BY Laura Berger
Women In Entertainment and TV Academy Foundation Team Up to Launch Women In Television Summit
Plans for the inaugural Women in Television Summit are underway. A partnership between Women in Entertainment (WIE) and the Television Academy Foundation, the initiative will “bring together...
Apply Now: NYWIFT’s Women’s Film Preservation Fund
Film preservationists, take note. New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) is helping keep the history of women’s cinema alive. Submissions are now open for NYWIFT Women’s Film...
Gurinder Chadha Gets Series Order from ITV
Gurinder Chadha has another period drama on the way. ITV ordered a six-part series from the “Viceroy’s House” writer-director and her Bend It TV. Set in Delhi on the cusp of the 19th century,...
Elisabeth Moss Joins Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish in Crime Drama “The Kitchen”
Andrea Berloff’s directorial debut just added even more star power. With Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish already on board, “The Kitchen” now counts Elisabeth Moss among its cast. The...
BAMcinématek Launches Lynne Ramsay Film Series
Brooklyn’s BAMcinématek is marking the occasion of Lynne Ramsay’s latest offering, “You Were Never Really Here.” The Cannes winner hits U.S. theaters April 6, but you can catch the film’s...
Trailer Watch: Melissa McCarthy Forges Her Way into History in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Lee Israel is months behind on her rent, her cat is sick, and she’s been told no one is going to pay for her writing. Urged to “find another way to make a living,” the biographer and freelance...
Ellen Kuras to Direct Hulu’s “Catch-22” Limited Series
Ellen Kuras is taking one of the most influential novels of the 20th century to the small screen. The Oscar nominee and Emmy winner has signed on to helm two episodes of Hulu’s upcoming...
Trailer Watch: Bel Powley Is Held Captive in Creature Feature “Wildling”
Bel Powley wakes up in a hospital room in a new trailer for “Wildling.” The werewolf thriller sees the “Diary of a Teenage Girl” star playing Anna, a teen who has been raised in isolation...
Dawn Porter to Direct Netflix Docuseries About Bobby Kennedy
Dawn Porter is revisiting Robert F. Kennedy’s tragic presidential run. The award-winning filmmaker will helm a Netflix docuseries about the former Senator from New York, Deadline reports. “Bobby...
Women Sweep the National Book Critics Circle Awards
Women claimed victory in all six competitive categories at this year’s National Book Critics Circle Awards, The LA Times reports. The winners were announced at the annual event held yesterday in...
Ava DuVernay Is Directing Adaptation of DC Comics’ “The New Gods”
Ava DuVernay has another big budget adaptation on the way. The “Wrinkle in Time” director is taking DC Comics’ “The New Gods” to the big screen, Deadline reports. The pic will mark the...
Miranda July Has a New Film On the Way
Miranda July is stepping behind the camera again. The award-winning writer-director is set to kick off production on her third feature, a press release has announced. Currently untitled, the heist...
Trailer Watch: A Volleyball Team Overcomes Tragedy and Defies Odds in “The Miracle Season”
“A lot of people are going to see this movie and think that a lot of it was dramatized for the sake of making a movie — and none of it is,” says Erin Moriarty in the final trailer for...
Abi Morgan to Adapt Psychological Thriller “Tangerine”
Abi Morgan is set to tell another female-led story. Deadline reports that the Emmy winner is following up women’s rights drama “Suffragette” with an adaptation of “Tangerine,” an upcoming...
Alice Birch Named Winner of 2018 Blackburn Prize
Alice Birch is this year’s recipient of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, American Theatre reports. She’s being honored for “Anatomy of a Suicide,” a play about three generations of women...
Trailer Watch: Elsie Fisher Will Break Your Heart in “Eighth Grade”
A trailer has dropped for Sundance favorite “Eighth Grade,” an exploration of adolescence in the age of social media. Thirteen year-old Kayla (Elsie Fisher) wants more confidence and more...
Mira Nair to Direct BBC Adaptation of “A Suitable Boy”
“Queen of Katwe” helmer Mira Nair is eyeing her next project, another coming-of-age story. She’s “on the verge” of a deal that will see her directing the BBC and Lookout Point TV...
Madonna to Direct Adaptation of Ballerina Michaela Deprince’s Memoir
Madonna is set to return to the director’s chair. The Golden Globe winner will direct an adaptation of Michaela Deprince’s 2016 memoir “Taking Flight” for MGM, a press release has announced....
Biopic About Pippi Longstocking Author “Becoming Astrid” Acquired by Music Box Films
A biopic of Pippi Longstocking’s creator is on the way. Deadline reports that Music Box Films has snagged U.S. rights to “Becoming Astrid,” Pernille Fischer Christensen’s look into the life...
New Review Aggregate of Female Critics Launches at SXSW
According to a 2016 report from The Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film, women comprise just 27 percent of top critics on Rotten Tomatoes and men 73 percent of these individuals....
Trailer Watch: Tessa Thompson and Melissa Leo Hit the Road in Laurie Collyer’s “Furlough”
“For the next 36 hours I own you,” Tessa Thompson tells Melissa Leo in a new trailer for “Furlough.” The dramedy sees the “Thor: Ragnarok” actress playing a rookie inmate tasked with...
Nicole Kidman to Star in and Exec Produce HBO Miniseries “The Undoing”
Nicole Kidman’s last collaboration with HBO earned her great ratings, critical acclaim, and two Emmy Awards. It’s no wonder that the “Big Little Lies” star and exec producer is heading back...
Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington’s Adaptation of “Little Fires Everywhere” Goes to Hulu
“Little Fires Everywhere” has found a home just over a week after Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington announced the project. Hulu gave a straight-to-series order for the eight-episode...
Films from Ava DuVernay, Amma Asante, and Julie Dash to Screen at Ebertfest
Three trailblazing directors are set to attend Ebertfest 2018. Ava DuVernay, Amma Asante, and Julie Dash will be screening films at the fest, a press release has announced. Co-founded by and hosted...
Trailer Watch: A Girl Steps into the Wrestling Ring to Win Her Father Over in “First Match”
“Put her in her place,” a teenage boy is told by a teammate just before facing off against a girl on a wrestling mat. It’s not long before she has her opponent pinned and his sexist...
Alfre Woodard to Play a Prison Warden in “Clemency” From Chinonye Chukwu
Alfre Woodard’s recent roles have seen her playing the President of the United States and a comic book villain, and now she’s set to take on the role of a prison warden. The Emmy and Golden...
Trailer Watch: Rebecca Miller Explores Her Father’s Life and Work in “Arthur Miller: Writer”
An award-winning filmmaker offers a nuanced portrait of one of the most celebrated playwrights of all-time — who also happens to be her father — in “Arthur Miller: Writer.” Directed...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Stacy Cochran — “Write When You Get Work”
Stacy Cochran made her debut with “My New Gun,” starring Diane Lane; it premiered in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes and earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature....
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” Co-Creator Aline Brosh McKenna Has a New Project in Development
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” co-creator and showrunner Aline Brosh McKenna has a new female-led comedy in the works. She’s joining forces with two writer-producers from the Rachel Bloom-starrer,...
Sasheer Zamata to Star in Stella Meghie’s Next Film “The Weekend”
Sasheer Zamata and Stella Meghie are teaming up. The “SNL” alumna is set to topline “The Weekend,” a comedy from “Everything, Everything” helmer Meghie, Deadline reports. The pic sees...
“Half the Picture” Doc About Women Directors Finds a Home
Women accounted for just 11 percent of directors working on the 250 top-grossing films in 2017. “Half the Picture” investigates why women are so often excluded from the director’s chair...
Fandango Study Investigates What Women Want at the Movies
Fandango is celebrating International Women’s Day by setting the record straight about female moviegoers. #TimesUp on the myth that women don’t frequent cinemas and are only interested in weepy...
Brie Larson and Michael B. Jordan Commit to Inclusion Rider
Frances McDormand’s Oscar speech is proving to be a game-changer in Hollywood. The “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” actress mentioned the words “inclusion rider” while accepting...
Daryl Hannah’s Feature Directorial Debut Scores Distribution Ahead of SXSW Premiere
Daryl Hannah’s feature directorial debut is set to make its world premiere at SXSW in just over a week, and the pic has already found a home. Deadline reports that Netflix has snagged global...
Ry Russo-Young to Direct Yara Shahidi-Starrer “The Sun Is Also a Star”
Ry Russo-Young is set to adapt another YA novel. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that she’ll follow up “Before I Fall,” released last year, with “The Sun Is Also A Star,” a star-crossed...
Alexandria Bombach’s Sundance Winner “On Her Shoulders” Acquired by Oscilloscope
After wowing audiences and critics alike at Sundance in January, “On Her Shoulders” has secured distribution. A press release announced that Oscilloscope Laboratories snagged the rights to...
Cheryl Dunye to Write and Direct Adaptation of “The Wonder of All Things”
The groundbreaking writer-director of “The Watermelon Woman” has a new project in the works. Cheryl Dunye will write and direct female-led supernatural story “The Wonder of All Things” for...
Paramount Dedicates Building to Pioneering Director Dorothy Arzner
With 20 feature credits to her name, Dorothy Arzner is the most prolific female director of all time. History has neglected to give the trailblazing filmmaker her due, but Paramount recently honored...
Trailer Watch: Maxine Peake Hits the Stand-Up Scene in “Funny Cow”
Life has always been “too much and not enough” for Maxine Peake’s character in “Funny Cow.” It’s only on-stage — and out of the reach of her abusive husband — that she seems...
Trailer Watch: Catherine Keener Fights Corporate Giants in “Little Pink House”
“I feel happy here. I feel like I’m home,” says Catherine Keener in a new trailer for “Little Pink House.” Written and directed by Courtney Moorehead Balaker, the drama sees Keener playing...
Sundance Winner Desiree Akhavan to Write, Direct, and Star in Comedy Series “The Bisexual”
“The Miseducation of Cameron Post” co-writer and director Desiree Akhavan has a TV series on the way. Titled “The Bisexual,” her first project on the small screen sees her writing,...
Rachel Morrison & Diane Warren Sign on to Amy Ziering & Kirby Dick’s Upcoming #MeToo Hollywood Doc
Two of last night’s Oscar nominees have boarded Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick’s upcoming doc about the lack of parity and diversity within Hollywood. “Mudbound” cinematographer Rachel Morrison...
“Jessica Jones” Season 2 Gets Pulp Art from Female Artists, Writers and Directors Announced
We’re just days away from the release of “Jessica Jones’” sophomore season. The latest chapter in the Krysten Ritter-led superhero drama drops on March 8, and Netflix has unveiled some...
Indie Spirit Awards: Greta Gerwig, Dee Rees, and Agnés Varda Win Big
Saturday’s Indie Spirit Awards were a takedown of sexist bullshit and a celebration of inclusive talent. Hosts John Mulaney (“SNL”) and Nick Kroll (“Big Mouth”) had plenty to say about...
Biopic About Computer Scientist Grace Hopper in the Works
Another unsung heroine is set to receive some long overdue recognition. Computer scientist and Navy admiral Grace Hopper is getting the biopic treatment. Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth...
“Oh Lucy!” Writer-Director Atsuko Hirayanagi on Exploring Identity Through Comedy
Atsuko Hirayanagi was born in Nagano and raised in Chiba, Japan. She graduated from NYU Tisch School of The Arts, Asia, with an MFA in Film Production. Her shorts include “Mo ikkai,” “Wake,”...
Trailer Watch: “Fifty Shades of Grey” Rocks Jane Fonda and Diane Keaton’s Worlds in “Book Club”
Jane Fonda introduces her friends to Christian Grey in a new trailer for “Book Club.” The comedy sees four friends — played by Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, and Mary...
Film Adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Telling” On the Way, Leena Pendharkar to Write & Direct
Ursula K. Le Guin fans are still mourning the loss of the iconic sci-fi writer, but just over month after her death comes word that an adaptation of “The Telling” is in the works. The Hollywood...
Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong’o to Play Dahomey Amazons in “The Woman King”
Well, this sounds awesome: Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong’o are teaming up for a film about African female warriors. The Oscar winners will star in “The Woman King,” a story inspired by true...
Lena Waithe Joins Forces with Sight Unseen Pictures to Champion Underserved Voices
When Lena Waithe made history at last year’s Emmy Awards she used her time at the podium to recognize her “LGBTQIA family.” “I see each and every one of you,” the “Master of None”...
Vanessa Taylor to Adapt “Hillbilly Elegy”
The Oscar-nominated co-writer of “The Shape of Water” has booked her next gig. She’ll follow-up the otherworldly fairy tale with a gritty drama set in the Rust Belt, an adaptation of...