Opening June 29 to July 2, 2021- Margaret Barton-Fumo reports

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 June 28 to July 4 that are of particular interest:  

Tuesday, June 29  

• Legend of the Underground – HBO Max – USA – Documentary directed by Giselle Bailey and Nneka Onuorah, uncovering rampant discrimination in Nigeria while exploring the lives of several non-conformist men who must choose to either live in peril or flee to the USA.

Wednesday, June 30  

• Lydia Lunch: The War is Never Over – Kino Lorber (cinemas, VOD: Kino Marquee) – USA – The first career-spanning documentary retrospective of Lydia Lunch’s confrontational, acerbic and always electric artistry. As New York City’s preeminent No Wave icon, Lunch has forged a lifetime of music and spoken word performance devoted to the utter right of any woman to indulge, seek pleasure, and to say “fuck you!” as loud as any man. Directed by Beth B.

 

• Zola – A24 (Cinemas) – USA – Twitter-inspired drama about a stripper named Zola who embarks on a wild road trip to Florida. Based on a viral tweet-narrative, directed by Janicza Bravo, starring Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Colman Domingo. Co-written by Jeremy O. Harris.

Thursday, July 1 

• No Sudden Move – HBO Max – USA – Ensemble crime drama directed by Steven Soderbergh. A group of criminals are brought together under mysterious circumstances and have to work together to uncover what’s really going on when their simple job goes completely sideways.

Friday, July 2 

• Fear Street Part One: 1994 – Netflix – USA – Horror co-written and directed by Leigh Janiak, based on the book by R.L. Stine. A circle of teenage friends accidentally encounter the ancient evil responsible for a series of brutal murders that have plagued their town for over 300 years.

 

• Kid Candidate – Gunpowder & Sky (VOD) – USA – Documentary directed by Jasmine Stodel. The film tells the story of Hayden Pedigo, a 24-year-old experimental musician, and his unlikely run for city council in Amarillo, Texas after his spoof campaign video goes viral.

 

• Let Us In – Samuel Goldwyn Films (VOD) – USA – Horror. A spirited girl starts investigating the sudden disappearances of several missing teens in their small town. Starring Makenzie Moss and Tobin Bell.

 

• Summer of Soul – Searchlight Pictures / Hulu (Cinemas, Hulu) – USA – Documentary directed by Questlove about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African American music and culture, and promoted Black pride and unity.

 

• Wherewolves Within – IFC Films – USA – Feature adaptation of the video game where werewolves attack a small town. Written by Mishna Wolff.

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