Weekly Update for September 1: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You

Films About Women Opening This Week

Tulip Fever

In 17th century Amsterdam, an orphaned girl (Alicia Vikander) is forcibly married to a rich and powerful merchant (Christoph Waltz) — an unhappy “arrangement” that saves her from poverty. After her husband commissions a portrait, she begins a passionate affair with the painter (Dane DeHaan), a struggling young artist. Seeking to escape the merchant’s ever-reaching grasp, the lovers risk everything and enter the frenzied tulip bulb market, with the hope that the right bulb will make a fortune and buy their freedom. (Press materials)

Find tickets and screening info here.

Dolores (Documentary) (Opens in NY; Opens in LA September 8)

Dolores Huerta is among the most important, yet least known, activists in American history. An equal partner in co-founding the first farm workers unions with Cesar Chavez, her enormous contributions have gone largely unrecognized. Dolores tirelessly led the fight for racial and labor justice alongside Chavez, becoming one of the most defiant feminists of the 20th century — and she continues the fight to this day, at 87. With intimate and unprecedented access to this intensely private mother to 11, the film reveals the raw, personal stakes involved in committing one’s life to social change. (Press materials)

Find screening info here.

The Layover

When their plane is rerouted due to a hurricane warning, two single female best friends (Alexandra Daddario and Kate Upton) find themselves competing for the same guy (Matt Barr) during an extended layover in St. Louis. (Press materials)

Find tickets and screening info here.

Unlocked (Also Available on VOD)

After failing to apprehend the terrorist behind a Paris attack that claimed dozens of lives, CIA agent Alice Racine (Noomi Rapace) is forced to live in London as a caseworker. Unexpectedly, she is called back into action by her mentor, Eric Lasch (Michael Douglas), when the CIA discovers intel of another imminent attack. While “unlocking” the suspect, Alice discovers that the classified information she has uncovered has been compromised. Running for her life, Alice turns to ex-soldier Jack (Orlando Bloom) to prevent a lethal biological attack on the citizens of London. (Press materials)

Find tickets and screening info here.

Heat and Dust (Theatrical Re-Release) — Written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (Opens in NY and LA)

Cross-cutting between two generations, James Ivory’s sprawling epic of self-discovery is also a lush evocation of the prismatic and sensuous beauty of India. As she searches for answers to the mystery surrounding a long-ago affair between her aunt Olivia (Greta Scacchi) and an Indian prince (Shashi Kapoor), Anne (Julie Christie) becomes immersed in the local culture, the pull of the past simultaneously leading her into a clearer view of her own future. (Press materials)

Kill Me Please — Written and Directed by Anita Rocha Da Silveira

Barra da Tijuca, West Side Zone of Rio de Janeiro. A wave of murders plague the area. What starts off as a morbid curiosity for the local youth slowly begins to spoil away at their lives. Among them is Bia (Valentina Herszage), a fifteen year old girl. After an encounter with death, she will do anything to make sure she’s alive. (Press materials)

Dalida — Written and Directed by Lisa Azuelos (Opens in Miami)

“Dalida” is an intimate portrait based on the real story of a strong, fiercely independent woman (Sveva Alviti) whose 30-year dazzling career was punctuated by tragic events, with no less than three of her lovers committing suicide. With over 170 million albums sold and twice honored with the World Oscar of Recording Success, Dalida received more than 70 gold records and was the first singer to receive platinum and diamond discs. Dalida continued to hold concerts until her last days, but her suicide in 1987 immortalized her iconic image as a diva and renowned singer. (Press materials)

Find screening info here.

The Vault (Also Available on VOD)

Two estranged sisters (Taryn Manning and Francesca Eastwood) are forced to rob a bank in order to save their brother. The heist begins smoothly, but mayhem ensues when the defiant bank manager sends them to a basement-level vault — home to something truly evil. (Press materials)

Films About Women Currently Playing

Served Like a Girl (Documentary) — Co-Written and Directed by Lysa Heslov
Polina — Written and Co-Directed by Valérie Müller
Leap! — Co-Written by Carol Noble
Polaroid — Written by Blair Butler
Unleashed (Also Available on VOD)
The Villainess
Stasis — Written and Directed by Nicole Jones-Dion
The Teacher
Whitney: Can I Be Me (Documentary)
Marjorie Prime
Patti Cake$
The Glass Castle
Ingrid Goes West
Annabelle: Creation
Once Upon a Time
A Life in Waves (Documentary)
Kidnap
Step (Documentary) — Directed by Amanda Lipitz
Atomic Blonde
From the Land of the Moon — Co-Written and Directed by Nicole Garcia
Women Who Kill — Written and Directed by Ingrid Jungermann
The Girl Without Hands
The Untamed
The Midwife
Landline — Directed by Gillian Robespierre; Written by Gillian Robespierre and Elisabeth Holm
Girls Trip — Co-Written by Tracy Oliver
Wish Upon — Written by Barbara Marshall
Lady Macbeth — Written by Alice Birch
Birthright: A War Story (Documentary) — Directed by Civia Tamarkin; Written by Civia Tamarkin and Luchina Fisher
The Little Hours
Marie Curie: The Courage of Knowledge — Directed by Marie Noelle; Written by Marie Noelle and Andrea Stoll
Rough Night — Co-Written and Directed by Lucia Aniello
Maudie — Directed by Aisling Walsh; Written by Sherry White
47 Meters Down (Also Available on VOD)
Lost in Paris — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Fiona Gordon
Megan Leavey — Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite; Co-Written by Pamela Gray and Annie Mumolo
Beatriz at Dinner
Moka
Wonder Woman — Directed by Patty Jenkins
Letters from Baghdad (Documentary) — Directed by Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum
Love, Kennedy
The Women’s Balcony — Written by Shlomit Nehama
Paris Can Wait — Written and Directed by Eleanor Coppola
Hidden Figures — Co-Written by Allison Schroeder

Films Directed by Women Opening This Week

Viceroy’s House — Written and Directed by Gurinder Chadha; Co-Written by Moira Buffini (U.S. Release)

British rulers of India. After 300 years, that rule was coming to an end. For six months in 1947, Lord Mountbatten (Hugh Bonneville), great grandson of Queen Victoria, assumed the post of the last Viceroy, charged with handing India back to its people. Mountbatten lived upstairs together with his wife (Gillian Anderson) and daughter (Lily Travers). Downstairs lived their 500 Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh servants. As the political elite took their seats to wrangle over the birth of independent India, conflict erupted throughout the House and a catastrophic decision was taken with global repercussions. Partition — the decision to divide India and create the new Muslim homeland of Pakistan — led to the largest mass migration in human history. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Gurinder Chadha.

Find tickets and screening info here.

I Do… Until I Don’t — Written and Directed by Lake Bell

“I Do… Until I Don’t” is an ensemble comedy following three couples stuck in the web of a jaded filmmaker (Dolly Wells) looking to prove that marriage should be a seven-year contract with an option to renew. For Alice and Noah (Lake Bell, Ed Helms), more than a hint of boredom is setting in as they approach their first decade together and the prospect of parenthood. Meanwhile, Alice’s funky sister Fanny (Amber Heard) is sure her “open marriage” to Zander (Wyatt Cenac) is the key to their free-spirited happiness. And then there’s Cybil and Harvey (Mary Steenburgen, Paul Reiser), a pair of empty-nesters wondering what the next stage will be. (Press materials)

Find screening info here.

Spettacolo (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Chris Shellen (Opens September 6 in NY)

Once upon a time… there was a tiny hill town in Tuscany that found a remarkable way to confront their issues — they turned their lives into a play. Every summer for the past 50 years, their piazza becomes their stage and villagers from 6 to 90 play a part — the role of themselves. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Chris Shellen.

Find screening info here.

Films Directed by Women Currently Playing

Beach Rats — Written and Directed by Eliza Hittman
The Long Night of Francisco Sanctis — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Andrea Testa
Lemon — Co-Written and Directed by Janicza Bravo (Also Available on VOD)
Whose Streets? (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Sabaah Folayan
The Farthest (Documentary) — Written and Directed by Emer Reynolds
Detroit — Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Bonni Cohen
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (Documentary) — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Catherine Bainbridge
False Confessions — Co-Directed by Marie-Louise Bischofberger
Swim Team (Documentary) — Directed by Lara Stolman
Pop Aye — Written and Directed by Kirsten Tan
Hare Krishna! The Mantra, The Movement and the Swami Who Started It All (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Jean Griesser and Lauren Ross
Obit. (Documentary) — Directed by Vanessa Gould

Films Written by Women Opening This Week

Extraordinary — Co-Written by Cheryl McKay (Opens September 7)

The seemingly endless road beckons. Well beyond exhausted, his body trudges onward — quitting is never an option. Aiming toward the finish line of another transcontinental race, he senses his prize this time is much greater than any medal or honor. Every step leads him closer to home. Based on a true marriage journey, “Extraordinary” tells the amazing story of ultra-marathon runner and college professor David Horton (Kirk Cameron), his wife, Nancy (Shari Rigby), and their attempt to finish their marriage race well. (Press materials)

Films Written by Women Currently Playing

Logan Lucky — Written by Rebecca Blunt
After Love — Co-Written by Fanny Burdino and Mazarine Pingeot
The Fencer — Written by Anna Heinämaa
13 Minutes — Co-Written by Léonie-Claire Breinersdorfer
The Big Sick — Co-Written by Emily V. Gordon
Cars 3 — Co-Written by Kiel Murray

TV Premieres This Week

Diana: 7 Days That Shook the World (Documentary) (Premieres September 1 on NBC)

This illuminating documentary examines the aftermath of Princess Diana’s tragic death and the tense, dramatic week leading up to her funeral. (Press materials)

The Grown-Ups (Documentary) — Written and Directed by Maite Alberdi (Premieres September 4 on PBS)

In a school for individuals with Down Syndrome, four middle-aged friends yearn for a life of greater autonomy in a society that marginalizes them as disabled. “The Grown-Ups” is a humorous and at times sad and uncomfortable look at the tragic limbo of conscious adults. (Press materials)

Strangers — Created, Written, and Directed by Mia Lidofsky (Premieres September 4 on Facebook)

Newly single and bisexual, Isobel (Zoe Chao) rents out her spare room in a last ditch effort to keep the home she loves. Along with her lesbian best friend Cam (Meredith Hagner), she navigates the most complicated time in her life — emotionally, sexually, and professionally. (Press materials)

Marc Maron: Too Real (Comedy Special) — Directed by Lynn Shelton (Premieres September 5 on Netflix)

Battle-scarred stand-up comedian Marc Maron unleashes a storm of ideas about meditation, mortality, documentary films, and our weird modern world. (Press materials)

VOD/DVD Releasing This Week

The Space Between — Written and Directed by Amy Jo Johnson (VOD, September 1)
Austin Found — Written by Brenna Graziano (DVD, September 5)
Band Aid — Written and Directed by Zoe Lister-Jones (DVD, September 5)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (DVD, September 5)
The Last Face — Written by Erin Dignam (DVD, September 5)
Like Crazy — Co-Written by Francesca Archibugi (DVD, September 5)
Megan Leavey — Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite; Co-Written by Pamela Gray and Annie Mumolo (DVD, September 5)
Paris Can Wait — Written and Directed by Eleanor Coppola (VOD/DVD, September 5)
Raw — Written and Directed by Julia Ducournau (DVD, September 5)
Rough Night — Co-Written and Directed by Lucia Aniello (VOD/DVD, September 5)
The Wedding Plan — Written and Directed by Rama Burshtein (VOD/DVD, September 5)

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