We are taking a beat after our short film fest to share the 2022 female directed films we cannot wait to see. All of these films will either be premiering at a 2022 film festival or will soon be coming to streaming platforms or theaters. The list is in no particular order, just the ten films we’re most excited about. Check out our full list on Letterboxd.

Women Talking – Sarah Polley

Sarah Polley is returning behind the camera for the film “Women Talking”, based on the 2018 book of the same name. The film is about a group of women in an isolated Mennonite religious colony in Bolivia as they struggle to reconcile their faith with a string of sexual assaults committed by the colony’s men. The film features some amazing women including Frances McDormand, Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, and Claire Foy. Sarah just had a book published called Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory, a must-read about an exploration of her memory and the dialogue between her past and her present through personal essays. Production just wrapped on the film and is expected to release later this year.

“I Wanna Dance with Somebody” – Kasi Lemmons

Naomi Ackie stars in Kasi Lemmons biopic of the life of Whitney Houston. The film is the joyous, emotional and heart-breaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, the greatest female R&B pop vocalist of all time, tracking her journey from obscurity to musical super stardom. The film release is expected on December 21, 2022.

Stars at Noon – Claire Denis

Along with Claire Denis’ film “Both Sides of the Blade” getting released, coming this May is “Stars at Noon” starring Margaret Qualley and Joe Alwyn. The film takes place in 1984’s Nicaragua. A mysterious English businessman (Alwyn) and a headstrong American journalist (Qualley) strike up a romance as they soon become embroiled in a dangerous labyrinth of lies and conspiracies and are forced to try and escape the country. Premiering at Cannes on May 25th, 2022.

Run Woman Run – Zoe Leigh Hopkins

Directed by indigenous filmmaker Zoe Leigh Hopkins, “Run Woman Run” tells the story of Beck, a single mom who lives in Six Nations, Canada. After her mother’s death, she abandons her dream of becoming a Mohawk language teacher, and an unhealthy lifestyle leads to a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes. The ghost of Tom Longboat, a sports legend of the early 1900s, appears to her. He teaches Beck to become an honor runner, dedicating each run to an aspect of creation or a special person in her life. With Tom’s help, Beck is able to turn her life around. Coming May 17th to VOD.

Showing Up – Kelly Reichardt

We are so excited and in need of a Kelly Reichardt film. Starring one of Reichardt’s muses, Michelle Williams, “Showing Up” is about an artist on the verge of a career-changing exhibition, who navigates family, friends and colleagues in the lead-up to her show and finds that the chaos of life becomes the inspiration for more great art. The film is expected to release in May 2022.

Bodies, Bodies, Bodies – Halina Reijn 

After last year’s “Shiva Baby” release, Rachel Sennott became an indie star that we are excited to follow. Dutch filmmaker Halina Reijn directs “Bodies, Bodies, Bodies,” an ensemble horror film starring Sennott alongside Amandla Stenberg and other emerging stars. The film takes place in an isolated family mansion, where a group of rich 20-somethings decide to play “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” a game where one of them is secretly a “killer” while the rest tries to “escape”. Things take a turn for the worse when real bodies start turning up, setting off a paranoid and dangerous chain of events. The film is coming soon on August 5th, 2022.

The Woman King – Gina Prince-Bythewood

Viola Davis. Gina Prince-Bythewood. We’re in! “The Woman King” is a historical epic inspired by true events that took place in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. The story follows Nanisca, general of the all-female military unit, and Nawi, an ambitious recruit, who together fought the French and neighboring tribes who violated their honor, enslaved their people, and threatened to destroy everything they’ve lived for. Expected release on September 16th, 2022.

She Said – Maria Schrader

Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan team up in Maria Schrader’s film “She Said”. New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor break one of the most important stories in a generation — a story that helped launch the #MeToo movement and shattered decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in Hollywood. *We should note that Tarana Burke started #MeToo, and can’t wait to see her biopic! Expected release on November 18th, 2022.

Beba – Rebeca Huntt

A raw, poetic self-portrait in which young, NYC-born Afro-Latina Rebeca “Beba” Huntt stares down historical, societal, and generational trauma. This film premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Fest, and became a fest favorite. The film has a summer theater release in late June 2022.

Don’t Worry Darling – Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde follows her coming-of-age hit “Booksmart” with “Don’t Worry Darling” starring Florence Pugh. The film is about a 1950s housewife living with her husband in a utopian experimental community, who begins to worry that his glamorous company may be hiding disturbing secrets. The film is expected to premiere on September 23rd, 2022.