reverie”: NBCUniversal

“Reverie” follows Mara Kint (Sarah Shahi), a former hostage negotiator and expert on human behavior, who became a college professor after facing an unimaginable personal tragedy. But when she’s brought in to save ordinary people who have lost themselves in a highly advanced virtual-reality program in which you can literally live your dreams, she finds that in saving others, she may actually have discovered a way to save herself. (Press materials)

VOD/DVD Releasing This Week

“A Wrinkle in Time”: Disney

A Good Dream – Written and Directed by Mahum Jamal (VOD, May 29)
Annihilation (VOD/DVD, May 29)
Love, Simon – Co-Written by Elizabeth Berger (VOD, May 29)
Miss Stevens – Co-Written and Directed by Julia Hart (DVD, May 29)
Woman Walks Ahead – Directed by Susanna White (DirecTV, May 31)
A Wrinkle in Time – Directed by Ava DuVernay; Written by Jennifer Lee (VOD, May 29)