Watch these films for International Women's Day
International Women’s Day (IWD) is 8 March.
This special day with its illustrious roots from the early 1900s, is honored in different ways across the world.
IWD is an occasion dedicated to the quest for global gender equality and equity for women from every walk of life.
Depending on the country, the social norms and the industry segment, the march forward for equality and equity for women, is real and is a continuous journey. Some battles emerge triumphant and yet many such gender equality quests in very different societies and countries today, remain extremely hard fought.
CinemaWorld turns its lenses in the month of March, to films that embody the spirit of this quest for women equality and parity.
This March, through a curated selection of 5 films, CinemaWorld will share stories of diverse perspectives that capture snapshots of different facets of gender inequality; heartfelt experiences that dare to question and challenge, in the hope for positive changes that eventually make a difference.
WARS (Canada) (2021)
Twenty-year-old Emma follows her father’s footsteps and her aspirations and joins the army. A victim of cruel harassment by her male superior Sergeant Richard, she must decide to fight back or take flight.
Directed by Nicolas Roy, who uses rich emotions and gestures to bring characters alive, this film starred Éléonore Loiselle, an up-and-coming actor who won the coveted Best Actress Award at the prestigious 2021 Karlovy Vary Film Festival.
ONE DAY (Hungary) (2018)
Anna is 40 – a mother of three and an overtaxed teacher. Daily, she struggles to balance her commitments. When she learns of her husband’s infidelity, the manic pace of her life spirals to a crashing – and catastrophic – halt for all involved.
FIPRESCI Prize winner at Cannes Film Festival 2018, ONE DAY is an intense, intimate film which shows 36 hours in a disintegrating marriage from the point of view of the stressed-out wife.
Budapest-born director Zsófia Szilágyi, a former student and assistant to Academy Award nominee Ildiko Enyedi, she has worked in television and on documentaries; ONE DAY is her debut feature. Szilágyi calls the film, her intimate look at motherhood, "a matrimonial thriller," and observes that "It turned out that the most ancient and most natural job in the world is pretty damn hard."
HER JOB (Greece) (2019)
37-year-old Panayiota is an illiterate and oppressed housewife who gets her first job as a cleaner. Over time, she rises up the ranks and gains her family respect; but danger looms as a series of layoffs start.
Best Film Nominee at Toronto International Film Festival 2018, HER JOB centers on the sexism and female emancipation of a housewife. Staring Greek actress Marisha Triantafyllidou, her moving performance won Best Actress Award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, Hellenic Film Academy Awards, and at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival.
IN THE HEART OF THE WORLD (2019) (Brazil)
In a poor Brazilian small town, many women struggle to make ends meet; some in futility and others endangering their lives in exchange for the hope of a better future.
A sprawling feature, IN THE HEART OF THE WORLD is a kaleidoscopic portrait of struggle, hope, and faith.
Aside from being featured at the IndieLisboa International Film Festival, IN THE HEART OF THE WORLD was also a Tiger Award Nominee at the 2019 Rotterdam International Film Festival. The movie also earned 7 nominations at the Guarani Brazilian Film Award 2020 including Best Picture award.
INTERNATIONAL FALLS (USA) (2019)
A middle-aged mom meets a washed-up stand-up comedian, and the most unlikely bond develops between two oddballs.
“Alternately funny and poignant” says The Hollywood Reporter.
Young American director Amber McGinnis is a famous multi-hyphenated. She is an actor, film director and writer. Her mission is ‘to champion inclusion and tell the stories of working class women who turn their pain into power’. Featuring Rachael Harris and Rob Huebel, these actors with strong comedic background capture the attention of the audience as they navigate around their less than satisfactory life.
INTERNATIONAL FALLS is Amber McGinnis’s debut film, and it won the 2019 FIPRESCI New American Cinema Grand Jury prize at the Seattle International Film Festival.
Subscribe to CinemaWorld now to watch all these wonderful women-led stories.
