BY Laura Berger
Trailer Watch: Beanie Feldstein & Kaitlyn Dever Have All the Fun in Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart”
“Tonight is your night,” says Jessica Williams in a new NSFW “Booksmart” trailer. The “Daily Show” alumna is addressing college-bound BFFs Molly (Beanie Feldstein)...
New York’s Quad Cinema to Celebrate Late Film Critic Pauline Kael
New York’s Quad Cinema is set to celebrate the centennial of film critic Pauline Kael. The theater will screen 25 films that she revered, as well as a few that she trashed. “In the golden...
Quote of the Day: Mindy Kaling on “Late Night” and the Stigma of Being a “Diversity Hire”
Mindy Kaling scored one of the biggest deals out of Sundance this year for “Late Night,” a comedy about a veteran late-night host who hires her first female writer under pressure to make...
Cannes: Rosa Salazar to Star in and Exec Produce Lauren Schacher’s Feature Debut
Best known for playing an ass-kicking cyborg in “Alita: Battle Angel,” Rosa Salazar will take on the role of a chemistry teacher in “The Bang Bang Girls.” World rights to the...
Beth Behrs Joins Ma Li in Eva Jin’s “Twin Blades”
“Twin Blades” has added a broke girl to its cast. Beth Behrs will join Ma Li (“Heaven for Heart”) in the Eva Jin-directed buddy comedy. Deadline confirmed the news. A story...
Trailer Watch: The CW Unveils Footage of “Batwoman,” “Nancy Drew,” and “Katy Keene”
Fans of “Supergirl,” “Riverdale,” and other CW titles, take note: the network has dropped sneak peaks of your future TV obsessions. You can now watch footage from Ruby...
Cannes: Ashley Judd to Topline Biopic of Singer and Anti-Gay Activist Anita Bryant
Besides her Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated work as an actress, Ashley Judd is known for her progressive political activism, which includes furthering the rights of girls and women worldwide and...
Vicky Jewson and Noomi Rapace to Re-Team for Mossad Agent Thriller “Sylvia”
Noomi Rapace and Vicky Jewson are reuniting for another female-led action pic based on a true story. Variety confirmed the news. Directed by Jewson, “Sylvia” will see Rapace starring as...
Cannes: Nadine Labacki’s “Capernaum” Makes Box Office History
“Capernaum” is still making waves a year after its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival. The Lebanon-set drama took home the fest’s Jury Prize, and went on to receive an Oscar nod...
Cannes: Isabel Coixet Is in Pre-Production on Her Next Pic
Isabel Coixet has yet another project in the pipeline. According to Variety, the Spanish filmmaker is in pre-production on “It Snows in Benidorm” (“Nieva en Benidorm”). Details were...
Quote of the Day: Julianne Moore Speaks in Favor of Quotas While Attending Cannes
“We will not have gender parity unless everybody is cooperating,” said Julianne Moore at recent event at the Cannes Film Festival, per TIME. Cannes signed the 5050×2020 gender parity...
Trailer Watch: Jennie Levingston’s Seminal LGBTQ Doc “Paris Is Burning” Returning to Theaters
Get ready to cross “into the looking glass,” as one character from “Paris Is Burning” teases. The groundbreaking doc about the New York City drag scene is coming back to...
AFI DOCS’ 2019 Slate Includes “Ruth – Justice Ginsburg In Her Own Words,” “American Factory,” & More
AFI DOCS has announced its 2019 slate. The festival will host 72 films from 17 countries, 48 percent of which are directed by women, according to a press release. This year’s Centerpiece...
Cannes 2019 Women Directors: Meet Danielle Lessovitz – “Port Authority”
Danielle Lessovitz is a New York-based writer and director in film and advertising. Her most recent screenwriting effort, “Mobile Homes,” which she co-wrote with Vladimir de Fontenay,...
Trailer Watch: Zendaya Is a Recovering Addict in HBO’s “Euphoria”
“If I could be a different person, I would,” says Zendaya in a new trailer for “Euphoria.” The upcoming HBO series sees the “Spider-Man: Homecoming” actress...
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck to Direct First Two Eps of Cate Blanchett-Starrer “Mrs. America”
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck made box office history with Marvel’s first female-led superhero pic, and now the “Captain Marvel” directors are set to tell a very different story with a...
Mirrah Foulkes’ Mia Wasikowska-Starrer “Judy & Punch” Acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films
Mirrah Foulkes’ self-proclaimed “bat-shit crazy origin story about the Punch and Judy puppet show” has found a home. Samuel Goldwyn Films snagged North American rights to...
Cannes 2019: Gong Li to Receive Women In Motion Award
Gong Li has been named as the recipient of Cannes’ 2019 Women In Motion Award. “Her name will be forever linked to the Festival de Cannes, especially for her unforgettable performances in...
Trailer Watch: Renée Zellweger Makes an Indecent Proposal in “What/If”
“True success comes at any cost,” says Renée Zellweger in a new trailer for “What/If.” Described as a “neo-noir social thriller,” the upcoming Netflix series sees...
Trailer Watch: Meryl Streep Wants Answers in “Big Little Lies” Season 2
The so-called “Monterey Five” have a secret — and it’s eroding every single one of them. A new trailer has dropped for Season 2 of HBO’s “Big Little Lies,”...
Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Audible Announce Original Slate
It came as no surprise when noted bookworm Reese Witherspoon went into business with Audible last year. The pact kicked off with a book club led by the Oscar winner and her female-focused media...
Alma Har’el’s “Honey Boy” Gets a Release Date
“Honey Boy” just got an awards-friendly release date. Amazon Studios will release the Alma Har’el-directed drama November 8. Deadline confirmed the news. Written by Disney Channel alum...
Exclusive: Taissa Farmiga Keeps the Wickedness at Bay in “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” Clip
“I know wickedness is coming. I feel it,” says Taissa Farmiga in our exclusive clip from “We Have Always Lived in the Castle.” Stacie Passon’s adaptation of Shirley...
Trailer Watch: Cate Blanchett Launches Her Second Act in “Where’d You Go, Bernadette”
Considered “the most exciting thing in the world of architecture” 20 years ago, Bernadette Fox (Cate Blanchett) has long since lost her mojo — or buried it. A trailer for...
Nantucket Film Festival Announces All-Female Lineup for 2019 Screenwriters Tribute
The Nantucket Film Festival (NFF) is celebrating women scribes. The fest announced an all-female slate of honorees and focus for the 2019 Screenwriters Tribute, one of NFF’s tentpole...
Melina Matsoukas to Receive AFI’s Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal
Two-time Grammy winner, frequent Beyoncé collaborator, and “Insecure” director and exec producer Melina Matsoukas has been named as the 2019 recipient of the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni...
Trailer Watch: Hilary Swank and Rose Byrne Face Off in Netflix Sci-Fi “I Am Mother”
A little girl grows up under the watchful eyes of a robo-mama in a new trailer for “I Am Mother.” “This facility was designed to give humanity a second chance. One that began with...
Hilary Swank Is Heading to Mars in Jessica Goldberg Netflix Drama “Away”
Another Oscar-winning actress is embarking on a mission to space. A trailer for Natalie Portman-led astronaut drama “Lucy in the Sky” launched in March, and now word comes that Hilary...
Trailer Watch: Ellen Page Falls for Kate Mara in “My Days of Mercy”
Ellen Page and Kate Mara find common ground despite their political differences in a new trailer for “My Days of Mercy.” Tali Shalom-Ezer’s drama sees Lucy (Page), a dedicated...
Sheila Nevins Is Launching MTV’s Documentary Films Unit
MTV has pulled off a major coup: the company landed Sheila Nevins to launch their Documentary Films banner. Variety confirmed the news. The HBO alumna is set to “lead the charge on developing...
Ana Lily Amirpour to Direct Female-Led “Cliffhanger” Reboot
Ana Lily Amirpour is kicking off principal photography on “Blood Moon” next month. The fantasy tells the story of a girl with strange and dangerous abilities. Now word comes that...
Cathy Yan Is Bringing Jenny Zhang’s “Sour Hearts” to the Big Screen
Cathy Yan is currently on post-production on “Suicide Squad” spinoff “Birds of Prey,” but the writer-director has already signed on to her next project. She’ll follow up...
Submit Now: Firelight’s Documentary Lab for Filmmakers of Color
Jacqueline Olive’s exploration of lynching in the U.S., “Always in Season,” took home a U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Moral Urgency at Sundance in January. The director...
Claudia Myers’ Supernatural Pic “Above the Shadows” Acquired by Gravitas Ventures
“Above the Shadows” won’t be disappearing anytime soon. Gravitas Ventures scooped up North American rights to Claudia Myers’ latest, a supernatural story about an invisible...
Trailer Watch: Awkwafina Faces a Moral Dilemma in “The Farewell”
“Crazy Rich Asians” breakout Awkwafina takes center stage in Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell.” A trailer just dropped for the critically acclaimed Sundance pic. Based on an...
Jane Campion Lines Up Her Next Feature, Elisabeth Moss to Co-Star
“Top of the Lake” collaborators Elisabeth Moss and Jane Campion are teaming up on another project. The former will star in the latter’s next film, “The Power of the...
Lynn Shelton’s “Sword of Trust” Gets a Release Date
Lynn Shelton’s eighth feature has received a release date. Improv-based comedy “Sword of Trust” will open in New York July 12 and LA July 19, a press release announced. Penned by...
Trailer Watch: A Teen Finds a Job and a New Way of Looking at the World in “Ladies in Black”
A holiday gig makes a lasting impact in “Ladies in Black.” A trailer for adaptation of Madeleine St John’s bestselling novel of the same name has dropped, and it sees a 16-year-old...
Trailer Watch: Sienna Miller’s Daughter Goes Missing in “American Woman”
“This is a mother’s worst nightmare,” says Sienna Miller in a trailer for “American Woman.” The drama sees the Golden Globe nominee playing Deb, a woman whose life falls...
IFC Hosts Sneak Peak of “Charlie Says” and Mary Harron Retrospective
Mary Harron’s latest tells the story of another American psycho. The Charles Manson-inspired pic hits theaters May 10, and IFC hosted a retrospective of the director to coincide with its...
Lupita Nyong’o to Topline and Produce Sci-Fi Comedy
After breaking audience’s hearts in “12 Years a Slave,” inspiring them in “Black Panther,” and terrifying them in “Us,” it looks like the Lupita Nyong’o is...
Hot Docs 2019 Women Directors: Meet Heddy Honigmann – “Buddy”
Heddy Honigmann is a director and writer who is best known for “Forever,” “The Underground Orchestra,” and “Metal and Melancholy.” “Buddy” premiered at...
Tribeca 2019 Awards: “House of Hummingbird” and “Scheme Birds” Land Top Honors
The winners of the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival have been announced, and two of the fest’s three highest honors have gone to women-directed films. Bora Kim’s coming-of-age drama...
Jenna Ricker’s Doc About Motorsports Trailblazer Janet Guthrie to Air on ESPN’s “30 for 30”
Janet Guthrie made history in 1977 when, at the age of 39, the aerospace engineer became the first woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Jenna Ricker’s “Qualified” explores...
Trailer Watch: Gurinder Chadha Pays Homage to Bruce Springsteen in “Blinded by the Light”
“It’s like Bruce knows everything I’ve ever felt, everything I’ve ever wanted,” says Javed (Viveik Kalra) in a new trailer for “Blinded by the Light.” The...
Submit Now: The Athena Film Festival and The Athena List
The Athena Film Festival is gearing up for its 2020 edition. A four-day celebration of stories about fierce and fearless women leaders, the fest will be marking its 10th anniversary next year, and...
Newport Beach Film Festival Women Directors: Meet Stephanie Turner – “Justine”
Stephanie Turner is an actress, writer, and director. Her acting credits include “First Man,” “Monster-in-Law,” and “Surrogate.” She is developing a television...
Regina King Signs First-Look Deal with Netflix
Netflix is going into business with a recent Oscar winner and one of Time’s most influential people of 2019. “If Beale Street Could Talk” star Regina King has signed a multi-year...
Trailer Watch: Toni Morrison Reflects on the Power of Words in “The Pieces I Am”
“My grandfather bragged all the time that he had read the Bible, and it was illegal in his life to read. Ultimately, I knew that words had power,” says Toni Morrison in a new trailer for...
Hulu News: Projects from Nicole Kidman and Lynn Shelton On the Way, “Pen15” Renewed
Hulu dropped some major news at its 2019 upfront, held today in New York. Among other announcements, the streamer revealed that it’s adding major star power with a new series from Nicole Kidman...
Trailer Watch: Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson Break Barriers in “Late Night”
Mindy Kaling gives Emma Thompson’s comic persona a long overdue makeover in a new trailer for Nisha Ganatra’s “Late Night.” With over 40 Emmy Awards and a long-running...