Watch These 6 Movies About Women In Film This International Women’s Day
This International Women’s Day,CinemaWorld spotlights films about women and for women that speak of unique cultural and social experiences that unite us as one. In commemoration of this important day, here are 6 movies that showcase the diversity of womanhood. From devoted mothers to powerful (albeit vengeful) women, this curation of movies is an unapologetic reclamation of space for women’s voices in the cinematic world.
Backwards
Poland
Clinching multiple awards and nominations at the Polish Film Awards 2023, Backwards sheds light on the struggles of children with autism and their loved ones in a system that disregards them.
As an ambitious young woman, Marysia finds herself becoming a reluctant single mother, trying to juggle her maternal duties with her college education. As her son Kuba grows up, his need for rituals and inability to socialise with his peers makes evident that he is unique and requires more support in school — support that Polish schools in the 90s fail to provide.
Against the bureaucratic Polish schooling system, Marysia must fight for her son’s rights to receive the education he deserves. A must-watch film that discusses society’s treatment of autistic people, Backwards is also a heartwarming reminder about a mother’s unwavering love and determination.
15 Years
Germany / Austria / Luxembourg
15 Years, the sequel to the beloved musical thriller 4 Minutes by Chris Kraus, stars Hannah Herzsprung as the now older and hardened Jenny who is fresh out of prison to seek revenge for her wrongful sentence.
Despite her misgivings, her undeniable musical talent brings her once more to the stage together with Syrian refugee and gifted singer Omar, where she will perform before the man who betrayed her 15 years ago.
Filled with pain, anger and vengeance, Herzsprung’s fiery performance defies all conventions of the typical, easily appealing female protagonist portrayed in the media.
Temporaries
Canada / France
Nominated for Best International Narrative Feature at Tribeca Film Festival, 2023, Temporaries follows its protagonist, Ariane, who returns to her home in Richelieu Valley after a break-up. There, she is hired as a translator between the Spanish-speaking workers at a food transformation plant and their French employer where she becomes witness to the layers of systemic corruption taking place in the factory.
Through Ariane’s raw and unfiltered gaze, director Pier-Philippe Chevigny breaks down the barriers that hide the ugly realities behind factory walls, highlighting the incessant chain of abuse that plagues migrant workers.
Room 514
Israel
Within the grey walls of an interrogation room, tension mounts as Anna, a young and idealistic Israeli officer confronts an elite officer about his abuse of power against a Palestinian family. However, as a female officer of lower rank, Anna finds herself struggling to be taken seriously.
Awarded the New Narrative Director (Special Mention) at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival, Room 514 is thriller that is both sensuous and political – it is unafraid to question the politics of power intersecting gender, nationality and religion.
Premiere Affaire
France
This French court drama follows a young graduate’s tumultuous journey as a novice defense lawyer navigating the unrelenting justice system.
Nora, a 26-year-old lawyer who has just graduated from law school, is quickly thrust into the unfamiliar depths of her first criminal defense case. Inexperienced and naive, she soon discovers the cruelty of the underground criminal world and the justice system.
As Nora seems to lose all control and struggles to find balance in her professional and personal life, a series of missteps force her to question her own choices.
Kuma
Austria
Observing the Turkish “second wife” tradition – also known as Kuma – the film tells the story of young Ayse who has been tricked into a marriage with a middle-aged family man, Mustafa.
Due to his spouse, Fatma’s, cancer diagnosis, Ayse is forced to be his unofficial second wife and takes on Fatma’s marital duties immediately – cleaning, cooking and caring for the children.
Nominated for the Best First Feature Award and the Panorama Audience Award (Fiction Film) at the Berlin International Film Festival, 2012, Kuma probes at larger, poignant questions about oppressive traditions and gender norms within its deceptively domestic setting. And amidst the tensions that arise in the home, an unlikely bond is formed between the two wives.
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