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Higher Ground
rating:3.0

Higher Ground

2011Runtime:0 minutes
Vera Farmiga stars in and directs this sensitive and searching chronicle describing one woman's lifetime journey of faith -- one that initially leads her to join a fundamentalist sect and then leave it again years later.

Directed by:

  • Vera Farmiga
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    The Loveless
    rating:3.0

    The Loveless

    1982Runtime:0 minutes
    A group of leather-clad bikers (led by Willem Dafoe in his feature-film debut) en route to some blistering racing action in Daytona, Fla., makes a pit stop in a backwater Georgia town. While waiting for one of their hogs to get fixed, the gang decides to raise hell. But they get more than they bargained for when the townsfolk battle back in this moody homage to Marlon Brando's classic biker movie, The Wild One.

    Directed by:

  • Kathryn Bigelow
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Who's Afraid of Kathy Acker?
    rating:3.0

    Who's Afraid of Kathy Acker?

    2008Runtime:0 minutes
    Trace the extreme life of outlaw writer, performance artist and punk icon Kathy Acker through this vibrant documentary portrait, which chronicles her controversial career challenging society's assumptions about gender and sexuality. Through animation, archival footage, interviews and dramatic reenactments, director Barbara Caspar explores Acker's colorful history, from her well-heeled upbringing to her role as the scribe of society's fringe.

    Directed by:

  • Barbara Caspar
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Open Window
    rating:3.0

    Open Window

    2006Runtime:0 minutes
    Engaged professionals Peter (Joel Edgerton) and Izzy (Robin Tunney) have always been there for each other. But when Izzy is brutally raped in the couple's home, she begins to fall apart emotionally, leaving a helpless Peter to watch her spin out of control. As time passes, Izzy struggles to piece her life back together with the help of her parents (Elliott Gould and Cybill Shepherd) and therapist (Shirley Knight).

    Directed by:

  • Mia Goldman
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Greener Mountains
    rating:3.0

    Greener Mountains

    2004Runtime:0 minutes
    J.P. Barton (Chris Heuisler) knows little about life away from the Vermont resort his adopted family owns and operates. So when beautiful, free-spirited New York artist Alice (Kimberly McCullough) arrives, J.P. experiences life -- and love -- like never before. When the family resort is threatened with closure, J.P. must find a way to save it. But on the road to self-discovery, can J.P.also find his way into Alice's heart?

    Directed by:

  • Lee Shallat-Chemel
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Cold Souls
    rating:3.0

    Cold Souls

    2008Runtime:0 minutes
    Paul Giamatti stars as himself, an actor in the throes of anxiety over an upcoming performance -- until he gives his soul to a mysterious company that promises to freeze and store it until he wants it again, along with his anxieties. But when his soul goes missing, Giamatti embarks on a journey to track it down. Along the way he learns a thing or two about engaging every human emotion, however difficult. Sophie Barthes directs.

    Directed by:

  • Sophie Barthes
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Eve & the Fire Horse
    rating:3.0

    Eve & the Fire Horse

    2006Runtime:0 minutes
    When Eve (Phoebe Kut) and Karena's (Hollie Lo) mother (Vivian Wu) chops down an apple tree -- a Chinese taboo -- it sets off a chain of bad luck that sends the two sisters on a frantic search for salvation in Julia Kwan's acclaimed religious drama. As Karena embraces Catholicism and introduces Eve to Christian doctrine, a puzzling blend of crucifixes and Buddhas takes over the household landscape. The film won the Sundance Special Jury Prize.

    Directed by:

  • Julia Kwan
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Treasures IV: American Avant Garde Film: 1947-1986
    rating:3.0

    Treasures IV: American Avant Garde Film: 1947-1986

    1947Runtime:0 minutes
    Jam-packed with more than two dozen experimental films from 1947 through 1986, this compilation of shorts includes the work of Andy Warhol, Shirley Clarke, Bruce Baillie and other avant-garde filmmakers. The diverse pieces range from live action to animation and from documentary to drama. Other directors include Wallace Berman, Stan Brakhage, Marie Menken, Ron Rice, Pat O'Neill, Larry Gottheim and many more.

    Directed by:

  • Bruce Baillie
  • Shirley Clarke
  • Stan Brakhage
  • Robert Breer
  • Wallace Berman
  • Joseph Cornell
  • Storm De Hirsch
  • Hollis Frampton
  • Larry Gottheim
  • Ken Jacobs
  • Lawrence Jordan
  • George Kuchar
  • Owen Land
  • Standish Lawder
  • Saul Levine
  • Christopher Maclaine
  • Jonas Mekas
  • Marie Menken
  • Robert Nelson
  • William T. Wiley
  • Pat O'Neill
  • Ron Rice
  • Paul Sharits
  • Jane Conger Belson Shimane
  • Chick Strand
  • Andy Warhol
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Onegin
    rating:3.0

    Onegin

    1999Runtime:0 minutes
    Jaded Russian nobleman Evgeny Onegin (Ralph Fiennes) leaves his sophisticated social circle in St. Petersburg after unexpectedly inheriting a country estate from his uncle. Onegin's rural neighbor introduces him to the lovely Tatyana Larin (Liv Tyler), and their mutual attraction is instant. The impulsive young woman declares her love, and Onegin -- affronted by her frankness -- rejects her, setting off a chain of events that results in tragedy.

    Directed by:

  • Martha Fiennes
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Fiona's Script
    rating:3.0

    Fiona's Script

    2008Runtime:0 minutes
    On the heels of her breakup with her long-term boyfriend, Sebastian (Allan Lazo), struggling screenwriter Fiona (Sonia Montejano) finds herself overwhelmed by a case of writer's block and an unexpected crush on an enigmatic young woman. Written and directed by first-time filmmaker Florencia Manovil, this refreshingly frank dramedy explores the complexity of discovering one's individuality in a world of conformity.

    Directed by:

  • Florencia Manovil
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Holy Smoke
    rating:3.0

    Holy Smoke

    2000Runtime:0 minutes
    Returning to Australia from India after living in a cult, Ruth is enraged to learn she was tricked into coming back by PJ Waters, a hotshot deprogramming guru. Waters believes he can return Ruth to normalcy, but Ruth quickly turns the tables on him.

    Directed by:

  • Jane Campion
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Yeast
    rating:3.0

    Yeast

    2008Runtime:0 minutes
    Resentment, frustration and aggression mar the relationships between three longtime chums -- needy Rachel (Mary Bronstein), extroverted Gen (Greta Gerwig) and passive-aggressive Alice (Amy Judd) -- in this unflinching indie tale about friendships that have run their course. Knowing which buttons to push, the women repeatedly clash until rising tensions come to an explosive head. Sean Price Williams also stars.

    Directed by:

  • Mary Bronstein
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Head On
    rating:3.0

    Head On

    1999Runtime:0 minutes
    This edgy indie drama follows 19-year-old Ari (Alex Dimitriades), a gay Greek-Australian whose roiling ethnic- and sexual-identity struggles lead to a wild, 24-hour odyssey. When he's not dealing drugs or bedding nameless partners, Ari joins his younger sister (Andrea Mandalis) in a battle of wills against their reactionary parents. Though he ultimately runs afoul of the law, Ari remains impenitent about his self-destructive hedonism.

    Directed by:

  • Ana Kokkinos
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    The Guitar
    rating:3.0

    The Guitar

    2007Runtime:0 minutes
    In one fateful day, Mel Wilder (Saffron Burrows) is fired from her job, abandoned by her boyfriend and diagnosed with a terminal disease. With nothing left to lose, Mel's determined to make the most of her final days by living the life she always dreamed of. Directed by Amy Redford, this touching story celebrates the emotional and spiritual liberation of a woman who thumbs her nose at death and refuses to go gently into that good night.

    Directed by:

  • Amy Redford
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Kissed
    rating:3.0

    Kissed

    1996Runtime:0 minutes
    Ever since she was a young girl, Sandra Larson (Molly Parker) has been fascinated with the darkness of death, but when she takes a part-time job as an embalmer at a funeral parlor, her obsession consumes her every desire. As her boyfriend (Peter Outerbridge) struggles to relate to her new lifestyle and her love of the afterlife and the study of necrophilia, he jumps through hoops to prove he'll do anything for love.

    Directed by:

  • Lynne Stopkewich
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    The Lather Effect
    rating:3.0

    The Lather Effect

    2007Runtime:0 minutes
    On the eve of selling her childhood home, Valinda (Connie Britton) hosts a liquor-drenched high school reunion party, after which she and a handful of her now 30-something friends clean up the wreckage and wax nostalgic about the long-gone 1980s. Eric Stoltz, Peter Facinelli, Ione Skye, Sarah Clarke and Tate Donovan fill out the cast of this intriguing ensemble dramedy from co-writer-director Sarah Kelly.

    Directed by:

  • Sarah Kelly
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Now and Then
    rating:3.8

    Now and Then

    1995Runtime:0 minutes
    Waxing nostalgic about the bittersweet passage from childhood to puberty in this tender coming-of-age tale, four childhood girlfriends -- Teeny, Chrissy, Samantha and Roberta -- recall the magical summer of 1970. During their walk down memory lane, they reconcile experiences with boys, secrets, bullies and more. Lesli Linka Glatter directs; Gaby Hoffmann, Ashleigh Aston Moore, Cloris Leachman, Thora Birch and Christina Ricci co-star.

    Directed by:

  • Lesli Linka Glatter
  • rating:3.8 3.8 Average Rating

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    Now and Then (1995)
    A heartwarming movie about four childhood girlfriends who, in adulthood reunion, relive their experience of the life-changing summer of 1970, including a mystery death, divorce, standing up to the boys, first kiss, and the meaning of true friendship. Each explores her unique identity amidst family and friends. Beautifully directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.
    - Frances   
    We periodically update our movie database by adding new female directors and their movies. If you would like to receive notice of these new additions when they happen, please email us at:
    frances 'at' femaledirectors.com