OPENING October 13 to 19, 2025 – 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 October 13 – 19 that are of particular interest, Titles highlighted in red have links to full reviews:  

Tuesday, October 14

• If That Mockingbird Don’t Sing – Tribeca Films – USA – Drama written and directed by Sadie Bones. After a brutal dumping, 17-year-old Sydnie realizes she is pregnant. She decides to use it as a chance to get her ex back and give her life direction but soon realizes it won’t be the quick fix she had hoped for.

Friday, October 17

• After All – Brainstorm Media (Cinemas) – USA – Drama directed by Kerstin Karlhuber. When Ellen returns to her hometown to care for her ailing mother and estranged teenage daughter, three generations of women struggle to reconnect and find the courage to forgive.

 

• Grow – Fathom Entertainment (Cinemas) – UK / Canada / USA – Family film. An exuberant tale full of giant pumpkins, madcap characters, and a little girl who just might be a pumpkin-growing savant.

 

• Köln 75 – Zeitgeist Films – Germany / Poland / Belgium – Drama. Vera Brandes, who, in 1975 and at the age of 18, staged the famous Köln Concert by jazz musician Keith Jarrett.

 

• The Mastermind – MUBI (Cinemas) – USA – Drama written and directed by Kelly Reichardt. In 1970, Mooney and two cohorts wander into a museum in broad daylight and steal four paintings. When holding onto the art proves more difficult than stealing them, Mooney is relegated to a life on the run.

 

• River of Grass – Fourth Act Film / Grasshopper Film (Cinemas) – USA – Documentary written and directed by Sasha Wortzel. An ode to the Florida Everglades past and present, told through the prescient writings of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and those who today call the region home.

 

• She Walks in Darkness – Netflix – Spain – Thriller. A young Spanish civil guard goes undercover within ETA, the Basque separatist group, spending over a decade locating their hideouts in the South of France.

 

• Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost – Apple TV+ (Cinemas) – USA – Documentary. Follows a tribute to the comedy duo and a personal exploration by Ben Stiller into his family’s legacy.

 

• Vindication Swim – Freestyle Digital Media (Cinemas, VOD) – UK – Biographical drama. The inspirational story of Mercedes Gleitze, the first British woman to swim the English Channel and her battle against both the cold waters of the Channel and the oppressive society of 1920s England.

 

• Wisdom of Happiness – Abramorama (Cinemas) – USA / Switzerland – Documentary co-written and directed by Philip Delaquis and Barbara Miller. Dalai Lama, talks directly to camera about inner peace, happiness, and potential for a peaceful, happy 21st century.

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.