ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

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Lists Weekly Releases 

OPENING Sept 28 to Oct 4, 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 September 28 – October 4 that are of particular interest. Titles highlighted in red have links to full reviews:  

Wednesday, September 30

  • Naza – MK2 Films / The Guardian (Cinemas) – UK / USA – Documentary co-directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. Filmed at night from Tel Aviv rooftops, this investigative documentary examines the civilian casualties of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the systems behind targeted killings of Palestinians.

Friday, October 2

  • Bird in Hand – The Future of Film is Female (Cinemas) – USA – Dramedy written and directed by Melody C. Roscher. A biracial bride-to-be seeking a connection with her charismatic hippie mother uses her wedding plans to manipulate everyone in her orbit.

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  • The Cuckoo Clock – Compassionate Disaster Films (Cinemas) – USA – Drama written and directed by Lisa Jay. A young woman falls in love with the home-health-care nurse sent to care for her grandmother with dementia. When the nurse mysteriously disappears, Grandma’s cuckoo clock speaks to her with a warning that Grandma might be responsible.

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  • The Influencer Project – Hades Films (Cinemas) – Denmark / USA – Horror. An influencer travels to Copenhagen for a documentary about her online fame, but when an obsessive stalker begins tracking her movements, she must confront the terror and reclaim her power.

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  • Lady – Obscured Releasing (Cinemas) – UK – Dramedy. Lady Isabella, aspires to be in the spotlight, and local talent show ‘Stately Stars’ provides her a break. However, high pressures and a loss of self lead to a surreal situation on her grand estate.

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  • Verity – Amazon / MGM Studios (Cinemas) – USA – Psychological Thriller. Lowen Ashleigh is hired to ghostwrite for Verity Crawford. After she uncovers what appears to be Verity’s autobiographical notes, she wrestles with the confessions about Verity’s husband, and finds it hard to separate fiction from reality.

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.