BY: Amanda Jane Stern

Summer is coming to an end, so let’s take a look at six movies coming out this fall and winter, all directed by women, to round out the year.

Atlantics

Atlantics is a supernatural romantic drama directed by Mati Diop, in her feature-film directing debut, from a script she co-wrote with Olivier Demangel. The film is set in a suburb of Dakar and follows a group of construction workers who, working on building a futuristic tower, and having not been paid in months, decide to leave the country by sea in search of a better future. One of these workers is a man named Souleiman (Ibrahima Traoré.) Souleiman has been having an affair with an engaged woman, Ada (Mame Bineta Sane.) Atlantics won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival this year and Diop made history by being the first black woman to direct a film that competed in the festival. Atlantics does not have a set release date yet, but it is expected to be sometime winter 2019.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Last year we got the Fred Rogers documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, this year we’re getting the scripted feature film about Fred Rogers, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. The film was directed by Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me? and The Diary of a Teenage Girl,) from a script written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. The film is based on the real-life friendship between Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. It stars Tom Hanks (who is almost a modern-day Mister Rogers) as Fred Rogers, and Matthew Rhys as cynical journalist, Lloyd Vogel (based on Tom Junod.) A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is set to be released November 22, 2019.

Black Christmas

Yes, this is a remake of the 1974 horror film of the same name. Not too much info has been released about this film yet, there isn’t even a teaser trailer. Here’s what we do know, the film is directed by Sophia Takal, from a script she co-wrote with April Wolfe. The film is being produced by Jason Blum, through his company Blumhouse. Last year, Blumhouse was put under scrutiny when fans noticed not a single horror film by Blumhouse was directed by a woman, it became worse when Jason Blum responded by saying there just weren’t many women directors, especially those who wanted to direct horror. Congrats to Takal on breaking through the Blumhouse barrier. The film, starring Imogen Poots and Cary Elwes, centers around a group of students who are stalked by a stranger on the Christmas break. It is set to be released Friday, December 13, 2019.

Charlie’s Angels

Another remake of the 1970’s TV show, I actually really enjoyed the 2000 remake with Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu. This time around, the film follows new angels Elena (Naomi Scott), Sabina (Kristen Stewart), and Jane (Ella Balinska), who work for the mysterious Charlie. The film was directed by Elizabeth Banks, from a script she wrote with a group of writers. Banks will also be starring in the movie as one of the Bosleys. Yes, traditionally Bosley has been one man, but the 2003 sequel to the 2000 film did set up the ability for the Bosley name to transfer from one person to the next, in this film, they took that a step further and have multiple Bosleys (Banks, Patrick Stewart, and Djimon Hounsou). The film is set for release on November 15, 2019.

Clemency

This drama film, out of the Sundance Film Festival, was written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu. It stars Alfre Woodard as Bernadine Williams, a prison warden grappling with the emotional and psychological toll that carrying out executions have taken on her, ultimately leading her to connect with the man she is scheduled to execute. Chukwu made history by becoming the first black woman to win the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. In addition to Woodard, the film stars Danielle Brooks, Aldis Hodge, Wendell Pierce, and Richard Schiff. The film is scheduled to be released on December 27, 2019.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Portrait of a Lady on Fire won the Queer Palm this year at the Cannes Film Festival, marking the first film directed by a woman to win the Queer Palm, it also won the award for Best Screenplay at Cannes. The film was written and directed Céline Sciamma, and stars Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel in the leading roles. The film is set in the late 18th century and centers on Marianne (Merlant), a painter who is commissioned to paint a portrait of Héloïse (Haenel) for use in soliciting marriage proposals. Héloïse has previously refused to sit for her portrait and does not want to get married. To get close to her, Marianne pretends to be a lady’s maid, as the women get to know each other and Marianne works on the portrait, the two women fall in love. The film is set for a limited theatrical release on December 6, 2019.