BY Laura Berger
Maren Ade’s “Toni Erdmann” Tops Sight & Sound’s Critics’ Poll and Makes History
“Toni Erdmann” “Toni Erdmann” continues to rack up honors. Maren Ade’s Cannes hit came in at number one on Sight & Sound’s prestigious annual critics’ poll. The UK Magazine asked...
Trailer Watch: Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman Tell “Big Little Lies”
When someone asks “Exactly how psychotic do you think I am?” you’re probably better off not giving an answer. The first full trailer has been released for “Big Little Lies,” HBO’s...
Hannah Macpherson to Direct Adaption of “The Merciless” for Lionsgate
“The Merciless” is one step closer to terrifying audiences on the big screen. Hannah Macpherson is in “final talks” to helm Lionsgate’s adaptation of Danielle Vega’s 2014 horror novel of...
Trailer Watch: “Nashville” Season 5 Hints at Disaster, Heartbreak, and New Love
“Nashville” is back and as action-packed as ever. CMT has released the first full trailer for the series’ upcoming fifth season, and the footage leaves no doubt that the new episodes will...
Sundance 2017 Competition Lineup Revealed, 36% of Films Women-Directed
“Casting JonBenet”: Sundance Sundance has revealed the competition lineup for the 2017 edition of the fest, to be held in Park City, Utah January 19–29. Of the 56 films that have been announced...
“Room” to be Adapted for the Stage
“Room” is moving from the page to the big screen to the theater. A stage production based on Emma Donoghue’s best-selling, award-winning novel is set to open in London next year, and will be...
Anna Foerster to Direct Thriller “Lou” for Paramount Pictures and J.J. Abrams
Anna Foerster has booked another directing gig months before her feature directorial debut, “Underworld: Blood Wars,” hits theaters. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” helmer J.J. Abrams has...
“Appropriate Behavior’s” Desiree Akhavan to Direct Adaption of “Adam”
The hot streak continues for “Appropriate Behavior” writer-director-star Desiree Akhavan. Deadline reports that she’s been tapped to helm “Adam,” an adaptation of Ariel Schrag’s 2012...
Mia Hansen-Løve to Direct Juliette Binoche in “Maya”
“Things to Come” doesn’t hit U.S. theaters until this Friday, but writer-director Mia Hansen-Løve’s follow-up to the film is already taking shape. The cast for her next project, “Maya,”...
“Big Little Lies” Gets Premiere Date on HBO
HBO has finally confirmed a premiere date for “Big Little Lies,” their seven-episode, star-studded limited series based on Liane Moriarty’s 2014 bestselling novel of the same name. The hotly...
Gotham Award Winners: “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” Isabelle Huppert, and More
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” was named Breakthrough Series — Long Form at the annual IFP Gotham Independent Film Awards, held last night in NY. Created by Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna,...
“Happy Valley” Creator Sally Wainwright to Pen BBC Series About Anne Lister
“Happy Valley” won’t return for its third season for at least a year, but Sally Wainwright, the show’s creator, is keeping busy. The writer and director isn’t penning the third installment...
Oscars 2016: 20 Shorts Move Forward, and Only 2 of Them Are Directed by Women
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the 10 live action shorts and 10 animated shorts that will advance on the road to the Oscars. Zero women directors made the cut for live...
“Southwest of Salem” Helps Exonerate Four Wrongfully Convicted Women
Nearly 20 years after being wrongfully convicted for a crime they didn’t commit, the San Antonio Four have been declared innocent. Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna...
Anne Rice is Bringing “The Vampire Chronicles” to TV
Before “Buffy,” “Twilight,” and “The Vampire Diaries,” there was “The Vampire Chronicles,” Anne Rice’s book series that included “Interview with the Vampire,” the source...
Ellen DeGeneres, Cicely Tyson, and Diana Ross Among Medal of Freedom Winners
Comedian Ellen DeGeneres, actress Cicely Tyson, and singer Diana Ross were among the 21 recipients honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday. As Variety describes, the “prestigious...
Maria Turtschaninoff’s Feminist Fantasy Novel “Maresi” Being Developed into Film
“Maresi” is headed to the big screen, Variety reports. The film rights to the feminist fantasy novel have been optioned by Film4, the London-based company behind Andrea Arnold’s “American...
Weekly Update for November 23: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Miss Sloane” Films About Women Opening This Week Miss Sloane (Opens November 25) In the high-stakes world of political power-brokers, Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) is the most sought...
Nicole Larson’s “Love In The Time Of Dick Pics” Script Acquired by Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures has acquired the rights to Nicole Larson’s memorably-titled debut feature film screenplay, “Love in the Time Of Dick Pics.” Deadline writes that the plot is being described as...
“New Girl” Creator Liz Meriwether Has a New Comedy Pilot in the Works at Fox
“New Girl” creator Liz Meriwether has a new pilot in the works at Fox, the home of her long-running Zooey Deschanel-led sitcom. Variety reports that the network has made a pilot production...
Quote of the Day: Gabrielle Union on the “Bullshit” She Experiences in Hollywood
Gabrielle Union is calling out the “bullshit” she experiences as a black woman in Hollywood. The “Being Mary Jane” star spoke with Harper’s Bazaar about “that sense of being...
Trailer Watch: Vanessa Hope’s “All Eyes and Ears” Highlights U.S.-China Relations
A trailer has landed for “All Eyes and Ears,” Vanessa Hope’s documentary feature debut. Hope told Women and Hollywood that she hopes the film “will stand the test of time as one of the more...
Rachel Goldenberg to Direct MGM’s “Valley Girl” Musical Adaptation
“Valley Girl” is coming back to the big screen. MGM is remaking the 1983 cult classic romantic comedy as a musical, and Deadline reports that Rachel Goldenberg (“The Mindy Project,” “A...
Elle Fanning in Talks to Star in Adaptation of Teresa Toten’s “Beware That Girl”
Elle Fanning is in talks to star in Awesomeness Films’ adaptation of “Beware That Girl,” Teresa Toten’s critically acclaimed YA novel, Deadline reports. The psychological thriller has earned...
Desiree Akhavan to Write and Direct Chloe Grace Moretz LGBTQ Drama
“Appropriate Behavior” writer-director Desiree Akhavan is stepping behind the camera again. The “Girls” and “Flowers” actress has signed on to co-write and direct “The Miseducation of...
Winners Announced for Women In Film’s Film Finishing Fund
Women In Film has revealed the winners of the 31st annual Film Finishing Fund grant program. The non-profit organization received more than 250 submissions from 22 countries, Deadline reports. Four...
Weekly Update for November 18: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Moana” Films About Women Opening This Week The Edge of Seventeen — Written and Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig “The Edge of Seventeen” A look at what it’s like to grow up as a young...
Tom Ford Used Google to Hunt for an Older Actress
“A Single Man” writer-director Tom Ford used unconventional methods to cast his latest film, “Nocturnal Animals.” His hunt for an actress to play Amy Adams’ character’s mother led him to...
Holly Hunter to Star in HBO Family Drama
Holly Hunter is headed to HBO. The Oscar winner has signed on to star in an untitled family drama from Alan Ball, creator of “Six Feet Under” and “True Blood,” THR reports. The premium cable...
Houda Benyamina on What Inspired Her Award-Winning Drama “Divines”
After completing her diploma at ERAC (Acting School for the Cannes Region), Houda Benyamina gained training as a director through the 1000 Faces association, which she founded in 2006 as a way of...
Screen NSW Makes Amazing Strides Toward Gender Equality
Screen NSW (New South Wales) announced its 50:50 by 2020 Gender Target for female writers, producers, and directors one year ago. The industry has since undergone a dramatic change, and is now “on...
Debora L. Spar Named the First Female President of the Lincoln Center
Debora L. Spar is taking the reins of Lincoln Center, the largest performing arts center in the U.S. The president of Barnard College will serve as the arts complex’s 10th president beginning in...
Oscars 2017 Foreign Language Contenders: Meet Paula van der Oest — “Tonio”
Paula van der Oest is a screenwriter and director. Her works have screened at film festivals around the world. She was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category for her...
Liu Xiaoqing to Star in and Co-Produce “Empress” U.S. TV Series
Liu Xiaoqing is introducing U.S. audiences to Empress Consort Wu. The Chinese actress will star in and co-produce “Empress,” a TV series centered on the seventh and eighth century empress Wu...
BBC America Orders New Series from “Fleabag” Creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge
It’s uncertain whether “Fleabag” will be getting a second season, but BBC America has ordered a new drama from the critically acclaimed dark comedy’s creator and star, Phoebe...
Trailer for Live-Action “Beauty and the Beast” Sets Another Record
Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast” won’t hit theaters until next year, but the film is already making history. Variety reports that the newly released trailer for the Emma...
Trailer Watch: Rooney Mara Unlocks “The Secret Scripture”
An international trailer has dropped for two-time Oscar nominee Rooney Mara’s latest film, “The Secret Scripture.” The Ireland-set drama sees Mara and Vanessa Redgrave playing the same...
Scarlett Johansson to Star in “Tangerine” Adaptation
Scarlett Johansson will star in an adaptation of “Tangerine,” Christine Mangan’s debut novel. Deadline reports that Imperative Entertainment won an auction for the mystery-thriller novel,...
illuminatrix Launches Database of Female Cinematographers in the UK
Looking to hire a female cinematographer? A helpful new resource will make that task easier: illuminatrix, the UK’s first all-female collective of cinematographers, has launched a database...
Nikki Finke is Back in the News Business, Joins Mediaite as Senior Columnist
After a three-year hiatus, Nikki Finke has returned to the news business. The journalist, media entrepreneur, and Internet publisher will take on the role of Senior Columnist at Mediaite beginning...
Tig Notaro’s “One Mississippi” Renewed for Second Season on Amazon
“One Mississippi” will return for a second season. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Tig Notaro’s semi-autobiographical series has been renewed by Amazon. The comedian, writer, and actress...
Trailer Watch: Natalie Portman Sets the Record Straight in “Jackie”
“People like to believe in fairy tales,” says Jacqueline Kennedy (Natalie Portman) in a newly released trailer for “Jackie.” “I believe that the characters we read about on the page end up...
Christina Hodson to Write Harley Quinn Movie and “Transformers” Spinoff
Christina Hodson is breaking into the big leagues. The screenwriter will pen the “Suicide Squad” Harley Quinn/ “Birds of Prey” spinoff for Warner Bros. and DC Films, and the...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Julie Sokolow — “Woman on Fire”
Julie Sokolow’s films have appeared at the New York Times, TIME, and Huffington Post. Her feature film directorial debut, “Aspie Seeks Love,” won Best Documentary at the 2015 Cinequest Film...
Only Two of 27 Feature Animated Films in the Oscar Race Are Women-Directed
A record 27 features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the the 2017 Oscar Race, but only two of them are directed or co-directed by women, amounting to...
Trailer Watch: Scarlett Johansson Kicks Ass and Seeks Answers in “Ghost in the Shell”
The first trailer for “Ghost in the Shell” has landed. A number of teasers have been released for the hotly anticipated adaptation of the Japanese manga of the same name, but the trailer reveals...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Nicole Opper — “Visitor’s Day”
Nicole Opper is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker who directed and produced the award-winning feature documentary “Off and Running.” The film was nationally broadcast on PBS’ “POV” in 2010....
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Jessica Dimmock — “The Pearl”
Jessica Dimmock is an award-winning director and cinematographer. She is the recipient of the 2014 Infinity Award for Photojournalist of the Year from the International Center of Photography and the...
Weekly Update for November 11: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Arrival” Films About Women Opening This Week Arrival Amy Adams takes the world on her shoulders as linguist Louise Banks. When space ships arrive across the globe, Dr. Banks is called upon for...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Leah Warshawski — “Big Sonia”
Leah Warshawski is a director and producer. Her award-winning first feature film, “Finding Hillywood,” screened at more than 65 festivals around the world. She is currently co-executive...
Jessica Chastain to Star in and Produce “Painkiller Jane” Adaptation
Jessica Chastain is a superhero, and now she’s signed on to play one on the big screen. Variety reports that the outspoken equal rights advocate will produce and star in “Painkiller Jane,” an...