Nisha Ganatra – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

FREAKIER FRIDAY – Review by Julia Swift

August 7, 2025August 9, 2025 Julia Swift disney, freakier friday, Freaky Friday, jamie lee curtis, lindsay lohan, Nisha Ganatra

Freakier Friday brings a wave of nostalgia, laughter, and heartfelt storytelling. Light, fun, and expertly crafted, this sequel is poised to delight audiences of all ages. Especially those who hold the original close to their hearts. Grab your friends, your mom, your daughter and head to the theater. You will laugh. You might even cry. If Freakier Friday is a runaway hit, we may get more opportunities to feel the community of women laughing together in a crowded theater, bonding as we walk into the lobby, and maybe even admitting that some sequels are worth it.

Reviews

FREAKIER FRIDAY – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

August 7, 2025August 9, 2025 Valerie Kalfrin freakier friday, Freaky Friday, jamie lee curtis, Julia Butters. disney, lindsay lohan, Nisha Ganatra

Jamie Lee Curtis is a comedic treasure. In the family film Freakier Friday, she eyes drugstore “senior products” with horror, wails over wrinkles and having “no lips,” gulps ugly tears, and bemoans knees not moving as fast as her mind wants. Channeling a teenager who finds her mind plopped inside the body of a suburban grandma, the sixty-six-year-old Oscar-winner is game and gloriously endearing. The film itself is funny and charming, too.

Reviews

FREAKIER FRIDAY – Review by Susan Granger

August 7, 2025August 13, 2025 Susan Granger disney, freakier friday, Freaky Friday, jamie lee curtis, lindsay lohan, Nisha Ganatra

As an admitted nostalgia nerd, I was eagerly anticipating Freakier Friday, sequel to Freaky Friday (2003) in which ‘mama’ Jamie

SPOTLIGHT

SPOTLIGHT August 2025: Amie Doherty, Composer and Orchestrator, FREAKIER FRIDAY

August 1, 2025August 1, 2025 Leslie Combemale Amie Doherty, ascap, berklee college of music, Dave Matthews Band, disney, dreamworks, Ellie Cumming, freakier friday, jeff russo, Nisha Ganatra, spotlight, Sundance Institute Music and Sound Design

Amie Doherty is an extraordinarily talented, inspired and creative composer doing wonderful work in her field, regardless of her gender. She’s a trailblazer who continuously develops and expands her own aesthetic as a musician and artist through her career choices. She has collaborated with female directors — with Nisha Ganatra, Clea DuVal, Elaine Bogan, and Jessica Gao, to be specific — who choose to hire female composers. And, she has been generous in opening opportunities for other women composers, orchestrators and conductors. She shares her experiences with AWFJ in an exclusive interview.

News

WEEK IN WOMEN: Nisha Ganatra’s FREAKIER FRIDAY opens in August – Brandy McDonnell reports

June 27, 2025June 27, 2025 Brandy McDonnell disney'freaky friday, female directors, freakier friday, jamie lee curtis, lindsay lohan, Nisha Ganatra, the week in women, twiw

Nisha Ganatra’s eagerly awaited sequel to Disney’s beloved 2003 Freaky Friday opens exclusively in theaters nationwide on Aug. 8. The long-awaited follow-up, announced in July 2024, reunites the original’s stars, 2023 Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, who are reprising their roles as Tess and Anna Coleman.

News

WEEK IN WOMEN: Nisha Ganatra to Direct FREAKY FRIDAY Sequel – Brandy McDonnell reports

July 25, 2024July 29, 2024 Brandy McDonnell Freaky Friday, jamie lee curtis, lindsay lohan, Nisha Ganatra, sequel, the week in women, twiw, Walt Disney Studio

Nisha Ganatra (Late Night) is directing the long-awaited sequel to Freaky Friday, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan reuniting to star. Production on the sequel of Walt Disney Studio’s 2003 hit comedy recently began in Los Angeles. The film is set to be released in theaters nationwide in 2025.

SPOTLIGHT

SPOTLIGHT June 2020: Nisha Ganatra, Filmmaker Focus on Inclusion and Parity

May 31, 2020July 1, 2020 Leslie Combemale 0 Comments amazon studios, Chutney Popcorn, late night, mindy kaling, Nisha Ganatra, spotlight, the high note

Nisha Ganatra has built a successful career anchored in inclusion, putting a full spectrum of voices and talents on display in her work and walking the walk in a way only a select few women working in the industry dare to do. She is helping to change the future for women in film.

Reviews

THE HIGH NOTE – Review by Lois Alter Mark

May 27, 2020May 31, 2020 Lois Alter Mark 0 Comments Dakota Johnson, flora greeson, Nisha Ganatra, the high note, tracee ellis ross

After seeing the trailer for the dozenth time, I admit I didn’t have high hopes for The High Note, which looked like generic rom-com-ish fluff. But, thanks to solid performances by Tracee Ellis Ross, Dakota Johnson, Kelvin Harrison, Jr. and Ice Cube, the movie rises above its genre to become truly compelling.

Reviews

THE HIGH NOTE – Review by Martha K Baker

May 27, 2020May 28, 2020 Martha K. Baker (Archived Contributor) 0 Comments Dakota Johnson, flora greeson, Nisha Ganatra, the high note, tracee ellis ross

The High Note satisfies that need for something pretty well done though redundant. It offers few surprises. It demands little and gives just enough for these pandemic days as we shift from hibernation to estivation.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 21, 2019: LATE NIGHT

June 16, 2019June 23, 2019 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, emma thompson, jennifer merin, late night, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, Marilyn Ferdinand., marina antunes, maryann johanson, mindy kaling, nell minow, Nisha Ganatra, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, Sheila Roberts, susan wloszczyna

Cross The Devil Wears Prada with 30 Rock, and you might get something like Late Night, director Nisha Ganatra’s timely comedy about a starry-eyed young comedy writer named Molly (Mindy Kaling) who gets the chance of a lifetime when she’s hired to work for iconic late-night talk show host Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson). Written by Kaling, the movie mixes behind-the-scenes showbiz humor with smart observations about what it’s really like for women to break down barriers.

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