This whole thing started with a mission: support female led films on opening weekend whenever possible.* If you want to read more about why, you can read that post here.
If you caught the SAG Awards last weekend, or even just the speeches from the SAG Awards last weekend, you’ll notice that women had big, bold voices with big, bold messages. It’s a strange time to be a woman, in any profession, not just the entertainment profession. But if one thing can most certainly unite all of us - it’s the notion that women are deserving of the spotlight. The work women are doing is not secondary to the work of men - it’s primary. It’s worthy of attention. And it’s worthy of EVERYONE’S attention.
That’s why I have a new challenge for you this month. If you know a little boy, or even a young man, take him to a movie that was written by, directed by or starring a woman this month. Start to help him understand his role by making him open to the stories of women. That is how we make small changes. That is how we help to make women’s stories EVERYONE’S stories.
FEBRUARY 10:
A United Kingdom (Directed by Amma Usante and Starring Rosamund Pike)
Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana causes an international stir when he marries a white woman from London in the late 1940s.
Running Wild (Starring Sharon Stone and Written by Christina Moore)
The story of a young widow trying to save her ranch following her husband’s fatal car crash. She creates a convict rehabilitation program, working with a herd of wild horses that have wandered onto her property. She did not anticipate the greed, bureaucracy and vanity that she must overcome to heal the convicts, the horses and ultimately herself.
Kedi (Directed by Ceyda Torun)
A profile of an ancient city and its unique people, seen through the eyes of the most mysterious and beloved animal humans have ever known, the Cat.
FEBRUARY 17:
Everybody Loves Somebody (Directed by Catalina Aguilar Mastretta)
On the surface, the young and beautiful Clara Barron seems to have everything- a great job as an OB-GYN; a great house in LA; and a big fun-loving Mexican family. But, the one thing Clara doesn’t have figured out is her love life. Pressured by a family wedding in Mexico, Clara asks a co-worker to pose as her boyfriend for the weekend festivities - only to be caught by surprise when her ex- boyfriend suddenly shows up after disappearing from her life completely.
My Name is Emily (Starring Evanna Lynch)
A teenage girl runs away from a foster home with the boy who loves her. She searches for her visionary writer father who is locked up in a psychiatric institution. It is a story of redemption.
Lovesong (Directed by So Yong Kim)
When an emotionally neglected woman and her best friend go on an impromptu road trip, their bond deepens and intensifies until an abrupt farewell separates them.
American Fable (Directed by Anne Hamilton)
A dark, dreamlike mystery plays out amidst the expansive farmlands of the American Midwest in this wondrous, storybook thriller. With her family’s livelihood imperiled by the farm crisis of the 1980s, eleven-year-old Gitty loses herself in a world of fantasy and make believe. But she stumbles into her own fairytale when she makes a startling discovery: a well-dressed mystery man being held captive in her family’s silo. It’s the beginning of a labyrinthine journey that will turn Gitty’s world upside down and force her to question her loyalty to her own family.
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One additional note before I go: I am not able to tell you if these movies are objectively good or feminist friendly, as I have not seen all of them. The point of this list is to give you a place to start. The truth is that we don’t have a lot to choose from, but part of the battle is giving you the information. Information is power. However, shared knowledge is also key. So if you see one of these films or have seen an early screening, please let us know if you recommend it or not in the comments.