BY Laura Berger
Trailer Watch: Michelle Buteau Welcomes Viewers to “Buteaupia” in Her Netflix Standup Special
A trailer has dropped for Michelle Buteau’s first hour-long comedy special. “Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia” sees the comic and actress telling jokes about her “teeny...
Emma Seligman’s “Shiva Baby” Lands at Utopia
Emma Seligman’s feature debut has found a home. Utopia Media snagged worldwide rights to “Shiva Baby” ahead of its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Variety broke...
Trailer Watch: Kirsten Johnson Stages Her Father’s Death in “Dick Johnson Is Dead”
“Dick Johnson Is Dead” sees a filmmaker struggling to come to terms with her father’s mortality. “Just the idea that I might ever lose this man is too much to bear,”...
Marjane Satrapi to Be Honored by Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival
Marjane Satrapi is set to be honored at the 2020 Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival (EMIFF), now in its ninth year. According to Variety, the “Radioactive” director will...
Trailer Watch: “Lift Like a Girl” Celebrates Female Weightlifters
“You’ll face obstacles. It’s a long journey,” 14-year-old Zebiba is warned in a trailer for “Lift Like a Girl.” The aspiring athlete is being trained by Captain...
TIFF 2020 Women Directors: Meet Sonia Kennebeck – “Enemies of the State”
Sonia Kennebeck is an independent documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist with 17 years of directing and producing experience. Her first feature-length film, “National Bird,”...
Julia Hart’s “I’m Your Woman” to Open AFI Fest, Rachel Brosnahan Stars
Julia Hart’s latest will open the 2020 edition of AFI Fest. “I’m Your Woman” sees “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s” Rachel Brosnahan leading another period...
Halle Berry’s “Bruised” Goes to Netflix in Massive Deal
Halle Berry’s feature debut is packing a wallop at the Toronto International Film Festival. Netflix snagged worldwide rights to “Bruised” ahead of its world premiere at the fest,...
Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” Wins Golden Lion, Venice’s Top Prize
“Nomadland” has been awarded Venice International Film Festival’s most prestigious prize, the Golden Lion. Written and directed by Chloé Zhao, the drama tells the story of Fern...
Trailer Watch: “Belly of the Beast” Investigates Modern-Day Eugenics in California Prisons
“Belly of the Beast” tells the story of Kelli Dillon, one of many women who has been involuntarily sterilized while in prison. A new trailer for Erika Cohn’s documentary sees Dillon...
Trailer Watch: “I Am Greta” Follows Greta Thunberg’s Epic Journey
“For many years, people refused to listen to me,” says Greta Thunberg in a new trailer for “I Am Greta.” The spot kicks off with footage of Thunberg’s one-person school...
Trailer Watch: Eva Noblezada Sings Her Truth in “Yellow Rose”
“I never fit in, never could win,” an aspiring country music performer sings in a new trailer for “Yellow Rose.” The drama tells the story of Rose (Eva Noblezada,...
Juliet Landau Secures Distribution for Her Directorial Debut, “A Place Among the Dead”
Juliet Landau is still hanging out with the undead. The actress and director, best known for playing Drusilla, a vampire with psychic powers, on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” has secured...
TIFF 2020 Women Directors: Meet Emma Seligman – “Shiva Baby”
Emma Seligman is a Canadian filmmaker based in New York. She graduated from NYU’s Undergraduate Film & TV program in May 2017, where she made her first two short films, including her thesis,...
Maria Schrader Wraps Production on “I Am Your Man”
Maria Schrader is following up “Unorthodox” with a German-language feature. Deadline reports that the Emmy-nominated director recently wrapped production on “I Am Your Man”...
Trailer Watch: Hannah Fidell and Kate Mara Bring “A Teacher” to TV
“I’ve never given myself permission to feel this way,” says Kate Mara in a new trailer for “A Teacher.” When we’re first introduced to Claire (Mara) and Eric (Nick...
TIFF 2020 Women Directors: Meet Madeleine Sims-Fewer – “Violation”
Madeleine Sims-Fewer studied film production at York University and completed an MFA in acting at Drama Centre London. She met Dusty Mancinelli at the 2015 TIFF Talent Lab and the pair joined forces...
Trailer Watch: “Billie” Promises to Celebrate “The Real Billie Holiday”
“Everybody professed to know her — they knew nothing about her,” an interviewee explains in a new trailer for “Billie,” an upcoming documentary that offers audiences the...
TIFF 2020 Women Directors: Meet Cathy Brady – “Wildfire”
Cathy Brady is a two-time Irish Film & Television Award-winning director. She was recognized for her short films “Small Change” and “Morning.” In 2011 she directed the...
Trailer Watch: Malin Akerman Hosts Kat Dennings and Aisha Tyler for “Friendsgiving”
Malin Akerman and Kat Dennings’ plans for a quiet Thanksgiving take a major turn in “Friendsgiving,” Nicol Paone’s feature directorial debut. A new trailer for the comedy sees...
Gina Rodriguez and Karla Souza Will Topline “Like It Used to Be”
Gina Rodriguez and Karla Souza are teaming up for a road trip comedy. The pair are set to topline “Like It Used to Be,” a feature being shopped to buyers at the Toronto International Film...
Trailer Watch: Lily James Is Haunted By Her Husband’s Ex in “Rebecca”
A fairy tale transforms into a nightmare in “Rebecca,” an atmospheric Gothic pic based on Daphne du Maurier’s classic novel. A trailer for the Lily James-starrer kicks off with a...
Kristin Scott Thomas, Daisy Ridley, & Nina Hoss to Star in Jane Anderson’s WWII Drama “Women in the Castle”
Kristin Scott Thomas, Daisy Ridley, and Nina Hoss will confront the horrors of war and its aftermath in “Women in the Castle,” an adaptation of Jessica Shattuck’s 2017 New York...
Shatara Michelle Ford’s “Test Pattern” Acquired by Kino Lorber
Shatara Michelle Ford’s award-winning feature debut has found a home. A press release announced that Kino Lorber acquired North American rights to “Test Pattern,” described as...
Teaser Watch: Julie Taymor, Julianne Moore, & Alicia Vikander Celebrate Gloria Steinem in “The Glorias”
“I want to write about the women’s movement,” says Gloria Steinem in a new teaser for “The Glorias.” The feminist icon’s journalism and activism played — and...
Venice 2020 Women Directors: Meet Mona Fastvold – “The World to Come”
Mona Fastvold is a New York and Oslo-based writer-director. In early 2012 Mona received a prestigious development grant from the Norwegian Film Fund followed by production support for her directorial...
Zeina Durra’s Andrea Riseborough-Starrer “Luxor” Acquired by Samuel Goldwyn
At a time when most of us are stuck at home, Zeina Durra’s latest offers a powerful reminder of what it’s like to explore a country other than your own. “Luxor,” her sophomore...
Venice 2020 Women Directors: Meet Nicole Garcia – “Lovers”
Nicole Garcia is a French director, screenwriter, and actress. Her credits include “From the Land of the Moon,” “A View of Love,” and “Charlie...
Maïwenn to Receive Honorary Award at Zurich Film Festival
Maïwenn will be joining Juliette Binoche at this year’s Zurich Film Festival (ZFF). Last week it was announced that Binoche would be given the Swiss fest’s most prestigious prize, the...
Trailer Watch: “Underplayed” Celebrates Female DJs, Past and Present
“I never had seen a female DJ at the clubs. Ever,” says DJ Duffey in a trailer for “Underplayed.” As electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani explains, women have been involved...
“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee’s” Kristen Bartlett Has “Big Wishes” Comedy Series in the Works at ABC
“Full Frontal with Samatha Bee’s” Kristen Bartlett explores what happens when folks age out of Make-a-Wish and other charities dedicated to making sick kids’ dreams come true...
TV Series About The Slits’ Viv Albertine in the Works
Punk’s not dead on the small screen: a limited series about Viv Albertine is in the works. Deadline reports that Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley’s Number 9 Films and Rachael...
“My Little Sister” Is Switzerland’s Pick for the International Feature Film Oscar
“My Little Sister” has entered the Oscar race. Variety reports that Switzerland selected the Nina Hoss-starrer as its entry in the International Feature Film category of the 2021 Academy...
“Miss Juneteenth” Wins Best Narrative Feature at BlackStar Film Festival
Philadelphia’s BlackStar Film Festival, a showcase for Black, Brown, and Indigenous filmmakers from around the world, has named “Miss Juneteenth” as its best narrative feature. The...
Sofia Coppola’s “On the Rocks” to Make World Premiere at New York Film Festival
New York Film Festival (NYFF) will host the world premiere of “On the Rocks.” Sofia Coppola’s father-daughter comedy will screen as part of the fest’s new Spotlight section,...
Elizabeth Debicki to Topline and Exec Produce Limited Series About WWII Spy “Code Name Hélène”
Elizabeth Debicki has signed on to play another trailblazing woman in a project based on a true story. She’ll follow up her turn as Virginia Woolf in “Vita & Virginia” with...
Juliette Binoche Is Being Honored by Zurich Film Festival
Juliette Binoche is set to receive Zurich Film Festival’s (ZFF) most prestigious prize. Variety reports that the Oscar winner will receive the Golden Icon Award, “marking the first time...
Soleil Moon Frye’s “Kid 90” Doc Lands at Hulu
Soleil Moon Frye is set to deliver a blast from the past. The author, filmmaker, and actress best known for playing the the titular lead of NBC’s “Punky Brewster” has secured U.S....
American Black Film Fest 2020 Women Directors: Meet Alana Barrett-Adkins – “Asunder, One Flesh Divided”
Alana Barrett-Adkins is a director, actor, and producer. She is the CEO/Artistic Director of Rock Alari Studios, which has produced projects including the play “Women of Adonai,” the web...
Trailer Watch: Radha Blank Takes the Mic in “The Forty-Year-Old Version”
A struggling playwright decides to reinvent herself as a rapper in “The Forty-Year-Old Version,” this year’s winner of Sundance’s Directing Prize. Written and directed by...
Trailer Watch: “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” Brings History to Life at the Met
After making his mark on the culinary world with restaurants and best-selling cookbooks, Yotam Ottolenghi was looking for his next challenge. He found it when the Metropolitan Museum of Art called....
Trailer Watch: Millie Bobby Brown Searches for Helena Bonham-Carter in “Enola Holmes”
Millie Bobby Brown steps out of Sherlock Holmes’ shadow in “Enola Holmes.” The Netflix pic sees the “Stranger Things” breakout playing the iconic private...
Join the Girls Club for a Conversation with “Desert One” Director Barbara Kopple
The Girls Club will welcome Barbara Kopple for its next live conversation. The discussion will take place Wednesday, August 26, at 4 p.m. EST. The two-time Academy Award-winning and nine-time...
Trailer Watch: Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan Fall in Love in “Ammonite”
“I don’t want to go back to the life I had before you,” Saoirse Ronan tells Kate Winslet in a new trailer for “Ammonite.” Set in 1840s England, the romantic drama tells...
Ekwa Msangi’s Intergenerational Immigrant Story “Farewell Amor” Acquired by IFC Films
Ekwa Msangi’s feature debut has secured distribution. A press release announced that IFC films snagged North American rights to “Farewell Amor,” an intergenerational immigrant...
Keira Knightley and Clio Barnard Team Up for Apple TV+ Adaptation of “The Essex Serpent”
Keira Knightley has signed on to topline another period drama. Deadline reports that she’ll lead and exec produce “The Essex Serpent,” an adaptation of Sarah Perry’s 2016...
Trailer Watch: Brea Grant’s “12 Hour Shift” Sees Nurses Dabbling in Black Market Organ-Trading
An ER nurse makes extra cash from freshly expired bodies in Brea Grant’s “12 Hour Shift.” A new trailer for the pic, which is set in 1999, introduces us to Mandy (Angela Bettis,...
American Black Film Fest 2020 Women Directors: Meet Teniola Olatoni Ojigbede – “The New Normal”
Teniola Olatoni Ojigbede is the CEO and Creative Head of Sourmash Stories Production. “The New Normal” will screen at the 2020 American Black Film Festival, which takes place August...
Trailer Watch: Gal Gadot Takes On Kristen Wiig in “Wonder Woman 1984”
“This world is not yet ready for all that you will do. Your time will come Diana — and everything will be different,” Gal Gadot is told in a new trailer for “Wonder Woman...
American Black Film Fest 2020 Women Directors: Meet Chyna Robinson – “No Ordinary Love”
Director, writer, and producer Chyna Robinson made her film debut with “Greenwood: 13 Hours,” a short that won 18 awards. “No Ordinary Love” marks her feature debut. In...
Janicza Bravo Will Tell Dan Mallory’s Story in “A Suspense Novelist’s Trail of Deceptions”
Janicza Bravo is taking on another story about an unreliable narrator. The “Zola” filmmaker has been tapped to write and direct “A Suspense Novelist’s Trail of...