In a movie industry shamefully dominated by men, it's tough to find films made by women, primarily for women. Sure, some men make films for women, but it's tiresome to never see female directors or screenwriters working on cool, well-advertised projects - especially projects outside the genres of romance and comedy.
But there are so many films made by female filmmakers out there ready to be seen. Whether you dig them or not, this year alone we've had films like Belle (directed by Amma Asante and written by Misan Sagay), Maleficent (written by Linda Woolverton), Endless Love (directed by Shana Feste), Veronica Mars (co-written by Diane Ruggiero), and The Other Woman (written by Melissa Stack) among others. Some, like Kelly Reichardt'sNight Moves and Gia Coppola's Palo Alto, were barely around for a week before Regal South Beach tossed them out. Far off in the distance are Angelina Jolie's direction for Unbroken, Gillian Flynn's screenplay for Gone Girl, and the Wachowski sibling film Jupiter Ascending, which has been pushed to 2015.
Writer-director Gillian Robespierre's delightful Obvious Child finally hits Miami theaters this weekend, and it's just one of many films directed or written by women (many of which are made for women) that are coming out this summer.
5. Step Up: All In
Even though the first film in the Step Up series was directed by Anne Fletcher (who went on to direct 27 Dresses, The Proposal, and The Guilt Trip), and all of the following were still written by women, men have directed each entry after. Weirdly enough, the roles have been switched for this fifth entry; a man writing and a woman named Trish Sie making her feature directorial debut. Whatever flaws the Step Up series might have, the trailer for this one has shown off some ridiculously sized dance pieces. Don't hate; that kind of massive choreography is pretty cool.
4. Lucky Them
It's hard to go wrong with a duo as talented as Toni Collete and Thomas Haden Church, both with some great films under their belts. Teaming up with writer-director Megan Griffiths -- who some may know from her past films Eden and The Off Hours -- they're around to tell the story of a woman on the hunt for her ex-boyfriend for the sake of a magazine article.
3. The Amazing Catfish
Mexican filmmaker Claudia Sainte-Luce's feature debut tells the tale of a young woman who bonds with the family of a sick woman she met in the hospital, showing us how she blends and becomes a part of their lives. As charming as the trailer comes off, though, one of the most interesting facts is that cinematographer Agnès Godard is working alongside the filmmaker. Knowing that, it's sure to be gorgeous to look at.
2. Hellion
We've seen Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul on the big screen earlier this year on the not-so-great Need for Speed, but in Kat Candler's Hellion, he takes on a different role. As the father of a child who was taken by child protective services, Paul's character must do whatever he can to get his son back. The result looks to be a thriller drama that boasts the talent of Juliette Lewis alongside Paul. Plus, with its Miami premiere at O Cinema, Candler will be giving post-film Q&A sessions over Skype, and that's opportunity to look forward to.
1. Very Good Girls
Another film with Dakota Fanning (the first being Night Moves) hits theaters this summer. This time, Fanning stars alongside Elizabeth Olsen in director Naomi Foner's feature debut. Very Good Girls is about two young women straight out of high school who make a pact to lose their virginity, but fall for the same street artist when they get there. Sure, it sounds like reminiscent of Little Darlings, but we're willing to give it a chance.
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