Feminism as a concept has gone in and out of vogue since the first suffragette demanded the right to vote, but throughout history there have always been remarkable women, prepared to claim their power in the name of a cause ('Ride to Freedom: The Rosa Parks Story', 'Veronica Guerin'), or just to rediscover their own self-worth ('Shirley Valentine', 'My Brilliant Career'). This collection does not only contain films about the political struggle of women to achieve equality ('Iron Jawed Angels'), if it did it would be a very short list because despite the fact that the rise of women in the workforce and in politics was one of the defining movements of the 20th century, very few films have been made on the subject - filmmaking being still a largely male-dominated pusuit. Now, as women are making films in greater numbers than ever, our own Niki Caro is a good example of someone ready and willing to tell a story about the oppression, and ultimate triumph of women in the 'post-feminist' 1980s ('North Country'). Perhaps women as an audience are now ready and willing to hear their own stories.
When housewife Alison (Amanda Redman) wins the lottery, she keeps her winnings a closely guarded secret for fear that it will corrupt her family. Mean... Read more
Recent widow, Elizabeth (Judi Dench), begins playing her tenor sax again, remembering back to when she was in an all-girl (almost) swing band back in... Read more
The lives of three lesbian couples are explored in stories set in the same house over three different decades. First, Vanessa Redgrave must deal with... Read more
An all-star cast shines in this comedy-drama of five vignettes, as modern women deal with a myriad of problems. Glenn Close struggles with loneliness;... Read more
Based around the 1974 Kentucky miners strike, Holly Hunter stars as the wife and daughter of coal miners who became victims of the poor conditions at... Read more
A taut political drama/thriller about a U.S. Democratic senator (Joan Allen) chosen by the President (Jeff Bridges) to replace a deceased Vice Preside... Read more
Julia Roberts shines in this powerful true story, playing a feisty, divorced mother of three who takes a job as her lawyer's secretary and finds herse... Read more
Karyn Dwyer and Christina Cox star as Maggie and Kim in this sweet and energetic lesbian love story. Maggie has flunked out of law school and is worki... Read more
She's an officer and a gentlewoman, but can Navy lieutenant Demi Moore, the first woman candidate for the elite Navy SEALs unit, survive both the rigo... Read more
From the novel by Virginia Woolf, and recalling a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway (Vanessa Redgrave), an MP's wife preparing for a party that she... Read more