BY Laura Berger
Trailer Watch: “Jewel’s Catch One” Offers a Look Into America’s Oldest Black-Owned Disco Club
Jewel’s Catch One “offered a place where any and everybody could come,” and now a new doc is exploring how that inclusive environment became the stuff of legend. A trailer had dropped for C....
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Christy Garland — “What Walaa Wants”
Christy Garland has directed award-winning and critically acclaimed documentary features and fiction shorts. Her credits include “Cheer Up,” “The Bastard Sings the Sweetest Song,” and...
Lily Collins to Star in Hope Dickson Leach’s “The Cradle”
Hope Dickson Leach has another family drama on the way. Deadline reports that Lily Collins (“To the Bone”) and Jack O’Connell (“Unbroken”) will topline the award-winning...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Elizabeth Mirzaei — “Laila at the Bridge”
Elizabeth Mirzaei served as director and cinematographer on the BBC’s “The Killing of Farkhunda,” which was nominated for a Royal Television Society Award, and a cinematographer on the...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Paula Eiselt — “93Queen”
Paula Eiselt is an independent filmmaker. She is currently a POV/Wyncote Filmmaker Fellow and was a 2017 Sundance Creative Producing Summit Fellow and a 2016 IFP Lab fellow. “93Queen” is her...
Rachel Morrison to Receive AFI’s Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal
History-making cinematographer Rachel Morrison is set to receive an honor from the American Film Institute (AFI). The “Black Panther” DP will be awarded the 2018 Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Azadi Moghadam — “The Broker”
Azadi Moghadam was born in Tehran. She filmed her first documentary, “Kahrizak — Tajrish,” in 2015. She published Simia, a professional theater magazine, while she was a student in...
Trailer Watch: A Girl and Her Father Return to Civilization in Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace”
Debra Granik’s latest offering has a trailer. This time around, the “Winter’s Bone” co-writer and director is telling the story of a father and daughter whose lives are upended when local...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Samara Grace Chadwick — “1999”
Samara Grace Chadwick has spent more than 15 years working in the field of documentary film throughout Europe and North and South America, primarily as a filmmaker, editor, and festival programmer....
S.J. Clarkson to Direct “Star Trek 4”
S.J. Clarkson will boldly go where no woman has gone before. Deadline reports that she’s been tapped to helm “Star Trek 4,” making her the first woman to direct a feature in the “Star...
Biopic About Game-Changing Journalist Nancy Dickerson in the Works at Showtime
A biopic about Nancy Dickerson is in development at Showtime. The trailblazing reporter made history as the first woman hired as a network correspondent by CBS News. Titled “Hello Nancy,” the...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Laura Marie Wayne — “Love, Scott”
Laura Marie Wayne’s short films have been featured in festivals across Europe, North America, and the Caribbean. In 2015 her lyrical memoir film “Most of Us Don’t Live There” premiered in...
Lena Waithe to Deliver Keynote at AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women Showcase
In the span of just over a month, Lena Waithe has graced the cover of Vanity Fair and been named by TIME as one of the most influential people of the year. In January her Showtime series, “The...
Naomi Watts to Topline Claire McCarthy’s Mother-Daughter Drama “Burning Season”
Naomi Watts and Claire McCarthy are re-teaming for a new project. Their last venture, a revisionist take on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” told from the perspective of Ophelia, made its world premiere...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Almudena Carracedo — “The Silence of Others”
Almudena Carracedo directed and produced her debut feature, the Emmy-winning documentary “Made in L.A.” She also directed the award-winning short “Welcome, A Docu-Journey of Impressions.”...
Movie in the Works About NYT Reporters Who Broke Weinstein Scandal
The New York Times’ October 5 story chronicling Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual abuse rocked the entertainment industry and its aftermath has seen the rise of #MeToo and #TimesUp. It’s no...
Gretchen Carlson Inks Deal with A+E Originals, First Project Deals with Sexual Harassment
Gretchen Carlson is continuing a conversation she helped start. The former Fox News anchor has signed a deal with A+E Originals that sees her producing documentary specials, and her first project...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Elwira Niewiera — “The Prince and the Dybbuk”
Elwira Niewiera’s last feature documentary, “Domino Effect,” was shown at more than 50 festivals and received many awards. She is a member of the Polish Film Academy. “The Prince and the...
Allison Janney Joins Viola Davis in Bert & Bertie’s “Troupe Zero”
More stars from “The Help” are reuniting. Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer have a holiday comedy in the works, and now comes word that Allison Janney is joining the cast of “Troupe...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Shasha Nakhai — “Take Light”
Shasha Nakhai is a filmmaker based out of Toronto with Compy Films and Storyline Entertainment. Her award-winning films have screened at festivals and aired on TV worldwide. Her last film with...
Tig Notaro Has Netflix Stand-Up Special On the Way
“One Mississippi” is gone but Tig Notaro is staying busy. The comedian is heading to space as a guest star in the second season of “Star Trek: Discovery” on CBS All Access and Netflix just...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jessica Leski — “I Used to Be Normal”
Jessica Leski wrote, directed, and co-edited her first full-length documentary, “The Ball.” The film won a Hugo Television Award at the Chicago International Film Festival. Leski’s short films...
Trailer Watch: Gemma Arterton Leaves Her Family Behind in “The Escape”
Gemma Arterton plays a stay-at-home mom pushed to the brink in “The Escape.” When Tara finds herself dealing with depression, she’s told it’s just “a phase” and her self-absorbed husband...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Assia Boundaoui — “The Feeling of Being Watched”
Assia Boundaoui is an Algerian-American journalist and filmmaker based in Chicago. She has reported for BBC, NPR, Al Jazeera, VICE, and CNN and was the recipient of a first place Mark of Excellence...
Apply Now: 2018 Fox Directors Lab
The 2018 Fox Directors Lab (FDL) is now accepting applications. Launched to support TV directors with diverse voices, backgrounds, and life experiences, the initiative is highly selective and...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Nia DaCosta — “Little Woods”
Nia DaCosta has written and directed projects for stage, film, and new media platforms. “Little Woods” is her debut feature. “Little Woods” premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival on...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Andrea Nevins — “Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie”
Andrea Nevins is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy award-winningdirector, producer, and writer. Her credits include “The Other F Word” and “Play it Forward” “Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking...
Aidy Bryant to Topline and Write Hulu Series Based on Lindy West’s “Shrill”
Aidy Bryant is taking “Shrill” to the small screen. Lindy West’s non-fiction feminist book was optioned by Elizabeth Banks back in December 2016, and now the project has landed at Hulu with...
Trailer Watch: Jessica Chastain Paints Chief Sitting Bull in “Woman Walks Ahead”
Jessica Chastain embarks on an ambitious journey in a new trailer for Susanna White’s “Woman Walks Ahead.” Based on a true story, the drama is set in the 1880s and sees her playing Catherine...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Yolanda Ramke — “Cargo”
Yolanda Ramke is an award-winning screenwriter and director. In 2013, she wrote the short film “Cargo” and co-directed with Ben Howling. It garnered almost 14 million views on YouTube. She...
Trailer Watch: Vera Farmiga Reunites with Her Dad in Shana Feste’s “Boundaries”
A trailer has dropped for “Boundaries,” Shana Feste’s portrait of a complicated relationship between a daughter and father. Laura (Vera Farmiga) doesn’t see her dad (Christopher Plummer) as...
Quote of the Day: Melissa McCarthy Talks Negotiating and Equal Pay
Melissa McCarthy is known for her sense of humor, but her business savvy has also played a major part in landing her among the world’s highest-paid actresses. In a candid conversation with...
Clea DuVall’s Rom-Com “Happiest Season” Acquired by TriStar Pictures
Clea DuVall is set to direct her first studio pic. The “Veep” actress will helm “Happiest Season,” a romantic comedy that’s been acquired by TriStar Pictures. A press release announced...
Teaser Watch: Amy Adams Heads Home to Investigate a Crime in HBO’s “Sharp Objects”
Amy Adams returns to the small screen after a decade-plus hiatus in “Sharp Objects.” The five-time Oscar nominee stars in HBO’s adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s 2006 best-selling novel, her...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Nancy Schwartzman — “Roll Red Roll”
Nancy Schwartzman is a documentary film director, producer, and media strategist who uses storytelling and technology to create safer communities for women and girls. She directed short doc “The...
Hannah Fidell’s “The Long Dumb Road’ Acquired by Universal Pics Group
Hannah Fidell’s latest film has found a home. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Content Group snagged the North American rights to “The Long Dumb Road,” Deadline reports. The road trip...
Abi Morgan Planning a Cleopatra TV series with All-Female Writing Team
Two-time Emmy winner Abi Morgan is taking on another iconic historical figure. The scribe behind Margaret Thatcher biopic “The Iron Lady” is in early development on a series about Cleopatra,...
Sharon Horgan’s “Motherland” Comedy Series Coming to the U.S.
”Motherland” is already two seasons into its run on BBC in the UK, but it won’t be long before Sharon Horgan’s BAFTA-nominated series is available for U.S. viewers. Deadline reports that the...
Romola Garai to Make Feature Directorial Debut with “Outside”
Romola Garai is stepping behind the camera again. Best known for her roles in period dramas such as “Suffragette,” “The Hour,” and “Emma,” the actress is set to make her feature...
Trailer Watch: A Sexual Assault Is the Beginning of the Story in “Angels Wear White”
Two schoolgirls find themselves at the center of a scandal in “Angels Wear White.” Written and directed by Vivian Qu, the China-set drama sees pre-teen friends Xiaowen (Zhou Meijun) and Xinxin...
Sundance Film Fest: London 2018’s Feature Lineup Is 58 Percent Women-Directed
Some of the biggest hits out of Park City are heading to the UK. The program for Sundance Film Festival: London 2018 has been announced, and those who didn’t make it out to Utah in January will be...
Gillian Flynn Lands Series Order at Amazon and Signs Overall Deal
“Gone Girl” screenwriter and author Gillian Flynn has another TV series on the way. Already an exec producer and writer on “Sharp Objects,” an HBO miniseries set to debut in 2018, the...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Cynthia Lowen — “Netizens”
Cynthia Lowen is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and award-winning writer. She is the producer and writer of “Bully,” a 2011 feature documentary following five kids and families through “a year in...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Meredith Danluck — “State Like Sleep”
Meredith Danluck has exhibited at the Liverpool Biennial, Reina Sofia Museum, MoMA, PS1 Museum, and Venice Biennale. Her short films, feature documentaries, and experimental films have screened at a...
Nicole Kidman to Star in Adaptation of Meg Wolitzer’s “The Female Persuasion”
Another Meg Wolitzer adaptation is on the way, and this one is headed by Nicole Kidman. Entertainment Weekly reports that the Oscar winner’s production company, Blossom Films, is joining forces...
Cate Blanchett-Led Cannes Jury Adds Kristen Stewart, Ava DuVernay, and More
Cannes’ Competition lineup remains sorely lacking in women-directed films, but the Jury ruling over the fest’s most high-profile program is decidedly more inclusive. As previously announced,...
Exclusive: Chicken & Egg Announces 2018 Diversity Fellows
Chicken & Egg Pictures has announced the five projects selected for their 2018 Diversity Fellows Initiative. Created with the aim of identifying and increasing the visibility of diverse women...
Reese Witherspoon, Issa Rae, and Niki Caro Among This Year’s Gracie Award Winners
The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) has announced the winners of the 43rd annual Gracie Awards. Set to take place May 22 in Los Angeles, the event celebrates programming created by,...
Bruna Papandrea to Exec Produce Series Based on Allison Pearson’s “How Hard Can It Be?”
Bruna Papandrea has scored the rights to another buzzy novel with plans to bring it to the small screen. The “Big Little Lies” executive producer’s Made Up Stories optioned the rights to...
Trailer Watch: Return to Steubenville, Ohio in Disturbing “Roll Red Roll”
“Is this football town putting its daughters at risk by protecting its sons in a situation like this?” asks one of the characters in “Roll Red Roll,” an upcoming documentary exploring the...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Keren Ben Rafael — “Virgins”
Keren Ben Rafael is a writer-director based in Israel and France. Her previous credits include shorts “La Plage” and “Northern Lights” and doc “Bite Into Life.” “Virgins” will...