“Queen & Slim”
Director: Melina Matsoukas
What You Need to Know: Oh, man. There’s so much to be excited about when it comes to “Queen & Slim.” Not only is the film based on a script by “Master of None” genius/dreamboat Lena Waithe, but it’s also the first feature for crazy prolific music video auteur Melina Matsoukas (she’s won Grammys for the “We Found Love” and “Formation” videos, to give you an idea). This isn’t the first time Waithe and Matsoukas have worked together, either: Matsoukas notably directed Waithe’s incredible “Thanksgiving” episode of “Master of None.” And that’s without even getting into what this movie is about — ”Queen & Slim” follows a black couple (Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner Smith) who go on the run after killing a cop in an act of self-defense. It’s no wonder this is the first role Daniel Kaluuya has taken since he became a household name in Jordan Peele’s “Get Out,” as it looks like this film, which Waithe calls “protest art,” addresses similarly salient issues. We’d be psyched about this cast and premise on its own, but having women behind the camera and script sends this over the top. November (note that prime Oscars season release date!) can’t come fast enough.
Release: November 27
Our Queen and Slim team is reunited in New Orleans and celebrated Melina Matsoukas' (the incredible director) birthday yesterday! (via shionat) pic.twitter.com/pBxQFtfNvd
— best of daniel (@bestofkaluuya) January 15, 2019
“The Rhythm Section”
Director: Reed Morano
What You Need to Know: Lesbians everywhere, rejoice — after a jaw-dropping performance in Paul Feig’s “A Simple Favor,” Blake Lively is going to play an assassin in the upcoming mystery “The Rhythm Section.” This marks the second directorial feature from “The Handmaid’s Tale” DP Reed Murano after her (relatively) well-received Sundance debut “I Think We’re Alone Now,” and it’s awesome to see Paramount trust the up-and-coming director enough to helm what could be a burgeoning franchise. (“The Rhythm Section” is the first in a series of four novels by Mark Burnell, after all.) We’re not sure if Ms. Lively will rock some fabulous suits this time around, but we are sure we’re going to be keeping an eye out in case she does. Thankfully, “The Rhythm Section” debuts early this year.
Release: February 22 (though given there’s no trailer right now, we’re kind of assuming this is being pushed to later in the year)
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/885490800674562048
“The Souvenir”
Director: Joanna Hogg
What You Need to Know: “The Souvenir” marks British director Joanna Hogg’s fifth feature and tells the semi-autobiographical tale of a film student’s toxic first love. Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne) becomes enamored with an older man, Anthony (Tom Burke) and, despite loved ones’ advice, quickly financially and emotionally devotes herself to him. “The Souvenir” is a two-part film, with this part starring Swinton Byrne alongside her real-life mom, Tilda Swinton, as well as Ariane Labed (“Attenberg,” “Mary Magdalene”) and Richard Ayoade. Rumor has it the second part will bring in Robert Pattinson as well. This Martin Scorsese-executive produced flick is slated to release at Sundance, and A24 has already scooped it up, so safe to say we’re not the only ones with great expectations. Then again, it’s hard not to get psyched about anything by Hogg — after all, she is the woman who discovered Tom Hiddleston.
Release: January 27
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/994254393896648704
“The Turning”
Director: Floria Sigismondi
What You Need to Know: Like Karyn Kusama (“Jennifer’s Body,” “Destroyer”), Floria Sigismondi is a skilled filmmaker who’s been in directors’ jail ever since her 2010 “The Runaways” biopic was panned. (Why, though? It’s a perfectly good movie. It put Kristen Stewart on the map as an indie lead. It — okay, fine, whatever, this is neither the time nor the place.) Now she’s finally getting a second shot — and a wide release, to boot! — with supernatural horror film “The Turning.” It’s a modern adaptation of “The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James, in which the young caretaker of two orphans feels haunted by the spirits of their parents. Mackenzie Davis (“Tully,” “Halt and Catch Fire”) leads the cast as Kate, nanny to youngsters Miles (Finn Wolfhard, “It”) and Flora (Brooklynn Prince, “The Florida Project”) in this script by “The Conjuring” writers Carey and Chad Hayes. One of only two horror films on this list (since women don’t direct horror, obviously), we’d be interested in this
Release: TBD
https://twitter.com/kun6manuk/status/1075026767474155521
“Untitled Miranda July Project”
Director: Miranda July
What You Need to Know: This is an especially intriguing entry, both for its enigmaticness and standout foundation — and “enigmatic” and “standout” are certainly two adjectives that describe filmmaker Miranda July, the madcap feminist mind behind “The Future” and “Me and You and Everyone We Know.” Evan Rachel Wood leads this developing project, backed up by Richard Jenkins, Debra Winger, and Gina Rodriguez, and the film is being financed by Annapurna and Brad Pitt’s Plan B. Knowing all that, surely now you understand why we’re already so invested in this still-nameless project. And even if that fabulous cast and funding weren’t already in place, who doesn’t want to see Miranda July bring something to the big screen again?
Release: TBD – maybe late 2019
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/979441579109658624
“Zola”
Director: Janicza Bravo
What You Need to Know: For all its flaws, there’s no denying that the digital age can be absurdly hilarious. Exhibit A: This insane Twitter thread from 2015, where an exotic dancer named Aziah Wells captivated the world with a madcap tale of sex, suicide, and shootings in Tampa, Florida. Now, to compound that ridiculousness, “Lemon” director Janicza Bravo is directing a film adaptation of the Twitter thread. “Zola” centers on its titular character (Taylour Paige), a sardonic stripper pulled into a harrowing prostitution trip in Tampa, as she unwittingly becomes a madame and confidante to fellow sex worker Jessica (Riley Keough). James Franco was originally set to direct this zany script, but he was blessedly bumped for Bravo following last year’s accusations of sexual misconduct. Given Bravo’s outre work on Sundance premieres like short “Gregory Go Boom,” the iconic “Atlanta” episode “Juneteenth,” and her first film “Lemon,” she seems like an excellent fit for this movie. Plus, it’s great to see her in the director’s chair again so soon after “Lemon” failed to wow critics. Don’t @ us, but we’re psyched about this crazy future feature.
Release: TBA — likely Fall 2019
Janicza Bravo, diretora do filme Zola, em seu Instagram: "Adeus, por enquanto". pic.twitter.com/5P21mFzj00
— Riley Keough Brasil (@RileyKeoughBR) December 7, 2018
Honorable Mentions
This was a tough-but-thrilling feature to write, in part because picking out all my favorite upcoming flicks was actually difficult — that is to say, a lot of women are coming out with interesting films this year! One big-screen release that we’re looking out for, for better or for worse, is Catherine Hardwicke’s “Miss Bala,” and there are so many interesting small-time/festival flicks on their way. Keep an eye out for Gia Coppola’s new project, “Mainstream,” Lone Scherfig’s return to the big screen with “The Kindness of Strangers.” Marielle Heller’s triumphant follow-up post-“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” will be a Tom Hanks-led Mr. Rogers biopic, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” and coming-of-age master Gurinder Chadha is coming back with Sundance premiere “Blinded by the Light.”
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/1078363190457761793
The Kindness of Strangers
Std: Lone Scherfig (Italian for Beginners, Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, An Education, Their Finest)
"The story of four people suffering through the worst crises of their lives." pic.twitter.com/FwjKFzTJEr
— Alexander Matius (@alexandermatius) January 17, 2019
A few more titles to Google, jot down, or add to your red yarn-laden conspiracy corkboard: “Little Joe” by Jessica Hausner, “My Zoe” by Julie Delpy, “Proxima” by Alice Winocour, “The Kitchen” by Andrea Berloff, and “Birds of Passage” by Christina Gallego and Ciro Guerra.
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/996484430859354112
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/1059098191277289473
And where’s Ava DuVernay, you might ask? She’s doing a “Central Park Five” mini-series for Netflix, so she won’t be on the big screen next year. That said, the series is such a big release that we wouldn’t be surprised to see it make a splashy debut at a film festival first — perhaps Toronto. (And don’t worry, it’s already on our list of The Most Anticipated TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2019.) Another big director missing on the big screen, but we’ll see her work this year is Andrea Arnold. She’s expected to direct all of the second season of “Big Little Lies,” so yes, she’s finally hit the big time.
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/939228112637665280
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/883032103629209600
You’ll get to learn more about a lot of these titles through our Sundance coverage, so be sure to keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, pray to Athena for a fruitful year of female leadership in film — or, you know, just resolve to watch more diverse works throughout the year. Consider this your starter course, an appe-teaser of what’s to come. Who knows, maybe we could feast on a female Best Director win at the 2020 Oscars.
