Weekly Update for September 22: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You

“Battle of the Sexes”: Melinda Sue Gordon/20th Century Fox

Films About Women Opening This Week

Battle of the Sexes — Co-Directed by Valerie Faris

In the wake of the sexual revolution and the rise of the women’s movement, the 1973 tennis match between women’s World #1 Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and ex-men’s champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) was billed as the “Battle of the Sexes” and became one of the most watched televised sports events of all time, reaching 90 million viewers around the world. As the rivalry between King and Riggs kicked into high gear, off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. The fiercely private King was not only championing for equality, but also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, as her friendship with Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborough) developed. And Riggs, one of the first self-made media-age celebrities, wrestled with his gambling demons, at the expense of his family and wife, Priscilla (Elisabeth Shue). Together, Billie and Bobby served up a cultural spectacle that resonated far beyond the tennis court, sparking discussions in bedrooms and boardrooms that continue to reverberate today. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Valerie Faris.

Find tickets and screening info here.

Woodshock — Written and Directed by Kate Mulleavy and Laura Mulleavy

“Woodshock” is a hypnotic exploration of isolation, paranoia, and grief that exists in a dream world all its own. Kirsten Dunst stars as Theresa, a haunted young woman spiraling in the wake of profound loss, torn between her fractured emotional state and the reality-altering effects of a potent cannabinoid drug. Immersive, spellbinding, and sublime, “Woodshock” transcends genre to become a singularly thrilling cinematic experience. (Press materials)

Unrest (Documentary) — Directed by Jennifer Brea; Written by Jennifer Brea and Kim Roberts

Twenty-eight-year-old Jennifer Brea is working on her PhD at Harvard and months away from marrying the love of her life when she gets a mysterious fever that leaves her bedridden and looking for answers. Determined to live, she turns her camera on herself and her community — a hidden world of millions confined to their homes and bedrooms by ME, commonly called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. “Unrest” is, at its core, a love story. How Jen and her new husband forge their relationship while dealing with her mysterious illness is at once heartbreaking, inspiring, and funny. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Jennifer Brea.

Victoria & Abdul (Opens in Limited Release; Opens in Wider Release September 29)

The extraordinary true story of an unexpected friendship in the later years of Queen Victoria’s (Judi Dench) remarkable rule. When Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal), a young clerk, travels from India to participate in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, he is surprised to find favor with the Queen herself. As the Queen questions the constrictions of her long-held position, the two forge an unlikely and devoted alliance with a loyalty to one another that her household and inner circle all attempt to destroy. As the friendship deepens, the Queen begins to see a changing world through new eyes and joyfully reclaims her humanity. (Press materials)

Find tickets and screening info here.

Bobbi Jene (Documentary) — Directed by Elvira Lind (Opens in NY; Opens October 6 in LA)

After a decade of stardom in Israel, American dancer Bobbi Jene decides to leave behind her prominent position at the world-famous Batsheva Dance Company, as well as the love of her life, to return to the U.S. to create her own boundary breaking art. Tracking the personal and professional challenges that await her, Elvira Lind’s film lovingly and intimately documents the dilemmas and inevitable consequences of ambition. “Bobbi Jene” delves into what it takes for a woman to gain her own independence in the extremely competitive world of dance and to find self-fulfillment in the process. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Elvira Lind.

Find screening info here.

Gaga: Five Foot Two (Documentary) (Available on Netflix)

This documentary goes behind the scenes with pop provocateur Lady Gaga as she releases a bold new album and prepares for her Super Bowl halftime show. (Press materials)

Supergirl (Documentary) — Directed by Jessie Auritt (One Week Only in Baltimore)

When a nine-year-old girl breaks a powerlifting world record, she turns into an international phenomenon and “Supergirl” is born. Naomi Kutin seems like a typical Orthodox Jewish pre-teen, until her extraordinary talent transforms the lives of her family and thrusts her into news headlines. “Supergirl” follows Naomi’s unique coming-of-age story as she fights to hold on to her title while navigating the perils of adolescence — from strict religious obligations to cyber-bullying, and health issues which could jeopardize her future in powerlifting. Can she still be “Supergirl” if she can no longer break world records? With a passionate family supporting her each step of the way, Naomi must learn to accept herself and discover she is as strong inside as she is outside. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Jessie Auritt.

Find screening info here.

Elizabeth Blue

Recently released from a psychiatric hospital, Elizabeth (Anna Schafer) returns to her Los Angeles apartment where she lives with her fiancé, Grant (Ryan Vincent). With the guidance of her new psychiatrist, Dr. Bowman (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and the unfaltering support of Grant, Elizabeth works at regaining control of her mental stability and her life as she begins to plan their wedding. Struggling to navigate daily voices, hallucinations, anxiety, failing medications, and her judgmental, unsupportive mother, Carol (Kathleen Quinlan), Elizabeth fears that Grant will leave her as she clings to hope that love will truly conquer all — even mental illness. (Press materials)

Find screening info here.

Friend Request

Laura (Alycia Debnam-Carey), a popular college girl, is very active on social media and shares almost everything in her life with her 800+ friends on Facebook. However, after accepting a friend request from an unknown girl named Marina (Liesl Ahlers), Laura becomes obsessed with Marina’s profile, and soon her friends begin to die violently one by one. (Press materials)

Find tickets and screening info here.

The Tag-Along 2

Worried about a child abuse case, social worker Li Shu Fen (Rainie Yang) visits the home of Lin Mei Hua (Francesca Kao), who has locked up her child in a room, both covered in talismanic writing in order to ward off some evil spirit. Li Shu Fen gets distracted from the investigation by her own discovery of her teenage daughter Ya Ting (Wan-Ru Zhan) getting pregnant. After a huge argument, Ya Ting runs away from school and winds up missing. Shu Fen enlists the help of local rangers and even Ya Ting’s boyfriend (Wu Nien Hsuan) to search for her daughter. Their only clue — video evidence of Ya Ting being led away by a mysterious girl in red… (Press materials)

Find screening info here.

Films About Women Currently Playing

Thirst Street
Easy Living (Also Available on VOD)
Simran
Alina
In Search of Fellini — Co-Written by Nancy Cartwright
First They Killed My Father — Directed by Angelina Jolie; Written by Angelina Jolie and Loung Ung (Also Available on Netflix)
mother!
Home Again — Written and Directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer
Lipstick Under My Burkha — Directed by Alankrita Shrivastava; Written by Alankrita Shrivastava, Suhani Kanwar, and Gazal Dhaliwal
Motherland (Documentary) — Directed by Ramona S. Diaz
Year by the Sea
The Unknown Girl
Twenty Two (Documentary)
Napping Princess
Dalida — Written and Directed by Lisa Azuelos
Dolores (Documentary)
Tulip Fever
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
The Villainess
The Teacher
Marjorie Prime
Patti Cake$
The Glass Castle
Ingrid Goes West
Annabelle: Creation
Once Upon a Time
Kidnap
Step (Documentary) — Directed by Amanda Lipitz
Atomic Blonde
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
The Little Hours
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
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

The Tiger Hunter — Co-Written and Directed by Lena Khan

Set in the 1970s, “The Tiger Hunter” is the story of Sami Malik (Danny Pudi), a young Indian man who travels to America to become an engineer in order to impress his childhood crush (Karen David) and live up to the legacy of his father — a legendary tiger hunter — back home. When Sami’s job falls through, he takes a low-end job and joins with a gang of oddball friends in hopes of convincing his childhood sweetheart that he’s far more successful than he truly is… or perhaps ever could be. (Press materials)

Find screening info here.

Loving Vincent — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Dorota Kobiela (Opens in NY; Opens September 29 in LA)

On July 27, 1890 a gaunt figure stumbled down a drowsy high street at twilight in the small French country town of Auvers. The man was carrying nothing; his hands clasped to a fresh bullet wound leaking blood from his belly. This was Vincent van Gogh, then a little known artist; now the most famous artist in the world. His tragic death has long been known, what has remained a mystery is how and why he came to be shot. The feature-length painted animation “Loving Vincent” — the first film of its kind — tells that story. (Press materials)

Find screening info here.

Slipaway — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Julia Butler (Opens in LA)

Neglected by her family, Fall (Elaine Partnow), a high-spirited elder with kind intentions but extreme measures, encounters little companionship in this turbulent world. When she comes across Adam (Jesse Pepe), a young and hopeless street musician selling his keyboard, she buys it on a whim under the pretense of wanting to learn piano. Suspicious and wary, Adam agrees to teach her and quickly finds himself trapped in a sailboat with one audacious lady. With time, a genuine friendship develops between the two unlikely souls, yet before Adam can explore his new faith in life, his criminal past resurfaces and threatens to destroy everything. Meanwhile, an irreparable secret Fall has been hiding begins to unravel. When Fall’s family gets involved, the two friends struggle to protect each other as their world collapses, leaving Adam with his unfulfilled promise to Fall, a promise as controversial as it is human. (Press materials)

Find screening info here.

Teach Us All (Documentary) — Written and Directed by Sonia Lowman (One-Night Engagements Begin September 25) (Also Available on Netflix)

“Teach Us All” is a documentary and social justice campaign on educational inequality set against the backdrop of the 1957 Little Rock school crisis. Sixty years after the Little Rock Nine faced violent resistance when desegregating Central High in Arkansas, America’s schools continue to represent the key battleground of the Civil Rights Movement. “Teach Us All” demonstrates powerful lessons from history within a timely context, emphasizing the need for unity and collective action to rectify the disparities among America’s children. (Press materials)

Find screening info here.

I Am Another You (Documentary) — Directed by Nanfu Wang (Opens September 27 in NY)

While traveling through Florida, Chinese filmmaker Nanfu Wang meets Dylan, a handsome, charismatic drifter who has rejected his comfortable, middle-class upbringing to lead a vagabond lifestyle: sleeping on streets, scrounging for food, and living out what he sees as the ultimate freedom from the bonds of materialism. But as the director digs deeper, Dylan’s rebellion is gradually revealed to be darker and altogether more complex. Unfolding like a low-key mystery, “I Am Another You” is an incisive examination of the myth and bitter realities of America’s rugged individualism. (Press materials)

Films Directed by Women Currently Playing

Red Trees (Documentary) — Directed by Marina Willer; Co-Written by Marina Willer and Leena Telén
Trophy (Documentary) — Co-Directed Christina Clusiau
School Life (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Neasa Ní Chianáin (Also Available on VOD)
Company Town (Documentary) — Written and Directed by Natalie Kottke-Masocco and Erica Sardarian
Spettacolo (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Chris Shellen
I Do… Until I Don’t — Written and Directed by Lake Bell
Viceroy’s House — Written and Directed by Gurinder Chadha; Co-Written by Moira Buffini
Beach Rats — Written and Directed by Eliza Hittman
Lemon — Co-Written and Directed by Janicza Bravo (Also Available on VOD)
Whose Streets? (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Sabaah Folayan
Detroit — Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (Documentary) — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Catherine Bainbridge
Pop Aye — Written and Directed by Kirsten Tan

Films Written by Women Opening This Week

Kingsman: The Golden Circle — Co-Written by Jane Goldman

“Kingsman: The Secret Service” introduced the world to Kingsman — an independent, international intelligence agency operating at the highest level of discretion, whose ultimate goal is to keep the world safe. In “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” our heroes face a new challenge. When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the U.S. called Statesman, dating back to the day they were both founded. In a new adventure that tests their agents’ strength and wits to the limit, these two elite secret organizations band together to defeat a ruthless common enemy in order to save the world. (Press materials)

Find tickets and screening info here.

Shot — Co-Written by Anneke Campbell

One bullet. Three lives. Everyone pays. On an average Los Angeles day, a couple (Noah Wyle, Sharon Leal) on the verge of divorce and a bullied teenager (Jorge LendeBorg Jr.) find their lives desperately changed when the teen’s illegal gun accidentally goes off. (Press materials)

Films Written by Women Currently Playing

True to the Game — Written by Nia Hill
Logan Lucky — Written by Rebecca Blunt
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

Star Trek: Discovery (Premieres September 24 on CBS All Access)

“Star Trek,” one of the most iconic and influential global television franchises, returns 50 years after it first premiered with “Star Trek: Discovery.” The series will feature a new ship, new characters — led by Sonequa Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham — and new missions, while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers. (Press materials)

Rosehaven — Co-Created by Celia Pacquola (Premieres September 27 on Sundance)

Daniel (Luke McGregor) returns to his rural Tasmanian hometown to help his mother (Kris McQuade) with her real estate business. To his surprise, his best friend Emma (Celia Pacquola) turns up on his doorstep on the run from her marriage. Soon enough, these two best buddies will find both their friendship and their sanity put to the test by the charming, but deeply eccentric, townsfolk of “Rosehaven.” (Press materials)

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