BY Laura Berger
Trailer Watch: Britt Robertson Starts a Fashion Empire in Netflix’s “Girlboss”
“Go ahead. Underestimate me. I’ve got it all figured out,” a young woman with a great eye for fashion tells a store owner in a new trailer for “Girlboss.” Inspired by the best-selling book...
Kelly Ripa Developing “Geek Girl Rising” as Scripted TV Series for ABC
Kelly Ripa is bringing women in tech to the small screen. The “Live! with Kelly” host and her husband, Mark Consuelos, will develop the upcoming book “Geek Girl Rising: Inside the Sisterhood...
Sony Buys Rights to Emil Ferris’ Graphic Novel “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters”
If you’re a fan of Nancy Drew, “Veronica Mars,” and/or pulp fiction, listen up: Another amateur girl sleuth is headed for the screen, and this one faces off against monsters. Sony has won the...
Susan Johnson Talks “Carrie Pilby” and Finding Funding for the Female-Led Film
Susan Johnson is an Independent Spirit Award winning filmmaker. “Carrie Pilby” marks her feature directorial debut. After a successful career as a music video director, Johnson has produced 10...
Joss Whedon May Direct Batgirl Standalone Film
Joss Whedon is bringing another heroine to the screen. The “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” creator is “nearing a deal” to write, direct, and produce an untitled Batgirl film for Warner Bros. as...
Lois Smith-Starrer “Marjorie Prime” Acquired by FilmRise
FilmRise has acquired U.S. distributions rights to Lois Smith and Jon Hamm’s holographic love story “Marjorie Prime,” Deadline reports. Directed by Michael Almereyda (“Hamlet”), the sci-fi...
Trailer Watch: Diane Lane Takes the Trip of a Lifetime in Eleanor Coppola’s “Paris Can Wait”
“Driving is the only way to see a country,” Anne (Diane Lane) is told in a new trailer for “Paris Can Wait.” She and her husband (Alec Baldwin) are visiting Cannes from the U.S., but...
Women-Directed Features “Polina” and “The Drowning” Acquired
Two new women-directed films have found homes. Deadline reports that Oscilloscope Laboratories snagged the North American rights to Valérie Müller and Angelin Preljocaj’s “Polina,” a ballet...
Janeane Garofalo to Make Broadway Debut in “Marvin’s Room”
Janeane Garofalo is set to make her Broadway debut. The two-time Emmy-nominated actress and stand-up comedian will star in Roundabout Theater Company’s “Marvin’s Room,” The New York Times...
Trailer Watch: Explorer Gertrude Bell Takes Center Stage in “Letters from Baghdad”
“In the desert, every newcomer is an enemy till you know him to be a friend,” says Gertrude Bell, voiced by Tilda Swinton, in a new trailer for Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum’s “Letters...
BAMcinématek to Present Anne-Marie Miéville Retrospective
Swiss filmmaker Anne-Marie Miéville will be celebrated with a full career retrospective presented by BAMcinématek in Brooklyn. After launching her career in the ’70s, the writer, director, and...
Natalie Portman to Play a Bull Rider in Anna Rose Holmer’s “Bronco Belle”
Natalie Portman is going from redesigning the White House to becoming a rodeo superstar. The “Jackie” actress is attached to star as a bull rider in “Bronco Belle,” Deadline reports. “The...
Bentonville Film Fest to Open with Gaby Dellal’s “3 Generations”
“3 Generations” The 2017 Bentonville Film Festival will open with Gaby Dellal’s controversial “3 Generations,” Indiewire reports. Written by Dellal and Nikole Beckwith, the drama, once...
Amber Heard to Star in Agnieszka Holland’s “The Kind Worth Killing”
Amber Heard is teaming up with Polish auteur Agnieszka Holland. Heard will topline Holland’s upcoming crime thriller “The Kind Worth Killing,” Deadline reports. The feature hails from...
Trailer Watch: Noomi Rapace Is Abducted & Subjected to Experiments in “Rupture”
An idyllic day quickly transforms into the stuff of nightmares in a newly released trailer for “Rupture.” Renee (Noomi Rapace), a single mom, lovingly says goodbye to her son and drives to meet...
“Queen of the Desert” Gets a U.S. Release Date and New Trailer
U.S. audiences are finally going to have the opportunity to see Nicole Kidman’s portrayal of Gertrude Bell in “Queen of the Desert.” The biopic of the renowned British archaeologist, explorer,...
Trailer Watch: Frances McDormand Takes on the Police in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
“What’s the law on what you can and cannot say on a billboard?” Frances McDormand asks in a newly released Red Band trailer for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” The Oscar...
WTF of the Day: Aaron Sorkin Was Unaware of Hollywood’s Diversity Problem
“Are you saying that women and minorities have a more difficult time getting their stuff read than white men and you’re also saying that [white men] get to make mediocre movies and can continue...
Thea Sharrock Being Eyed to Direct “The One and Only Ivan”
Thea Sharrock may be following up a tragic romance with a gorilla story. The “Me Before You” director is in talks to helm Disney’s big screen adaptation of Katherine Applegate’s Newbery...
Quote of the Day: Kate Winslet Talks Self-Acceptance & How to Rise Above Body Shaming
Kate Winslet is speaking out about body shamers and the value of self-esteem. “I had been bullied at school,” the Oscar winner told an audience of children at a recent We Day U.K. charity event...
Robin Swicord’s “Wakefield” Acquired by IFC Films
Love “Breaking Bad” and miss watching Bryan Cranston scale new heights of self-destructive behavior? You’re in luck. Robin Swicord’s “Wakefield” has found a home. A press release...
Weekly Update for March 24: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week “Prevenge” Prevenge — Written and Directed Alice Lowe (Opens in NY and LA) Widow Ruth (Alice Lowe) is seven months pregnant when, believing herself to...
Trailer Watch: Kitty Green Returns to the Scene of the Crime in “Casting JonBenet”
The 1996 murder of six-year-old American beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey made international headlines, but the horrifying crime undoubtedly made the most lasting mark in Boulder, Colorado, where...
Nicole Kidman and Amy Schumer to Star in Rebecca Miller’s “She Came to Me”
Nicole Kidman and Amy Schumer are set to co-star in a new film. “Maggie’s Plan” hit theaters just last year, but writer-director Rebecca Miller is already lining up a star-studded cast for...
Trailer Watch: Netflix’s “Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On” Investigates the Porn Industry
“We can’t ignore that porn today is sex education,” emphasizes an interviewee in “Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On.” And she’s not wrong. Sex education is sorely lacking in the U.S. school...
Trailer Watch: Elisabeth Moss Wakes Up in “The Handmaid’s Tale”
“I was asleep before. That’s how we let it happen,” says Offred (Elisabeth Moss) in a powerful — and disturbingly timely — new trailer for “The Handmaid’s Tale.” “When they...
Meredith Lavender & Marcie Ulin Sign Overall Deal With 20th Century Fox TV
Long-time collaborators Meredith Lavender and Marcie Ulin are taking their partnership to the next level. The pair have signed a two-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television, Deadline...
Trailer Watch: Tracy Droz Tragos Gives Women a Platform in “Abortion: Stories Women Tell”
“People telling their stories is so important because we keep those things locked inside of ourselves and they kill us,” says one of the characters in a new trailer for “Abortion: Stories...
Brie Larson to Play First Female US Presidential Candidate in “Victoria Woodhull”
Brie Larson has her eyes set on the White House. The “Room” actress has signed on to play trailblazing women’s rights activist Victoria Woodhull, who made history as the first woman to run for...
Melissa Joan Hart to Direct Anjelica Huston in Lifetime Movie
Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Anjelica Huston are joining forces to make some magic at Lifetime. Melissa Joan Hart will direct the Oscar winner in “Watcher in the Woods,” an upcoming original...
You’re Invited: Women and Hollywood Talks Europe vs Hollywood with German Director Frauke Thielecke
Wondering how women fare in the European film and TV industry compared to Hollywood? You’re in luck. Award-winning German director Frauke Thielecke will speak about her experiences directing film...
Evan Rachel Wood to Make Directorial Debut
“Westworld’s” Evan Rachel Wood is stepping behind the camera. After more than 20 years of acting in the business, Wood will make her directorial debut. In an interview with Vulture, Jenny...
Carey Mulligan to Star in BBC Miniseries Directed by S.J. Clarkson
Carey Mulligan is teaming up with another woman director. Two months after her latest film, Dee Rees’ “Mudbound,” premiered at Sundance comes word that the Oscar nominee will star in...
Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton’s “Battle of the Sexes” Gets Awards-Friendly Release
Emma Stone just won her first Oscar in February, and the “La La Land” actress may be in running for the 2018 Academy Awards as well. Fox Searchlight has announced an awards-friendly release date...
“The Path” Co-EP Annie Weisman Signs Overall Deal With Universal TV
“The Path” co-executive producer Annie Weisman has inked a two-year overall deal with Universal TV, Deadline reports. She’s written four episodes of the Hulu series starring Aaron Paul...
“A Woman, a Part” Director Elisabeth Subrin on Making a Movie About a Woman Over 40
Elisabeth Subrin’s critically acclaimed films and video art have screened widely internationally, including at The New York Film Festival, The Rotterdam International Film Festival, The Vienna...
Lillian E. Benson to Be Honored by Motion Picture Editors Guild
This is the kind of herstory we love learning about: Lillian E. Benson was the first African-American female member of the American Cinema Editors (ACE), a prestigious honorary society of film...
“Fleabag” Gets Second Season
We haven’t seen the last of “Fleabag,” thank goddess. The series’ star and creator, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, has confirmed that a second season of the pitch-black comedy is in the works. The...
Trailer Watch: Petra Epperlein Investigates Surveillance Culture in “Karl Marx City”
“It’s easy to go down the rabbit hole of the subject of modern surveillance and come out sounding like a raving paranoid,” “Karl Marx City” co-director Petra Epperlein told us. But a newly...
Salma Hayek to Be Honored with CinemaCon Vanguard Award
Salma Hayek has been named as the recipient of CinemaCon’s 2017 Vanguard Award. The Oscar-nominated actress will receive the honor March 30 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, ScreenDaily...
Tamara Jenkins to Direct “Private Life,” Starring Kathryn Hahn and Molly Shannon
It’s been a decade since Tamara Jenkins released her last film, but the writer-director has a project on the way, and it sounds amazing: “Private Life,” a Netflix original film, will star...
Variety’s Power of Women Honors Jessica Chastain, Blake Lively, Audra McDonald, & More
The guest list at this luncheon is going to be stacked. Once again, Variety is celebrating the philanthropic work of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. The outlet has announced the honorees for...
Mila Kunis & Kate McKinnon in Talks for Susanna Fogel’s “The Spy Who Dumped Me”
Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon may be teaming up for a woman-directed comedy. The actresses are in talks to star in Susanna Fogel’s “The Spy Who Dumped Me,” Deadline reports. If they sign on...
Trailer Watch: Emilia Clarke Is in Major Trouble in Creepy “Voice from the Stone”
Looks like Emilia Clarke will need to summon her inner Khaleesi. A trailer has been released for the “Game of Thrones” actress’ next film, “Voice from the Stone,” and the footage suggests...
Hillary Seitz to Adapt Ruth Ware’s “The Woman in Cabin 10”
“The Woman in Cabin 10” is headed to the big screen. “Eagle Eye” and “Insomnia” screenwriter Hillary Seitz has signed on to pen an adaptation of the Ruth Ware mystery thriller, Variety...
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” Co-Creator Aline Brosh McKenna Signs Overall Deal With CBS TV Studios
This calls for a celebratory song and dance number. “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer Aline Brosh McKenna is strengthening her relationship with the studio...
Trailer Watch: A Young Woman Is Pushed Over the Edge in “I, Olga Hepnarova”
“To commit suicide you need a strong will, my child. Something you certainly don’t have. Accept it.” Yikes. This is definitely not what someone needs to hear after a suicide attempt lands them...
Hot Docs Special Presentations Lineup: Dance Teams, Indigenous Musicians, & Animal Rights Activists
Hot Docs has announced the lineup for their Special Presentations program. Nine of 26 films are directed or co-directed by women, amounting to about 35 percent of the high-profile slate. According...
Trailer Watch: Melissa Leo Is an Atheist with a Cause in “Most Hated Woman in America”
Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins — these are the names most closely associated with atheism in the United States. But this wasn’t always the case. It was in fact a woman who...
Eva Longoria to Star in Fox Comedy Pilot “Type-A”
Eva Longoria is headed back to the small screen to topline “Type-A,” a Fox comedy pilot. According to Deadline, the single-camera project follows “a group of consultants hand-picked to do the...
Jennifer Aniston and Anne Fletcher Team Up for Teen Comedy
Jennifer Aniston played a Prom Queen and Homecoming Queen in “Friends,” and now she’ll take on the role of a former beauty queen. Variety reports that the expert tiara-wearer has joined the...