BY Laura Berger
TCM Celebrates “Trailblazing Women” with Bette Midler, Jane Fonda, and More
It’s time to enjoy some herstory. Turner Classics Movies (TCM) is reteaming with Women in Film Los Angeles (WIF) for the second annual installment of the “Trailblaizing Women” series. The...
Producer Effie Brown Named Keynote Speaker at 2016 Film Independent Forum
“Dear White People” producer Effie Brown is slated to deliver the Keynote address at the 12th annual Film Independent Forum, Shadow and Act reports. Film Independent is the the non-profit arts...
DGA Report Names Best and Worst Shows for Hiring Diverse Directors
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has released its 2015–16 Diversity Report. The study analyzes the ethnicity and gender of directors hired to helm episodic television series across broadcast,...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Katherine Dieckmann — “Strange Weather”
Katherine Dieckmann’s films include “Motherhood,” “Diggers,” and “A Good Baby.” She began her career as a journalist, writing for such publications as Rolling Stone, The Village Voice,...
New TV Research Reveals Gender Inequality On-Screen and Off
While television is widely considered a more female-friendly medium than film, new research from Dr. Martha Lauzen demonstrates that the small-screen isn’t nearly as progressive when it comes to...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Raja Amari — “Foreign Body”
Raja Amari’s previous features include “Satin Rouge” and “Buried Secrets.” She was born in Tunis and completed a Master’s degree in French literature at the University of Tunis, and...
Sarah Jessica Parker to Play a Singer in Upcoming Drama
Sarah Jessica Parker in “All Roads Lead to Rome”: Cristina di Paolo Antonio / eOne Entertainment Sarah Jessica Parker portrays a woman who is ending her marriage in HBO’s upcoming series...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Robin Swicord — “Wakefield”
Robin Swicord made her feature directorial debut with “The Jane Austen Book Club,” which she also penned the screenplay for. Her other screenwriting credits include “Memoirs of a Geisha,”...
TIFF 2016: Oscar-Worthy Performances, Nudity, and Other Highlights
“American Honey” The Toronto International Film Festival’s program is stacked. While our TIFF preview collected highlights from the slate, there were literally dozens of worthy...
Katie Holmes’ Feature Directorial Debut Gets Distribution
Katie Holmes’ feature directorial debut has found a home. Gravitas Ventures has acquired the North American rights to “All We Had,” Holmes’ mother-daughter drama that premiered at the...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Alison Maclean — “The Rehearsal”
Alison Maclean’s credits include “Crush,” “Jesus’s Son,” and “Kitchen Sink.” She was born in Canada and raised in New Zealand. “The Rehearsal” will premiere at the 2016 Toronto...
TIFF 2016 Preview: Women-Directed Films About Athletes, Geniuses, and Cannibals
“A United Kingdom” The Toronto International Film Festival kicks off today, and with nearly 30 percent of the program helmed by women (if you include shorts), there’s lots to look forward to....
“Heathers” Receives a Pilot Order, Leslye Headland to Direct
Beloved 80s cult classic “Heathers” is being made into an anthology series. The project has received a pilot order, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Leslye Headland (“Sleeping With Other...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Susan Johnson — “Carrie Pilby”
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...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Maren Ade — “Toni Erdmann”
Maren Ade‘s second feature, “Everyone Else,” won two Silver Bears at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival: the Grand Jury Prize and Best Actress for Birgit Minichmayr. The modern relationship drama...
“Bad Moms” Passes the $100 Million Mark
“Bad Moms” has passed the $100 million benchmark at the domestic box office, Forbes reports. The film sees Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, and Kathryn Hahn playing three mothers who endeavor to stop...
Trailer Watch: Family Drama Fuels Hope Dickson Leach’s “The Levelling”
A young woman returns home under terrible circumstances in “The Levelling,” writer-director Hope Dickson Leach’s feature debut. A tense trailer has been released for the drama, starring...
Weekly Update for September 2: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“White Girl” Films About Women Opening This Week White Girl — Written and Directed by Elizabeth Wood (Opens in NY; Opens in LA September 9 and nationwide September 16) Street-wise college...
“Pitch Perfect 3” Director Announced
The Barden Bellas have secured a captain to steer them towards box-office glory. A new director for “Pitch Perfect 3” has been named after its original helmer, Elizabeth Banks, pulled out due to...
Watch: Alicia Keys Pens Song for “Queen of Katwe”
Fifteen-time Grammy award-winner Alicia Keys is teaming up with Disney’s “Queen of Katwe.” Keys recorded a new song titled “Back to Life” for Mira Nair’s hotly anticipated underdog story...
BFI London Announces 2016 Fest Lineup: “Queen of Katwe,” “Divines,” and More
The program for the 2016 BFI London Film Festival has been revealed. As previously announced, Amma Asante’s “A United Kingdom” will open the 60th edition of the fest. Based on a a true story,...
Judge Judy Developing Scripted Series
The eminently quotable star of “Judge Judy” is entering the world of scripted television. Judy Sheindlin, arguably the U.S.’s most recognizable judge, is developing a drama series at CBS,...
Kerry Washington Developing A Series About Female LAPD Cops at ABC
“Scandal” star Kerry Washington is developing a new drama with ABC, the network behind her hit series. Variety reports that the actress is serving as executive producer for “Patrol,” “a...
Trailer Watch: Bella Thorne is an Overnight Sensation in “Famous in Love”
Meet “Famous in Love,” your next delicious guilty pleasure. Freeform has released a trailer for the upcoming series about young Hollywood led by rising star Bella Thorne (“The DUFF,” “Big...
Anne Hathaway to Star in “Live Fast Die Hot”
Anne Hathaway has signed on to star in “Live Fast Die Hot,” a film adaptation of actress Jenny Mollen’s best-selling book released this June, The Tracking Board reports. Warner Bros. snagged...
Ellen DeGeneres and Emily Kapnek Team Up for New ABC Comedy
Ellen DeGeneres is joining forces with Emily Kapnek, the creator of “Selfie” and “Suburgatory,” for a new single-camera comedy series. “Splitting Up Together” has secured a put pilot...
Anna Paquin to Star in Crime Series About a Missing Transgender Teen
Oscar winner Anna Paquin will star in “Bellevue,” an upcoming crime drama centered around the disappearance of a transgender teen. The Hollywood Reporter writes that the “True Blood” alum...
Alison Brie Will Topline Jenji Kohan’s Netflix Wrestling Comedy
Alison Brie is stepping into the squared circle. The “Community” actress is entering the bizarre world of pro wrestling for “G.L.O.W.,” “Orange is the New Black” creator Jenji Kohan’s...
Screenwriter Anya Kochoff Romano to Make Directorial Debut
Screenwriter Anya Kochoff Romano is set to make her directorial debut, Variety reports. The woman behind the scripts for 2016’s “Mother’s Day” and 2005’s “Monster-in-Law” will take the...
Trailer Watch: Sibling Rivalry Gets Super Awkward in “My Blind Brother”
A trailer has been released for “My Blind Brother,” Sophie Goodhart’s feature debut. The comedy centers on Bill (Nick Kroll, “Burning Love”), a man who is constantly overshadowed by his...
“Happy Valley” Returning for a Third Season
Viewers don’t have to say goodbye to Sergeant Catherine Cawood and “Happy Valley” just yet. Despite previous comments that suggested otherwise, the award-winning BBC One police drama will...
Trailer Watch: Natalie Portman Is a Spiritualist Superstar in “Planetarium”
A gorgeous trailer has landed for “Planetarium,” Rebecca Zlotowski’s upcoming period drama starring Natalie Portman and Lily-Rose Depp (“Yoga Hosers”) as sisters. The young American...
New “American Girl” Live-Action Special Will Depict The Civil Rights Movement
A new “American Girl” live-action special will be set during the civil rights movement, Deadline reports. “Melody, 1963: Love Has to Win, an American Girl Story” centers on a 10-year-old...
Weekly Update for August 26: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Equal Means Equal” Films About Women Opening This Week Equal Means Equal (Documentary) — Directed by Kamala Lopez; Written by Kamala Lopez and Gini Sikes “Equal Means Equal” offers...
Diablo Cody Will Americanize Caitlin Moran’s “Raised By Wolves” for ABC
Diablo Cody is set to introduce U.S. audiences to more snarky, precocious, and hilarious teen girls. The “Juno” screenwriter and Oscar winner has teamed up with Berlanti Productions...
Exclusive: “My King” Clip Shows Emmanuelle Bercot Falling in Love
What better time to interact with a potential love interest than when you look “like death warmed over”? What begins as good-natured ribbing among friends transforms into something much more in...
“Toni Erdmann” Selected as Germany’s Oscar Pick
It’s official: Germany is entering Maren Ade’s Cannes breakout “Toni Erdmann” into the Oscar race. The film has been submitted for consideration in the best foreign-language film category...
BBC Commissions Series from “Suffragette” Screenwriter Abi Morgan
Emmy winner Abi Morgan is working on a new series for BBC, “The Split.” The project was announced by Charlotte Moore, BBC’s director of content, during a panel discussion at the Edinburgh TV...
“Equal Means Equal” Director Kamala Lopez Talks Patricia Arquette and Fair Pay
Kamala Lopez has been named the 2015 Woman of the Year by the LA County’s Board of Supervisors and the Women’s Commission, one of 21 Leaders of the 21st Century by eNews, and the 2011 Woman of...
“Toni Erdmann” and “Suffragette” Recommended for EFA Nominations
The nominations for the 29th European Film Awards won’t be revealed until November, but the 50 films recommended for nomination have been announced. Eleven of the titles, or 22 percent, are...
Renee Zellweger Talks Aging, Beauty, and Power
Oscar winner Renee Zellweger recently sat down with The Hollywood Reporter for a wide-ranging, in-depth interview in anticipation of her eagerly awaited reprisal of her most beloved role. “Bridget...
Emmanuelle Bercot’s “150 Milligrams” to Open San Sebastian Film Fest
French writer-director-actress Emmanuelle Bercot’s “150 Milligrams” will open the 2016 San Sebastian Film Festival, Variety reports. The drama will kick off the 64th edition of the fest...
Bias and Stereotypes Hold Women Back from Theater Leadership Positions
Why are so few women in top leadership positions in theaters and how can these numbers improve? HowlRound, a commons by and for people who make performance, has shared new research seeking answers...
Trailer Watch: Kirsten Johnson Records Life Around the World in “Cameraperson”
A trailer has landed for “Cameraperson,” Kirsten Johnson’s award-winning new documentary. The film made its World Premiere at Sundance in January, and in June snagged top honors at the...
Cannes Hit “Toni Erdmann” Wins 2016 Fipresci Grand Prix
German writer-director Maren Ade just made history. Her newest film, Cannes hit “Toni Erdmann,” has been awarded the 2016 International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci) Grand Prix for best...
“Anne of Green Gables” Series Coming to Netflix
Your favorite loquacious redhead is coming to Netflix. The streaming service has picked up “Anne,” an eight-episode series based on Canadian author L.M. Montgomery’s much-loved “Anne of...
Trailer Watch: “Audrie & Daisy” Doc Tackles Sex Crimes and Cyber Bulling
Netflix has released a heartbreaking trailer for “Audrie & Daisy.” The documentary chronicles the lives of two underage teen girls in the aftermath of being sexually assaulted and having the...
Spain’s Oscar Short-List: Two of Three Films are Directed by Women
Spain won’t announce its Academy Award candidate until September 7, but the country has revealed their short-list of contenders, and two of the three films are directed by women: Iciar Bollain’s...
Mira Nair, Freida Pinto, and Cheryl Boone Isaacs to Speak at TIFF Conference
The Toronto International Film Festival Industry Conference has announced further details about its 2016 lineup. While TIFF is best known for its high-profile film screenings, the festival also...
Weekly Update for August 19: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“A Tale of Love and Darkness” Films About Women Opening This Week A Tale of Love and Darkness — Written and Directed by Natalie Portman “A Tale of Love and Darkness” is based on the...
Ellen Page and Kate Mara to Star in Forbidden Romance “Mercy”
Ellen Page (“Freeheld”) and Kate Mara (“House of Cards”) are teaming up for Israeli filmmaker Tali Shalom Ezer’s “Mercy,” Variety reports. The actresses will also produce the romantic...