Subgenre Sampler
Rental > Foreign Cinema > Girl-centric: 130 Films to Rent
- Full Time (A Plien Temps) (2021)
- Dir. Eric Gravel
Feat. Laure Calamy, Genevieve Mnich, Anne Suarez
- A cracker of a French drama that teeters on the edge of a thriller throughout because it’s all about the pressure cooker that is modern life.…
- Hatching (2021)
- Dir. Hanna Bergholm
Feat. Siiri Solalinna, Sophia Heikkilä, Jani Volanen
- Hanna Bergholm's feature debut has finally put Finland on the horror film map – an enchanting pubescent allegory about a 12–year–old…
- To Chiara (A Chiara) (2021)
- Dir. Jonas Carpignano
Feat. Swamy Rotolo, Claudio Rotolo, Giorgia Rotolo…
- A rites–of–passage drama in the Italian neo–realist tradition that examines the impact of Mafia activity on those in the close…
- Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Guzen to Sozo) (2021)
- Dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
- An unexpected love triangle, a failed seduction trap and an encounter that results from a misunderstanding, the director of DRIVE MY CAR explores…
- Worst Person in the World, The (2021)
- Dir. Joachim Trier
Feat. Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Herbert Nordrum
- Gloriously provocative and richly perceptive comedy drama from talented Norwegian director Joachim Trier (THELMA), which follows an unpredictable,…
- Divine Order, The (2018)
- Dir. Petra Biondina Volpe
Feat. Marie Leuenberger
- A passionate drama set in Switzerland, following a mother and housewife who campaigns for a referendum on the right of women to vote – in 1971…
- Girl (2018)
- Dir. Lukas Dhont
Feat. Victor Polster
- This Belgian drama was a hit at Cannes owing to it's grace and emotional depth. Transsexual teenager Lara is committed to becoming a professional…
- Girls of the Sun (Les filles du soleil) (2018)
- Dir. Eva Husson
Feat. Golshifteh Farahani
- Powerful wartime film following a Kurdish female battalion who are fighting against ISIS extremists to take back control of their village. Stars…
- Roma (2018)
- Dir. Alfonso Cuaron
Feat. Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira
- Another masterclass in storytelling from Mexican maestro Alfonso Cuarón, about a year in the life of a middle–class family's maid in Mexico…
- Working Woman (2018)
- Dir. Michal Aviad
Feat. Liron Ben-Shlush
- Workplace drama capturing the spirit of the "Me Too" movement to tell the story of a smart and capable mother of three who returns to the workforce…
- Aurore (I Got Life!) (2017)
- Dir. Blandine Lenoir
Feat. Agnes Jaoui, Thibault de Montalembert, Pascale Arbillot
- Actress and co–writer Jaoui is the heart and soul of this witty if overly–familiar rom–com as the eponymous 50–year–old…
- I Am Not a Witch (2017)
- Dir. Rungano Nyoni
- Full of joy and tragedy in the equal measure, this assured debut from Zambian writer–director Rungano Nyoni follows the story of 9–year…
- Let the Sunshine In (2017)
- Dir. Claire Denis
Feat. Juliette Binoche, Xavier Beauvois, Philippe Katerine…
- Juliette Binoche is radiant as a Parisian artist and divorced mother who bravely searches for sexual fulfillment and companionship in middle age.…
- Eagle Huntress, The (2016)
- A 13–year–old nomadic Mongolian girl breaks a 2,000 year–old gender barrier to follow her father and train hunting eagles in this…
- Happy Hour (2016)
- Dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Feat. Tanaka Sachie, Kikuchi Hazuki, Mihara Maiko…
- Intelligent and novelistic drama exploring the private and professional lives of four Japanese women in their 30's across an ambitious, but…
- Innocents, The (Agnus Dei) (2016)
- Dir. Anne Fontaine
Feat. Lou de Laâge, Agata Kulesza, Agata Buzek…
- In Poland after World War II, a young French Red Cross intern who is sent to assist the survivors of the German camps discovers several nuns in…
- Like Crazy (La Pazza Gioia) (2016)
- Dir. Paolo Virzi
Feat. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Micaela Ramazzotti
- Gratifying comedy–drama following two women, one a troubled introvert, one an impassioned mythomaniac, who break out of a psychiatric facility…
- Planetarium (2016)
- Dir. Rebecca Zlotowski
Feat. Natalie Portman, Lily-Rose Depp, Emmanuel Salinger
- Natalie Portman and Lily–Rose Depp play two American sisters in pre–war France with apparent psychic abilities that engage the interest…
- Polina (2016)
- Dir. Valérie Müller, Angelin Preljocaj
Feat. Anastasia Shevtsova, Veronika Zhovnytska, Juliette Binoche
- Elegant, methodical drama about a gifted Russian dancer who gives up the chance to join the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet when she moves to France to…
- Raw (Grave) (2016)
- Dir. Julia Ducournau
Feat. Garance Marillier , Ella Rumpf
- A bright young veterinary student and ardent vegetarian is unexpectedly subjected to a series of cruel hazing rituals in her first week at college,…
- Sami Blood (2016)
- Dir. Amanda Kernell
Feat. Lene Cecilia Sparrok , Hanna Alström
- Emotionally powerful female coming–of–age movie set in 1930's Sweden, where a reindeer–herding teenager, an indigenous Sami child,…
- Modus (TV Series) (2015-2017)
- Feat. Melinda Kinnaman, Greg Wise, Kim Cattrall…
- Swedish psychological thriller series following the work of a criminal psychologist and profiler who has previously assisted both the Swedish police…
- Mustang (2015)
- Dir. Deniz Gamze Ergüven
Feat. Gunes Senoy, Doga Doguslu, Elit Iscan…
- Sublime female coming–of–age story set in a remote Turkish village, where five sisters face the stifling expectations of their…
- Our Little Sister (Umimachi Diary) (2015)
- Dir. Kore-eda Hirokazu
Feat. Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho …
- Another exquisite domestic drama from Kore–eda Hirokazu that revolves around the loves and working lives of three sisters who accommodate their…
- Girlhood (2014)
- Dir. Céline Sciamma
Feat. Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh…
- Potent coming–of–age drama set on the margins of Paris that follows a 16–year–old girl whose poor prospects tempt her to join…
- Gloria (2013)
- Dir. Sebastián Lelio
Feat. Paulina García, Sergio Hernández
- Another superb Chilean drama in the wake of the previous year's NO, Paulina Garcia plays a free–spirited 58–year–old divorcee who…
- In Bloom (2013)
- Dir. Nana Ekvtimishvili
Feat. Lika Babluani, Mariam Bokeria
- Set in the newly independent state of Georgia in the wake of the Soviet regime, this powerful story follows two young girls as they courageously…
- We Are the Best (Vi är bäst!) (2013)
- Dir. Lukas Moodysson
Feat. Mira Grosin, Mira Barkhammar, Liv LeMoyne
- Endearing portrait of teenage experimentation set in early '80s Stockholm where two decidedly unmusical 13–year–old girls decide to form…
- Wetlands (2013)
- Dir. David Wnendt
Feat. Carla Juri, Christoph Letkowski, Marlen Kruse
- Provocative comic tale of an eccentric girl who has strange attitudes towards hygiene and sexuality longs for the reunion of her divorced parents.
- Wrestling Queens (Les Reines du Ring) (2013)
- Dir. Jean-Marc Rudnicki
Feat. Marilou Berry, Nathalie Baye, Andre Dussollier…
- Broad French sports spoof with Nathalie Baye as an under–appreciated mother who recruits her working class friends to train to be wrestling…
- Beyond the Hills (2012)
- Dir. Cristian Mungiu
Feat. Cosmina Stratan, Cristina Flutur
- Cristian Mungiu directs this engrossing companion piece to his Cannes–winning 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS, about the test of closeness between…
- Jackie (2012)
- Dir. Antoinette Beumer
Feat. Carice Van Houten, Jelka van Houten, Holly Hunter
- Two Dutch sisters (played by real life siblings Carice and van Houten) trek from the Netherlands to mid–west America in aid of a mother they've…
- Wadjda (2012)
- Dir. Haifaa Al-Mansour
Feat. Waad Mohammed, Reem Abdullah
- This humanist triumph is the first ever feature to be shot in Saudi Arabia, centering on a plucky young girl who attempts to raise money for a…
- Corpo Celeste (2011)
- Dir. Alice Rohrwacher
Feat. Salvatore Cantalupo, Anita Caprioli
- A thirteen–year–old girl moves back to southern Italy with her mother and older sister and struggles to find her place, restlessly…
- Source, The (La Source des femmes) (2011)
- Dir. Radu Mihaileanu
Feat. Leïla Bekhti, Hafsia Herzi, Hiam Abbass
- A dashing feminist dramedy sprung from the male bias in the Middle East, about a village of women who take up a 'sex strike' after their husbands…
- This Girl is Badass!! (2011)
- Dir. Mum Jokmok
Feat. JeeJa Yanin
- Jija Yanin (CHOCOLATE) stars in this martial arts comedy about a girl whose family life is turned upside–down when she gets mixed up with…
- Attenberg (2010)
- Dir. Athina Rachel Tsangari
Feat. Ariane Labed, Vangelis Mourikis, Evangelia Randou…
- Highly original Greek oddity following the surreal antics of two young women who take life inspiration from the wildlife documentaries of David…
- Copacabana (2010)
- Dir. Marc Fitoussi
Feat. Isabelle Huppert, Aure Atika, Lolita Chammah
- Free–spirited and perpetually unemployed Isabelle Huppert must get with the program after learning her newly engaged daughter (played by her…
- Lost Kisses (I baci mai dati) (2010)
- Dir. Roberta Torre
Feat. Carla Marchese, Donatella Finocchiaro
- A 13–year–old girl in the deprived outskirts of a sprawling Sicilian city becomes a local celebrity to her needy community when word…
- Potiche (2010)
- Dir. Francois Ozon
Feat. Catherine Deneuve, Gerard Depardieu, Fabrice Luchini…
- Bubbly satire has 60–something Catherine Deneuve transform from trophy wife to a strong–headed businesswoman after her chauvinist husband…
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2010)
- Dir. Wayne Wang
Feat. Gianna Jun, Bingbing Li, Russell Wong…
- Wayne Wang (THE JOY LUCK CLUB) directs this unsubtle but sweeping multi–generational weepie, framed around the enduring bond between two women…
- We Are the Night (Wir sind die Nacht) (2010)
- Dir. Dennis Gansel
Feat. Karoline Herfurth, Nina Hoss, Jennifer Ulrich
- A fraulein vampire flick of sleek, urbane sensibility, centred on an alpha–female vamp (Nina Hoss) who descends on Germany in search of a soul…
- Coco Avant Chanel (Coco Before Chanel) (2009)
- Dir. Anne Fontaine
Feat. Audrey Tautou, Benoit Poelvoorde, Alessandro Nivola…
- Fittingly stylish and appealing biopic of legendary couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, tracing her early life from the rags of an orphaned childhood…
- Girl Who Played with Fire, The (2009)
- Dir. Daniel Alfredson
Feat. Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre
- Part two of Stieg Larsson's 'Millennium Trilogy' sees the return of touch–as–nails Lisbeth Salander, who must clear her name of murder…
- Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The (2009)
- Dir. Niels Arden Oplev
Feat. Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre
- One of the highest–grossing foreign language hits at the NZ box office, this riveting, full–bodied Swedish thriller follows an escalating…
- My Tehran for Sale (2009)
- Dir. Granaz Moussavi
Feat. Marzieh Vafamehr, Amir Chegini, Asha Mehrabi
- Marzieh is a young female actress living in Tehran. The authorities ban her theatre work and she is forced to lead a secret life in order to express…
- Raging Phoenix (2009)
- Dir. Rashane Limtrakul
Feat. JeeJa Yanin
- The female star of CHOCOLATE returns with break dancing moves to complement her sick martial arts skills, in this over–the–top kickboxing…
- Bride Flight (2008)
- Dir. Ben Sombogaart
Feat. Karina Smulders, Waldemar Torenstra, Anna Drijver…
- New Zealand in the 1950's from a Dutch perspective makes this melodrama an intriguing, unique experience for Kiwi audiences, which also has the…
- Chocolate (2008)
- Dir. Prachya Pinkaew
Feat. JeeJa Yanin, Hiroshi Abe, Pongpat Wachirabunjong
- Impressive newcomer Jeeja Yanin plays a butt kicking autistic girl (!) in this exhilarating revenge movie, a standout amongst Thailand’s recent…
- Everlasting Moments (2008)
- Dir. Jan Troell
Feat. Maria Heiskanen, Mikael Persbrandt, Jesper Christensen
- A touching, delicately shot memoir told from the perspective of a Finnish immigrant in Sweden who finds relief from her abusive husband in the art of…
- Female Agents (Les femmes de l'ombre) (2008)
- Dir. Jean-Paul Salome
Feat. Sophie Marceau, Julie Depardieu, Marie Gillain…
- Substantial, exciting WWII espionage thriller following an all–female commando unit of the French Resistance recruited to rescue a British…
- Rosario + Vampire (TV Series) (Rozario To Banpaia) (2008)
- Tskune accidentally gets on a bus to a school of monsters.
- Tears for Sale (Charleston and Vendetta) (2008)
- Dir. Uros Stojanovic
Feat. Katarina Radivojevic, Sonja Kolacaric
- The sombre title belies what is in fact a joyously bawdy Balkan fairytale that blends fantastical folklore, striking burlesque visuals and ample…
- Caramel (Sukkar banat) (2007)
- Dir. Nadine Labaki
Feat. Nadine Labaki
- Charming Lebanese soap opera with a social conscience, the latest in an emerging wave of dissenting Middle Eastern dramas divulges the stifled lives…
- Exodus (Cheut ai kup gei) (2007)
- Dir. Pang Ho-Cheung
Feat. Simon Yam, Nick Cheung, Annie Liu
- An indifferent Hong Kong detective slowly becomes convinced that women are conspiring to kill off the entire male species in this curious melange of…
- Fighter (2007)
- Dir. Natasha Arthy
Feat. Semra Turan, Nima Nabipour, Cyron Bjørn Melville
- Girls–can–do–anything drama focused around a young Turkish–Danish teenager who is determined to become a kung–fu…
- La Vie en Rose (2007)
- Dir. Olivier Dahan
Feat. Marion Cotillard, Sylvie Testud, Emmanuelle Seigner…
- Marion Cotillard excels (and deservingly won a Best Actress Oscar) in this stunning new biopic of the life and times of French singer Edith…
- Mind the Gap (Se upp för dårarna) (2007)
- Dir. Helena Bergstrom
- Feelgood coming–of–age comedy drama focused on two twenty–somethings from different backgrounds who form a solid friendship when…
- Two Days in Paris (2 Days in Paris) (2007)
- Dir. Julie Delpy
Feat. Julie Delpy, Adam Goldberg
- Delightful, self–starring directorial debut from Julie Delpy about an angsty Franco–American couple who drop in to visit her very…
- Yella (2007)
- Dir. Christian Petzold
Feat. Nina Hoss
- Engrossing metaphysical thriller set in a predatory corporate world in which a divorcee accountant (Hoss) decides to leave behind her redundant life…
- Anna Pihl (TV Series) (2006-2008)
- Feat. Charlotte Munck, Iben Hjejle
- Praised for its realism, this Danish police drama centres around a Copenhagen policewoman also having to deal with solo parenthood.
- Black Book (Zwartboek) (2006)
- Dir. Paul Verhoeven
Feat. Carice Van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman
- A Jewish singer goes deep undercover for the Dutch resistance in this splashy, larger–than–life WWII yarn set in Nazi–occupied…
- Hey Good Looking! (Comme t'y es belle!) (2006)
- Dir. Lisa Azuelos
Feat. Aure Atika
- Frank French chick flick centred around a SEX AND THE CITYish cast of four gal pals who share with each other the trials of finding (and keeping) the…
- Hula Girls (2006)
- Dir. Sang-il Lee
Feat. Yasuko Matsuyuki, Yu Aoi
- Feel–good true story of a depleted coal–mining town in Japan, and its residents’ efforts to build a Hawaiian–themed tourist…
- Volver (2006)
- Dir. Pedro Almodovar
Feat. Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas
- Formidable Spanish brand–name dir. Almodovar re–embracing what he knows best – womanhood – in a vibrant and tempestuous tale of…
- Linda Linda Linda (2005)
- Dir. Nobuhiro Yamashita
Feat. Doona Bae, Aki Maeda, Yu Kashii…
- Guided by a rousing rock anthem, three high school seniors – and one gawky Korean exchange student – strive to have three Japanese punk classics…
- Sisters in Law (2005)
- Dir. Kim Longinotto, Florence Ayisi
- Spirited portrait of two women working in the Cameroonian Judiciary – a State Prosecutor and a judge in the magistrate’s court, respectively –…
- Cutie Honey (Kyûtî Hanî) (2004)
- Dir. Hideaki Anno
Feat. Eriko Sato
- Colourful cluster bomb romp pits a sexy supercharged heroine against an assembly line of comic book villains in a camp futuristic netherworld. Fun,…
- Maria Full of Grace (2004)
- Dir. Joshua Marston
Feat. Catalina Sandino Moreno, Yenny Paola Vega, Guilied Lopez…
- An accomplished delve into the experience of a 'drug mule', a teenage Colombian girl who enlists to smuggle heroin into the United States, so as to…
- Moolaade (2004)
- Dir. Ousmane Sembene
Feat. Fatoumata Coulibaly
- A rare glimpse for New Zealanders of the work of elderly Sengalese dir. Sembene – novelist, newspaper editor and founder of the New African…
- Twenty Thirty Forty (20 30 40) (2004)
- Dir. Sylvia Chang
Feat. Sylvia Chang, Rene Liu, Lee Sinji
- The destinies of three women in contemporary urban Taiwan – aged 20, 30 and 40 – evolve in parallel as each feels their way through the…
- Anatomy of Hell (Anatomie De L'enfer) (2003)
- Dir. Catherine Breillat
Feat. Amira Casar, Rocco Siffredi
- A queasily explicit sex drama about a suicidal woman who challenges (and pays) a promiscuous gay man to participate in an uneasy nightly ritual of…
- High Tension (Haute tension, Switchblade Romance) (2003)
- Dir. Alexandre Aja
Feat. Cecile De France, Maïwenn
- A grisly yet indeed tense French horror movie directed with stunning virtuosity, about two women whose rural weekend getaway turns horrific when they…
- Joy of Madness (Lezate divanegi) (2003)
- Dir. Hana Makhmalbaf
- An unusual and invigorating self–reflexive documentary created by the teenage sister of acclaimed filmmaker Samira Makhmalbaf, during the…
- Osama (2003)
- Dir. Siddiq Barmak
Feat. Marina Golbahari
- Though nothing to do with a certain infamous terrorist, this first Afghani film made since the rise and fall of the Taliban also happens to be a…
- Singing Behind Screens (Cantando dietro i paraventi) (2003)
- Dir. Ermanno Olmi
Feat. Bud Spencer, Davide Dragonetti
- Visually opulent Italian epic directed by Ermanno Olmi (THE TREE OF WOODEN CLOGS) set in coastal China and centred on a plucky widow who takes her…
- A Tale of a Naughty Girl (Mondo Meyer Upakhyan) (2002)
- Dir. Buddhadev Dasgupta
Feat. Samata Das, Rituparna Sengupta, Arpan Basar
- Caught between the push of tradition and the pull of the promise of a new life, a bright prostitute's daughter runs away to Calcutta to escape a…
- Satin Rouge (2002)
- Dir. Raja Amari
Feat. Hiam Abbass, Hend El Fahem
- A still–attractive but lonely widow is liberated through the world of belly–dancing in this infectious romantic drama from Tunisia.
At…
- So Close (Chik yeung tin sai) (2002)
- Dir. Corey Yuen
Feat. Shu Qi, Karen Mok, Vicki Zhao
- Presenting... a heroic trio of femmes for a new generation – a kind of high–octane "Asian Charlie's Angels".
This super–flash…
- 8 Women (8 Femmes) (2001)
- Dir. Francois Ozon
Feat. Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Emmanuelle Beart…
- In the classic whodunnit mould, this whimsical French "thriller" starts with a man’s dead body in a snowbound Alpine manse in the 1950s, and eight…
- A Ma Soeur! (For My Sister, aka Fat Girl) (2001)
- Dir. Catherine Breillat
Feat. Anais Reboux, Roxane Mesquida, Libero de Rienzo…
- An artfully impassive study of sexual predation that takes place during the summer holidays of two teenage sisters – the dumpy Anais Reboux and…
- Amelie (2001)
- Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Feat. Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz
- A charming romantic comedy stamped with the purely cinematic style of dir. Jean–Pierre Juenet, who here remixes intricate set pieces, editing…
- Princess Blade (Shurayuki-Hime) (2001)
- Dir. Shinsuke Sato
- Post–apocalyptic Japanese samurai action adapted from a graphic novel, employs a stark visual style to convey its tale of a disturbed young…
- Read My Lips (Sur Mes Levres) (2001)
- Dir. Jacques Audiard
Feat. Vincent Cassel, Emmanuelle Devos
- Sturdy, unconventional French thriller about an insecure, partially–deaf office clerk who tries to help an irascible ex–con integrate…
- Day I Became a Woman, The (2000)
- Dir. Marziyeh Meshkini
Feat. Fatemeh Cherag Akhur, Hassan Nebhan, Shahr Banou Sisizadeh
- A trio of strong metaphorical tales that outline three aspects of “a woman’s lot” in contemporary Iran, with humour and cinematic…
- Girls Can't Swim (Les filles ne savent pas nager) (2000)
- Dir. Anne-Sophie Birot
Feat. Isild Le Besco, Karen Alyx, Pascale Bussieres…
- Moody French coming–of–age drama about two girls, one who lives in the coastal town in Brittany, the other from the city.
Best…
- Me You Them (Eu Tu Eles) (2000)
- Dir. Andrucha Waddington
Feat. Regina Case, Lima Duarte, Stenio Garcia
- Set in the arid hinterlands of Brazil, this serio–comic study of rural polyandry has Regina Case (Brazil’s Oprah Winfrey) hitch up three…
- All About My Mother (1999)
- Dir. Pedro Almodovar
Feat. Cecilia Roth
- Almodovar's "celebration of mother and womanhood" has been hailed as something of a departure for the director, though in fact all of his (beloved)…
- Venus Beauty Institute (Venus Beauty) (1999)
- Dir. Tonie Marshall
Feat. Nathalie Baye, Audrey Tautou
- A modest beauty salon is the setting for this wry ensemble piece about the vagaries of womanhood, with an engagingly eccentric collection of clients…
- An Autumn Tale (1998)
- Dir. Eric Rohmer
Feat. Marie Riviere, Beatrice Romand, Alain Libolt
- Completing his suite of films based on the four seasons, dir. Rohmer provides another mellow, seemingly unplotted comedy, in which Rhone valley…
- Run Lola Run (1998)
- Dir. Tom Tykwer
Feat. Franke Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu
- Runaway foreign–language hit clocks up mileage from a simple conceit – flame–haired punkette Lola has twenty minutes to go like the…
- Terrorist, The (1998)
- Dir. Santosh Sivan
Feat. Ayesha Dharkar
- Discovered and championed by the actor John Malkovich, this intensely concentrated thriller depicts the hardening and training of 19–yr old…
- Artemisia (1997)
- Dir. Agnes Merlet
Feat. Valentina Cervi, Miki Manojlovic, Michel Serrault
- Study of the first significant female painter, Artemisia Gentileschi, the daughter of Caravaggio's one–time assistant in 17th Century…
- Post Coitum (1997)
- Dir. Brigitte Rouan
Feat. Brigitte Rouan
- The director herself plays a 40–year–old wife, mother and book editor who has her respectable life devastated after a whirlwind affair…
- Antonia's Line (1996)
- Dir. Marleen Gorris
Feat. Willeke van Ammelrooy, Els Dottermans, Jan Decleir
- The deserving winner of the '96 Best Foreign Film Oscar recalls the 50 year history of matriarch Antonia and her defiantly unconventional brood in…
- Flower of My Secret, The (1996)
- Dir. Pedro Almodovar
Feat. Marisa Paredes
- An artistic maturing for the director of kitsch sex comedies like HIGH HEELS and KIKA, this is an introspective study of a successful authoress…
- Libertarias (1996)
- Dir. Vincente Aranda
Feat. Victoria Abril, Ana Belen, Miguel Bose…
- Examining the Spanish Civil War from a left–wing point–of–view, this passionate war drama focuses on a trio of women – a…
- D'Artagnan's Daughter (Revenge of the Musketeers) (1995)
- Dir. Bertrand Tavernier
Feat. Sophie Marceau, Philippe Noiret
- This gleefully French swashbuckler checks in as a loose sequel to the Three Muskeeters. The magnetic Sophie Marceau stars as the feisty titular…
- La Ceremonie (Judgement in Stone, A) (1995)
- Dir. Claude Chabrol
Feat. Isabelle Huppert, Sandrine Bonnaire, Jacqueline Bisset
- Veteran new–wave director Chabrol takes this HEAVENLY CREATURES–ish tale of the unholy synergy between two women, adds some class theory,…
- Heroic Trio 2 - Executioners (1994)
- Dir. Johnnie To, Ching Siu Tung
Feat. Michelle Yeoh, Anita Mui, Maggie Cheung…
- Downbeat sequel returns the trio of feisty femmes to combat the evil mega–corporation that taken a stranglehold on the world's…
- Silences of the Palace (1994)
- Dir. Moufida Tlatli
Feat. Amel Hedhili, Hend Sabri, Najia Ouerghi…
- The daughter of a palatial servant reflects on her upbringing and steady revolt of her birthright obligations.
Impassioned look at the status of…
- Wing Chun (1994)
- Dir. Yuen Woo Ping
Feat. Michelle Yeoh, Donnie Yen
- Martial–arts star Michelle Yeoh lends some charisma to a cotton–sugar tale of remote villagers plagued by robbers. In the title role Yeoh…
- Bandit Queen (1993)
- Dir. Shekhar Kapur
Feat. Seema Biswas
- Far and away from the innocuous fluff that dominates India's film industry, comes this bold, controversial true story of Phoolan Devi, a notorious…
- Heroic Trio (1993)
- Dir. Johnnie To
Feat. Maggie Cheung, Michelle Yeoh
- An invisible criminal is stealing babies for a sewer–dwelling villain and it's up to three dazzling super–chicks. Hugely entertaining…
- Moon Warriors (1993)
- Dir. Sammo Hung
Feat. Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui
- Flashy feudal martial arts adventure features the high kicks of Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung and Anita Mui, in a battle of noble siblings to regain the…
- Dragon Inn (New Dragon Gate Inn) (1992)
- Dir. Tsui Hark
Feat. Maggie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung (Kar-fai)…
- Gory Ming Dynasty–set epic in which forces of good and evil clash swords over the fate of feudal China. An extravagant climax, featuring…
- Naked Killer (1992)
- Dir. Clarence Fok-Yiu
Feat. Chingmy Yau, Simon Yam, Carrie Ng
- Sex and violence potently combust in a tale of nubile assassins and a love–struck, traumatised cop. The plot may typically wander but it…
- Saviour of the Soul (1992)
- Dir. David Lai
Feat. Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok
- Breathtaking camerawork and special effects combine with hallucinatory plotting as two city–dwelling mercenaries do battle with the silver fox,…
- Black Cat (1991)
- Dir. Dickson Poon
Feat. Jade Leung
- The Hong Kong industry could not resist a crack at French action fave Nikita, the foxy misfit trained as an assassin for the secret service. A…
- Danzon (1991)
- Dir. Maria Novaro
Feat. Maria Rojo
- Lovely film about a phone operator and mother in Mexico City enthralled by the popular Cuban dance, known as "danzon". When her regular dance partner…
- Nikita (La Femme Nikita) (1990)
- Dir. Luc Besson
Feat. Anne Parillaud, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Tcheky Karyo…
- A stylish thriller if ever there was one. The director combines the visual ostentation from his THE BIG BLUE with the plot mechanics of a classic…
- Seduction: The Cruel Woman (1990)
- Dir. Monika Treut, Elfi Mikesch
Feat. Udo Kier
- The director of VIRGIN MACHINE takes her subversive sensibilities further with this outing exploring the activities of a domanatrix. Udo Kier takes…
- She Shoots Straight (Huang jia nu jiang) (1990)
- Dir. Corey Yuen
Feat. Joyce Godenzi, Sammo Hung
- Taut and melodramatic, this HK policier concerns a decorated and ultra–competent female police officer (Godenzi) who arouses jealousy in her…
- 36 Filette (Virgin) (1988)
- Dir. Catherine Breillat
Feat. Delphine Zentout, Etienne Chicot, Olivier Parniere
- The thrills and fears of a young girl's willed sexual awakening are explored when she opts to accept a ride from a mysterious stranger in order to…
- A Taxing Woman (1987)
- Dir. Juzo Itami
Feat. Nobuko Miyamoto
- A nicely offbeat look at the potentially boring subject of tax evasion. Nobuko Miyamoto plays our star tax collector who meets her match in a hotshot…
- Peking Opera Blues (1986)
- Dir. Tsui Hark
Feat. Brigitte Lin, Cherie Chung, Sally Yeh
- One of prolific Hong Kong director/producer Tsui Hark's most celebrated films is a genre–blending romp set around the Peking Opera in 1913. A…
- Police Assassins (Yes Madam) (1985)
- Dir. Corey Yuen
Feat. Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Rothrock, Tsui Hark
- Cheesy but fun outing has two hard–as–nails policewomen Michelle Yeoh (in her first lead role) and Cynthia Rothrock turning in their…
- Vagabond (1985)
- Dir. Agnes Varda
Feat. Sandrine Bonnaire
- Award–winning drama that artfully presents poetic moments from young vagabond Sandrine Bonnaire’s last month alive, listlessly drifting…
- Ladies On the Rocks (1984)
- Dir. Christian Thomsen
Feat. Gotha Anderson, Bruno Bjorn, Peter Boesen
- Two women cabaret performers win the hearts of provincial audiences with their raucous brand of feminist humour. Ironically, their increasing…
- What Have I Done to Deserve This? (1984)
- Dir. Pedro Almodovar
Feat. Carmen Maura
- Carmen Maura plays a delirious feminist housewife in this early black–comic farce from Almodovar, here working at his freshest and most…
- Celine & Julie Go Boating (Celine et Julie vont en bateau) (1974)
- Dir. Jacques Rivette
Feat. Juliet Berto, Dominique Labourier, Bulle Ogier
- Rivette assaults the narrative form for his epic–lengthed, dream–like, near indescribable tale of two girls whose lives and imaginations…
- Female Yakuza Tale (Yasagure anego den: sôkatsu rinchi) (1973)
- Dir. Teruo Ishii
Feat. Reiko Ike
- A scorned Reiko Ike returns in this remarkably trashier sequel to SEX AND FURY, ready to unleash another roaring rampage of revenge on sadistic…
- Lady Snowblood 1 (Shurayukihime) (1973)
- Dir. Toshiya Fujita
Feat. Meiko Kaji, Toshio Kurosawa, Masaaki Daimon…
- A classic samurai B–movie made in the heyday of 'Wu Xia' influence, with Kaji playing a bereaved young woman who seeks revenge on the gangsters…
- Sex and Fury (Furyô anego den: Inoshika Ochô) (1973)
- Dir. Norifumi Suzuki
Feat. Reiko Ike
- Japanese exploitation cinema proves itself unrivaled with this slice of 70s celluloid anarchy, trailing a mostly nude Reiko Ike as she slashes and…
- Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (1972)
- Dir. Shunya Ito
Feat. Meiko Kaji, Fumio Watanabe, Kayuko Shiraishi
- A classic of Japanese 70s exploitation cinema, this charts the grim road to freedom for a gaggle of women escaped–convicts with a feverish…
- Daisies (1966)
- Dir. Vera Chytilova
Feat. Julius Albert, Jitka Cerhova, Marie Ceskova
- Much–loved cinematic firecracker from the halcyon days of 60s Czech radicalism, in which two girls (both called Marie) live out their anarchist…
- Gertrud (1964)
- Dir. Carl Dreyer
- Exploring similar territory to fellow Scandinavian Ingmar Bergman, Dreyer's final film is an intense psychological study about a middle–aged…
- Mother India (1957)
- Dir. Mehboob Khan
Feat. Nargis , Sunil Dutt, Raaj Kumar
- A quintessential Indian classic, depicting the struggle of a woman through her adult life to reconcile traditional values and village life with a…
- Les Diaboliques (1954)
- Dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot
Feat. Simone Signoret, Vera Clouzot, Paul Meurisse…
- Simone Signoret stars as one of two women who conspire to murder the man they share – a sadistic schoolmaster. Iconic French thriller with a…
- Bete Humaine, La (1938)
- Dir. Jean Renoir
Feat. Jean Gabin, Simone Simon, Fernand Ledoux…
- Adaptation of Zola's romantic tragedy brims with tension and exults the presense of French icon Jean Gabin as a hot–headed train driver coaxed…