BY Laura Berger
Trailer Watch: “Insecure” Actress Yvonne Orji’s HBO Comedy Special “Momma, I Made It!”
After major doubts about her daughter going into the entertainment biz, Yvonne Orji’s mom is now proud to say you can watch her on HBO. A trailer has dropped for “Momma, I Made...
“Mother’s Little Helpers'” Kestrin Pantera on Telling a Story About a Dysfunctional Family
Kestrin Pantera is an actress, writer, and director. She made her feature debut with 2014’s “Let’s Ruin It with Babies,” and has since directed TV series such as “Bad Parent Theater,”...
Trailer Watch: Eliza Scanlen Is Lovesick in Shannon Murphy’s “Babyteeth”
After battling sickness in “Sharp Objects” and “Little Women” Eliza Scanlen finds herself in another medical crisis in “Babyteeth.” The coming-of-age drama sees...
Trailer Watch: A Recently Dumped Woman Falls for a Teen in “Clementine”
A heartbroken woman seems poised to break someone else’s heart in a new trailer for “Clementine.” Devastated by her older, more successful girlfriend’s decision to break up...
Trailer Watch: “Lucky Grandma” Heads to the Casino and Attracts the Attention of Gangsters
“Why do these messy things keep happening?” asks Tsai Chin (“The Joy Luck Club”) in a new trailer for “Lucky Grandma,” a caper set in Chinatown, New York. After a...
Trailer Watch: A Debt-Ridden Woman Turns to Sex Work in SXSW Winner “Alice”
A trailer has dropped for the winner of last year’s SXSW Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature. “Alice” sees its titular character shocked to discover that her husband has been...
Zoé Wittock’s “Jumbo” Lands at Dark Star Pictures, Noémie Merlant Stars
After stealing our hearts in “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” Noémie Merlant stars in a very different sort of love story in “Jumbo.” Dark Star Pictures just snagged North...
Teaser Watch: Michelle McNamara Hunts the Golden State Killer in “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark”
“What drives me is the need to put a face on an unknown killer,” says Michelle McNamara in a new teaser for “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.” The upcoming HBO docuseries is...
Trailer Watch: “Stateless” Explores Racial Hatred and Oppression in the Dominican Republic
In 1937 the Dominican military exterminated tens of thousands of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent. “The Dictator Trujillo decided to ‘whiten’ the race and fix the...
Trailer Watch: Dakota Fanning Helps Refugees Connect with Loved Ones in “Sweetness in the Belly”
Dakota Fanning helps refugees reunite with their loved ones in a new trailer for “Sweetness in the Belly.” An adaptation of Camilla Gibb’s 2005 novel of the same name,” the pic...
Nina Tassler and Denise Di Novi Are Developing a TV Series Based on “Cold” Podcast
“Cold” is heading to the small screen. Deadline reports that Nina Tassler and Denise Di Novi’s PatMa Productions’ optioned the podcast from KSL with plans to develop a TV...
Trailer Watch: Michelle Obama Reflects on Her Past, Present, and Future in “Becoming”
“I am from the south side of Chicago. That tells you as much about me as you need to know,” says Michelle Obama in a new trailer for Nadia Hallgren’s “Becoming.” The...
“Insecure” Renewed for Season 5
This calls for a celebratory mirror rap. HBO has renewed “Insecure” for a fifth season, Variety confirms. Co-created by and starring Issa Rae and partially based on her web series...
Female Voices Rock Is Presenting a Virtual Conference With Industry Creatives and Execs
COVID-19 won’t stop women execs and creatives from coming together. Female Voices Rock will present a virtual filmmaking summit May 9. Set to feature live-streamed interviews with producers,...
Trailer Watch: “I Was Lorena Bobbitt” Sees a Survivor of Domestic Violence Telling Her Story
Lorena Bobbitt tells her own story in “I Was Lorena Bobbitt,” a “Ripped from the Headlines” Lifetime pic directed by Danishka Esterhazy and written by Barbara Nance. A trailer...
Cristina Ibarra on Making a New Kind of Immigration Narrative in “The Infiltrators”
Cristina Ibarra has been making award-winning films that explore the U.S.-Mexico border for the past 16 years. Her PBS-broadcast documentary “Las Marthas” premiered on “Independent Lens” in...
Pick of the Day: “Betty”
Impossibly cool while remaining relatable, the young women at the center of “Betty” are amazing athletes and seem like they’d make equally amazing company. An adaptation of Crystal...
Shahad Ameen’s “Scales” Heads to Variance Films
“Scales” is headed stateside. A press release announced that Variance Films acquired North American theatrical rights to Shahad Ameen’s feature directorial debut, a feminist parable...
Tribeca Film Festival 2020 Award Winners: Alice Wu’s “The Half of It,” Shira Haas, & More
Despite being rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tribeca Film Festival has opted to announce the winners of this year’s edition. Originally set to take place April 15-26, the fest...
Romola Garai’s “Amulet” Lands at Magnet Releasing
Romola Garai’s feature directorial debut has secured distribution. Variety reports that Magnolia Pictures’ Magnet Releasing scored North American rights to “Amulet,” with plans to...
Pick of the Day: “Normal People”
An adaptation of Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel, “Normal People” tells the story of an on again/off-again couple in Ireland who keep finding their way back to one another. At...
TV Adaptation of Emma Jane Unsworth’s “Adults” in the Works
“Animals” author and screenwriter Emma Jane Unsworth is set to adapt another of her own novels, this time for the small screen. She’ll pen and exec produce a series adaptation of...
“We Are the Radical Monarchs” Will Kick Off New “POV” Season, Which Is 80 Percent Women-Directed
America’s longest-running documentary series, “POV,” will return for its 33rd season on PBS July 20. Featuring nearly 80 percent women-directed titles and more than two thirds by...
Trailer Watch: Janelle Monáe Can’t Remember Who She Is or What She Did in “Homecoming” Season 2
Janelle Monáe can’t remember her name, address, or birthday in an eerie new trailer for “Homecoming.” The second season of the Amazon anthology series sees the...
Barbara Kopple’s “Desert One” Acquired by Greenwich International
The story behind Operation Eagle Claw, a top-secret military rescue attempt orchestrated by President Carter, is coming to the big screen. Greenwich Entertainment has acquired Barbara Kopple’s...
Watch: First Look at Michelle Obama Netflix Doc “Becoming”
“Becoming” sees former First Lady Michelle Obama figuring out who she is — and who she wants to be — following eight years served in the White House alongside her husband,...
Pick of the Day: “Never Have I Ever”
Women and Hollywood has temporarily suspended our recommendations newsletter. We’ll be sharing some of the week’s highlights in TV, VOD, and streaming via blog posts. Funny, heartfelt, and savvy,...
Nora Fingscheidt’s “System Crasher” Dominates German Film Awards
“System Crasher” stole the show at the 2020 German Film Awards. Nora Fingscheidt’s feature debut snagged eight Lolas, including best birector and best feature. This year’s...
Trailer Watch: Christina Applegate & Linda Cardellini Get Rid of a Body in “Dead to Me” Season 2
Christina Applegate is “freaking the fuck out” and “lying to everyone all the time” in a new trailer for “Dead to Me’s” second season. After some...
Trailer Watch: Mo Scarpelli Explores Where “Fear and Love Collide” in “El Father Plays Himself”
Mo Scarpelli turns her camera on a fellow filmmaker in “El Father Plays Himself.” Her latest documentary tells the story of Jorge Thielen Armand, a Venezuelan director who is making a...
BFI Player Launches New Collection of Films Exploring Female Desire On Screen
Seeking to “flip the switch on a century of the male gaze and find space for women’s own lust and sexual expression in film,” the BFI is launching a new collection of films on BFI...
Trailer Watch: Elle Fanning Is Ready to Save Russia in “The Great”
“Russia must be saved — and I with it,” says Elle Fanning in a new trailer for “The Great.” The Hulu series tells the story of Catherine the Great (Fanning), the longest...
Nancy Kelly on the Re-Release of “Thousand Pieces of Gold” and the Drama’s Continued Relevance
Nancy Kelly is a self-taught filmmaker who, having fallen in love with filmmaking, quit her job and moved from Massachusetts to the high desert on the California/Nevada border in the 1980s. Though...
Trailer Watch: “A Secret Love” Celebrates a Lesbian Couple’s Decades-Long Romance
Terry Donahue and Pat Henschel have spent nearly seven decades as a couple. Few realized the nature of their relationship, which they decided to keep a secret. Set to be released on Netflix April 29,...
Stella Meghie in Negotiations to Direct Whitney Houston Biopic
Two Whitney Houston documentaries have been released within the last four years, and now a biopic of the iconic singer is in the works. “The Photograph’s” Stella Meghie is in...
“Russian Doll” Co-Creator Leslye Headland Has a “Star Wars” Series in the Works at Disney+
After exploring a glitch in the time-space continuum in “Russian Doll,” an unexpected romance between a serial cheater and a womanizer in “Sleeping with Other People,” and the...
Pick of the Day: “Circus of Books”
Women and Hollywood has temporarily suspended our recommendations newsletter. We’ll be sharing some of the week’s highlights in TV, VOD, and streaming via blog posts. Described as “the center...
Jessica Swale’s “Summerland” Goes to IFC Films, Gemma Arterton and Gugu Mbatha-Raw Star
Jessica Swale’s feature directorial debut has secured distribution. IFC Films snagged U.S. rights to “Summerland,” a period drama led by Gemma Arterton and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, The...
Petra Costa Is Making a Doc About Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Petra Costa will follow up “The Edge of Democracy,” her Oscar-nominated documentary exploring the evolving political landscape of Brazil, with a project focused on life during the...
Trailer Watch: Drew Dixon Goes “On the Record” to Accuse Russell Simmons of Sexual Misconduct
“I’ve been a victim for 22 years. I’m tired of being a victim,” says Drew Dixon in a new trailer for “On the Record.” The upcoming HBO Max documentary hails from...
“Circus of Books” Director Rachel Mason on Making a Doc About Her Parents’ Iconic LGBTQ Bookstore
Rachel Mason is a Los Angeles-based artist and director. Working across mediums as a songwriter, performer, sculptor, and multi-media artist, Mason’s work has appeared in shows at museums and...
Natasha Rothwell, Abbi Jacobson, & Ilana Glazer Team Up for Animated Comedy Central Pilot “Malltown”
An “Insecure” actress and writer is joining forces with “Broad City’s” stars and creators on an animated project. Natasha Rothwell, who plays Kelly on HBO’s...
Dakota Fanning-Starrer “Sweetness in the Belly” Goes to Gravitas Ventures
Dakota Fanning’s latest has secured distribution. Gravitas Ventures landed U.S. rights to Fanning-starrer “Sweetness in the Belly,” an adaptation of Camilla Gibb’s 2005 novel...
Trailer Watch: Nicole Maines Sinks Her Teeth into LA in “Bit”
“You know those teen vampire movies that feel like the horny soap opera fever dreams of an eighth grade diary? Here’s how mine began,” says Nicole Maines in a new trailer for...
Trailer Watch: Ruth Bradley Solves a Mystery in “Agatha and the Truth of Murder”
“I’m a writer, not a detective,” says Agatha Christie (Ruth Bradley) in a new trailer for “Agatha and the Truth of Murder.” Enlisted by a fan to help solve a murder, the...
Kasi Lemmons Will Write and Direct Adaptation of Maaza Mengiste’s “The Shadow King”
Kasi Lemmons will follow up “Harriet,” her biopic of abolitionist and civil rights activist Harriet Tubman, by paying tribute to other brave and rebellious women. She’s signed on to...
Reed Morano in Talks to Direct Jennifer Lopez Drug Lord Pic “The Godmother”
Jennifer Lopez is teaming up with another female director. The multi-hyphenate scored her biggest live-action opening of all-time and career-best reviews in Lorene Scafaria’s...
Trailer Watch: Felicity Huffman Gets Bad News in “Tammy’s Always Dying”
Felicity Huffman plays a self-destructive woman forced to confront her own mortality in a new trailer for “Tammy’s Always Dying.” Amy Jo Johnson’s dark comedy sees Tammy...
Trailer Watch: Alicia Silverstone and Jessica Rothe Revisit “Valley Girl”
After being forced to re-live her brutal death day after day in “Happy Death Day” and “Happy Death Day 2U,” Jessica Rothe is once again traveling back in time in “Valley...
Trailer Watch: Mindy Kaling Takes on High School in “Never Have I Ever”
“High school’s a dick,” says Devi Vishwakumar (newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) in a new trailer for “Never Have I Ever.” Created by Mindy Kaling and based on the...
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend” Interactive Special Gets a Release Date
Kimmy Schmidt is coming back, and her return couldn’t be better timed. The eternal optimist promises to bring some much-needed light and laughter during the COVID-19 pandemic. Netflix announced...