BY Casey Cipriani
Stefanie Martini to Play Young Jane Tennison
Helen Mirren in “Prime Suspect” Stefanie Martini is taking the reins on the character that helped make Helen Mirren famous. According to Deadline, Martini will play a young Jane Tennison in...
Lifetime and Women in Film & TV UK Launch Short Film Competition
A+E Networks, the parent company of Lifetime, has launched Lifetime’s “Broad Focus” initiative in partnership with Women in Film & TV UK. The initiative kicks off with a short film...
Women at the Box Office: “Ghostbusters” Hits its Goal, “Finding Dory” Breaks a Record
The box office got slimed. “Ghostbusters” did well during its opening weekend, earning a respectable $46 million, when most box-office experts had it earning in the $38-$40 million range. This...
Get Excited for “Wonder Woman” at Comic-Con With These New Teaser Photos
Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman: Warner Bros. It was practically an accepted truth that Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was the best part of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” So with Patty Jenkins’...
Watch: Nora Ephron Interview On Gender and Politics Animated by Blank on Blank
In 1975, director, journalist, and writer Nora Ephron sat down with radio host Studs Terkel for a conversation about gender and politics. Ephron had just had her book, “Crazy Salad: Some Things...
Apply Now for the Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellowship Through The Black List
If you’re an aspiring screenwriter and member of The Black List, here’s some good news: For the fourth year of the Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellowship, two screenwriters instead...
Watch: “Star Trek Beyond” Adds a Powerful New Female Character
While there are a good number of great women in the “Star Trek” universe on the whole, there weren’t many prominent female characters in “The Original Series,” and as a result, there...
“Ghostbusters” Makes $3.4 Million in One Night, Earns Fan in Harold Ramis’ Daughter
The all-female reboot of “Ghostbusters” had a great opening last night, taking in $3.4 million at U.S. theaters. This puts the movie on its way to finishing its opening weekend around $38-$40...
Ramona Diaz Honored by Docs In Progress Inspiration Award
The Documentary Inspiration Awards will honor filmmaker Ramona Diaz. Docs in Progress, a D.C. area-based non-profit, will host a special evening to celebrate Diaz and learn from her in an intimate...
Misty Copeland Joins Disney’s “Nutcracker”
Misty Copeland will appear in Disney’s new “Nutcracker” project and, according to Variety, will play the lead ballerina in the film’s only dance sequence. The project, titled “The...
2016 Emmy Award Nominations: Little Love for “OITNB,” Samantha Bee, or Female Directors
The Primetime Emmy Award nominations were announced this morning. Unlike the Oscars, which only has 24 awards to give out, the Emmy’s have hundreds of categories. And while we’re not going to...
Apply Now for New York Film Festival Critics Academy
Attention aspiring female film critics! Are you ready to break the glass ceiling that is the dudeocracy of film writers? Are you ready to change the dismal numbers of female film critics out there?...
“High Maintenance” Gets HBO Premiere Date and Kathy Bates’ Pot Series Heads to Netflix
HBO has confirmed a debut date for “High Maintenance.” The comedy series will sick-off its six-episode inaugural season on September 16 at 11 p.m. The series, based on the web series of the...
Jessica Jones Getting New Comic Series
Jessica Jones is returning to the comics, IGN has reported. After the success of the Netflix series starring Krysten Ritter revolving around the character, Marvel is bringing her back to...
Shelby Stone to Run Common’s Production Company Freedom Road
Freedom Road Productions, the company run by rapper-musician Common and his manager and partner Derek Dudley, have hired Shelby Stone as President of Production, Deadline has reported. Stone is the...
“Ghostbusters” Is Number One in Fandango’s Advanced Ticket Sales
Suck it, trolls. As we continue to celebrate this weekend’s opening of “Ghostbusters,” some fantastic news has hit that looks good for the movie’s box-office prospects. The all-lady...
Trailer Watch: Alexandra Pelosi’s “Meet the Donors: Does Money Talk?” Exposes Campaign Money Trail
Just in time for the upcoming election, documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi takes viewers behind the scenes of where American politicians find the funding for their costly campaigns. As the...
Fork Films Announces Funding Grants for Female Directed and Women-Centric Films
“Even When I Fall” New York-based production company Fork Films has announced funding for 10 film projects in various stages of development, 90 percent of which are female-directed. The 10...
Watch: BFI London Fest’s Gala Selection “Queen of Katwe” Moving Featurette
Mira Nair has lived in Kampala, Uganda for over 27 years, but hadn’t heard of Phiona, Uganda’s female chess champion, until a Ugandan at Disney told her of the inspiring story. In this new...
“Kung Fu Panda 2” Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson to Make Her Live Action Debut
“Kung Fu Panda 2” director Jennifer Yuh Nelson will make her live-action directorial debut with an adaptation of YA hit “The Darkest Minds,” the first installment of a book trilogy by...
Screen Australia Announces Recipients of $3 Million in Funding For Women in Film
The Australian government has announced the 58 projects selected for Screen Australia’s Gender Matters: Brilliant Stories and Brilliant Careers. The selections include 45 story ideas and 13...
Sundance Institute and Women In Film LA Name Alison Emilio Director for the Systemic Change Project
The Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles have announced that they have hired Alison Emilio for the newly-appointed position of Director for the Systemic Change Project. Emilio has more...
Trolls Flood “Ghostbusters” IMDb Ratings, But Female Film Critics Fight Back
“Ghostbusters”: Sony As we continue our celebration of “Ghostbusters” this week, the film, which opens this Friday, July 15, faces yet another foe: phony IMDb ratings. In a move that comes...
Jimmy Choo Co-Founder Tamara Mellon’s Memoir Getting the Big Screen Treatement
Working Title has optioned Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon’s memoir “In My Shoes,” Deadline has reported. Comedian and screenwriter Laura Solon (“Hot in Cleveland”) has adapted the...
Disney Introduces First Latina Princess in “Elena of Avalor”
Disney's latest princess is different than the rest. The House of Mouse will introduce a new princess later this month when the kids TV series “Elena of Avalor” premieres on the Disney...
Cannes-Winning Director Keren Yedaya to Make Film of Israeli Rock Opera “Mami”
Israeli director Keren Yedaya will shoot a big-screen version of the 1986 surrealist Israeli stage rock opera “Mami,” Screen Daily has reported. The original musical “created political waves...
5 Reasons We’re Excited for “Ghostbusters”
It’s “Ghostbusters” week here at Women and Hollywood, and we’ll be celebrating the film all week up until its official release on Friday, July 15. After all of the misogynist backlash, the...
Melissa Harris-Perry is Heading to BET News
Melissa Harris-Perry is heading to BET News, Deadline has reported. Harris-Perry parted ways with her former network, MSNBC, after an email she wrote denouncing the network’s decision to preempt...
New Georges to Celebrate 25th Anniversary with World Premieres by Hilary Bettis and Sheila…
New Georges to Celebrate 25th Anniversary with World Premieres by Hilary Bettis and Sheila Callaghan New Georges, a theatrical production company devoted to women, has announced that they will...
Weekly Update for July 8: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Our Little Sister” Films About Women Opening This Week Under the Sun (Documentary) (Opens in NY; Opens in LA July 15) “My father says that Korea is the most beautiful country… Korea is...
Maria Grasso Named President of “UnReal” Co-Creator Marti Noxon’s Production Banner Tiny Pyro
Maria Grasso has been named President of Tiny Pyro, “UnReal” co-creator Marti Noxon’s production banner, Deadline has reported. Grasso is a veteran TV producer who has developed and overseen...
David Oyelowo Launches Scholarship for Nigerian Girls
British-Nigerian actor David Oyelowo, star of Ava DuVernay’s “Selma,” has joined up with The GEANCO Foundation to start the first David Oyelowo Leadership Scholarship for Girls in Nigeria, The...
Alicia Vikander’s “Tomb Raider” Reboot Given a Release Date
Alicia Vikander’s “Tomb Raider” reboot now has a release date. Multiple outlets have reported that we’ll see Vikander take on the famous role of Lara Croft on March 16, 2018. Vikander took...
Introducing Iron Woman
Tony Stark will soon step out of the Iron Man suit, Screen Rant has reported, and much to the delight of diverse comic fans everywhere, his successor is a black woman. Riri Williams is a...
Bella Thorne to Star in Adaptation of YA Novel “Break My Heart 1,000 Times”
Bella Thorne will star in “Break My Heart 1,000 Times,” Variety has reported, an adaptation of the young adult novel by Daniel Waters. The plot centers on “a cataclysmic event that tears the...
Missy Elliott To Be Recognized at “VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens”
VH1 has announced that Missy Elliott will be honored at the upcoming “VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens” event for her work as an artist, producer, and writer. As we previously reported,...
New Joan Collins and Pauline Collins Film Begins Production
Filming has begun on Joan Collins and Pauline Collins’ new film “The Time of Their Lives,” Screen Daily reports. The film is described as a road trip comedy with “former Hollywood siren...
It’s Just As Bad for Women Directors in Commercials and Ad Campaigns
While we at Women and Hollywood, and others in the industry, have been fighting for women to be given the opportunities to direct in film and television, there’s one segment of the business that...
Trailer Watch: Anna Kendrick is Exiled to “Table 19”
Almost everyone has been to a wedding where you notice “the table.” The one with the singletons, old bosses, young cousins, and weird neighbors. In the new trailer for “Table 19,” Anna...
You’re Invited!
You’re Invited! An Evening with Melissa Silverstein in Australia: Why Gender Equality is Vital for Hollywood Dear Australian Women and Hollywood readers! You’re invited to a special event in...
Trailer Watch: Dianne Wiest and David Oyelowo Face Off in Maris Curran’s “Five Nights in Maine”
The new trailer for Maris Curran’s directorial feature film debut “Five Nights in Maine” brings chills as two powerhouse actors, David Oyelowo and Dianne Wiest, face off in...
Watch: “Underwritten Female Character: The Movie” Skewers Manic Pixie Dream Girls
We’re all familiar with the underwritten female character tropes that appear in a multitude of movies these days. And now YouTube sketch group Nuclear Family has gathered them all up in one...
Cinema Guild Acquires Powerful Child Trafficking Doc “The Wrong Light”
Cinema Guild has announced the acquisition of U.S. distribution rights to “The Wrong Light,” a powerful documentary directed by Josie Swantek Heitz’s and Dave Adams. According to the film’s...
Trailer Watch: Clea DuVall’s “The Intervention” is the New Millennium’s “The Big Chill”
First-time feature film director Clea DuVall has taken some of your favorite TV actors, put them in a blender, and created the amazing ensemble cast that makes up “The Intervention.” In the...
Julia Ducournau’s Cannes FIPRESCI Winner “Raw” Acquired by Focus World
Focus World, a distribution arm of Focus Features, has acquired Julia Ducournau’s psychological horror film “Raw” for most worldwide territories. The film premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film...
Imelda Staunton Becoming a Theatrical Leading Lady
She may have immortalized her career in film by playing Delores Umbridge in the “Harry Potter” movies, but Imelda Staunton is having an equally successful turn on the stage as of late. As...
Watch: What if Women Had Made the Most Iconic Presidential Speeches?
In a new short film by Tatia Pllieva called “Speech,” five actresses deliver selected portions of some of the most famous presidential speeches in history. Becki Newton (“Ugly Betty”) takes...
Quote of the Day: Janelle Monae Cried When Learning of NASA’s African-American Women
Janelle Monae, along with Octavia Spencer and Taraji P. Henson, will star in an upcoming film that tells the story of three African- American women who worked for NASA during the 1960s space race....
Thandie Newton Reveals Sexual Abuse at the Hands of Unnamed Director
Actress Thandie Newton, who will soon appear in HBO’s upcoming series “Westworld,” told a troubling story to W Magazine recently about her sexual abuse at the hands of a director for whom she...
“Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie” Has Huge Opening Weekend in the UK
It was a huge weekend in the UK for the women of “Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.” According to The Guardian, the film scored big at the box office, earning £4.4 million (about $5.7 million in...
Lori Singer Honored with Career Retrospective at Maine International Film Festival
Acclaimed actress Lori Singer will be honored at the Maine International Film Festival with a career retrospective. The retrospective will include screenings of her films “Footloose,” “Trouble...