ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

Author: Brandy McDonnell

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Rebecca Hall is Guest Director at Telluride Film Fest 2026 – Brandy McDonnell reports

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Acclaimed British-American actress, writer and director Rebecca Hall is serving as guest director for the 2026 Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. Hall is selecting a series of films to present at the 53rd festival, running Sept. 4-7. Festival organizers annually select a top film enthusiast to join in the creation of the festival’s program lineup. The guest director serves as a key collaborator in Telluride Film Festival’s programming decisions, bringing new ideas, unique perspectives and overlooked films to the festival. In keeping with Telluride Film Festival tradition, Hall’s film selections, along with the rest of the festival lineup, will remain a secret until just before opening day.

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Ellen Burstyn receives Golden Lion at Venice Film Fest – Brandy McDonnell reports

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Oscar-winning actress Ellen Burstyn will be awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, set to take place September 2-12. The Golden Lion will be awarded to Burstyn in conjunction with the festival’s screening of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s short film Flesh Impact. Dedicated to Marilyn Monroe on the centenary of her birth, the film features yet another extraordinary performance by the actress. “Wow! I not only get to travel to one of my top most favorite cities in the whole world. I get to return home carrying a Golden Lion in my arms! The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Venice Film Festival! I feel so honored— so happy — so filled with gratitude! Wow indeed!” Burstyn said.

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Agnieszka Holland’s FRANZ opens in US Cinemas – Brandy McDonnell reports

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Agnieszka Holland’s Franz, a portrait of legendary writer Franz Kafka, who remains celebrated worldwide for his books, short stories, fables and aphorisms, is bowing in theaters on Aug. 21. Billed as Holland’s most ambitious project to date, her biopic of the iconic 20th-century Czech writer had its world premiere last year at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival. It was nominated for a Golden Seashell at the 2025 San Sebastián International Film Festival in Spain, and it became Poland’s official entry to the 98th Academy Awards. For six decades, Holland has remained one of the most compelling filmmakers in global cinema.

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Week In Women: Georgia Oakley’s new take on SENSE AND SENSIBILITY – Brandy McDonnell reports

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Writer-director Georgia Oakley’s new screen adaptation of iconic English writer Jane Austen’s first novel will bow in movie theaters in fall, released by Focus Features, Universal Pictures International (UPI) and Working Title in U.S. theaters on Oct. 16. Oakley is following up on her award winning Blue Jean (2022), directing from a script by bestselling author Diana Reid. Filming started last summer in the United Kingdom. Focus has worldwide rights on the movie, and UPI will handle international distribution for the studio. The film was initially scheduled for a September theatrical release in the United States.

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Alicia MacDonald’s FINDING EMILY in U.S. Theatres via Focus Features – Brandy McDonnell reports

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British filmmaker Alicia MacDonald’s first feature, Finding Emily, comes to U.S. theaters on Aug. 28 via Focus Features. The award-winning MacDonald already has created an impressive body of work that spans film, television, commercials and short films. She has worked with global leading brands such as McDonald’s, Walkers, Toyota, Jaguar, Google and more. Her airline safety film for TUI – Safety: A Global Film – gained industry recognition at the British Arrows advertising awards and was listed in Campaign’s Top 5 Ads of the Year. Her short films Bad News and Domestic Policy won gold at the Young Director Awards and played in the New Creators’ Showcase at Cannes Lions, respectively.

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Isabella Rossellini gets Excellence Award @ Locarno Film Fest – Brandy McDonnell reports

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The Locarno Film Festival will celebrate the iconic Italian-American actress, model, and filmmaker Isabella Rossellini with the Excellence Award at its upcoming 79th edition, set for Aug. 5-15 in Locarno, Switzerland. Rossellini will be honored with the Excellence Award on the opening night of the festival, Aug. 5, in Piazza Grande. Along with a public conversation, Rossellini will present her witty, self-directed web series Green Porno (2008-09), in which she acted out animal mating rituals in costume and with deadpan comic genius. Other films wth classic Rossellini performamces are also on the program.

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Alysa Nahmias’ COOKIE QUEENS served up by Roadside Attractions – Brandy McDonnell reports

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Roadside Attractions is cooking up an Aug. 7 theatrical bow for Alysa Nahmias’ tantalizing documentary Cookie Queens, a celebration of girlhood and the complexities that come with it. Cookie Queens tells a coming-of-age story about the joys, pressures and tensions woven into one of America’s most cherished rituals: Girl Scout Cookie season.

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Anya Taylor-Joy gets LUCKY – Brandy McDonnell reports

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Lucky, the much anticipated limited drama series starring Golden Globe Award winner, Screen Actors Guild Award winner and Emmy Award nominee Anya Taylor-Joy is coming this summer to Apple TV. Taylor-Joy also serves as executive producer. With a star-studded ensemble cast that also includes Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Drew Starkey, Clifton Collins Jr. and William Fichtner, Lucky will make its global debut on Apple TV with the first two episodes on Wednesday, July 15, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through Aug. 19. When a multi-million-dollar heist goes sideways, con artist Lucky (Taylor-Joy) is forced to go on the run. Pursued by both the FBI and a ruthless crime boss, Lucky must fight for her life — and a way out.

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Laura Kittrell’s LEGALLY BLONDE prequel ELLE premiers on Prime in 240 countries – Brandy McDonnell reports

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Created by Laura Kittrell, the prequel to the “Legally Blonde” movies will follow a younger version of Elle Woods, the beloved cinematic character famously originated by Reese Witherspoon. Ahead of the series’ debut, Prime Video has already ordered a second season. In the first season, the show follows the title character as a high school student, revealing the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman audiences came to know and love in the first “Legally Blonde” film. Elle is co-showrun and executive produced by Kittrell and Caroline Dries. Witherspoon, Lauren Neustadter, and Marc Platt and Amanda Brown also serve as executive producers. Jason Moore (“Pitch Perfect”) directed the first two episodes of the first season and also serves as an executive producer.

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Lisa Cholodenko’s HIGH ART gets Criterion Collection Blu-ray – Brandy McDonnell reports

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Lisa Cholodenko’s acclaimed 1998 debut feature High Art is getting a Blu-ray release this month via The Criterion Collection. The queer romantic drama follows Lucy Berliner (Ally Sheedy), a once-prominent photographer who has retreated into a life of heroin abuse with her faded-actress lover (Patricia Clarkson). When Lucy is rediscovered by Syd (Radha Mitchell), an up-and-coming editor at a photography magazine, professional ambition and personal attraction become dangerously entwined. Cholodenko was still a student in Columbia University’s master of fine arts film program when she wrote High Art, which won numerous awards.

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