ALL POSTS
Guest Post: Bridging the Generational Gap Through Technology
In 2009, a documentary idea simply fell into my lap. My two younger sisters were in highschool when they decided to create a volunteer program called “Cyber-Seniors.” Inspiredby seeing our...
Fed Up Director Stephanie Soechtig on Voting with Our Forks, Working with Katie Couric, and the Power of Knowledge
“For the past 30 years, everything we thought we knew about food and exercise is dead wrong. Fed Up is the film the food industry doesn’t want you to see. From Katie Couric, Laurie David and...
Women and Hollywood is Looking for a Summer Intern
Women and Hollywood’s amazing current intern, Laura Berger is taking a summer leave. (I hope you have enjoyed her writing on the blog this week.) So we need someone to cover for her beginning in...
Quote of the Day: Elle Fanning on Female Characters
In a recent interview for FASHION Magazine, the ultra-talented Elle Fanning discussed the limited roles available to women: There are still a lot of movies where women are dependent on the guy. We...
Trailer Watch: Tea Leoni Is Madam Secretary
Some sources (i.e. the whole world) have speculated that CBS’s new series Madam Secretary will focus on a character loosely based on — or inspired by — former U.S. Secretary of State...
Kathryn Bigelow Books Her Next Film: The True American
We have a new Kathryn Bigelow film to look forward to. Bigelow will direct and produce an adaptation of the non-fiction book The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas, written by New York Times...
Trailer Watch: Helen Mirren Stars in The Hundred-Foot Journey
The trailer is out for The Hundred-Foot Journey, which stars Helen Mirren as Madame Mallory, the owner of a swanky French restaurant. Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg joined forces to produce the...
Guest Post: For Female Indie Filmmakers, The Woman-Child Wins: Obvious Child and Zero Motivation
As readers of Women & Hollywood, you’re fully aware of the bleak statistics concerning women working in the film industry, onscreen and behind-the-scenes. In spite of those incredible odds,...
Quote of the Day: Jane Campion Acknowledges the “Inherent Sexism” of the Film Industry At Cannes
Jane Campion is Cannes Jury President this year, and she’s using her platform to speak out against sexism in the film industry. While Campion is known for being outspoken about gender inequity in...
The Unbelievable Privilege of Being a Male Director
To say this post is a long time coming would be an understatement. I’ve been thinking about it for months. But last night I was pushed over the edge so here we are. The line that women directors...
Trailer Watch: Shonda Rhimes’ How To Get Away With Murder
A full trailer has arrived for How To Get Away With Murder right on the heels of ABC’s upfront presentation. Unsurprisingly, it looks very addictive — the legal thriller is co-created and...
A Call to Action on Behalf of Female Filmmakers
Here’s my latest post on Forbes: The Cannes Film Festival kicks off today and the film world as the world’s press have descended to seek out the next “it girl”, the next “master” and...
Louis CK’s “So Did the Fat Lady” Is Not The Last — Or The First — Word On Fat Women On TV
Louis CK is getting heaped with accolades for “So Did the Fat Lady,” the third episode of his current season of Louie, which aired Monday night. I get why: it is, in its way, a progressive move...
Trailer Watch: Jennifer Jason Leigh Stars in Jane Weinstock’s The Moment
The trailer has been released for psychological drama The Moment, which stars Jennifer Jason Leigh as a woman questioning reality — and whether or not she’s a murderer. The film is directed...
Reese Witherspoon’s Wild Will Open December 5th
Will Wild usher in Reese Witherspoon’s own version of a “McConaissance”? A release date has been set for Wild — and that release date is very Oscar-friendly. Wild, an adaptation of...
Exclusive Clip from Jocelyn Towne’s I AM I
I AM I is written and directed by Jocelyn Towne and is “story of a young woman, Rachael (Towne), who meets her estranged father Gene (Kevin Tighe) at her mother’s funeral. Eager to get to know...
Reading Ellen Page’s Sexuality
“I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission” film star Ellen Page said, during her much celebrated coming out speech at an HRC event in Las Vegas on Valentine’s Day. “I...
Trailers for NBC’s New Women-Centric Series: Bad Judge, State of Affairs, and The Mysteries of Laura
Las week we told you about some of the women-centric pilots that have been picked up, and now we can share some footage from the series. NBC has released trailers for Bad Judge, State of Affairs,...
Reese Witherspoon/Sofia Vergara Unnamed Film Directed by Anne Fletcher Targets Mother’s Day 2015 Release
Reese Witherpoon and Sofia Vergara will co-star in an unnamed buddy comedy directed by Anne Fletcher (The Guilt Trip, The Proposal, 27 Dresses). New Line Cinema/Warner Brothers will co-produce...
Reese Witherspoon/Sofia Vergara Unnamed Film Directed by Anne Fletcher Targets Mother’s Day 2015 Release
Reese Witherpoon and Sofia Vergara will co-star in an unnamed buddy comedy directed by Anne Fletcher (The Guilt Trip, The Proposal, 27 Dresses). New Line Cinema/Warner Brothers will co-produce with...
Leslie Mann Becomes a Movie Star: The Supporting Actress is A Leading Lady in Las Madres
Leslie Mann is finally being given the chance to lead a movie. The talented and funny actress won’t be “The Wife” or “The Friend” in Las Madres, a new comedy from...
Jane Campion Close to Deal to Direct The Flamethrowers for Producer Scott Rudin
One of the things that I will enjoy watching over the next two weeks at the Cannes Film Festival is the high profile of one of the most talented female directors, Jane Campion. She is the 10th woman...
Cannes Trailer Watch: Alice Rohrwacher’s Le Meraviglie
The trailer for Alice Rohrwacher’s Le Meraviglie has been released. The film will premiere at Cannes and is in competition for the Palme d’Or. Only one other film directed by a woman will be...
No Cannes Do — The Status of Women Directors at Cannes Over the Last Decade
As the press and the film industry descend on Cannes this week, this gives us an opportunity to remind people one of the biggest problems that plague this festival as well as the industry in...
Trailer Watch: The Final Trailer for Maleficent
The final trailer for Maleficent has been released. As can be said of all of the footage revealed in the trailers, it looks beautiful; the film is gorgeously shot. In a previous featurette for the...
Guest Post: “No One Would Ever Say That to Larry David”: Female Showrunners and the Hypocritical Critical Edge
It’s tough out there for female showrunners. Women and Hollywood has been documentingthis for years, and it remains true that the women working in these roles — incomedy and drama, on...
Weekly Update for May 9: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return — Co-Written by Randi Barnes Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return is a 3D-animated musical based on the adventure books by Roger...
Fun Home is Coming to Broadway: The Graphic Memoir Turned Musical Aims to Open in Spring 2015
After a successful run at The Public Theatre, Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron’s musical reimagining of Fun Home is hopefully going to be ready for a Broadway debut next spring. Fun Home has already...
TV: Shonda Rhimes Books Third ABC Show Starring Viola Davis
The female flight from features to TV continues with Viola Davis booking the leading role on the third ABC show from Shonda Rhimes to appear on ABC’s fall schedule. According to the Hollywood...
Patty Jenkins Signs On For Second Film — Sweetheart
It’s been over a decade since Patty Jenkins directed Charlize Theron to her Oscar for Monster. We all know that Theron has worked on numerous films since then, but Jenkins, who wrote and directed...
Rebel Wilson to Star in Remake of Private Benjamin
Rebel Wilson has been cast as the lead in New Line’s remake of the 1980 classic “Private Benjamin.” She will portray a “redneck” who enlists in the Marines as a means of escaping a bad...
Andrea Arnold’s New Film American Honey: Her First Picture Set in the U.S.
Academy Award winning British filmmaker Andrea Arnold (she won for her 2003 short) will shoot her fourth feature — her first based in the U.S. — this summer. American Honey will...
Directors UK: Women Represent Only 14% of the Directors in UK TV
According to a new report from Directors UK entitled Who’s Calling the Shots?, women in the UK are directing only 14% of the TV shows. Weirdly, or not so weirdly, those stats exactly match the...
Dawn Hudson Signs New Three Year Contract With the Academy
Dawn Hudson’s early tenure at the Academy was tumultuous but let’s be real, it takes time to figure out how to run something this big, but also it takes the will of the board to allow a new...
TV: Series Pick-Ups for Katherine Heigl, Alfre Woodard, Octavia Spencer, Gabourey Sidibe
With the fall television season just four months away, here are some of the new women-starring network shows that have been confirmed to air: — Red Band Society (Fox). After the Murder, She Wrote...
Trailer Watch: Melissa McCarthy Is a Fugitive From Justice in Tammy
Melissa McCarthy’s much anticipated summer comedy Tammy will focus on a broke woman who discovers that her husband is cheating on her. She then embarks on an eventful and ill-fated road trip to...
Sundance London Directors: Meet Sydney Freeland (Drunktown’s Finest)
Writer-director SydneyFreeland’s feature debut, Drunktown’s Finest, was shotagainst New Mexico’s mesmerizing landscape and explores life on the reservationin the 21st century. The film...
Callie Khouri Talks Nashville Season 2 Conclusion (No Spoilers)
I’ve been very lucky to be able to talk with Nashville creator Callie Khouri a bunch of times over the last two seasons. THe show has two more episodes (one airs tonight) and the team is still...
Amy Schumer and the Women of Broad City: Paving the Way for a Female “Golden Age”
Recently, a lot has been made of the so-called Golden Age of Television and the question of is it or isn’t it one. I tend to nod off during those kinds of articles because they so often turn into...
Women Directors Helmed Nearly 40% of Student Oscar Finalists
Female filmmakers directed or co-directed 38% of the shorts in the running for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 41st Student Academy Awards competition. Female directors were best...
Women Directors Fare Much Better in the Indie World — But It’s Still Not Good Enough
Here’s my latest column on Forbes If you follow the issue of women directors working in Hollywood you will know that that this is a very complicated issue. Getting more women directors working at...
Watch: Kimberly Peirce Encourages the Next Generation of AFI Women Directors
As the keynote speaker at the 2014 AFI Directing Worshop for Women Showcase, Kimberly Peirce was upfront about the difficult road that her listeners had ahead of them while congratulating them for...
TV: Orange is the New Black Renewed for Season 3
A month before the long awaited return of Orange is the New Black for its sophomore season, Netflix went ahead and renewed the groundbreaking series for a third year. That bodes well for the...
Cartoon: The Trouble With Wonder Woman
Crossposted from Dorkly.
Why Leslie Jones’ Controversial Slavery Sketch on SNL Was So Important
On May 3rd, Leslie Jones made her debut on Saturday Night Live. Jones was one of the three black women that SNL hired in January in response to the criticism over the show’s lack of diversity, and...
NYC Women Filmmakers Mentor Each Other
Since the big boys still have so much trouble letting the women into their club, dozens of female filmmakers in the New York City area have decided to mentor and support each other on the road to a...
A Teachable Feminist Moment Courtesy of Shailene Woodley
Dear Shailene Woodley: I think you are a really talented young woman and I have enjoyed seeing you in several films and am actually very much looking forward to The Fault in Our Stars. But you kind...
Charlize Theron Options Mental Illness Memoir for Dakota Fanning
Charlize Theron has never been shy about criticizing the film industry’s relative lack of interesting roles for women. Back in 2008, she told The Guardian, “People just aren’t willing to see...
Special Report: Women Directors at the Box Office in April 2014
The Aprilreleases directed by women were dominated by non-fiction, with elevendocumentaries to six features and one anthology film. The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden, from married...
SFIFF Women Directors: Meet Catherine Breillat (Abuse of Weakness)
Beginning in 2004, filmmaker/novelist Catherine Breillat had a series of debilitating strokes connected to a previously undiagnosed cerebrovascular disease. During her long, grueling recovery, she...
Sundance London Women Directors: Meet Jane Lipsitz (Under the Electric Sky)
By way of England and New York City respectively, Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz joined forces in 2001 to form the television production company, Magical Elves, which has given us Top Chef, Project...