Weekly Update for September 2: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You

Films About Women Opening This Week

White Girl — Written and Directed by Elizabeth Wood (Opens in NY; Opens in LA September 9 and nationwide September 16)

Street-wise college girl Leah (Morgan Saylor) becomes romantically involved with her charming drug dealer Blue (Brian “Sene” Marc) in New York City, but their fast life of luxury comes crashing down when Blue is arrested and Leah is left with his large stash of cocaine. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Elizabeth Wood.

Find screening info here.

Yoga Hosers

Fifteen-year-old yoga-nuts Colleen Collette (Lily-Rose Depp) and Colleen McKenzie (Harley Quinn Smith) love their smartphones and hate their after school job at Manitoban convenience store Eh-2-Zed. But when an ancient evil rises from beneath Canada’s crust and threatens their big invitation to a Grade 12 party, the Colleens join forces with the legendary man-hunter from Montréal named Guy Lapointe (Johnny Depp) to fight for their lives with all seven Chakras, one Warrior Pose at a time. (Press materials)

Antibirth (Opens in NY; Opens in LA September 9) (Also Available on VOD)

Hard-drinking, pill-popping, bong-ripping Lou (Natasha Lyonne) and her best friend Sadie (Chloë Sevigny) spend their days adrift in a druggy haze. But one wild night out becomes a bad trip that never ends when Lou wakes up with symptoms of an unexplained, highly abnormal pregnancy. Who — or what — is growing inside her? As her due date approaches with alarming swiftness, the fear, paranoia, and conspiracy theories begin to pile up. (Press materials)

Morgan

A corporate troubleshooter (Kate Mara) is sent to a remote, top-secret location, where she investigates and evaluates a terrifying accident. She learns the event was triggered by a seemingly innocent “human,” who presents a mystery of both infinite promise and incalculable danger. Rose Leslie, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Jennifer Jason Leigh also star. (Press materials)

Naam Hai Akira

College girl Akira has grown up with the ideal of self-reliance. But her life spirals out of control when she becomes unwittingly involved in a crime involving four corrupt police officers and takes them on single-handedly in a bid to prove her innocence. (Press materials)

Sister Cities — Written by Colette Freedman (Opens in NY and LA) (Premieres September 17 on Lifetime)

“Sister Cities” tells the story of four estranged sisters (Troian Bellisario, Stana Katic, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Jess Weixler) who reunite to mourn following their mother’s (Jacki Weaver) alleged suicide and find a mystery waiting for them. When the sisters discover that Mom’s body is still in the tub, they confront Austin (Weixler), the one daughter who stayed home. As suspicions grow, hard truths are revealed and their relationships with each other are thrown into turmoil. (Press materials)

Films About Women Currently Playing

Equal Means Equal (Documentary) — Directed by Kamala Lopez; Written by Kamala Lopez and Gini Sike s
Black Women in Medicine (Documentary) — Directed by Crystal Renée Emery
Ace the Case: Manhattan Mystery
Fatima
Remember the Goal
Black Songbird — Written and Directed by Raquel Deloatch
Mia Madre — Co-Written by Valia Santella
A Tale of Love and Darkness — Written and Directed by Natalie Portman
Ixcanul
Kate Plays Christine (Documentary)
Florence Foster Jenkins
My King (Mon Roi) — Co-Written and Directed by Maïwenn (Opens in LA)
Equity — Directed by Meera Menon; Written by Amy Fox
Bad Moms
Miss Sharon Jones! (Documentary) — Directed by Barbara Kopple
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie — Directed by Mandie Fletcher; Written by Jennifer Saunders
Summertime — Directed by Catherine Corsini; Written by Catherine Corsini and Laurette Polmanss
Lights Out
Nerve — Written by Jessica Sharzer
Ghostbusters — Co-Written by Katie Dippold
Our Little Sister
The Innocents — Directed by Anne Fontaine; Co-Written by Anne Fontaine, Sabrina B. Karine, and Alice Vial
The Shallows
Finding Dory
The Witness (Documentary)
Alice Through the Looking Glass — Written by Linda Woolverton
Maggie’s Plan — Written and Directed by Rebecca Miller
Sunset Song
Dark Horse (Documentary) — Written and Directed by Louise Osmond
The Meddler — Written and Directed by Lorene Scafaria

Films Directed by Women Opening This Week

None

Films Directed by Women Currently Playing

The Intervention — Written and Directed by Clea DuVall
Space Dogs: Adventure to the Moon — Co-Directed by Inna Evlannikova
The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Tilda Swinton
No Asylum: The Untold Chapter of Anne Frank’s Story (Documentary) — Co-Written and Directed by Paula Fouce
When Two Worlds Collide (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Heidi Brandenburg
Our Kind of Traitor — Directed by Susanna White

Films Written by Women Opening This Week

None

Films Written by Women Currently Playing

Nine Lives — Co-Written by Gwyn Lurie
The Infiltrator — Written by Ellen Brown Furman
The BFG — Written by Melissa Mathison

TV Premieres This Week

Loosely Exactly Nicole — Created by Christine Zander (Series Premieres September 5 on MTV)

Nicole Byer is living the Hollywood dream. Well, Hollywood adjacent (the deep valley, to be precise), and it’s not so much a dream as a struggle. In this hilarious half-hour comedy, we’ll watch as Nicole — exuding her special display of confidence and irreverence — navigates the comical missteps of what it means to be out on your own for the first time. She deals with humiliating auditions, unpaid electric bills, friendship ups and downs, and the battlefield that is Tinder as she slowly but surely finds her voice as a comedian. (Press materials)

Mary + Jane — Co-Executive Produced by Deborah Kaplan (Series Premieres September 5 on MTV)

Paige (Jessica Rothe) and Jordan (Scout Durwood) may be weed dealers, but they consider themselves entrepreneurs. Their dope delivery app is quickly gaining popularity with foodies, celebrities, and — the most particular and crucial consumer — hipsters. This half-hour comedy takes an entertaining look at two LA girls who are desperate to succeed, find a little romance, and keep their clients happy and high — all with the least amount of effort possible. (Press materials)

Queen Sugar — Created by Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey (Series Premieres September 6 on OWN)

Set in the fictional town of Saint Josephine, Louisiana, “Queen Sugar” chronicles the lives and loves of the estranged Bordelon siblings: Nova (Rutina Wesley), a worldly-wise journalist and activist; Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner), the savvy wife and manager of a professional basketball star; and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe), a formerly incarcerated young father in search of redemption. After a family tragedy, the Bordelons must navigate the triumphs and struggles of their complicated lives in order to run a struggling sugarcane farm in the Deep South. “Queen Sugar” is based on the book by Natalie Baszile. (Press materials)

Gaycation (Documentary Series) — Hosted and Executive Produced by Ellen Page (Season 2 Premieres September 7 on Viceland)

What makes “Gaycation” such a fascinating docu-series is the curiosity and openness which Ellen Page and [her friend] Daniel approach their travels. If you’re looking for some kind of Rick Steves-like guide to point you to the “best” gay places to visit around the world, you’ve landed on the wrong show. But if you want two young hosts who are earnestly exploring what it is like to be in the LGBT community, and how each society views LGBT people in different countries, settle in because you won’t be disappointed. (Dorothy Snarker)

Read Women and Hollywood’s review of “Gaycation.”

Better Things — Co-Created by Pamela Adlon (Series Premieres September 8 on FX)

Pamela Adlon, a writer and actress who ought to be way more famous than she is, finally gets her own show, the dark comedy “Better Things,” debuting September 8 on FX. She’s long been a creative partner of Louis C.K., writing for his show and appearing regularly as Pamela, the single mom Louie befriended, pined for, and began dating.

“Better Things” is a comedy about a working actress and single mom in L.A. that seems pretty heavily drawn from Adlon’s life. Not surprisingly, in many ways “Better Things” feels like the female counterpart to “Louie.” Adlon is hilarious with the added benefit of having a strong pro-women streak and a devotion to calling men out on their bullshit. It’s easy to see why the two of them are friends, and to his credit, C.K. did a great job of showcasing her low B.S. tolerance on his own show. Here, though, she’s finally the star: Sam Fox, a woman who’s been acting for decades — a younger iconic role of some sort is frequently mentioned by her colleagues — and is currently working in supporting roles and voiceover (real-life Adlon has voiced characters on (“Teen Titans Go!”, “Adventure Time,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Phineas and Ferb,” “WordGirl,” and her biggest role ever, Bobby on the long-running Mike Judge cartoon “King of the Hill”). (Sara Stewart)

Read Women and Hollywood’s review of “Better Things.”

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