ALL POSTS
ACLU to Meet With Government Agencies to Discuss Bias Against Women Directors
Here’s some progress: The ACLU has announced that it will meet next month with the three government agencies it asked to investigate gender discrimination in the film and TV industries. Melissa...
Trailer Watch: A Female Friendship Shatters Apart and Destroys Everything Around It in ‘Breathe’
As much as we love movies about female friendships, let’s get real — sometimes they fall apart, especially when teenagers are involved. In “Breathe,” French actress Melanie Laurent’s...
No Women Directors for ‘Game of Thrones’ Seasons 5–6, Mostly Women Directors for ‘Transparent’ Season 2
Jeremy Podeswa, Daniel Sackheim, Jack Bender, Mark Mylod and Miguel Sapochnik have been announced as the directors of “Game of Thrones” Season 6, with each helming two episodes each next year....
Cynthia Nixon to Direct Staceyann Chin’s Play ‘MotherStruck,’ Rosie O’Donnell to Produce
Staceyann Chin’s “MotherStruck,” an autobiography on stage of the playwright and performer’s journey toward motherhood as a single black lesbian, will make its world premiere at NYC’s...
Trailer Watch: Comedienne Tig Notaro Fights Cancer and Heartbreak with Humor in Netflix Doc
2012 was a hell of a year for Grammy-nominated comedienne Tig Notaro. After steadily growing her fanbase and platform over the span of her career, Notaro was busier professionally than ever before....
Issa Rae’s HBO Comedy ‘Insecure’ Finds Pilot Director in Melina Masoukas
Issa Rae’s transition from YouTube to prime time continues. Rae’s HBO comedy “Insecure” has found a pilot director in music-video helmer Melina Masoukas. “Insecure” will mark...
Women Are 25% of Academy’s New Members; Only Three Female Filmmakers Invited to Directors Branch
Since women are pushing for seats on the Academy board in record-breaking numbers, we hoped that, after being faced with a whole lot of very warranted criticism, the Academy would show an effort to...
Claire Denis to Team Up With Zadie Smith for Futuristic Space Adventure
French film icon Claire Denis will direct an untitled sci-fi adventure set in a “future that seems like the present” based on a screenplay by Zadie Smith and her husband Nick Laird. The project...
Catherine Hardwicke to Direct $50 Mil China-Set Romantic Epic
Mark this in the Mixed Blessings column: Catherine Hardwicke, one of Hollywood’s few women studio directors and a vocal proponent on behalf of female filmmakers, has just landed her biggest...
July 2015 Film Preview
July brings us heat waves and hyped films, with reboots of big action franchises (“Terminator: Genisys”), projects that are predicted to bring a star on the cusp to full-blown supernova status...
Watch: Earth Has a New Hero in Extended Promo for ‘Supergirl’
A new 2-minute trailer for CBS’s “Supergirl” concludes with Kara Danvers/Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist) proclaiming, “Earth doesn’t have just one hero anymore.” When Supergirl swoops onto...
More of June 2015’s Noteworthy Women-Centric Crowdfunding Projects: Black Beauty, Life After Death
This week’s featured women-centric crowdfunding projects may differ in style, message, and tone, but each one focuses on the self. Whether it’s finding the person you are or leaving behind the...
Weekly Update for June 26: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week A Little Chaos — Co-Written by Alison Deegan A drama following Sabine (Kate Winslet), a strong-willed and talented landscape designer who is chosen to build...
Women Push For Seats On the Academy Board In Record-Breaking Numbers: DuVernay, Cholodenko & More
Oscar voters are predominantly old white men. This year’s very white and male-dominated Oscars were an ugly reminder of the Academy’s lopsided constituency. This year, women in Hollywood are...
Watch: Amy Everson Asks Her Friend to Be Her Superhero Sidekick in Eerie, Heartbreaking ‘Felt’ Clip
There’s probably a much better way of asking your friend to join you in making the world a better place than prancing around in the woods with a giant rubber schlong swinging out of your...
Ten Lesbian Films for Pride Month That Show How Far We’ve Come
We’ve come a long way, baby. As celebrations continue across the country for LGBT Pride Month (especially after the Supreme Court decision making gay marriage legal in all fifty states), it’s a...
Trailer Watch: Sex Addicts Fall in Uneasy Love in Leslye Headland’s ‘Sleeping With Other People’
Romance blooms between a serial cheater and a womanizer in the trailer for “Sleeping with Other People,” the latest offering from “Bachelorette” writer-director Leslye Headland. More than a...
Cinedigm to Distribute Olivia Wilde Tragedy ‘Meadowland’
“Frozen River” and “The Skeleton Twins” cinematographer Reed Morano’s directorial debut, “Meadowland,” has been acquired by Cinedigm. The film will be released in October. Starring...
‘Blackfish’ Helmer Gabriela Cowperthwaite to Make Narrative Debut with Action-Thriller ‘The Search’
Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite (“Blackfish”) is returning to nature in her narrative feature debut. The documentary filmmaker will helm “The Search,” an action-thriller based on a Black...
Watch: Margaret Cho Imagines Women Running Hollywood in New Funny or Die Skit
Comedy pioneer Margaret Cho has reimagined Hollywood as a girl’s club in a bitingly hilarious new video for Funny or Die. The former “Drop Dead Diva” star’s skit takes place in a writer’s...
Trailer Watch: A Preteen Contemplates Tradition and TV Stardom in Alice Rohrwacher’s ‘The Wonders’
Alice Rohrwacher’s “The Wonders” was one of two female-directed films to compete for the Palme d’Or at Cannes last year. The coming-of-age story, set in the quiet and beautiful Umbrian...
Rose McGowan Clarifies Claim She Was Dropped by Agents for Speaking Out Against Sexism (UPDATED)
Newcomer Rebecca Thomas to Direct Adaptation of John Green’s ‘Looking for Alaska’
It’s not often that a fledgling female filmmaker is given the reins to even a mid-budget studio pic, so news that up-and-comer Rebecca Thomas will helm “The Fault in Our Stars” author John...
Jill Soloway Gets Third Season of ‘Transparent,’ Exclusive Development Deal from Amazon
Amazon Studios is smartly deciding to do more business with its best creative mind. The up-and-comer in the original-programming arena has signed off on a third season of “Transparent,” as well...
“There Aren’t Any Civil Rights”: The Sad, Topical “What Happened, Miss Simone?”
Gina Rodriguez to Write Book of Her Father’s Advice
When Gina Rodriguez won a Golden Globe earlier this year for her performance on CW’s “Jane the Virgin,” she dedicated a part of her thank-you speech to her dad. “My father used to tell me to...
NYC Readers: You’re Invited to a Screening of Kimberly Levin’s Acclaimed Directorial Debut ‘Runoff’
The Fox Global Directors Initiative is hosting a special screening of Kimberly Levin’s “Runoff” on Saturday, June 27, at the Village Cinema Theatre in NYC, and Women and Hollywood’s readers...
Trailer Watch: Naomi Kawase’s Palme d’Or Contender ‘Still the Water’
Guest Post: It Starts With a Pronoun
On June 23, my documentary, “A Self-Made Man,” aired onAmerica Reframed. After a successful festival run, this was its broadcast premiere. I used to get quite nervous when I had to speak about...
Trend of Women-in-War Films Continues With Planned Adaptation of Air Force Memoir ‘Shoot Like a Girl’
Expect to see more leading ladies in uniform over the next couple of years. After facing off with a number of other interested parties, TriStar Pictures has secured the film rights to Air Force...
Senator Barbara Boxer Fights for Women Directors
Outgoing senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) got involved in the cause for women directors earlier this week by praising Warner Bros. for hiring longtime producer Denise Di Novi to direct the female-led...
Meryl Streep Urges Congress to Pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
Meryl Streep is working to get the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) back on Congress’s agenda. The actress sent every House rep and senator a letter asking for the legislative body to (finally) make...
Geena Davis Institute and Women in Film/TV to Launch Global Symposium on Gender at London Film Fest
The Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media is taking their research global. The institute, founded by the Academy Award-winning gender-equality advocate, is teaming up with the BFI London Film...
Trailer Watch: Abigail Breslin Takes Down Predatory Teenage Boys in ‘Final Girl’
A group of repulsively misogynistic teenage boys get more than they bargained for when they try to victimize a skilled assassin in “Final Girl.” The thriller stars Abigail Breslin (“Ender’s...
Trailer Watch: Amy Schumer Answers “What’s Your Number?” in New ‘Trainwreck’ Spot
In less than a month, Amy Schumer’s “Trainwreck” will make its long-awaited debut in theaters. Now an extended TV spot for the raunchy rom com has arrived with some new footage to help tide us...
Watch: John Oliver Stands Up for Women Online on ‘Last Week Tonight’
‘Runoff’ Director Kimberly Levin on Shooting on a Working Farm and Collecting Cow and Hog Sounds
Kimberly Levin makes her feature directorial debut with “Runoff,” a drama about a desperate woman forced to make choices when she isn’t even sure what the right thing to do would be. The...
Denise Di Novi Takes Over WB Thriller “Unforgettable” as Director
Superstar producer Denise Di Novi (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love.,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Heathers” — what a resumé) will...
Watch: Women Directors Speak Out Against Sexism, Fight Against Hollywood’s Past and Present
Quote of the Day: Julie Taymor on Why Awards Matter for Women
Julie Taymor, the first woman to win a Tony for directing a musical, recently spoke out about the invaluable effect that women winning awards can have. When The Stage asked Taymor if female...
2015 Kilroys List Spotlights 53 Works by Women and Trans Playwrights Deserving Production
Last year, The Kilroys — a self-described “gang of playwrights and producers in LA who are done talking about gender parity and are taking action” — launched a list of 46 plays by...
Women Win Majority of Awards at Provincetown Film Fest: Coixet, Green, Bianco and More
Women directors won big at this year’s Provincetown International Film Festival, taking home five of the eight prizes awarded. Isabel Coixet’s “Learning to Drive” landed the HBO Audience...
‘King’s Speech’ Producers Developing Biopic About “Florence of Arabia” Lady Hester Stanhope
On the heels of Nicole Kidman’s “Queen of the Desert,” Werner Herzog’s film about archaeologist, diplomat, and writer Gertrude Bell, comes the announcement of another biopic about a...
Zoe Saldana: Male Stars Get Private Jets and Yachts as Perks, Female Stars Can’t Get Child Care
Zoe Saldana recently broadened the ongoing conversation about Hollywood’s pay gap in a new interview with USA Today. While male stars are routinely treated to over-the-top extravagances, the...
6 of Top 10 Movies This Weekend Feature Female Protagonists
Pixar’s brilliant “Inside Out” opened at #2 this weekend with a $91 million domestic (and $132 million worldwide) haul at the box office. But the big story isn’t that “Inside Out” is...
Weekly Update for June 19: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week Inside Out (Pick of the Week) Pixar’s latest film is nothing short of brilliant. Taking place within the colorful labyrinth of an 11-year-old girl’s brain,...
Trailer Watch: Charlize Theron Goes to ‘Dark Places’ in the Latest Gillian Flynn Adaptation
“I’m sad for you, little girl. You’re just as imprisoned as I am,” says prisoner Ben (Corey Stoll, “House of Cards”) to his grown-up baby sister Libby (Charlize Theron) in the trailer...
NY Asian Film Fest Lineup: Emerging Women Directors, Focus on Korean Female Filmmakers
The New York Asian Film Festival, now in its 14th year, has released the complete lineup for its 2015 edition, which will take place from June 26 — July 11 in NYC. In addition to featuring a...
Trailer Watch: Emily Blunt Heads into a Drug War-Ravaged Juarez in ‘Sicario’
After co-starring in the action-thrillers “Looper” and “Edge of Tomorrow,” Emily Blunt finally leads one of her own in the borderlands-set “Sicario.” Blunt’s tough but...
Women in Animation Offers Dismal Stats on Current State of Affairs, Proposes Paths toward Progress
Film and television aimed at families and children routinely underrepresent girls and women. According to the Geena Davis Institute, movies and TV shows for those demos feature on average three male...
Trailer Watch: Be Inspired by Malala Yousafzai All Over Again in ‘He Named Me Malala’ Doc