BY Casey Cipriani
Kelly Reichardt Announces Next Film
Fresh off the success of her latest and highest grossing film, “Certain Women,” director Kelly Reichardt has announced her next project. As The LA Times reports, her next film is “a...
“Toni Erdmann” Wins European Lux Film Prize
Maren Ade’s “Toni Erdmann” has won the Lux Film Prize, the annual film honor handed out by the European Parliament, THR reports. The award goes to a film that contributes to the “debate and...
Trailer Watch: Grab a Tissue for Lifetime’s “Beaches”
Who knew that what we were lacking in our lives was an Idina Menzel version of “Wind Beneath My Wings”? Thanks to the new trailer for Lifetime’s remake of “Beaches,” we now realize the...
Sondheim’s “Company” Getting Gender Swapped by Marianne Elliott
Tony winner Marianne Elliott’s new company is giving the Sondheim musical “Company” a twist by gender swapping the main character. According to The New York Times, Elliott’s new company,...
Quote of the Day: Susanne Bier on the Lingering Threat of “a Female Vision”
Speaking at the Screen Film Summit, Screen Daily reports, “The Night Manager” director Susanne Bier dove into the perceptions of female directors in Hollywood. One of the biggest topics she...
Trailer Watch: Dorothy’s Not in Kansas Anymore in NBC’s “Emerald City”
There’s no doubt that HBO’s hit series “Game of Thrones” has had a big influence on television and created an interest in more fantastical fare. The latest new series to seemingly take the...
Michelle Yeoh Joins the “Star Trek: Discovery” Crew
The new and upcoming Star Trek series, “Star Trek: Discovery,” has added a new cast member, and we couldn’t be more excited about this addition to the cast. As THR reports, Michelle Yeoh will...
Biopic Celebrating Apartheid Activist and Singer Miriam Makeba in the Works
The life of South African singer and activist Miriam Makeba is headed to the big screen, Variety reports. The film will be a combined effort between the Miriam Makeba Estate, Miriam Makeba...
Kathleen Kennedy Doesn’t Think There’s a Woman Director Ready for “Star Wars”
“Star Wars” producer Kathleen Kennedy sounds determined to get a female director on board for a movie in the “Star Wars” franchise, but she seems to be going about it the wrong way. Rather...
“Call the Midwife” Renewed for Three More Seasons
The BBC has announced that the much-beloved series “Call the Midwife” has been renewed for three more seasons, keeping the female-centric show on the air through 2020. Three Christmas specials...
Kesha to Receive Billboard’s Women in Music Trailblazer Award
Singer and musician Kesha is going to be honored with Billboard’s Women in Music Trailblazer Award at this year’s Billboard Music Awards, THR reports. The event will take place on December 9 in...
Project for Women Directors Sabotaged By a One Man’s Complaint
The news coming out of North Carolina’s theater scene is slightly confusing, but what it sounds like is a classic case of sexist sabotage. As IndyWeek reports, on Tuesday of last week, Jerome...
Read Sarah Ruhl’s Inspiring Speech on the Election and Being a Female Writer
Playwright Sarah Ruhl was awarded with the 2016 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award last week. The prize, which “celebrates career excellence in American theater,” comes with $200,000. An...
Win a Trip to the Sundance Film Festival Through The Horizon Award
Heads up, female filmmakers! The Creative Mind Group is now accepting submissions for the 2017 Horizon Award, which gives the opportunity to aspiring female directors to win a free trip to the...
Shonda Rhimes Honored with International Emmy Founders Award
Who runs the world? Shonda Rhimes. The TV mogul, creator, and producer will be receiving a special honor at the International Emmy Awards Gala this coming Monday, The Seattle Times reports. Tony...
Reese Witherspoon is Starting a New Female-Driven Company
Reese Witherspoon has started a new company, Deadline reports. She’s teamed up with Otter Media to start Hello Sunshine, a company that will focus on telling female-driven stories across all...
Mary Louise Parker, Martha Plimpton, and More Honored at NYWIFT Muse Awards
New York Women in Film and Television will hold its 37th annual Muse Awards Gala on December 8, and has announced the recipients of this year’s awards. The Muse Awards recognize and celebrate the...
Introducing the 2017 Women at Sundance Fellows
The Sundance Institute has announced the women directors chosen for its fifth iteration of Women at Sundance Fellows. The six diverse filmmakers work as producers and directors in the documentary...
Moore College of Art and Design Now Accepting Submissions for Animation Fest
Heads-up women animators: Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia is now accepting animated short film submissions for its 2017 “Moore Women Artists Film Festival: Women in Animation.”...
Trailer Watch: Zoey Deutch Repeats Her Past in Ry Russo-Young’s “Before I Fall”
Take “Groundhog Day,” change the main character from a grumpy middle-aged man to a teenage girl, and make it a little darker and creepier, and you’ve got Ry Russo-Young’s “Before I...
Theater Director Leigh Silverman Inspires Artists in a Trump World
The 16th annual 24 Hour Plays on Broadway took place on November 14. This year’s event honored theater director Leigh Silverman and her inspiring thank you speech is available to read now. The 24...
Zadie Smith’s “Swing Time” Set for Television Adaptation at the BBC
Author Zadie Smith’s novel “Swing Time” has been picked up by the BBC for a television adaptation, ScreenDaily reports. Smith will adapt the book herself, along with her husband, writer Nick...
Trailer Watch: Jessica Chastain Joins the Resistance in “The Zookeeper’s Wife”
The shoot for Niki Caro’s “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” starring Jessica Chastain, was an anomaly in how inclusive it was for women on set. Now the film’s first trailer has hit, detailing the...
Samantha Bee’s “Full Frontal” Renewed for a Second Season, Thank God
One of the few late-night voices doing any kind of serious critical work during this election season was that of Samantha Bee’s on her TBS show “Full Frontal.” Thankfully, the show has been...
Lifetime Announces Winners of “Broad Focus” Short Film Competition
Back in July, Lifetime’s “Broad Focus” initiative in partnership with Women in Film & TV UK, kicked off with a short film competition celebrating women behind the camera, and the winners...
Musical Adaptation of “Amelie” Heading to Broadway Starring Phillipa Soo
A musical adaptation of the French film “Amelie” will hit Broadway in April, 2017 with “Hamilton’s” Phillipa Soo in the lead role, Variety reports. The musical will open at the Walter...
Ana Nogueira to Pen Big Screen Adaptation of “Dan and Sam” for Amblin
Actress and writer Ana Nogueira is set to pen the screenplay for the big-screen adaptation of the graphic novel “Dan and Sam,” THR reports. Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment has acquired...
Trailer Watch: “Hidden Figures” Heads Full Force Into Awards Season
On the heels of announcing that 20th Century Fox was teaming up with PepsiCo to fund a scholarship for young women in STEM inspired by “Hidden Figures,” the studio has just released a new...
Whistler Film Festival Highlights Women Directors
The Whistler Film Festival in Canada, which runs from Novermber 30-December 4 this year, is proudly presenting a number of female-focused films, talent, events, and awards. The festival will feature...
“Hidden Figures” Inspires Scholarship Contest for Women in STEM
In anticipation of the release of the film “Hidden Figures,” which tells the true story of black women who made invaluable contributions to NASA during the 1960s space race, PepsiCo and 21st...
Ava DuVernay Announces “A Wrinkle in Time” Release Date
Director Ava DuVernay is fully entrenched in the shoot for her Disney adaptation of “A Wrinkle in Time,” and she and the rest of the cast and crew have just announced the film’s official...
HBO Renews “Insecure,” “Divorce,” and “Westworld” for Second Seasons
“Insecure”: HBO HBO has renewed the Issa Rae comedy “Insecure” and Sarah Jessica Parker-starring “Divorce” for a second season. The drama “Westworld,” which was co-created and is...
Telefilm Canada Announces Half of Financed Movies to be Women-Directed
Great things have been happening in Canada’s film and television industry when it comes to gender equality, and now, as The Hollywood Reporter details, Telefilm Canada, the country’s biggest...
Trailer Watch: “Beauty and the Beast” Tells a Tale as Old as Time
We’ve been given tiny peeks and shimmering glimpses, but now a full trailer for Disney’s live-action adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” has finally been released, and I’ve got...
Join Women & Hollywood in London to Challenge Unconscious Gender Bias
Hey Londoners! You’re invited to join Women & Hollywood founder and publisher Melissa Silverstein, The Hospital Club, and Tonic Theatre for a collaborative discussion on unconscious...
Hollywood Women (Plus One Guy) React to the Election
A good number of us were shocked into numbness and dismayed by the outcome of Tuesday night’s election. America elected a demagogue instead of our first female president, and it’s devastating....
Rosario Dawson Will Play Activist Donna Hylton in Biopic “A Little Piece of Light”
Rosario Dawson is set to play activist Donna Hylton in a film adaptation of the biography “A Little Piece of Light,” Deadline reports. Dawson has had an extensive film career, but most recently...
Octavia Spencer to Star in Miniseries Based on the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
Oscar winner Octavia Spencer is attached to star in a series adaptation of A’Lelia Bundles’ bestselling biography “On Her Own Ground,” Deadline reports. The book tells the story of...
“Lady Macbeth” Screenwriter Alice Birch Adapting “Love and Capital” for TV
British playwright Alice Birch is writing the television adaptation of Mary Gabriel’s 2011 bestseller “Love and Capital,” Screen Daily reports. James Schamus’ Symbolic Exchange is...
“Frozen” Writer Kristen Anderson-Lopez Making Broadway Debut with “In Transit”
“Frozen” co-writer Kristen Anderson-Lopez is taking her talent to Broadway. The writer will make her stage debut with “In Transit,” the Great White Way’s first a capella musical. It was...
Kate Walsh Joining Queen Latifah and Jada-Pinkett Smith for “Girls Trip”
“Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” star Kate Walsh is set to join the R-rated comedy feature “Girls Trip,” Deadline has reported. The film’s cast already includes Regina Hall,...
CBC Launches Breaking Barriers Film Fund for Diverse Directors
Things might be rocky here in the U.S., but Canada is taking strides to achieve more diversity in its entertainment industry. As CBC News reports, the CBC is launching the Breaking Barriers Film...
Joanna Murray-Smith Wins Inaugural Mona Brand Award for Women Writers
Writer Joanna Murray-Smith has been announced as the first ever winner of Australia’s Mona Brand Award for Women Stage and Screen Writers, The AU Review reports. The prize comes with an award...
Trans Doc “Mala Mala” Lands International Distribution
The documentary “Mala Mala” follows the story of a number of transgender women living and fighting for rights in Puerto Rico. It premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, but had trouble...
Dogwoof Picks up Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson” for the UK
Dogwoof has picked up Kirsten Johnson’s documentary “Cameraperson” for distribution in the UK and Ireland. Johnson, a long-time cinematographer, turned the camera on herself and her journeys...
Metrograph Hosting Maggie Cheung Retrospective
The Metrograph, an independent theater in New York City, has announced it will present “Maggie Cheung: Center Stage,” a 20-film retrospective of the actress, all in 35mm. “Maggie Cheung has...
Watch: “Moana” Featurettes Explore Polynesian Culture and Music
Disney’s next animated feature “Moana” will soon hit the big screen. In anticipation of Disney’s next female heroine, some new featurettes have popped up online, highlighting the background,...
Female Fans Are Taking “Star Wars” Into Their Own Hands
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”: Disney For many years, the Star Wars universe may have been considered a male-dominated fandom, but not only has that never been 100 percent the case, these days...
Margot Robbie Adapting Thriller “Beautiful Things” for Warner Bros.
Margot Robbie is adding more projects to her slate via her LuckyChap Entertainment company. As THR reports, Robbie, producer Denise Di Novi, Di Novi Pictures’ Alison Greenspan, and Warner Bros....
Sharon Horgan’s “Pulling” Heading to NBC
Another British cult hit is heading stateside. As Deadline reports, NBC is developing a U.S. version of BBC series “Pulling.” Original creators Sharon Horgan, who starred in the original, and...
Amy Poehler and Lauren Gussis Score Multiple TV Deals This Year
Amy Poehler is on a roll and has sold her third comedy of the season through her company Paper Kite, THR reports. She’ll be teaming with Claudia Lonow for an “Odd Couple”-inspired series...