ALL POSTS
Irish Film Board Awards 75% of Production Loans to Women Directors
The Irish Film Board (IFB) has made good on its pledge to “commit to gender parity in its funded projects,” Screen Daily writes. In fact, three of its four latest production loans were given to...
CBS Orders Pilot from Katie Couric and Jenny Lumet
We all know Katie Couric as a respected veteran TV journalist and producer. And now we’ll know her as a TV drama series executive producer. According to The Hollywood Reporter, CBS has ordered a...
Elizabeth Heldens’ Vampire Drama “The Passage” Gets Pilot Pickup at Fox
The vampire craze isn’t over just yet. There’s still a demand for shows and films about the undead, and Fox is looking to satiate bloodthirsty viewers. The network has ordered a pilot for “The...
Oprah Winfrey Joins “60 Minutes” Team
Oprah Winfrey is adding yet another job to her otherworldly resume. The hugely influential media mogul is set to join CBS’ “60 Minutes,” The Hollywood Reporter confirms. Unfortunately, we’re...
Gina Rodriguez Inks Multi-Year Deal with CBS
Looks like “Jane the Virgin” is just the beginning. Gina Rodriguez has signed a multi-year overall deal with CBS, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. With this deal, Rodriguez is set to “develop...
Viola Davis and Julia Roberts to Star in “Small Great Things”
Viola Davis and Julia Roberts are teaming up for “Small Great Things.” The A-listers are set to star in Amblin Partners’ adaptation of Jodi Picoult’s 2016 best-selling novel of the same...
Trailer Watch: Belle’s Inner Beauty Shines in Final “Beauty and the Beast” Spot
The final U.S. trailer for Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast” is live, and the spot offers more insight into Belle’s relationship with her father, the Beast, and the enchanted...
Women Represent Only 20% of Non-Acting Oscar Nominations
Our sentiments exactly. “Toni Erdmann” Today in news that makes us want to scream, women make up only 20 percent of this year’s non-acting Academy Award nominations, according to research from...
Marielle Heller’s Next Movie Begins Filming, Melissa McCarthy Stars
Like many, we fell in love with Marielle Heller’s award-winning directorial debut, “The Diary of a Teenage Girl.” The writer-director’s next project, Fox Searchlight’s “Can You Ever...
Trailer Watch: Sandra Oh and Anne Heche Face Off in “Catfight”
Sandra Oh and Anne Heche trade epic barbs and blows in a newly released trailer for “Catfight.” The dark comedy sees the two playing old college friends who reunite at a party. Struggling artist...
“Waitress” Broadway Musical Recoups $12 Million
This calls for a celebratory pie. “Waitress” has recouped its “$12 million capitalization costs, according to producers, less than 10 months after the show began previews in March,” Variety...
Dee Rees’ “Mudbound” and Eliza Hittman’s “Beach Rats” Score Sundance Deals
The biggest deal of Sundance 2017 was for a woman-directed movie. Netflix shelled out $12.5 million for Dee Rees’ “Mudbound,” Deadline reports. Writer-director Eliza Hittman also secured a...
SAG Awards: A Night of Inclusivity, Empathy, and Women Taking a Stand
As politically bleak as the last 10 days have been, one thing is for sure: Hollywood is rising to the occasion. Last night’s Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards ceremony was less about who won what...
Quote of the Day: Octavia Spencer on Her Dream Role and Diversity
“Hidden Figures” just surpassed $100 million at the box office, and that’s just one of the many reasons Octavia Spencer has to celebrate. Spencer and her “Hidden Figures” costars, who...
Sundance 2017 Awards: Women Win Big During a Political Ceremony
Now, that’s more like it. The 2017 Sundance Film Festival held its closing awards ceremony last night and the winners reflect the actual world we live in: women won eight of the 16 filmmaking...
Samantha Bee Hosting an Event Opposite the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
“Full Frontal’s” Samantha Bee is launching the first annual “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” which will take place on Saturday, April 29, at The Willard Hotel in Washington,...
A Tough Feminist Conversation at Sundance
There is a story circulating about a star-studded lunch that took place last week at Sundance in honor of women filmmakers and others attending the fest. The hosts were Glamour’s Cindi Leive and...
February 2017 Film Preview
“A United Kingdom” There may or may not be love in the air this February, but one thing is certain: there is an abundance of female-led horror on the screen. There are, of course, some lighter...
NBC Gives Pilot Orders to Projects from Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling
Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling are set to produce more TV magic. NBC has given pilot orders to Fey’s “The Sackett Sisters” and an untitled project from Kaling, Deadline writes. Both are...
Janelle Monaé, Issa Rae Among Essence’s Black Women in Hollywood Honorees
Essence has announced the honorees of its 2017 Black Women in Hollywood Awards. Musician and “Hidden Figures” star Janelle Monaé, “Insecure’s” Issa Rae, “How to Get Away with...
Weekly Update for January 27: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Films About Women Opening This Week Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Picking up immediately after the events of “Resident Evil: Retribution,” Alice (Milla...
Trailer Watch: Abbie Cornish Fights to Remember Her Past in “Lavender”
Abbie Cornish plays a woman haunted by a past she can’t remember in “Lavender.” “I’m not sure if I’m seeing things, remembering things, or someone’s messing with my head,” Jane...
No Women Directors Included in Walmart’s “Diverse” Oscar Short Films
Today in WTF, Walmart bragged about its involvement in the Oscars this year and boasted about hiring some top tier directors for the gig. Problem is — they are all men. Score one more for the...
Ellen Pompeo to Make Directorial Debut on “Grey’s Anatomy”
Even after 13 seasons, “Grey’s Anatomy” continues to blaze trails. This time, the broken barrier is behind the camera: “Grey’s” headliner Ellen Pompeo is set to make her directorial...
Paula Patton to Star in Upcoming ABC Series
“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” actress Paula Patton is making her way to the small screen. She’ll topline ABC’s “Somewhere Between.” The drama, which is based on a Korean...
Gender-Swapped “What About Bob?” Reboot Gets Pilot Order at NBC
“What About Bob?” is joining the company of “Ocean’s 11” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.” All of these classics are getting female-fronted makeovers. While the latter two are hitting the...
“The Salesman” Star to Boycott Oscars in Protest of Trump’s Visa Ban
Actress Taraneh Alidoosti, Iranian star of “The Salesman,” will not be attending this year’s Oscars. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Alidoosti announced via Twitter that she will boycott...
Quote of the Day: DP Nancy Schreiber on Opening Doors for Other Women
Nancy Schreiber is set to make history. The veteran cinematographer will be the first woman to receive the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Presidents Award, Variety reports. In fact,...
Trailer Watch: Dakota Fanning Takes on a Dangerous Preacher in “Brimstone”
When women are portrayed in Western films, they’re typically relegated to the sidelines. Rarely do they get in on the action. “Brimstone” is an exception. Dakota Fanning’s character, Liz, is...
Watch: Samantha Bee Discusses the Women’s March on “Full Frontal”
“Hey, how was your weekend?” Samantha Bee asked her audience on last night’s episode of “Full Frontal.” “Me, I didn’t do much — just went for a walk with a few friends.” This...
Support Female Cinematographers: Recommendations for 2017 Viewing
Women accounted for just five percent of the cinematographers who worked on the top 250 highest-grossing films of 2016, and a female cinematographer has never been nominated for an Oscar. Because...
Trailer Watch: A Doctor Saves Lives Around the World in “The Resilient Heart”
As Valentine’s Day approaches, heart-shaped paper cutouts and candies are everywhere, as are cards waxing philosophical about love’s impact on the actual heart. We talk so much about the heart...
What Mary Tyler Moore Meant to Me
I’m a bit too young to have had “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” be about me and my life, but I do clearly remember watching, learning, and understanding what this woman meant to the world beyond...
“Carrie Pilby” Gets a Release Date
If you enjoyed Bel Powley’s performance in Marielle Heller’s “The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” you’ll definitely want to check out “Carrie Pilby,” a coming-of-age story that sees Powley...
Refinery29 & TNT Team Up for Return of Women-Focused Shatterbox Anthology
Refinery29 is partnering up with TNT the return of Shatterbox Anthology, its women-focused short film series. According to a press release, Shatterbox “provides a platform for the next cycle of...
Sundance Sales for Women-Centric “Patti Cake$” and “The Incredible Jessica James”
Sundance Film Festival is a great place to see movies, and it’s also a great place to have your movie seen: the fest is a business hub, with sales being reported on a daily basis. Two deals for...
César Nominations Recognize Existence of Women Directors
Nominations for the 2017 César Awards, France’s national film awards, have been announced. The Césars are considered France’s equivalent to the Oscars. This Academy actually recognized the...
Sundance Deals: Sales for Women-Directed “Landline,” “To the Bone,” & More
This year’s edition of the Sundance Film Festival is shaping up to be a memorable one for women directors. In the past day alone Gillian Robespierre’s “Landline,” Amanda Lipitz’s...
Daisy Ridley to Play a Spy in “A Woman of No Importance”
We’ve seen how well Daisy Ridley can handle a lightsaber, and now we’ll have the chance to see her in action as a spy. The “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” breakout is attached to star in...
Jessie Auritt’s “Supergirl” Acquired by FilmRise
Naomi Kutin is poised to powerlift her way into audience’s hearts. The pre-teen is at the center of Jessie Auritt’s “Supergirl,” a coming-of-age documentary that was just acquired by...
IDA Creates New Fund for Feature-Length Docs
Documentary filmmakers, take note: The International Documentary Association (IDA) is launching a new fund. The Enterprise Documentary Fund, created with significant support from the John D. and...
Laura Nix Honored as the 2017 Sundance Institute and Discovery Impact Fellow
Laura Nix has been named as the 2017 Sundance Institute and Discovery Impact Fellow, Deadline reports. “The Yes Men are Revolting” director is the second recipient of the fellowship, which...
Pilot Updates: Pilot Order for Diablo Cody, Script Commitment for “Witchblade”
Women-centric television projects from Diablo Cody and Caroline Dries are on the horizon. According to reports from The Hollywood Reporter, ABC gave a pilot order to “Raised by Wolves,” written...
Gina Prince-Bythewood to Direct “Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger” Pilot for Freeform
Gina Prince-Bythewood just made the Marvel Cinematic Universe a bit more palatable to women. After reports from Season Zero and Geeks of Color mentioned her involvement in the upcoming Freeform...
Trailer Watch: Jewish Comedians Get “The Last Laugh”
“It’s much more fun to laugh than not to laugh,” Carl Reiner explains in the new trailer for “The Last Laugh.” As fun as it is, laughter is also key to cultural and literal survival in...
Amid Feminist Protests, Roman Polanski Declines César Awards Position
The past few days are excellent examples of the power women have when they organize. Only three days after the Women’s March, Roman Polanski announced he would not serve as President of the César...
Oscar 2017 Nominations: #OscarsSoWhite Gets a Slight Makeover
The 2017 Oscar nominations are in, and the more inclusive group of actors and films to receive nods suggests that the Academy’s decision to invite a diverse new class of members was, as expected,...
Gita Pullapilly and Aron Gaudet to Direct Their Black List Script “Crook County”
“Crook County,” a Black List script from Gita Pullapilly and Aron Gaudet, is officially on its way to the big screen. Deadline writes that the partners and spouses will direct the film, “based...
“Fresh Off the Boat” Team Secures Pilot Order from NBC for Family Comedy
NBC has ordered a pilot for an untitled comedy based on the life of “Fresh Off the Boat” producer Kourtney Kang, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The project marks the first comedy pilot the...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Zoe Lister-Jones — “Band Aid”
Zoe Lister-Jones is an actor, director, writer, and producer who is currently starring in CBS’ “Life in Pieces.” She recently co-starred in “Confirmation” for HBO. As a...
Sofia Vergara to Pursue Latin American Stories with New Mobile Platform Raze
The highest-paid actress on TV is using her clout and business acumen to tell more Latin American stories with Raze, a digital startup. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Modern Family” star...