Archive for the 'Events' Category

NYU’s  7th annual student run Fusion Film Festival is happening this week in NYC.  They have some great screenings and panels.   If you are in the NYC area you should attend.

From their materials:

The Fusion Film Festival was founded seven years ago at New York University with the mission of encouraging, inspiring, and providing opportunity for women filmmakers in the NYU community. Since its first year, Fusion has taken a stance on promoting female leadership in filmmaking, and continues its efforts in attracting support within and outside the walls of NYU.

They kick it off Thursday evening at 6:30pm with a screening of The Runaways followed by a q&a with director Floria Sigismondi.

Here are some of the panels on Saturday that look great are:

Women Writing Women

Room 006, 721 Broadway

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Join us for a discussion with working screenwriters to discuss the special challenges women face in creating rich and complex roles for women.

Double Threats

Room 006, 721 Broadway

5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Writer-Director. Actor-Director. Actor-Producer. Some do it all. Join us for a conversation on how the dual on-set role has evolved to its present state.

And they support future filmmakers.  One of the big pieces of the festival is the film and documentary pitch competition, where “NYU students have the opportunity to explore their creativity and gain recognition for their work.”

More details here

Happy New Year!

The Women’s Media Center is piloting a radio show on WBAI in NY and Women & Hollywood has put together a progam for tomorrow morning’s edition.

It airs at 10amEST and you can stream in live here.

The first part of the show will be a conversation with me and the hosts about what happened for women in 2009 and what to look forward to in 2010.

The second part (which I am so excited about) is a conversation with three amazing creative artists, playwright Theresa Rebeck, TV writer and director Nell Scovell, and feature writer and director Katherine Dieckmann.

Bios on the women are below.

The focus of our discussion will be how to shift the conversation about parity issues in Hollywood (and other areas of pop culture) beyond the where are the women to trying to come up with solutions.

Here’s an overview:

Women as consumers are evident in all areas of the arts.  We buy 50% of the movie tickets, over 50% of the theatre tickets, the majority of books and are a desired TV audience.  Yet, there is still a great disconnect between the audiences and the work.  Statistics show that women creatives are underrepresented in all areas of theatre, film, and TV.

And the biggest problem is the numbers are not improving.

Women remain at 25% representation in TV, under 10% of directors, 10% of film writers, 31% of theatre creatives jobs (and that includes actors.)

For the last decade (if not longer) the conversation has been about asking the question where are the women?  The time has come to shift the conversation from continuing to lament the problem to finding solutions.

If you can listen live please do.  I will post the podcast when it is up.

Bios

Theresa Rebeck is one of the most accomplished playwrights in America today.  Her newest work The Understudy is currently playing in NYC through January 17th.  She is also a novelist.  Her first book Three Sisters and Their Brother is now available in paperback and her newest novel Twelve Rooms with a View will be published in May by Random House.  She is also writing a pilot for USA TV.

Katherine Dieckmann has written and directed three feature films most recently Motherhood starring Uma Thurman.  She was also a journalist and a director of music videos.  She currently is an Assistant Professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of the Arts, where she teach screenwriting.  She also directed music videos for R.E.M., Aimee Mann, Wilco, and Everything but
the Girl, among others.

Nell Scovell is a TV writer and director who created the show Sabrina the Teenage Witch.  She caused a bit of a stir with a recent piece on Vanity Fair’s website about her experience as a female writer on Late Night with David Letterman.

I’ll be speaking in NYC with Olivia Cohen-Cutler about Jewish women in Hollywood this Wednesday night.  Would love to see some friends in the audience.  Details are below.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28 AT 7:00 PM

LIGHTS, CAMERA, SOCIAL ACTION!

JEWESSES IN HOLLYWOOD

Olivia Cohen-Cutler and Melissa Silverstein

Temple Shaaray Tefila

250 East 79th Street

RSVP to program@tstnyc.org

The event is free and all are welcome.

This year’s Social Action Film Series will explore the roles Jews play on screen as they forward the message of Tikkun Olam, healing the world.  Join a conversation on the role of Jews, Women and Jewish Women in media.  Using clips from the hit series “Grey’s Anatomy” to explore the complexity of who can be a Jew on screen today, guest speaker Olivia Cohen-Cutler, SVP of ABC Television, Chair of the Morningstar Commission, and Board member of the Jewish Women’s Archive, will lead a discussion on the role of Jews in TV and film today.  Joining Ms. Cohen-Cutler will be award-winning blogger and feminist pop-culture expert Melissa Silverstein of “Women & Hollywood.”  The Morningstar Commission, founded by Hadassah, promotes diverse images of Jewish women in media.

Tonight in Hollywood Elle Magazine will host the annual salute to women in Hollywood.  I am looking forward to the day when we don’t need to highlight women because they will have as much power as men, but in reality, women are nowhere near as powerful as the guys.

The women being ackowledged tonight include: Katie Holmes, Zoe Saldana, Emily Blunt, Renee Zellweger, Robin Wright Penn, Julie Andrews, Julianne Moore, and Bonnie Timmerman. (How come there is no link to the Julie Andrews and Bonnie Timmerman pieces?)

The highlight of the issue includes the most powerful women in Hollywood according to Nikki Finke the feared blogger who writes Deadline Hollywood.

Here’s the intro:

Last year I was on ELLE’s Women in Hollywood power list; this year I was asked to write it. That’s ironic, because I hate power lists more than one-size-fits-all spa robes. These influential jobs are not necessarily comparable. Are the casting directors I included more important than the cinematographers and film editors I didn’t? So what I have is a very subjective roster of women I deem essential to a town run by alpha males who don’t play well with others. Women in general do. In case you’re wondering, 2009 was a lousy year for female producers because the Industry has contracted, so they’re MIA here. But there are still some movie moguls standing, and, even better, TV execs are thriving. My favorite category, however, is the “coaches.” The trick in Hollywood is not just getting power, it’s keeping it, and if women need psychic intuition or telephone therapy or wise advice from showbiz legends for an edge, who am I to judge? Well, I am the judge. It’s my list!

Here are some of the categories on THE LIST.

THE TALENT

Tyra Banks, mogulette
So much more than that model show, she seems the likely successor to Oprah both in talk and in other TV programming her production company has cooking.

Beyoncé Knowles, singer, actress
She’s come into her own as an actress (Cadillac Records, Obsessed), pitchwoman extraordinaire (L’Oréal, American Express, Pepsi), and inaugural ball star, and is worth $87 million (No. 4 on the 2009 Forbes richest entertainers list).

Kathryn Bigelow, director, producer
This veteran action director (Point Break, The Weight of Water), unafraid of shocking us, may already have a bead on the Oscar with her latest, The Hurt Locker.

Miley Cyrus, Inc.
Young and gorgeous, rich and bankable, versatile and talented, earns $25 million a year, all in one teen-tween package.

Ellen DeGeneres, comedian, talk show host
She has broken every gay barrier—even Madison Avenue is comfortable with her.

Tina Fey, actress, comedian, writer
She saved NBC’s bacon during the 2008 election with her Sarah Palin bit on SNL and with her Emmy-winning 30 Rock.

Michael Patrick King, writer-director and 2009’s honorary female
He gave us the best years of Sex and the City on TV and can be credited for reviving the chick flick in Hollywood when the movie version grossed $415 million.

Stephenie Meyer, novelist
Delivered Hollywood its hottest franchise in years, the Twilight vampire series. She’s sold 70 million books to date, and the films have grossed $383 million worldwide.

Nancy Meyers, director
One of the few women directors who constantly works (The Parent Trap, What Women Want, Something’s Gotta Give) because she’s expert at defining the sexual zeitgeist.

Meryl Streep, actress
She shattered Hollywood’s ageism and sexism; at 60, she’s getting her best and showiest roles.

Continue reading ‘The Most Powerful Women in Hollywood According to Nikki Finke’

Nora and Delia Ephron

This week I spent some time in the world of the sisters Ephron — Nora and Delia.  First, I saw their show – Love, Loss and What I Wore (which is breaking box office records at the West Side Theatre and it has been extended into 2010), and then I saw them at the More Magazine Reinvention Convention.

The sisters could be a stand-up comedy act. Nora reminds me of a female Woody Allen (from the period when he was actually making funny, interesting cultural commentaries.)  They like to talk about purses and how they are a reflection of the carrier and the color black which Nora is particular is quite fond of.  As she said: I am not a fashion person and I have been saved from a lifetime of clothing mistakes by black.”

They also talked about how good Nora’s lunches are (she is criminally skinny) and how clothes can help you reinvent yourself.

The show which was packed to the gills with menopausal and post-menopausal women (I wondered why the theatre was so cold) stars a group of rotating actresses (I saw Tyne Daly, Rosie O’Donnell, Samantha Bee, Katie Finneran and Natasha Lyonne) reading monologues about how clothes define different periods in your life.

Everyone is calling it the Vagina Monologues without the vaginas.  I think that is missing the point.  It’s all about vaginas — it’s just that they are not being raped and mutilated.

I laughed at a lot of the monologues which the sisters Ephron wrote based on the book by Ilene Beckerman and enjoyed myself but afterwards what has lingered with me is the point – why do women care so much about clothes?  Why are clothes and shoes and bags things that define so much of our female experiences?   We all buy into it.  Me included.  I can’t tell you how many horrible clothing disasters I have had.  Guys don’t think about clothes like we do, yet we are culturally conditioned to constantly think about how we look which, you know, takes up so much energy that we could be expending on many other things.

One of the quotes that has stuck with me comes directly from Delia Ephron is “I could wear heels or think, I choose think.”  I feel the same way.   One of the other things I felt was missing from the show which is probably because of the age of the women (I also need to add the the play is directed by a woman Karen Carpenter, and produced by a woman, Daryl Roth) was anything about how certain clothes like sports uniforms can be empowering.  Since the show is all about sharing clothes stories, here’s mine:

I grew up on Long Island is a crazy soccer town where girls just like boys played on teams in the 70s and 80s before it had infiltrated the nation like it has now.  We played all the time.  There were intramural teams that accepted everyone, and travel teams that you had to try out for.  The intramural uniforms were double sides — one side maroon and one side gold — and they were hideous and heavy.  I even hated the shorts and the socks.  I wanted to make the travel team not only because it meant I was better player than others, but most especially because the uniform.  The uniform became a symbol of excellence and empowerment.  I loved the socks, the shorts and the hideous polyester shirt that was both gold and maroon with the MSC (Massapequa Soccer Club) in the corner.  It took me years to make that travel team, but when I did, and put on that uniform that I coveted, I felt so good and strong that I knew I could kick anyone’s ass on the field.

I haven’t thought about that uniform for a long, long time.  So I want to thank the Ephron sisters for bringing that memory back.

Do you have an empowering story about some piece of clothing?

Diamond in the Raw

2009 Stuntwomen’s Awards Luncheon
Skirball Cultural Center
Sunday, October 4, 2009
11:30 – 3:30 PM

Icon Recipient Jamie Lee Curtis
Dare2bDifferent Award Laila Ali

The Stuntwomen Awards celebrates the achievements of the Hollywood Stuntwomen.  These are the unsung sheroes behind the scene of some of the top action packed flicks and televisions shows in the entertainment business. They risk their lives by performing death defying stunts for some of the hottest and sexy actresses in Hollywood.

Check them out here

Purchases tickets here

Yesterday while I was taking editor in chief Peter Bart to the woodshed for his sexist comments about Jane Campion and Kathryn Bigelow the paper that he runs, Variety, was about to honor a plethora of women (including both Campion and Bigelow) for their contributions as women working in the business in its annual “Women’s Impact Report” which this year included a luncheon.

A bunch of high profile women were honored for their charitable work including:

Maria Bello- women’s rights and genocide

Christina Aguilera- world hunger

Christina Applegate- breast cancer

Anne Hathaway- volunteerism

January Jones- protecting the oceans

Sigourney Weaver- non-profit theatre

Sherry Lansing & Laura Ziskin- cancer

Check out the full impact report for profiles of leading actors, directors, executives, creatives, agents, lawyers and many others.

I asked Abigail who has written for this site before to put down her thoughts on the gender equity conference Vamps Vixens and Feminists that occured in London earlier this week.

Thank you Abigail for taking the time to do this.  We are all so appreciative.

Here’s what she wrote:

French Film Director Arnaud Desplechin once said, “People go to movies to see a woman’s face.”

With this in mind one wonders why a conference like Vamps, Vixens and Feminists has to be held in the twenty-first century, in such a progressive country as the UK, and yet it does, and it was.  (The event was hosted by Sphinx Theatre in partnership with Equity, the Actor’s Union; Women in Film and Television; Arts Council England; the Directors Guild of Great Britain, and the Writers Guild of Great Britain.)

Contrary to the Guardian’s coverage I felt, as an actress and cinemagoer, that it was a wholly positive event and uplifting to note that women, and a few men, around the UK recognised that women are poorly represented in the performing arts, and had come together in the hopes of making a difference.

The conference was held not just to promote the plight of actresses who are stereotyped by their roles and outnumbered, in British television and theatre 2 to 1, but to discuss how, in all types of arts jobs women are stereotypically-portrayed, and discriminated against, and how the Gender Equality Duty, an act passed in 2007 making it compulsory for all public bodies to actively promote and take action to bring about gender equality, could impact women’s working lives in the arts.

Oona King

Oona King, Head of Diversity at Channel 4, who chaired the event, spoke eloquently and passionately about the need for three basic changes:
1.    Recruitment from a wider base onscreen and off
2.    Encouragement of diversity in output and the portrayal of women
3.    Encouragement of diversity at senior decision-making levels

She suggested that more events like this be held across the UK, to arm more women and men with the resources and know-how to make changes in the way they run their workplace, whether they be producers, commissioners, actors, ADs, cinematographers or editors.

Personally, I think getting the policy makers to attend more meetings like this one would be another huge step in the right direction, and it was good to see that Baroness Margaret Prosser, Vice President of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, admitting that often the entertainment sector is passed over when discussing workplace issues.
Continue reading ‘Guest Post: Report from the Vamps, Vixens and Feminists Conference in London by Abigail Tarttelin’

Women in Film will honor Jennifer Aniston, Holly Hunter, Catherine Hardwicke, Elizabeth Banks and Petra Korner at the 2009 Crystal + Lucy Awards in LA on June 12th.  The event will be hosted by Chelsea Handler.

Aniston will receive the Crystal Awards for excellence in film, and Hunter will receive the Lucy Award for excellence in TV.  Elizabeth Banks will receive the Face of the Future Award.  Catherine Hardwicke, the Dorothy Arzner directing award and cinematographer Korner will receive the Kodak Vision Award.

From Jane Fleming, president of Women in Film/LA

“Women in Film is thrilled to honor these extraordinarily versatile women who truly represent the new paradigm of Hollywood,” WIF/LA president Jane Fleming said. “Each of them has succeeded wildly by having the courage to work in all areas of the entertainment industry, transitioning between film and television, comedy and drama, studio and independent projects, both in front of and behind the camera.”

Details on tickets here.

Jennifer Ansison, Holly Hunter to be Honored (HR)

Folks- I’m going to be in LA this weekend and am organizing a small meet-up with friends and readers.  We’re still trying to find a place (very flexible on location so let me know if you have any suggestions.)

Here’s the Facebook page.  Please come if you are around.

Women & Hollywood Comes to LA

If I want to be a producer, this event definitely seems like something worthwhile to attend. Readers of Women & Hollywood qualify for a special PRODUCED BY CONFERENCE Industry Professional Rate of $595, (down from $999)

Here’s the description:

Spend the weekend with more than 100 A-list producers at the PRODUCED BY CONFERENCE hosted by the Producers Guild of America, June 5-7, on the Sony lot.  This unprecedented conference brings together Oscar- and Emmy-winning producers for you to learn from and connect with.

The PRODUCED BY CONFERENCE will host more than 30 seminars and panels that will help you pitch, finance, develop, and market your project. Intimate mentoring roundtables – limited to a maximum of 12 participants – offer a one-time opportunity to ask the burning questions you’ve always wanted to ask of a top producer of YOUR choice!

With top talent like James Cameron (Avatar), Lauren Shuler Donner (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Bruce Cohen (Milk), Kathleen Kennedy (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Gale Anne Hurd (The Incredible Hulk), Lydia Dean Pilcher (Iron Jawed Angels), Sarah Green (Frida), Sabrina Wind (Desperate Housewives) and Betsy Beers (Grey’s Anatomy), you’ll come away from the PRODUCED BY CONFERENCE knowing how to enhance your storytelling skills and become one of the great producers of the new millennium.

The PRODUCED BY CONFERENCE offers an unmatched collection of professional resources, including an incredible array of seminars, technology demonstrations and vendor displays. Don’t miss this one time opportunity. REGISTER here (under the industry affiliation dropdown menu pick Women & Hollywood)

Last week I moderated a panel on abortion and popular culture at the National Abortion Federation annual meeting.  It was amazing and humbling to be in a place with people who put themselves on the line each and every day when they go to work because they believe in preserving a woman’s right to her own autonomy.

Some people had to leave early and couldn’t attend the panel and asked me to post my remarks.  Keep in mind that we showed a bunch of clips from TV shows and movies that deal with the issue.  (I’m not posting them due to permissions issues.)

Here is my introduction to the panel:

The objective of this panel is to leave you with some thoughts about popular culture because popular culture is the way that most people outside of this room are exposed to abortion.  Those images reflect choices that are made and values that are formed whether we want to believe it or not.

One of the big questions I wrestle with about pop culture is whether it affects the cultural conversation or reflects it.  As a person who spends a lot of time absorbing pop culture, particularly TV and film, I would venture to say the answer is both.  There are times when pop culture – particularly TV- effects behavior, values and sets an agenda.  Examples I like to use are the 1984 film There’s Something About Amelia that dealt with incest, An Early Frost from 1985 that dealt with AIDS or the 1992’s Doing Time on Maple Drive about a gay teen who tried to commit suicide.  Keep in mind that these examples are from a time when network TV movies were more dominant.  Also think about the cultural conversation that the film Thelma and Louise started several months before the Anita Hill hearing.  It touched a raw nerve and helped create a potent conversation.

The culture has softened and shifted on issues that were taboo only a short time ago and the best example is sexuality.  Until recently gay people were pretty much invisible, and if they were seen they were alone and silent.  But things have shifted on this issue as more people – particularly young people, a much desired demographic in the entertainment business – have grown more comfortable.  While there are very few – if any- shows with gay leads, gay people are interwoven into many shows.  A great example of that is Brothers and Sisters which I call the gayest show on TV.  The gay rights movement has been very smart in how they have used the culture and the pro-choice movement could learn from them.

But abortion is different.  And as you can tell from the clips you just saw (with film clips to come later in our discussion) we started at the top of the mountain with Maude.  I just want to acknowledge Bea Arthur as Maude and Dorothy from the Golden Girls who died this past weekend for her groundbreaking characters.  Maude aired on November 14, 1972 several months before the passage of Roe v Wade.  CBS was not happy at all that it was taking on abortion in its first season, but Norman Lear threatened to pull the show and the network was forced to air the episodes.  65 million people watched it.  (Remember that there was no cable then and very few channels)

Here’s a recent homage to the show from Entertainment Weekly on the occasion of the DVD release:

“On those rare occasions when TV dares to deal with the volatile issue of abortion, it would be unthinkable to play the subject for laughs. But then, to paraphrase the All in the Family spin-off’s theme song, there was Maude. In its second month on the air, Maude grabbed headlines as the first sitcom that dared to deal with the subject, setting a caustic, politically charged tone for the CBS series that would endure throughout its six-year run.  Creator Norman Lear denies his motivation was political. ”We weren’t trying to make a statement,” he insists today. ”(At first) we asked, what’s a good, funny story and pregnancy was a great comedic idea.…”

When the show was rerun in the summer of 73, 39 of CBS’ 198 affiliates refused to air it and it ran with no ads.  I can pretty much guarantee that Maude as it was written in 1972 would not make it on the air today.

Continue reading ‘Presentation from Panel on Abortion in Popular Culture’

Don’t forget any of you NY City dwellers (and you don’t need to be a blogger) that the Brooklyn Blogfest is this Thursday at PowerHouse Arena in DUMBO.

Brooklyn Blogfest 2009 is an exciting, idea-filled event for bloggers, blog readers and the blog curious, where you will find: Insight. Advice. Inspiration. Resources.

WHY WE BLOG is the theme of a panel discussion moderated by Brooklyn Independent Television’s Megan Donis and featuring Jake Dobkin of Gothamist, Anne Pope of Sustainable Flatbush, Tracy Collins of Freakin’ Blog, Bed Stuy Banana, and Melissa Lopata of Hip Slope Mama.

This year Brooklyn Blogfest introduces BLOGS-OF-A-FEATHER, special small-group sessions led by notable bloggers in a wide variety of blog categories, where you can connect with other bloggers who share your interests.

I will be participating in one of the BLOGS OF A FEATHER sessions on entertainment.

Also on the agenda:  A VIDEO TRIBUTE TO BROOKLYN’S PHOTO BLOGGERS by Adiran Kinloch of Brit in Brooklyn, WHY WE BLOG VIDEO SPOTS by Blue Barn Pictures, THE ROBERT GUSKIND VIDEO, and the annual SHOUT-OUT: a chance to share your blog with the world!

Whether you live to blog, blog to live or are just curious about this thing called blogging, you won’t want to miss Brooklyn Blogfest 2009: the best Blogfest yet.

Details

May 7, 2009
Doors open at 7 p.m.
powerHouse Arena
37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Admission: $10  ($5 for students and seniors)

Brooklyn Blogfest After-Party
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
(right across the street from powerHouse Arena)

More Info

Cash bar and refreshments

There are many awesome female documentarians but Kim Longinotto is at the top of the field.  A retrospective of her 30 year body of work will featured at the Museum of Modern Art this month in NYC.  Longinotto is known for documenting untold stories of women from around the globe.

The series opens with the New York premiere of Rough Aunties (2009), about a group of women who protect and care for the neglected children of Durban, South Africa. The film was awarded the World Cinema Jury Prize in Documentary at this year‘s Sundance Film Festival and will have its national broadcast premiere on HBO in 2010.

Other films being screened include:

Pride of Place, 1978, a revealing look at the strict treatment of young women in a girls’ boarding school, which she had formerly attended.

Theatre Girls, 1979, a film shot in the calamitous atmosphere of a 24-hour admitting hostel for homeless women.

Sisters in Law (2005, co-directed with Florence Ayisi), about two bold and progressive-minded women in Kumba, Cameroon, who help victims of abuse speak up and out against their oppressors,

Divorce Iranian Style (1998, co-directed with Ziba Mir-Hosseini), which over the course of several weeks follows the complex social and legal customs surrounding Iranian divorce from the inside perspective of a Tehran divorce court

Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go (2007), a look inside Oxfordshire‘s Mulberry Bush School where emotionally traumatized children are treated with restraint and sensitivity (winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2008 International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam, with its national broadcast premiere taking place on July 28 on PBS’s P.O.V.).

Dream Girls (1993), about a popular ―women only‖ musical theater company in Japan where young women are sent to study both male and female 2
roles (winner of Best Documentary at Films de Femmes, Creteil)

Shinjuku Boys (1995), which follows three Japanese onnabes‘—gender-bending women who live as men and have girlfriends (named Outstanding Documentary at the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and winner of the Gold Prize at the Houston Film Festival).

Director Longinotto will participate in post-screening discussions with the audience for the screenings of Rough Aunties (May 7), Divorce Iranian Style (May 8), Hold Me Tight (May 9), and Sisters in Law (May 10).

More info on screening times here

Rachel Helson

Rachel Helson is an inspired young woman.  At 20 years old she’s a producer (Reasons to be Pretty), an actress and an NYU senior.  She’s also a serious kick ass activist for breast cancer and is producing a benefit on Monday, May 4th for the Susan G. Komen Foundation in honor of her four breast cancer surviving aunts.

Here are the details:

The Young Professionals Committee of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, New York City Affiliate will present The Pink Campaign on Broadway at the American Airlines Theatre (227 West 42nd St). This one-night only event will take place on Monday, May 4, 2009 and will be an inspirational Broadway benefit performance filling the stage with original music and theatre that explores the ways in which breast cancer touches people’s lives.

Tickets are $100 and $150 and are now on sale at Smarttix or by calling (212) 868-4444.

Directed by David Ruttura (White Christmas, Farragut North,) and hosted by Rachel Dratch the event will consist of musical performances of original songs by celebrated Broadway composers and artists in the music industry and short plays acted, written and directed by professionals of stage and screen; all written about various breast cancer experiences.

Performers include Susan Blackwell (title of show, Speech & Debate,) Patrick Goodwin (17 Photos of Isabel,) Seth Grugle (The Hunchback of Notredame, “American Idol,”) Rachel Helson (72 Blackeyed Virgins, The 24 Hour Plays,) Richard Kind (“Spin City,” “Mad About You,”) Terry Kinney (“Oz,” The Laramie Project,) Stephanie March (“Law & Order: SVU”), Zoe Perry (“Private Practice”), Kate Reinders (Wicked, Good Vibrations,) Sarah Ries (The 24 Hour Plays, “Grey’s Anatomy,”) Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent, Les Miserables), James Leo Ryan (Annie, Show Boat,) Megan Sikora (Curtains, Wicked,) Mary Testa (Guys and Dolls, Xanadu,) Tamara Tunie (“Law & Order: SVU”), Steven Weber (“Wings,” “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”), and Kit Williamson (Talk Radio).

Playwrights include Theresa Rebeck (Mauritius, Spike Heels), Harrison David Rivers (Fell), and Robert Sternin & Prudence Fraser (“The Nanny”). Directors include Andrew McCarthy (St. Elmo’s Fire, “Lipstick Jungle,” Fat Pig) and Laura Savia (10 Million Miles, Celebration and the Room.) Composers and lyricists include composer and conductor Oran Eldor (Guys & Dolls), Marcy Heisler & Zina Goldrich (Ever After, Dear Edwina, Junie B. Jones), and Jeremy Schonfeld (Drift, Ministry of Progress, Home).

Korean Women Filmmakers: A Screening and Discussion with Yim Soon–rye, Film Director, moderated by Yunah Hong, Documentary Filmmaker
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
6:00–6:30 PM * Registration and Reception
6:30–8:30 PM * Discussion

Location: The Korea Society
, 950 Third Avenue @ 57th Street, 8th Floor
 (Building entrance on SW corner of Third Avenue and 57th Street)

Women represent only a small minority of the Korean film industry’s behind–the–camera talent, yet they make up an impressive number of the industry’s top filmmakers. Acclaimed director Yim Soon–rye explores the roles that she and her fellow women directors play in the industry in her documentary Keeping the Vision Alive: Women in Korean Filmmaking.

The Women’s Angle, an Atlanta based organization dedicated to get more women in the director’s chair will be screening several shorts at the upcoming Atlanta Film Festival.

A Peacock-Feather Blue will screen April 23 at 7pm

Wheels will screen April 22, 7:00 pm and Thurs., April 23, 4:30 pm

Happy Hour will screen on April 22 at 9:20.

Buy tickets here: Atlanta Film Festival

Premiere of Making Waves, Saving Lives
A film to benefit the organization Dolphin Anti-Rape and AIDS Control Outreach based in Kenya.

Dolphin volunteers travel around to schools in Kenya to teach girls rape awareness and a self-defense called rapid response to build their confidence and equip them with the skills necessary to fight off an attacker. Their great work, dedication and efficiency is an inspiration to organizations everywhere to let love be the backbone of nonprofit work the way they do.

Saturday April 25th

7 pm

Kellen Auditorium, The New School at 66 Fifth Ave (at 13th St). Ground floor

$10 suggested donation

More info: Dolphin Anti Rape

CineWomen On Screen: A NYWIFT Series
Presents  “Motherland”
Thursday, April 30th, 8:00pm
Magno Review 1 Screening Room
729 Seventh Avenue, between 48th & 49th Streets

CineWomen On Screen celebrates the work of emerging female filmmakers from all over the world. Films that are included in the series must be directed, co-directed, produced, written, edited or shot by women. Whenever possible, the filmmakers are present for discussion and socializing after their works are presented.

This month’s film is MOTHERLAND, directed by Jennifer Steinman. There will be a Q&A following the screening with the filmmaker, and an after-party to follow.  Info on film.

Buy tickets here:

For anyone in the NYC area mark down May 7th in your calendar for the 4th annual Brooklyn Blogfest.  The theme is:

Insight. Advice. Inspiration. Resources.

The main program is: WHY WE BLOG is a panel discussion moderated by BCAT’s Megan Donis and featuring Jake Dobkin of Gothamist, Anne Pope of Sustainable Flatbush, Tracy Collins of Freakin’ Blog and Melissa Lopata of Hip Slope Mama.

I will be participating in one of the breakout sessions, “Blogs of a Feather” in the with other pop culture and comedy bloggers.  Blogs of a feather is a chance for to meet and mingle with like-minded bloggers. Notable bloggers from a variety of blog-genres will facilitate these small group sessions as a way for you to network and learn more about various categories of blogging and connect with other bloggers.

Whether you live to blog, blog to live or are just curious about this thing called blogging, you won’t want to miss Brooklyn Blogfest 2009: the best Blogfest yet.

Details:

May 7, 2009
Doors open at 7 p.m.
powerHouse Arena
37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Admission: $10  ($5 for students and seniors)

Brooklyn Blogfest After-Party
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
(right across the street from powerHouse Arena)

Cash bar and refreshments

More details: Brooklyn Blogfest

The stories of Hollywood’s founding are legendary.  The twitter version for the uninitiated: A bunch of jewish immigrants migrated from NY to LA and created this new industry.  If you want the real story read Neal Gabler’s How the Jews Invented Hollywood.

While there is no history of jewish women and Hollywood I can guarantee they are all over the place.

A group entitled The MorningStar Commission named for the Natalie Wood character in Herman Wouk’s novel was created by Hadassah to ensure that Jews are portrayed in a positive and diverse way in the media and entertainment.

They are holding an event in LA on April 26th.  The event includes a conversation with Jenji Kohan the creator of Weeds and Danielle Berrin of LA’s Jewish Journal.  There will also be small discussions featuring Deb Aquila, Iris Grossman, Jill Leiderman, Jill Soloway and Venessa Hidary the Hebrew Mamita will perform.

Here’s a description of the event from the group:

Men and women’s experiences are inherently different and there are differences between men and women’s Hollywood experiences as well. Our main speaker, Jenji Kohan in particular has been enormously successful at creating diverse Jewish characters that are real and don’t melt into stereotypes. How she was able to develop & sell such characters and then maintain such authenticity in a series will be exciting to learn about for anyone—in entertainment or not—interested in accurate portrayals of minorities in our media.

Details:

April 26

2-4pm

Skirball Cultural Center,Haas Bldg

2700 N. Sepulveda

Cost $10

RSVP: mscommission@aol.com or 310-712-5400

For all of you interested in getting into TV:

The National Association of Television Programming Executives Diversity Fellowship is a mid-career program that provides a small group of emerging television and video content creators of color with the next step in their career development. The Fellowship offers a series of mentoring meetings, workshops, networking and educational opportunities and kicks-off during the week of NATPE’s LATV Fest, July 8-9, 2009.

The Fellows are afforded a unique opportunity to make valuable contacts in and gain real insight into the television industry, prepare and polish their pitches, get access to sponsors and executives. This Program is a unique experience that gives creators of content and those interested in executive level positions a clear snapshot of the television business and how to navigate through it. It is an invaluable tool that helps producers sharpen their skills and get on the inside track of one of the world’s most competitive industries.

Contact Mildred Lewis (a Women & Hollywood reader) at MiLewis915@aol.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 310-453-4440 for more info.

Become a Diversity Fellow

Tomorrow is the second annual SWAN (Support Women Arists Now) Day.  The whole point of the day is to recognize and support women artists.  Women & Hollywood will be supporting women artists tomorrow at the Boston screening of Hounddog.

The event is a project of the Fund for Women Artists.

There are 160 events all over the world.  You can see the list of events here

Some cool highlights:

• Asian American Women, Feminism, and the Arts in SF
• National Assoc. of Women Artists:  Celebrating 120 Years of Women Artists at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in DC
• Magnolia – A Play by Regina Taylor at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago
• Women on the Edge Playwrights Festival  sponsored by the International Center of Women Playwrights in Boston
• An Evening with Playwrights Kia Corthron and Migdalia Cruz in NYC
• Broadway Theatre Women Discuss Performance Collaborations in NYC
• Building Bridges, Connecting Artists in Nairobi, Kenya