ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

Lists Weekly Releases 

OPENING March 16 to 22, 2026 – Margaret Barton-Fumo reports

Margaret Barton-Fumo , ,
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The Alliance of Women Film Journalists highlights movies made by and about women. With a vigilant eye toward current releases, we maintain an interactive record of films that are pertinent to our interests. Be they female-made or female-centric productions, they are films that represent a wide range of women’s stories and present complex female characters. As such, they are movies that will most likely be reviewed on AWFJ.org and will qualify for consideration for our annual EDA Awards, celebrating exceptional women working in film behind and in front of the camera. Our members are feature writers, columnists and regular contributors to a variety of media outlets and many of us publish regularly on the festival circuit. Our critical voices are widespread and diverse. We invite you to join us in tracking weekly releases of particular interest. And we welcome information about new films that will help us to keep our records updated and our critics alert. Below is a concise list of new releases set for the week of March 16 – 22 that are of particular interest, Titles highlighted in red have links fo full reviews:  

Friday, March 20

  • 1,000 Women in Horror – Shudder – USA – Documentary directed by Donna Davies and written by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. Women pioneers revolutionize horror cinema through their groundbreaking work as directors, actors, and creators since 1895, leaving an indelible mark on the genre’s evolution.

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  • Dead Lover – Cartuna (Cinemas) – Canada / USA – Horror-comedy co-written and directed by Grace Glowicki. A lonely gravedigger who stinks of corpses finally meets her dream man, but their whirlwind affair is cut short when he tragically drowns at sea. Grief-stricken, she goes to morbid lengths to resurrect him through madcap experiments.

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  • Late Shift – Music Box Films (Cinemas) – Switzerland / Germany – Drama written and directed by Petra Biondina Volpe. Floria, a dedicated nurse, tirelessly serves in an understaffed hospital ward. However, today her shift becomes a tense and urgent race against the clock.

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  • Marc by Sofia – A24 (Cinemas) – USA – Documentary directed by Sofia Coppola. An intimate, unconventional portrait of Marc Jacobs, crafted by Sofia Coppola to capture the genius and singular universe of the iconic American designer.

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  • Miroirs No. 3 – 1-2 Special (Cinemas) – Germany – Drama. After a car crash kills her boyfriend, piano student Laura is taken in by Betty, who witnessed the accident. Living with Betty’s family brings comfort, but Laura starts questioning their intentions as time passes.

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  • Palestine ’36 – Watermelon Pictures (Cinemas) – international co-production – Drama written and directed by Annemarie Jacir. In 1936, as Palestinian villages revolt against British colonial rule, Yusuf navigates between Jerusalem and his rural home, amidst escalating unrest and a pivotal moment for the British Empire.

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  • Spacewoman – (Cinemas) – Documentary written and directed by Hannah Berryman. Explores the achievements of Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a spacecraft, paving the way for the next generation of female space explorers.

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  • Touch Me – Yellow Veil Pictures (Cinemas) – USA – Dramedy written and directed by Addison Heimann. Two codependent best friends become addicted to the heroin-like touch of an alien narcissist who may or may not be trying to take over the world.

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  • Tow – Roadside Attractions / Vertical Entertainment (Cinemas) – USA – Drama directed by Stephanie Laing. The true story of Amanda Ogle (Rose Byrne), a homeless Seattle woman who fought her way out of tow-company hell to reclaim her life and car after receiving a tow bill for $21,634.

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  • Vampires of the Velvet Lounge – Strand Releasing (Cinemas) – USA – Horror-comedy. A coven of vampires is hunting on dating apps where they meet vampire hunters and schedule dates. The nights that unfold are action-packed modern horror madness.

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  • Wardriver – The Avenue Entertainment (Cinemas) – USA – Thriller directed by Rebecca Thomas. A young hacker is lured into heisting the bank account of an unsuspecting woman.

Film descriptions are adapted from press releases. Titles highlighted in red have links fo full reviews. Stay tuned in for next week’s releases! Contact us if we’ve overlooked anything.

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Margaret Barton-Fumo

Based in New York, Margaret Barton-Fumo has contributed to Film Comment since 2006. Her monthly online column, “Deep Cuts,” focused on the intersection of film and music. She has interviewed such directors, actors, and musicians as Brian De Palma, James Gray, Harry Dean Stanton, and Paul Williams, and has additionally contributed to Senses of Cinema and Stop Smiling. She is the editor of Paul Verhoeven: Interviews, published by the University Press of Mississippi.