OPENING October 20 to 26, 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 20 – 26 that are of particular interest. Titles highlighted in red have links to full reviews:  

Monday, October 20

• Ratified – PBS – USA – Documentary co-directed by Sabaah Folayan and Deborah Riley Draper. Traces the legal, political, and deeply personal fight to enshrine gender equality in the U.S. Constitution nearly a century after the ERA was first proposed.

Wednesday, October 22

• The Hand That Rocks the Cradle – Hulu – USA – Thriller remake directed by Michelle Garza Cervera. An upscale suburban mom brings a new nanny, Polly Murphy, into her home, only to discover she is not the person she claims to be.

 

• Hedda – Amazon MGM Studios (Cinemas) – USA – Drama adapted and directed by Nia DaCosta. Henrik Ibsen’s renowned stage drama from 1891 is reimagined in an epic and emotional way.

 

• Mistress Dispeller – Oscilloscope (Cinemas) – China / USA – Documentary co-written and directed by Elizabeth Lo. A Chinese woman hires someone to secretly end her husband’s extramarital relationship in an attempt to save her marriage.

Friday, October 24

• Food Delivery – Philippines – Documentary directed by Baby Ruth Villarama. Amid rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea, Filipino fishermen, Coast Guard, and Navy personnel risk everything to defend their waters and way of life. Through the harrowing journey of fisherman Arnel Satam, pursued by the China Coast Guard near Scarborough Shoal the film unveils the daily dangers faced at sea.

 

• In Our Blood – Utopia – USA – Horror film. Filmmaker Emily Wyland reunites with her estranged mother for a documentary. When mother disappears, Emily and cinematographer Danny pursue clues to her whereabouts amidst traces of her past addictions.

 

• Queens of the Dead – Independent Film Company / Shudder (Cinemas) – USA – Horror-comedy co-written and directed by Tina Romero. Drag queens and club kids battle zombies craving brains during a zombie outbreak at their drag show in Brooklyn, putting personal conflicts aside to utilize their distinct abilities against the undead threat.

 

• Regretting You – Paramount Pictures (Cinemas) – Germany / USA – Drama. Centers on the strained relationship between young mother Morgan Grant and her teenage daughter Clara, exacerbated by Morgan’s husband Chris’s tragic death, forcing them to navigate life’s challenges together.

 

• The Ritual House – Tubi – USA – Horror film directed by Crystal J. Huang. Two friends attempt to rescue their home from financial ruin by renting out rooms which turns into a nightmare as the guests uncover the house’s dark, ritual-filled past.

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.