BY Laura Berger
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Marti Noxon — “To the Bone”
Marti Noxon is the creator and executive producer of Bravo’s first scripted drama series, “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce,” and the co-creator and executive producer of the acclaimed Lifetime...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Lone Scherfig — “Their Finest”
In her native Denmark, Lone Scherfig began her career directing award-winning commercials and television dramas. Her feature film credits include “An Education,” “One Day,” and “The...
CINEMATOGRAPHERS XX Members Make Their Mark on Sundance 2017
Female DPs are making at splash at Sundance 2017. Back in spring of last year, female cinematographers banded together to form a new, supportive group called CINEMATOGRAPHERS XX, which aims to...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Janicza Bravo — “Lemon”
Janicza Bravo wrote and directed “Gregory Go Boom,” a Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning short film. Her other credits include “Man Rots from the Head,” “Woman in Deep,” and an episode of...
Weekly Update for January 20: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Starless Dreams” Films About Women Opening This Week Starless Dreams (Documentary) (Opens in NY) A haunting portrait of stolen childhood, “Starless Dreams” plunges us into the lives of...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Ramona S. Diaz — “Motherland”
Ramona S. Diaz is an award-winning Asian-American filmmaker. Her film credits include “Spirits Rising,” “Imelda,” “The Learning,” and “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s...
Jane Green’s “The Beach House” to Receive Film Adaptation
Jane Green has written a whopping 18 novels, and 17 of them have been bestsellers. One of her books is finally getting the big screen treatment: Good Deed Entertainment has acquired the rights to...
Octavia Spencer Named Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year
The year is off to a great start for Octavia Spencer. The Academy Award winner’s latest film, “Hidden Figures,” has dominated the box office two weekends in a row, and now the actress has been...
Teaser Watch: Kitty Green’s “Casting JonBenét” Will Give You Goosebumps
“My name is Anna and I’m auditioning for the role of JonBenét Ramsey,” a young aspiring actress announces in a newly released clip from Kitty Green’s “Casting JonBenét.” What comes out...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Ry Russo-Young — “Before I Fall”
“Before I Fall” marks director Ry Russo-Young’s first wide-release movie. Her previous credits include “Nobody Walks,” which won a special Jury Prize at Sundance and was released...
Amanda Kernell’s “Sami Blood” Lands U.S. Distribution
Amanda Kernell’s “Sami Blood” has secured North American distribution prior to its U.S. premiere at Sundance on January 20. Synergetic Distribution snagged the rights to the coming-of-age...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Helene Hegemann — “Axolotl Overkill”
Helene Hegemann is a German writer and director. She has written two novels, including the German bestseller “Axolotl Roadkill.” Hegemann has directed award-winning work in film, theater, and...
“American Crime Story” to Tackle Monica Lewinsky Scandal
Prepare to see Monica Lewinsky’s name in the headlines again. Fox 21 TV Studios and FX Productions have optioned the rights to Jeffrey Toobin’s “A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Sex Scandal That...
Trailer Watch: There’s No Tomorrow for Zoey Deutch in Ry Russo-Young’s “Before I Fall”
“Maybe for you there’s a tomorrow. But for some of us, there’s only today,” explains Samantha (Zoey Deutch, “Why Him?”), the teen protagonist of “Before I Fall.” A new trailer has...
Jessica Biel Anthology Thriller Gets Ordered to Series
Jessica Biel is returning to the small screen. She’s set to topline “The Sinner,” an anthology series that USA Network just ordered to series, the LA Times reports. The thriller marks Biel’s...
Barbara Kopple’s “This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous” Gets Release Date
Barbara Kopple’s latest project has a release date. Following its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, “This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous” will launch February 8 on...
Trailer Watch: Drew Barrymore is a Charming Zombie in “Santa Clarita Diet”
Netflix’s “Santa Clarita Diet” sees two-time Emmy nominee Drew Barrymore playing Sheila Hammond, a real estate agent, mother, wife, and zombie — or as her son prefers to describe her...
“Outlander’s” Caitriona Balfe to Receive an Oscar Wilde Award
Two-time Golden Globe nominee and BAFTA winner Caitriona Balfe is set to receive an Oscar Wilde Award, a press release has announced. The Irish actress and “Outlander” star will receive the...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Sabaah Folayan — “Whose Streets?”
Sabaah Folayan is a storyteller and activist based in Brooklyn, New York. She was a lead organizer for The Millions March, one of the largest marches for racial justice in New York history. “Whose...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Gillian Robespierre — “Landline”
Gillian Robespierre is a filmmaker born and raised in New York City. She graduated from the School of Visual Arts, Film and Video Program. Her first feature, “Obvious Child,” premiered at...
Trailer Watch: Kristi Jacobson’s “Solitary” Turns Critical Eye on Supermax Prisons
Most offenders remain in their cell 23 hours a day, seven days a week at Red Onion State Prison, a supermax prison built on an Appalachian mountaintop. An interviewee reveals this shocking fact in a...
Amy Poehler Buys Rights to YA Book About Teen Riot Grrrl
Amy Poehler in “Parks and Recreation” Amy Poehler is working to bring a feminist teen character to the big screen. Hers and Brooke Posch’s Paper Kite production banner has acquired the film...
Exclusive: Chicken & Egg Pictures Announces Breakthrough Filmmaker Award Recipients
Chicken & Egg Pictures has announced the recipients of the second Breakthrough Filmmaker Award, which includes a $50,000 unrestricted grant and a year-long creative support and mentorship...
“Hidden Figures” Screenwriter Sells Scripted Drama to E!
“Hidden Figures” co-writer Allison Schroeder is on a roll. The Golden Globe-nominated NASA drama earned the top spot at the box office this weekend (as it did last weekend), and now there is...
TruTV Picks Up Comedy Series Created by, Starring Amy Sedaris
Amy Sedaris is making your next favorite TV show. The actress and comedian has landed a 10-episode straight-to-series pickup from truTV for an untitled, half-hour comedy she created and stars in,...
“Heathers” Anthology Series Green Lit at TV Land
TV Land The “Heathers” reboot has officially been ordered to series at TV Land, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The dark comedy will mark the network’s first hourlong original series. While...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors Preview: Films About Pioneers, Dancers, and Nuns
“Step” The Sundance Film Festival kicks off January 19, and like all major fests, the program is rather overwhelming. There are lots of options, and plenty of projects worth checking out. We’ve...
Trailer Watch: A Vegetarian Transforms into a Cannibal in Julia Ducournau’s “Raw”
It’s probably not a good idea to watch the Red Band trailer for Julia Ducournau’s “Raw” with a full stomach. The newly released spot for the horror film features absolutely no dialogue, but...
Tessa Thompson and Lily James Team Up for Nia DaCosta’s “Little Woods”
Tessa Thompson and Lily James have signed on to topline “Little Woods,” Nia DaCosta’s feature directorial debut. The two actresses will play sisters in the indie film,...
Weekly Update for January 13: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Claire in Motion” Films About Women Opening This Week Claire in Motion — Written and Directed by Annie J. Howell and Lisa Robinson (Also Available on VOD) Three weeks after Claire’s...
Kate Mara Iraq War Biopic Helmed by “Blackfish” Director Gets a Release Date
We’re one step closer to seeing Kate Mara in action on the front line. “Megan Leavey” has been acquired by Bleecker Street, Deadline reports. Mara plays a marine corporal in the biopic, which...
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Acquires Heidi Saman’s Award-Winning Debut “Namour”
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY has announced its fifteenth film acquisition. The independent distribution company has snagged “Namour,” Egyptian-American filmmaker Heidi Saman’s first feature. The...
Lisa Robinson and Annie J. Howell on Identity, Loss, and Growth in “Claire in Motion”
Lisa Robinson and Annie J. Howell’s s debut feature, “Small, Beautifully Moving Parts,” premiered at SXSW in 2011 and went on to play over thirty festivals. Awards include the Alfred P. Sloan...
Trailer Watch: Gemma Arterton Joins the Movie Biz in Lone Scherfig’s “Their Finest”
The movie business isn’t all glitz and glamour, a fact made painfully clear in a newly released trailer for “An Education” director Lone Scherfig’s latest film, “Their Finest.” In it, we...
How Kristi Zea Pays Tribute to a Genius Painter in “Everybody Knows… Elizabeth Murray”
“Everybody Knows… Elizabeth Murray” is Kristi Zea’s documentary directorial debut. She’s a two-time Oscar-nominated production designer and producer. Her narrative directorial debut,...
Trailer Watch: Riley Keough & Jena Malone are BFFs in So Yong Kim’s “Lovesong”
If and when the line between platonic and romantic gets blurred, it’s unlikely that a friendship will ever be the same. A trailer for So Yong Kim’s “Lovesong” has been released, and it hints...
Trailer Watch: Diane Lockhart Bounces Back in “The Good Fight”
“Good Wife” fans, rejoice: it’s nearly time to be reunited with the inimitable Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski), and a new trailer for the series’ long-awaited spinoff, “The Good...
Series Based on Cosmopolitan Magazine Greenlit by Freeform
If you’re concerned about the fate of “Good Girls Revolt” in the wake of its Amazon cancellation, you may find some solace in the fact that another series led by female journalists is coming...
Athena Film Festival Announces its 2017 Lineup: “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Fits,” & More
The Athena Film Festival has released its seventh annual lineup. The 2017 edition of the fest, which is dedicated to celebrating female leaders in the real life and the fictional world, will feature...
Trailer Watch: Hannah Remains Highly Opinionated in “Girls’” Final Season
“I don’t give a shit about anything, yet I simultaneously have opinions about everything,” Hannah (Lena Dunham) tells her potential employer in a newly released trailer for “Girls’”...
The CW Renews “Jane the Virgin,” “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” and “Supergirl”
This calls for a celebration: “Jane the Virgin,” “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” and “Supergirl” have all received early renewals from The CW, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The three...
Hulu’s “Harlots” is Written, Directed, and Produced Entirely by Women
A period drama set in a brothel is bound to raise eyebrows. The subject matter could easily be mishandled, and the resulting series would be nothing more than exploitative and sexist drivel. But...
Teaser Watch: Elisabeth Moss Fights to Survive in “The Handmaid’s Tale”
A haunting teaser has been released for “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Hulu’s upcoming adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s award-winning 1985 novel. Elisabeth Moss (“Mad Men”) toplines the series,...
Trailer Watch: “Amaka’s Kin — The Women Of Nollywood” Celebrates Women Directors in Nigeria
Named in honor of Amaka Igwe, the most successful Nigerian female filmmaker of all-time, “Amaka’s Kin — The Women Of Nollywood” shines a spotlight on women working in a male-dominated...
Glamour Releases First Issue Produced Entirely by Women
Glamour magazine is trying to put its masthead where its mouth is. “Gender equality is on all of our minds. It’s really important to me that Glamour not just talk the talk about female...
Weekly Update for January 6: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Underworld: Blood Wars” Films About Women Opening This Week Underworld: Blood Wars — Directed by Anna Foerster The next installment in the blockbuster franchise, “Underworld: Blood...
Cher to Star in Lifetime Movie Centered on Flint Water Crisis
Cher has signed on to star in “Flint,” an upcoming Lifetime original movie about the headline-making water-contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan, Deadline reports. The singer and Oscar-winning...
“Charmed” Reboot in the Works from “Jane the Virgin” Creator Jennie Snyder Urman
The Charmed Ones are back. Kind of. The CW has confirmed that a new version of “Charmed” is in the works, Entertainment Weekly reports. But fans of the original series may be disappointed to...
“Harry Potter” and “Dreamgirls” Producer Sonia Friedman Tops The Stage Power List
Producer Sonia Friedman has snagged the top spot on this year’s Stage 100, The BBC reports. Compiled by theater publication The Stage, the list identifies the UK’s most influential powerhouses...
Trailer Watch: Glenn Close Can’t Stop “The Girl with All the Gifts”
An intense new trailer has landed for “The Girl with All the Gifts,” a fresh take on a zombie story. Set in the near future, the dystopian film explores what happens after “humanity has been...
Meg Ryan Heading to TV, Will Topline Epix Comedy
Meg Ryan is coming to the small screen. The three-time Golden Globe nominee has signed on to topline “Picture Paris,” a half-hour comedy series “being eyed by Epix,”...