OPENING July 7 TO 13, 2025 – Margaret Barton-Fumo
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 July 7 that are of particular interest, Titles highlighted in red have links to full reviews::
Friday, July 11
- Abraham’s Boys – IFC Films (Cinemas) – UK / USA – Horror film co-written and directed by Natasha Kermani. Abraham van Helsing moves his two sons to the United States in an attempt to escape their past.
- Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight – Sony Pictures Classics (Cinemas) – South Africa – Drama co-written and directed by Embeth Davidtz. Depicts 8-year-old Bobo’s life on her family’s Rhodesian farm during the Bush War’s final stages. It explores the family’s bond with Africa’s land and the war’s impact on the region and individuals through Bobo’s perspective.
- Forgive Us All – Samuel Goldwyn Films (VOD) – New Zealand – Drama co-written and directed by Jordana Stott. A story of redemption in a world gone dark.
- Nuked – Quiver Distribution – USA – Comedy co-written and directed by Deena Kashper. A group of friends get together for a cannabis-infused, technology free dinner party only to learn a bomb is headed right for them.
- Rosa La Rose, Fille Publique (Restoration) – Metrograph Pictures (Cinemas) – France – Drama. A Paris prostitute with a lenient pimp faces a dilemma when she falls for a young worker, forcing her to choose between love and her established life.
- Tiny Lights – Film Movement – Slovakia / Czech Republic – Drama written and directed by Beata Parkanová. Six-year-old Amálka is shut out of a family argument. She spends an idyllic afternoon at the lake with her grandparents and later learns the fuss was about her mother’s plan to break away and live as an artist in Prague.
- We Could Still Be Pen Pals – Freestyle Digital Media (VOD) – USA – Drama written and directed by Juliet Lucas. 5th grade is hard; but graduating 5th grade and leaving for Middle School is harder. Damien, the “quiet” student of the class, is sorry to be leaving his favorite teacher, Mrs. Lewis, behind. However, she suggests they remain “pen pals,” which means he can still write to her about all his new school and experiences.
- Wild Diamond – Strand Releasing (Cinemas) – France – Drama written and directed by Agathe Riedinger. Liane, 19, lives with her mother and sister in Fréjus in the south of France. Consumed by aspirations of beauty and stardom, she auditions for a reality show called “Miracle Island.”
Film descriptions are adapted from press releases. Titles highlighted in red have links to full reviews. Stay tuned in for next week’s releases! Contact us if we’ve overlooked anything.
