ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

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Lists Weekly Releases 

OPENING August 10 to 16, 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 August 10 – 16 that are of particular interest. Titles highlighted in red have links to full reviews::  

Wednesday, August 12

  • An Eye for an Eye – Jolt.Film – USA / Denmark / Iran – Documentary co-directed by Tanaz Eshaghian and Farzad Jafari. Convicted of murdering her husband, Tahereh served her sentence and now faces a ticking clock to negotiate with her in-laws who, under Sharia law, have the legal right to either execute her or forgive her—for a price.

Thursday, August 13

  • A Child of My Own – Netflix – Mexico – Documentary directed by Maite Alberti. Desperate to become a mother, Alejandra fakes a pregnancy. The simple lie spirals into a months-long charade before her husband and family, trapping her in deception that pushes her to cross an irreversible line.

Friday, August 14

  • American Doctor – Watermelon Pictures (Cinemas) – international co-production – Documentary directed by Poh Si Teng. When three American doctors-Palestinian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian-enter Gaza to save lives, they find themselves caught between medicine and politics, risking everything to expose the truth.

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  • Don’t Say Good Luck – Netflix – USA – Musical co-written and directed by Julia Hart. Sophie Birenbaum gets the lead in her high school show, but at the same time, her mom’s cancer comes back.

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  • The Rivals of Amziah King – Black Bear Pictures (Cinemas) – USA / UK – Thriller. Amziah King, beekeeper, musician, and anchor of his community, reunites with former foster daughter Kateri after many years apart, and fends off threats to his honey business.

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  • Six the Musical: Live – Focus Features (Cinemas) – UK – Musical directed by Liz Clare. Tells the story of the six wives of Henry VIII, reimagining them as pop stars who reclaim their narratives from their infamous husband’s shadow.

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  • The Wrong Girls – Neon (Cinemas) – USA – Comedy written and directed by Dylan Meyer. Two aimless young women inadvertently gain telepathic abilities after ingesting an experimental drug, pitting them against dangerous rivals pursuing the same powerful substance.

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.

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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.