OPENING September 7 to 13, 2026 – 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 September 7 – 13 that are of particular interest. Titles highlighted in red have links to full reviews:
Tuesday, September 8
- Lockjaw – Visit Films – USA – Comedy written and directed by Sabrina Greco. Raina, trapped in a car accident, finds herself drawn to a manipulative magician, whose illusions mirror her dysfunction. Their relationship worsens, leading to a dark exploration of guilt, attraction, and fractured friendships.
Wednesday, September 9
- Who Moves America – 8 Above – USA – Documentary directed by Yael Bridge. UPS Teamsters build solidarity among 340,000 workers as a strike deadline approaches. The film follows a new California driver, a 1997 strike veteran in New York, and a part-time Kentucky warehouse worker as they organize and picket.
Friday, September 11
- Black Zombie – Kino Lorber (Cinemas) – Canada – Documentary written and directed by Maya Annik Bedward. A journey through cinema and history reveals how zombies evolved from Haitian spiritual traditions into Hollywood horror, exploring their deeper cultural significance as powerful symbols of resilience.
- The Condor Daughter – Outsider Pictures (Cinemas) – Bolivia / Peru / Uruguay – Drama. A Bolivian Andean midwife’s apprentice, bound by ancestral tradition, pursues her dream of becoming a singer in the city.
- Mighty Mary – Paramount Global Content Distribution (VOD) – USA – Documentary co-written and directed by Mary Mazzio. Chronicles an amazing group of fearless women: the first all-women’s sailing team to contend for the famed America’s Cup, the holy grail for one of sport’s most elite and exclusive racing events.
- On a String – Joke Zero (Cinemas) – USA – Dramedy written and directed by Isabel Hagen. A Juilliard-trained violist navigates the New York City freelance classical musician scene, playing gigs that often draw her into the personal lives of strangers, all while living in her oddball family’s NYC apartment.
- Practical Magic 2 – Warner Bros. (Cinemas) – USA – Romantic comedy directed by Susanne Bier. A multi generational family of witches, cursed to be loveless for centuries, attempts to break the spell by confronting dark secrets and sacrificing for each other.
Film descriptions are adapted from press releases. Stay tuned in for next week’s releases! Contact us if we’ve overlooked anything.
