Each month brings a new set of outstanding women-led films and series to get you by! April’s list includes stories across cultures from the experiences of South Asian women with mental health to Arab women on love and life! There’s truly something for everyone to watch on this list and we’re here to give you the picks on our radar.

Courtesy of Sphere Films

Hailey Rose

Get in touch with your emotions with this film about love in all its expressions. After years of successfully avoiding her family, Hailey is met with a personal crossroad when her sister calls with news compelling her to return home to Nova Scotia. Upon her arrival, she discovers a surprise waiting for her in their East Coast hometown. This is a tragic yet heart-warming tale about embracing your past and accepting your loved ones both old and new.

Release Date: April 5

Where to Watch: In theatres 

Courtesy of TIFF

Wicked Little Letters

It’s the 1920s and there’s a scandal brewing in the charming seaside town of Littlehampton. Residents have started to receive anonymous, poison-pen letters brimming with scandal, but who would be the author behind them? Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) is one of these residents and the letters diminish her character in every language imaginable. When they start to stack up, her father Edward (Timothy Spall) insists the culprit must be found. Rose (Jessie Buckley) is the opposite of Edith. This loud, brash, lover of spirits is arrested for the letters. What begins as a village hunt soon becomes a conversation surrounding social confines and women’s behaviour, but what will the town make of it? 

Release Date: April 5

Where to Watch: In theatres

Courtesy of Bell Media

Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion

Most have heard of Brandy Melville, the infamous brand and its synonymous image that has grown beyond fashion. Directed by Eva Orner, this HBO original documentary looks beneath the shiny Instagram facade they have curated, exposing a toxic business that is a broader reflection of the global fast fashion industry. Despite its controversial “one size fits most” tagline and some unsavory practices, the brand has successfully grown a dedicated, cult-like following.

Release Date: April 9

Where to Watch: Crave

Courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada

Arab Women Say What?!

While it may be difficult to find a concrete cultural identity as part of the diaspora, this documentary embodies the essence of living between two worlds. This film closely follows the struggles of speaking and dreaming in different languages and lands. Nermeen, a young and bold Egyptian Canadian invites viewers to join in on conversations with eight outspoken Arab women who share their love of both food and life. The women examine feminism in Arab societies and tackle the challenges of taboo sociopolitical issues. Their conversations offer a glimpse into their personalities to reveal their unique perspectives and experiences while providing an understanding of what it means to “not be from here.”

Release Date: April 10

Where to Watch: Nfb.ca

Courtesy of CBC Gem

Get Up, Aisha

This new Canadian dramedy follows the life of Pakistani-Canadian Aisha Rehman who grapples with her need for control. The series follows Aisha’s depression diagnosis after living through several life-changing events. To tackle her newly diagnosed depression, she makes a checklist with all the recommendations for managing herself. Facing several challenges along the way, she learns that sometimes things do not go as planned. Aisha goes through a journey and grows fond of hope as the most important note on any checklist. 

Release Date: April 10

Where to Watch: CBC Gem

Courtesy of Filmoption

With Love and a Major Organ

In an alternate world where everyone’s hearts are made of objects, there’s a strong societal pressure to dampen heavy emotions. As an act of self-care, these characters suppress emotions, but what happens when a lonely woman rips out her own for the man she loves? Anabel (Anna Maguire) is a lonely virtual insurance broker who always follows her heart. At odds with an overly pragmatic society she gives her heart to the man she’s fallen for. To the shock of his overbearing mother, Mona (Veena Sood), Anabel soon realizes she will need her heart back if she’s going to survive.

Release Date: April 12

Where to Watch: In theatres

Courtesy of Game Theory Films

In Flames

This film is a gripping drama about trauma, internalized abuse and the misogyny woven into the fabric of culture. Following the passing of Mariam’s maternal grandfather, an estranged relative tries to manipulate the family into signing over their apartment to him. Though a common occurrence in Pakistan, where women’s property rights are fragile, Mariam is distraught by her mother’s foolishness. She finds solace in a secret romance with a fellow student, Asad. When their relationship is met with unexpected turns, she becomes consumed by nightmares. In Flames premiered at TIFF 2023, where we interviewed producer Anam Abbas.

Release Date: April 12

Where to Watch: In theatres

Courtesy of Elevation Pictures

Irena’s Vow

Based on the true story of Irena Gut Opdyke, this film follows a young nurse living in Poland during the Nazi Regime. Told through the lens of a strong-willed woman comes a story of the triumphs of the human spirit over tragedy. 19-year-old Irena Gut (Sophie Nélisse) is promoted to housekeeper in the home of a highly respected Nazi officer when she finds out the Jewish ghetto is about to be liquidated. Determined to help the Jewish workers, she decides to shelter them in the basement of the German commandant’s house. Over the course of two years, Irena uses her wit, humor, and courage to hide her friends until the end of the occupation. 

Release Date: April 19

Where to Watch: In theatres

Photo by Niko Tavernise © 2024 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc.

Challengers

This film features Hollywood stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and an unapologetic force of nature. From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, this follows a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist), she makes a plan to jolt him out of this slump. Later making him play a challenger event, her strategy for redemption takes a turn when he must face his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their past and present lives collide, Tashi must reconsider all the factors it may take to win. 

Release Date: April 26

Where to Watch: In theatres

Courtesy of Elevation Pictures

Humane

Imagine a world post global ecological collapse in which world leaders take extreme measures to reduce the earth’s population. This directorial debut from Caitlin Cronenberg takes place over a single day, mere months after an international crisis. In a wealthy enclave, a recently retired newsman has invited his children to dinner to announce his intentions to cut down on this crisis. He seeks to enlist in the nation’s new euthanasia program, but when the father’s plan goes horribly, tensions flare among his children and all is changed in an instant.

Release Date: April 26

Where to Watch: In theatres