6 Great Women-led Films For International Women’s Day

In honour of International Women’s Day on March 8th, Hollywood Suite is celebrating Women in Film, both behind and in front of the camera—all month long! Across the globe, the commemoration of International Women’s Day varies from being a public holiday to being largely ignored elsewhere. It’s been considered an epic day of protest and a day to celebrate womanhood. Join us in honouring women in film by watching these complex and captivating women-led and women-directed films all this March On Demand:

1. GILDA (1946): Come for the infamous hair-tossing scene–stay for an unforgettable star-making performance. Watch Rita Hayworth sizzle in her signature role in this once forgotten cult classic.
2. BLACK GIRL (1972): Examining issues and experiences of Black womanhood in the 1970s, this film confronts stereotypes of the period. Black Girl was released against the backdrop of the surging feminist movement in the early 1970s and explores the intersection of women’s liberation and the Black Power movement.
3. GIRLFRIENDS (1978): The feature film debut of director Claudia Weill was the first American independent film to be funded with grants. In 1980, Stanley Kubrick praised Girlfriends as “one of the most interesting American films that I’ve seen in a long time”.
4. SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN (1985): Directed by Linda Feferman and starring Jennifer Connelly in one of her first film roles, this forgotten teen gem tackles coming of age with honesty and sensitivity uncommon in 80’s teen films (looking at you, John Hughes).
5. MIXED NUTS (1994): Written and directed by the late Nora Ephron, this oddball comedy centres around a crisis hotline on one crazy night during the Christmas holidays. The stellar cast includes comedy greats like Steve Martin, Madeline Kahn, Rob Reiner, Adam Sandler and Parker Posey.
6. COLETTE (2018): Keira Knightley stars in this biopic of author Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, known mononymously as Colette. In this true story of female empowerment, Colette fights over creative ownership and against gender roles, driving her to overcome societal constraints, revolutionizing literature, fashion and sexual expression.