Bird Watching – Top 5 Most Anticipated Films Directed by Women

July 26th, 2011 | POSTED BY Brandi Sperry

1. Take This Waltz, written and directed by Sarah Polley

I absolutely loved Sarah Polley’s first film as a director, 2006’s Away From Her, which she also adapted from a short story by Alice Munro. The difficult story of a couple dealing with Alzheimer’s, it was both spare and warm, getting at your emotions without ever feeling melodramatic. I’ve been eagerly waiting for her to make something else. Her new film stars Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, and Sarah Silverman (holy awesome!), and the script appeared on the 2009 Black List (which compiles the most noteworthy as-yet-unproduced scripts floating around Hollywood) with the following logline: “A young woman struggles with her infidelities and the budding realization that she may be addicted to the honeymoon period of her relationships.” I would love to see another beautiful drama emerge from Polley’s work. The film will premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, in September.

Cheater list! Here’s another five lady-helmed films I’m anticipating, most coming much sooner than those listed above:

*In the Land of Blood and Honey, written and directed by Angelina Jolie; December 23, 2011. Why? Because there’s a vague obligation to be curious about everything Angelina does, and because the Bosnian War is quite a bold backdrop to choose for one’s first film. Revelation or disaster? We shall see. (It also must be said that I hate the title of this film.)

*The Future, written and directed by Miranda July; limited release on July 29, 2011. Double cheating, because I’ve already seen this film, at SIFF this year. But I want to see it again.

*Higher Ground, directed by Vera Farmiga, written by Carolyn Briggs and Tim Metcalfe; August 26, 2011. Not only am I interested in seeing what Farmiga can do behind the camera, but she stars opposite the amazing John Hawkes.

*We Need to Talk About Kevin, directed by Lynne Ramsey, written by Ramsey and Rory Kinnear from the novel by Lionel Shriver; fall 2011. There has already been one quality film this year about the parents of a school shooter (Beautiful Boy); I’m very interested to see another take on this tough subject, which premiered at Cannes. Starring the always shockingly good Tilda Swinton. (Bonus fun fact for those not in the know: Lionel Shriver is a woman.)

*Wuthering Heights, directed by Andrea Arnold, adapted by Olivia Hetreed from the novel by Emily Brontë; opens in the UK September 30, 2011. I loved Arnold’s Fish Tank, and this adaptation stars the captivating young actress Kaya Scodelario, a favorite of mine from her stint on the UK version of the television show Skins.

Believe me that there are still many more where that came from, which I will write about in the future. And notice how many of those I’ve mentioned here were also written by the woman who is directing…another topic for another day.

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Amy Heckerling, Andrea Arnold, Angelina Jolie, Diablo Cody, Friends with Kids, higher ground, in the land of blood and honey, Jennifer Westfeldt, jill sprecher, lamb of god, lynne ramsey, Miranda July, Sarah Polley, take this waltz, The Future, thin ice, vamps, Vera Farmiga, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Wuthering Heights