The fall film festival season is in full swing! Audiences are being bombarded with critic reviews, press tours, red carpet photos, and letterboxd lists all sharing which films have mandated viewings this fall. Within the festival circuit and award season buzz, female-directed films are garnering attention.
Marielle Heller returns with her comedy-for-women and horror-for-men Nightbitch. Saoirse Ronan joins the Oscar race with her performance in Nora Fingscheidt’s The Outrun. Pamela Anderson dazzles in Gia Goppola’s The Last Showgirl. Nicole Kidman risks it all for Harris Dickinson in Halina Reijn’s Babygirl.
While there is a growing slate of female-made films to support this fall, there are still many stories from marginalized voices with small casts and budgets that may be easily overlooked. If you want to diversify your festival lineup this year or are looking for guidance on what to catch up on post-2024 festival season, here are five female-directed hidden gems to watch this fall.
All We Imagine as Light directed by Payal Kapadia
Despite winning the Grand Prix award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, there has been relatively low mainstream chatter about this critically acclaimed Indian drama. Payal Kapadia’s debut narrative feature follows two nurses living in Mumbai who are both troubled by their relationships. They embark on a trip to a beach town in hopes of allowing their desires to manifest.
Kapadia made history as the first Indian filmmaker to win the prestigious Grand Prix award at Cannes. Shot mostly at night, the Hindi-language film is a love letter to Mumbai and the individuals who wander this city. The film also spotlights female desires, sexuality, insecurities, and longing; topics that are rarely discussed with nuance in film. Early reactions note the film’s color palette, notable performances, and tender story.
All We Imagine as Light (2024) continues its festival streak at TIFF and NYFF. It is set for release in the United States on November 15th.
Timestalker directed by Alice Lowe
Alice Lowe’s Timestalker (2024) follows a woman who repeatedly falls for the wrong man throughout different eras of history. With each new reincarnation, she attempts to learn from her mistakes and finally break the cycle, but falling in love is not so easily prevented. This time-traveling romantic fantasy takes the audience through 1680s Scotland, 1790s England, 1840s Britain, 1980s New York, and more.
The clever script is a mix of genres: romance, comedy, fantasy, period, and sci-fi. It’s a breath of fresh air to see such a uniquely original female-led story be told and gives one hope for the future of the industry. Early reviews compare it to Monty Python films– if only they had a woman in their mix. The previews for the film so far feature extravagant costumes, dildo jokes, a pink cat, and an insatiable longing for something you cannot describe. Basically, girlhood in a nutshell. This will be the perfect film to wrap up Brat Summer with– just don’t text your toxic ex after.
Timestalker is set for a UK release on October 18th.
Dahomey directed by Mati Diop
After winning the 2019 Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, Mati Diop returns to the director chair with Dahomey (2024). This 68-minute documentary blurs the lines between narrative storytelling and nonfiction filmmaking. Dahomey documents twenty-six royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey (1600-1904) that were stolen by France during the region’s colonial period.
The film comments on the topical conversation of colonialism and stolen cultural objects without ever becoming patronizing or worse, boring. Diop makes the bold choice to bring one of the artifacts to life and allow it to tell its own story, tackling a complex topic through poetic wonder. Diop pushes the boundaries of filmmaking through her creative nonfiction approach to storytelling, and she is quickly becoming one of our most intriguing female filmmakers.
Dahomey screens at TIFF, Frauen Film Fest, New York Film Festival, Camden International Film Festival, Atlantic International Film Festival and is set for a France release on September 11th. You can also watch Dahomey on Mubi later this fall.
Wild Diamond directed by Agathe Riedinger
Agathe Riedinger’s feature directorial debut tackles the horrifying world of influencer culture. Wild Diamond (2024) is a French coming-of-age drama film that tracks a young woman’s pursuit of fame through social media and reality television.
The current digital era provokes complex debates around feminism, sexuality, and oppression. Wild Diamond confronts these questions and, in Riedinger’s own words, asks “Are these women over-sexualized or is it a sign of emancipation and exerting their freedom?”
Riedinger’s realistic filmmaking style is being compared to Sean Baker, who is also garnering attention with his new film Anora (2024). Similar to Baker, Riedinger cast a nonprofessional actress (Malou Khebizi) as her lead, who dazzles in her on-screen debut. Wild Diamond holds no judgment over the film’s main character and encourages the audience not to either, but rather approaches a topical debate with humanity and thoughtfulness. Wild Diamond is a promising directorial debut from Riedinger, and I can not wait to see what she does next.
Wild Diamond releases in France on November 20th and is set for a U.S. theatrical release in early 2025.
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl directed by Rungano Nyoni
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024) earned Rungano Nyoni the Best Director- Un Certain Regard award at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. The newest film from the Zambian-Welsh director is a powerful, angry depiction of personal growth and identity in conflict with familial traditions.
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl follows Shula, a young woman who discovers the corpse of her uncle. The story follows the funeral procession and the truths that are unburied alongside his burial. As Shula is re-submerged into her Zambian heritage and family, she encounters misogyny, inner turmoil, and trauma. Anyone in an audience can relate to the roles we play when we are with family, and Nyoni depicts the feeling of isolation that comes with it in a profoundly complex way. The film’s ambiguous ending will leave you frozen in your seat long after the credits roll.
On Becoming A Guinea Fowl screens at TIFF, NYFF, BFI London, and VIFF this fall. It is set for a United States release on December 13th.
List Courtesy of Kamryn Ryan
Feature Image Credit to ‘All We Imagine as Light’ and Cannes Film Festival via BBC