ALL POSTS
October 2016 Film Preview
“The Girl on the Train” For those of you who are gearing up for awards season or are planning to celebrate Halloween at the movies, we at Women and Hollywood would just like to say you will not...
Submissions for the 2017 Bentonville Film Festival Open Soon
The third annual Bentonville Film Festival will soon be accepting submissions. The fest, co-founded by Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis, is scheduled to take place in Bentonville, Arkansas May...
Weekly Update for September 30: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“American Honey” Films About Women Opening This Week American Honey — Written and Directed by Andrea Arnold Star (Sasha Lane), an adolescent girl from a troubled home, runs away with a...
Elizabeth LeCompte Awarded 2016 Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize
Elizabeth LeCompte, founding member and director of experimental theater company The Wooster Group, has been chosen as the recipient of this year’s Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, Broadway...
Rachel Weisz Will Produce and Star in Naomi Alderman’s “Disobedience”
Rachel Weisz is set to star in and produce a film adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s novel “Disobedience,” Variety reports. The story, Variety writes, “follows young woman who returns to her...
Amma Asante’s “A United Kingdom” Acquired by Fox Searchlight
After kicking off negotiations at TIFF earlier in the month, Fox Searchlight Pictures has acquired the North American rights to Amma Asante’s “A United Kingdom,” a press release confirmed. The...
“Amanda Knox”: Making a Monster
“Amanda Knox”: Netflix “Inappropriate.” “Inexplicable.” “A little bit anarchist.” “This is not what grief looks like.” These are observations about a young woman’s...
Trailer Watch: Kristen Stewart Talks to Ghosts in “Personal Shopper”
The new trailer for Olivier Assayas’ “Personal Shopper,” starring Kristen Stewart, makes the film look downright scary. “Personal Shopper” marks Stewart’s second time teaming up with...
NYFF 2016 Highlights: Ava DuVernay, Annette Bening, and More
“13th” The 54th annual New York Film Festival opens with a bang today. One of our most anticipated titles of the year, never mind this particular fest, holds the honor of kicking off the...
ArcLight Adds Speakers to Second Annual Women in Entertainment Summit
ArcLight Cinemas has announced additional speakers for the second annual ArcLight Presents Women in Entertainment Summit, which is taking place on November 10th. As we previously reported, the...
60th BFI London Film Festival Lines Up Diverse Jury
The jury members for the 60th London BFI Film Festival, which runs from October 5–16 this year, have been revealed. The inclusive juries feature a number of women and people of color. As Screen...
Margot Robbie and Emily Blunt to Host “Saturday Night Live”
Margot Robbie is set to host the 42nd season premiere of “SNL” this coming weekend. Robbie had a huge summer, starring in “The Legend of Tarzan” and the big money-maker “Suicide Squad.”...
Felicity Huffman Signs on to New ABC Series from “Black-ish” Creator
Felicity Huffman is joining forces with the brains behind “Black-ish.” She has signed on to star in a new family comedy from “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris. ABC nabbed the single-camera...
Chicken & Egg Productions Launches 2017 Accelerator Lab
Hey there, first-time female filmmakers, or even those with one in the can. Chicken & Egg Pictures will soon begin accepting applications for the 2017 Accelerator Lab for first and second-time...
Fox 2000 Snags Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson Comedy
Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson are a dream team, and now we’re one step closer to seeing the actresses together on the big screen. Fox 2000 has snagged the rights to an untitled film penned by...
Dawn Porter to Be Honored at DOC NYC Film Fest
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Dawn Porter will be honored at this year’s DOC NYC Film Festival, Realscreen reports. Porter will receive the Robert and Anne Drew Award for Documentary...
Trailer Watch: Revisit 1979’s Feminism with “20th Century Women”
It’s 1979 and President Jimmy Carter is on television giving his “Crisis of Confidence” speech. Meanwhile, in the new trailer for “20th Century Women,” Annette Bening is the only one in...
Making Your Own Way: September Web Series and VOD Picks
“Ladies Room” Too often, stories about women fall into the same tired tropes: the search for a husband, children, and “having it all.” This month’s picks for web series and VOD highlight...
Sarah Ruhl to Receive Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award
Playwright Sarah Ruhl has been named the recipient of this year’s Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award, The New York Times reports. The prize, which “celebrates career excellence in American...
How Ryan Murphy is Fighting Ageism in Hollywood
Ryan Murphy is on a quest. Not only is he helping make the director’s chair more inclusive, he’s also making strides to challenge ageism in Hollywood. Earlier this year, Murphy launched Half, a...
Vivica A. Fox Makes History, Will Play U.S. President in Sci-Fi Film
Vivica A. Fox is stepping into the Oval Office. The “Empire” actress will play the President of the United States in “Crossbreed,” a science fiction film from Jaguar Motion Pictures. The...
Amy Schumer is the First Woman to Make Highest-Paid Comedians List
Amy Schumer is the highest paid female comedian, and the first woman ever to land on Forbes’ list of the top earners in comedy. According to Forbes’ latest rankings, Schumer is the world’s...
“The Daily Show’s” Jessica Williams Takes on First Starring Role
Former “Daily Show” correspondent Jessica Williams has landed her first starring role. She’ll re-team with director Jim Strouse for an untitled feature film, taking on a role that was written...
Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson Team Up for Comedy About a Late-Night Host
Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson are joining forces. The actresses have signed on to star in an untitled movie centered on a late night talk show host, Variety reports. Kaling penned the script and...
Viola Davis Takes the Lead in Gillian Flynn Heist Thriller
Viola Davis is set to star in the heist thriller “Widows,” Variety reports. The script will be written by “Gone Girl” screenwriter and novelist Gillian Flynn along with Steve McQueen (“12...
Quote of the Day: Amma Asante on Trusting Female Filmmakers
Amma Asante’s “A United Kingdom” is set to open the 60th BFI London Film Festival in a week, and her film may be an awards contender this year. Like any female director, Asante has no doubt...
“Guardians of the Galaxy” Writer Nicole Perlman Signs on to Amazon’s “True Skin”
Nicole Perlman has landed another major gig. The “Guardians of the Galaxy” co-writer will pen “True Skin,” a new sci-fi drama series from Amazon Studios. The project originated as a short...
Jordan Chooses Mai Masri’s “3000 Nights” as its Oscar Pick
The film “3000 Nights” has been selected as Jordan’s candidate for the foreign-language category at the 2017 Oscars, The Hollywood Reporter writes. The drama marks documentarian Mai Masri’s...
Jodie Foster to Receive Britannia Award for Excellence in Film
Jodie Foster is set to be honored with the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film at this year’s Britannia Awards, USA Today reports. The actress and director will be awarded with...
Pam Grier and Jessye Norman to Receive W.E.B. DuBois Award
Actress Pam Grier and opera soprano Jessye Norman will be among the recipients of Harvard University’s 2016 W.E.B. Du Bois medals. Named for the civil rights activist, historian, and sociologist,...
Amandla Stenberg to Star in Jennifer Yuh Nelson’s Live-Action Directorial Debut
“Hunger Games” actress Amandla Stenberg’s star continues to rise. Stenberg has snagged the lead role in “Darkest Minds,” Fox’s adaptation of Alexandra Bracken’s dystopian YA trilogy,...
Celebrating Nine Years of Women and Hollywood
Nine years ago this September (I never remember the exact date) I started a website on blogger called Women and Hollywood. I culled links about women in the entertainment industry, started going to...
Trailer Watch: “The Crown” Feels Like It Could Take Place Today
“We have a new sovereign. Young…and a woman!” exclaims a voice in the new trailer for Netflix’s “The Crown.” The series begins in 1952 just as Queen Elizabeth II is taking the throne,...
Actors Can Now Request to Have Their Ages Removed from IMDb
We all know that ageism is an issue in Hollywood. In an effort to combat age discrimination, actors now have the ability to take action if they want their ages removed from IMDb,...
Script Based on Female Soldier in Revolutionary War Acquired by Amy Pascal
A spec script based on the true story of a female solider who fought in the Revolutionary War just scored a major deal. Amy Pascal’s Pascal Pictures has acquired Christopher Cosmos’ “American...
Trailer Watch: Ava DuVernay’s “The 13th” Critiques Mass Incarceration
Director Ava DuVernay (“Selma”) has secured the Opening Night spot at this year’s New York Film Festival, which runs from September 30-October 16, for her documentary “The 13th.” And now...
“Bridget Jones’s Baby” Tops Foreign Box Office For Second Week in a Row
“Bridget Jones’s Baby” is still going strong in international market, despite a poor performance in the U.S. As Variety reports, the movie topped the foreign box office once again, earning...
Jane Pauley to Anchor CBS’s “Sunday Morning”
Your Sunday morning is about to get a female-friendly makeover. Jane Pauley will replace Charles Osgood as the anchor of CBS’s “Sunday Morning,” The New York Times reports. Osgood is retiring....
Freeform and Comedian Iliza Shlesinger Are Developing a Late-Night Show
Comedian Iliza Shlesinger may be entering another male-dominated field: late-night television. Freeform is developing a late-night series with Shlesinger as host, Variety reports. According to...
Trailer Watch: “Good Girls Revolt” Tackles Sexism in Journalism
If there’s one thing that “Mad Men” never sufficiently got into in its last days, it was the budding women’s rights movements of the 1970s. Well, a new Amazon series called “Good Girls...
Guest Post: How to Be an Ally — Tips for Men Working with Women in Film Production
by Graham Sheldon The entertainment industry has a massive problem. Women are rarely behind the camera, and it isn’t for lack of interest or effort on their parts. I consider myself lucky to...
“Audrie & Daisy” Director Bonni Cohen Talks Cyberbullying and Sex Crimes
Interview by Diana Martinez Since co-founding Actual Films in 1998, Bonni Cohen has produced and directed an array of award-winning films, including “The Island President,” “Inside...
You’re Invited! USC Annenberg Hosts Diversifying Entertainment Event
Join Women and Hollywood founder and publisher Melissa Silverstein at “Transforming Hollywood 7: Diversifying Entertainment.” The all-day public event is being held on October 21 from 9 a.m....
Female-Led “Magnum P.I.” Sequel in the Works at ABC
ABC has picked up “Magnum,” a female-led sequel to the 1980s series “Magnum P.I.” for “a script commitment plus substantial penalty,” Deadline reports. The project, from Eva...
Weekly Update for September 23: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Queen of Katwe” Films About Women Opening This Week Queen of Katwe — Directed by Mira Nair For ten-year-old Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga) and her family, life in the impoverished slum...
“Generation Startup” Directors on Pushing Boundaries and Starting Companies
“Generation Startup” directors Cynthia Wade and Cheryl Miller Houser shared their thoughts on starting their own companies, why it’s important for young people to pursue their business dreams,...
AFI Fest to Celebrate Dorothy Dandridge, Ida Lupino, and Anna May Wong
The American Film Institute has announced that the 30th iteration of AFI Fest will spotlight Dorothy Dandridge, Ida Lupino, and Anna May Wong. Dandridge was the first African-American woman...
Elite Zexer’s “Sand Storm” is Israel’s Oscar Pick
Another women-directed feature is joining the Oscar race. Israel has chosen to submit “Sand Storm” to represent the country in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 2017 Academy Awards,...
Jamie Lee Curtis to Direct an Episode of “Scream Queens”
The queen of screams herself is taking charge. “Halloween” actress Jamie Lee Curtis is set to direct an episode of Fox’s horror-comedy series “Scream Queens,” Deadline reports. Curtis acts...
Annie Howell and Lisa Robinson’s “Claire in Motion” Goes to Breaking Glass
Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired the North American rights to writer-director team Annie Howell and Lisa Robinson’s “Claire in Motion,” ScreenDaily reports. The film premiered at SXSW and...
Quote of the Day: “Selma” Star David Oyelowo On How He Supports Women Directors
“Selma” breakout David Oyelowo sat down with Variety to discuss his two upcoming projects, the chess underdog story “Queen of Katwe” and the interracial romance “A United Kingdom.” Both...