FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING
The Hate U Give – Written by Audrey Wells (Opens in Select Theaters; Opens Everywhere October 19)
“The Hate U Give”: Erika Doss/20th Century Fox
Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg) is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil (Algee Smith) at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right. (Press materials)
Find screening info here.
Liyana (Animated Documentary) – Directed by Amanda Kopp and Aaron Kopp (Opens in NY October 10; Opens in LA October 19)
A Swazi girl embarks on a dangerous quest to rescue her young twin brothers. This animated African tale is born in the imaginations of five orphaned children in Swaziland who collaborate to tell a story of perseverance drawn from their darkest memories and brightest dreams. Their fictional character’s journey is interwoven with poetic and observational documentary scenes to create a genre-defying celebration of collective storytelling. (Press materials)
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Amanda Kopp.
Find screening info here.
Over the Limit (Documentary) – Directed by Marta Prus
“Over the Limit”
An intimate portrait of the world’s most outstanding rhythmic gymnast Margarita Mamun, who needs to overcome mental fragility to take part in the Olympic Games. (Press materials)
Viking Destiny (Also Available on VOD)
A Viking Princess is forced to flee her kingdom after being framed for the murder of her father, the King. Under the guidance of the God Odin, she travels the world gaining wisdom and building the army she needs to win back her throne. (Press materials)
FILMS MADE BY WOMEN OPENING
“Private Life”
Private Life – Written and Directed by Tamara Jenkins (Also Available on Netflix)
It can be difficult to accept you’re not special. That’s one of the underlying messages of Tamara Jenkins’ latest feature, “Private Life.” Starring Kathryn Hahn (“Transparent”) and Paul Giamatti (“Billions”), the dramedy sees an intellectual, 40-something New York couple struggling to conceive. Similar to the unsparing look at old age and death offered by Jenkins’ last film, “The Savages,” “Private Life” refuses to gloss over the darker aspects of trying to have a baby. Rachel (Hahn) and Richard (Giamatti) are smart, somewhat accomplished people, but that doesn’t mean they get a special fertility pass. The bulk of “Private Life” shows them reckoning — or rather, avoiding reckoning — with this fact. Failed IUIs and IVFs, adoption scams, and single testicles aside, they should be able to have a child, right? Actually, they feel they deserve it, so they’re not giving up. That’s simultaneously the most touching and most devastating part of this lovely film. (Rachel Montpelier)
Trouble – Written and Directed by Theresa Rebeck
“Trouble”
Maggie (Anjelica Huston) and Ben (Bill Pullman) are middle-aged siblings who don’t care for one another. Although Ben, a perpetual screw-up, sold his share of their father’s estate to his sister years ago, he returns hoping to build a house and a new future. With an acquaintance (Julia Stiles) in the Bureau of Land Management ready to falsify records of the original sale, he hashes out a plan to regain the property while smoking joints with good friend Gerry (David Morse). Maggie must decide how to react as sibling rivalries renew. (Press materials)
Venom – Written by Kelly Marcel, Scott Rosenberg, and Jeff Pinkner
“Venom”
When Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) acquires the powers of a symbiote, he will have to release his alter-ego “Venom” to save his life. (Press materials)
Find screening info here.
Living in the Future’s Past (Documentary) – Directed by Susan Kucera (Opens in NY and LA)
“Living in the Future’s Past”
What kind of future to we want to live in? Jeff Bridges presents this beautifully photographed 4K tour de force of original thinking on who we are and the life challenges we face. This film upends our way of thinking and provides original insights into our subconscious motivations, the unintended consequences, and how our fundamental nature influences our future as Humankind. (Press materials)
Find screening info here.
Malevolent – Written by Eva Konstantopoulos and Ben Ketai (Available on Netflix)
Siblings Jackson (Ben Lloyd-Hughes) and Angela (Florence Pugh) run a profitable ghostbusting racket: swindling the bereaved with fake detection equipment and Angela’s paranormal “visions.” Hired to investigate a haunted old foster home, the team uncover its terrifying past: young girls brutally slaughtered, mouths stitched shut; silenced by a sadistic killer. And Angela’s on the edge — sleepless, strung out, and losing her mind, no longer certain what’s actually real; convinced she hears the girls crying out to her from the darkness. But supernatural terrors are the least of their problems when they discover the very real evil lurking in the isolated house. (Press materials)
Bill Coors: The Will to Live (Documentary) – Directed by Kerry David; Written by Kerry David, Margo Hamilton, and Bill Coors (Opens in NY; Opens in LA October 12)
Having recently observed his 102nd birthday, beer-brewing titan Bill Coors — along with family, friends, associates, and admirers — look back on one man’s struggle to overcome heart-wrenching adversity and his historic contributions not only to industry, but to top-secret military efforts in WWII, the environment, holistic and mental health, LGBTQ rights, and a philosophy of tolerance and self-love. (Press materials)
Find screening info here.
TV PREMIERES
Jodie Whittaker is the first female Doctor: “Doctor Who”
Doctor Who (Premieres October 7 on BBC America)
The Doctor is an alien Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels through all of time and space in the TARDIS with friends. Instead of dying, the Doctor is able to “regenerate” into a new body, taking on a new personality with each regeneration. This time Jodie Whittaker (“Broadchurch”) will take the lead — marking the show’s first woman Doctor. She’s joined by three new companions played by Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gill. (Press materials)
RX Early Detection: A Cancer Journey With Sandra Lee (Short Documentary) – Directed by Cathy Chermol Schrijver (Premieres October 8 on HBO)
“RX Early Detection: A Cancer Journey With Sandra Lee”: HBO
This deeply personal short documentary follows Sandra Lee, along with those closest to her — including her sister, Kimber, and her longtime partner, NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo — as she faces a cancer diagnosis following a routine annual exam. (Press materials)
All American – Created by April Blair (Premieres October 10 on The CW)
All American: Jesse Giddings/The CW
When a star high school football player from South Central is recruited to play for Beverly Hills High School, two separate worlds collide. (Press materials)
The Bisexual – Created by Desiree Akhavan (Premieres October 10 on the UK’s Channel 4)
“The Bisexual”
Series creator Desiree Akhavan plays New Yorker Leila who is feeling lost in London. Split from her girlfriend, she moves in with a “stranger off the internet” and discovers she’s swapped her luxe old life for a house-share with a British guy who’s only other female “flat-mate” was his mother. Their worlds collide in awkward and revealing ways as he becomes Leila’s unlikely wingman and helps her to navigate a new life dating men. (Deadline)
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat (Docuseries) – Directed by Caroline Suh (Premieres October 11 on Netflix)
“Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat”
Based on Samin Nosrat’s best-selling, James Beard Award-winning book, “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” is the essential guide to the basic elements of good cooking. Each episode of this four-part series joins our spirited guide Samin as she travels to home kitchens of Italy, the southern islands of Japan, the heat of the Yucatán, and back to Berkeley’s Chez Panisse — where she started her culinary career — to demystify and explore the central principles of what makes food delicious and how each of us can easily incorporate those elements into every dish. (Press materials)
VOD/STREAMING RELEASES
“Eighth Grade”
The Book of Birdie – Directed by Elizabeth E. Schuch; Written by Elizabeth E. Schuch and Amami Tara Shucart (VOD, Available Now)
Seeing Is Believing: Women Direct (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Cady McClain (TuggEDU, Available Now)
CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion (Documentary) – Directed by Jenni Gold; Written by Jenni Gold and Samuel W. Reed (VOD, October 5)
Eighth Grade (VOD, October 9)
Hotel Artemis (VOD, October 9)
I Dream of Dance (Documentary) – Directed by Maria Demeshkina Peek (VOD, October 9)
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (VOD, October 9)
WOMEN AND HOLLYWOOD IN THE NEWS
A Year After #MeToo, Have Talent Agencies Actually Changed? (The Hollywood Reporter)
One year after the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke, #MeToo has become a battle for hearts and minds (Los Angeles Times)
PICKS OF THE WEEK FROM WOMEN AND HOLLYWOOD
“Quiet Killing”
WIF LA and Ghetto Film School Join Forces to Support Young WOC Filmmakers
The Academy Launches Action: The Women’s Initiative, Events Planned in LA and London
Under the Radar: “Quiet Killing” Delves into Canada’s Mistreatment of Indigenous Women
Submit Your Script to the 2019 Athena IRIS Screenwriting Lab
#TimesUp Names Lisa Borders as President and CEO
Emma Watson Pens Letter to Woman Who Died Due to Ireland’s Anti-Abortion Law: “Rest in Power”
New California Law Requires Talent Agencies to Address Sexual Harassment
October 2018 Film Preview
Guest Post: How I Sought to Improve Black Representation with My First Feature “Solace”
Women in Entertainment Annual Summit to Feature Geena Davis, “Love, Gilda,” and More
Follow Women and Hollywood on Twitter @WomenaHollywood and Melissa Silverstein @melsil.
To contact Women and Hollywood, email melissa@womenandhollywood.com.
