BY Laura Berger
Trailer Watch: “Jesus Camp” Directors Tackle TV Icon in “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You”
A newly released trailer for Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You” introduces the doc’s subject by saying, “He has been around approximately forever.”...
Netflix Snags Cannes Hit “Divines”
“Divines” is headed from Cannes to your living room. Variety reports that Netflix has acquired Houda Benyamina’s directorial debut, the winner of this year’s Camera d’Or. Benyamina...
Trailer Watch: Atheist Doctor Teams Up with Nuns in Anne Fontaine’s “The Innocents”
A newly released trailer for European writer-director Anne Fontaine’s latest offering, “The Innocents,” has been released. The drama centers on a young, atheist French Red Cross doctor (Lou de...
Pearlena Igbokwe to Head Universal Television
Pearlena Igbokwe has been named the next president of Universal Television, reports Variety. The position was previously held by Bela Bajaria, who left the studio earlier this week. Igbokwe is...
Amy Poehler and Natasha Lyonne Bringing “Zero Motivation” to TV
“Zero Motivation” stole the show at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, where it took home top honors, and now the social satire is coming to TV. Talya Lavie’s acclaimed directorial debut is...
“First Wives Club” Coming to TV, Alyson Hannigan and Megan Hilty Will Star
“The First Wives Club” is likely coming to the small-screen — the project was picked up to pilot in March — and now we know some of the leading ladies who will top line the potential...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Dorie Barton — “Girl Flu.”
Writer-director Dorie Barton makes her feature film debut with “Girl Flu.” She has spent many years as a story consultant with filmmakers, from up-and-coming writers, to industry veterans. As a...
Submissions for Warner Bros. Pictures Emerging Directors Workshop Now Open
Attention filmmakers: the application process for the inaugural Warner Bros. Emerging Film Directors Workshop is now open. The nine-month intensive will guide participants through the film...
Weekly Update for June 3: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Dear followers: Welcome to the Women and Hollywood Weekly Update. Each week we will be sharing with you films by and about women that are opening around the U.S. We’ll also include information...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Melissa Finell — “Sensitivity Training”
Melissa Finell is an award-winning director and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. “Sensitivity Training” is her first feature film. Her script for the film won an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Melissa Finell — “Sensivity Training”
“Sensitivity Training”Melissa Finell is an award-winning director and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. “Sensitivity Training” is her first feature film. Her script for the film won an...
Anna Rose Holmer on Hysteria and Collaboration in Her Genre-Blending Dance Film “The Fits”
Anna Rose Holmer was listed as one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film 2015.” She recently produced Jody Lee Lipes’ “Ballet 422” and Mike Plunkett’s “Salero.”...
Rachel Weisz Enters the Oscar Race with Holocaust Drama
Don’t be surprised to hear Rachel Weisz’s name mentioned when speculation about the 2017 Oscar nominees heats up. “Denial,” the British actress’s upcoming courtroom drama, has been given...
Alicia Slimmer on Bad Dog Actors and Her Kick-Ass Retro Soundtrack in “Creedmoria”
Alicia Slimmer has worked on many independent films as an actor, assistant director, set dresser, and producer. “Creedmoria” is her debut feature film. It took home the juried prize of Best...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Tracy Wares — “Political Animals”
Tracy Wares has made documentaries on five continents. She’s worked on projects such as “Bomb It,” “Gay Republicans,” and “Smokin’ Fish.” Wares’ work has aired on ABC, PBS,...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Alexi Pappas — “Tracktown”
Alexi Pappas completed her thesis in poetry at Dartmouth College where she graduated magna cum laude before running off to compete in the 2012 Olympic Track & Field Trials. Alexi then joined the...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Amber Tamblyn — “Paint It Black”
Amber Tamblyn is a writer, director, and actress from Los Angeles. She has received an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Independent Spirit Award nomination for her work in television and film. Her acting...
Inside Out 2016 Women Directors Meet Chanya Button — “Burn Burn Burn”
Chanya Button made her start in the industry at an early age, working as an Assistant Director on the “Harry Potter” feature-film franchise. Button has since worked extensively across both the...
“Babadook” Director Jennifer Kent Reveals Info About Her Next Films
Writer-director Jennifer Kent has offered a taste of what audiences can expect next from her emerging talent. Her feature directorial debut, “The Babadook,” won rave reviews from critics, and...
Melissa McCarthy to Star in Dark Comedy Directed By Marielle Heller
Melissa McCarthy and “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” helmer Marielle Heller are joining forces for “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”, a dark comedy based on Lee Israel’s memoir of the...
Amy Schumer to Star in New Comedy from Producer Reese Witherspoon
We have yet another Amy Schumer movie to look forward to. The Tracking Board is reporting that the comedian will topline a new comedy from Universal, “Who Invited Her?” The project will be...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Amber Sealey — “No Light and No Land Anywhere”
Amber Sealey is an LA-based award-winning filmmaker and performer. Her films include “A Plus D” (2008), and “How to Cheat” (2011), which won the Best Performance Award at the Los Angeles...
Trailer Watch: Rural Indian Women Rebel in Leena Yadav’s “Parched”
A trailer has arrived for Indian writer-director Leena Yadav’s “Parched.” The award-winning drama made its World Premiere at TIFF last year. “Parched” centers on three women living in...
Weekly Update for May 27: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Alice Through the Looking Glass” Films About Women Opening This Week Alice Through the Looking Glass — Written by Linda Woolverton In Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” an...
Sundance London 2016 Women Directors: Meet Elyse Steinberg — “Weiner”
Elyse Steinberg wrote, produced, and directed the acclaimed feature documentary “The Trial of Saddam Hussein” (PBS), an explosive exposé on what really happened at the former dictator’s...
Sundance London 2016 Women Directors: Meet Clea DuVall — “The Intervention”
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Clea DuVall began working as an actor at 18 and quickly became a fixture in television and film. Some of her credits include the Academy Award–winning film...
Sheila Nevins to Be Honored at Sheffield Doc/Fest
Powerhouse exec Sheila Nevins will be honored at this year’s Sheffield Doc/Fest. Nevins is the president of HBO Documentary Films. She first joined the premium cable network in 1979 as Director of...
Inside Out 2016 Women Directors: Meet Maura Anderson — “Heartland”
Maura Anderson has worked in independent film production since 2006. She production managed Academy Award-nominated “Winter’s Bone,” as well as “On the Ice” and “Ceremony,” among...
Inside Out 2016 Women Directors: Meet Shaleece Haas — “Real Boy”
Shaleece Haas is co-producer of the 2013 documentary “The Genius of Marian,” director of the documentary short “Old People Driving,” and producer of several short films including “City...
Inside Out 2016 Women Directors: Meet Carly Usdin — “Suicide Kale”
Carly Usdin spent several years with Viacom Media Networks. During that time she created award-winning promo campaigns for shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and produced an on-air music series...
Nanfu Wang’s “Hooligan Sparrow” Doc Gets Theatrical Release
Nanfu Wang’s award-winning documentary “Hooligan Sparrow” will be released theatrically in LA and NY this July. The film debuted at Sundance 2016. Wang told Women and Hollywood that...
Inside Out 2016 Women Directors: Meet Nneka Onuorah — “The Same Difference”
Nneka Onuorah started her career at Viacom by being dubbed the “Super-Intern” at BET Networks by The New York Times in an article titled “Dancer at Heart, an Executive in the Making.” After...
Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson” Acquired by Janus Films
Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson” has been acquired by Janus Films after a successful run on the festival circuit. The distributor picked up all North American rights to the documentary, which...
Inside Out 2016 Women Directors: Meet Cecilia Aldarondo — “Memories of a Penitent Heart”
Cecilia Aldarondo holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and is an Assistant Professor of Film Studies at Skidmore College. She was the inaugural recipient of the Roberto Guerra Documentary...
Quote of the Day: Kate Beckinsale Talks Pay Inequality in Hollywood
Kate Beckinsale recently sat down for an interview on “Larry King Now” to promote “Love & Marriage,” a period comedy in theaters now, and to tease the upcoming fifth installment of...
Inside Out 2016 Women Directors: Meet Sarah Rotella — “Almost Adults”
Sarah Rotella directs short films, web series, and features. “Almost Adults” is her debut feature length film. Her directing efforts have garnered over 68 million YouTube views and her films...
“Pitch Perfect’s” Rebel Wilson To Star in Rom Com
Consummate sidekick Rebel Wilson is finally set to top-line a high-profile film. Variety is reporting that the “Pitch Perfect” franchise breakout will star in an as-yet untitled romantic comedy...
Rebecca Miller Launches Production Company
“Maggie’s Plan” writer-director Rebecca Miller has founded a production company with Damon Cardasis, one of the romantic comedy’s producers, Deadline has reported. “Maggie’s Plan” is...
Teaser Watch: Emma Watson Enters a Magical World in “Beauty and the Beast”
Harry Potter alum Emma Watson is stepping into another enchanted world, and now we have a sneak peak into what to expect from her next blockbuster. A trailer has landed for the Watson-fronted...
Weekly Update for May 20: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Maggie’s Plan” Films About Women Opening This Week Maggie’s Plan — Written and Directed by Rebecca Miller (Opens in LA and NY) Greta Gerwig’s name is now pretty much synonymous...
Cannes: Or Sinai’s “Anna” Awarded Cinefondation First Prize
Israeli director Or Sinai has been awarded the First Prize at Cannes in the Cinefondation section for “Anna.” Cinefondation is arguably the world’s most prestigious film competition for...
DGA Report: Women Directed 17% of TV in 2015–16 Season
Women and ethnic minorities are making advancements in the world of episodic directing — but a sneak peak of the Director’s Guild of America’s annual report concedes that the figures for...
“Broadchurch’s” Phoebe Waller-Bridge to Write and Star in Amazon Comedy Series
“Broadchurch” co-stars Olivia Colman (“The Night Manager”) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge are reuniting: the actresses are teaming up for an Amazon Prime Video series written by Waller-Bridge....
Cannes 2016 Women Directors: Meet Shirley Abraham — “The Cinema Travellers”
“The Cinema Travellers” is Shirley Abraham’s feature directorial debut. The documentary was co-directed by Amit Madheshiya. The film premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on...
“The Good Wife” Spinoff Confirmed with Christine Baranski and Cush Jumbo
Good news for fans of “The Good Wife” who weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to the long-running legal drama when the series finale aired earlier this month. CBS has confirmed that a spinoff...
Trailer Watch: “Presenting Princess Shaw” Introduces a Bold New Voice
Get ready to fall in love with incomparable Princess Shaw. A trailer has arrived for “Presenting Princess Shaw,” a doc centered on a talented and charming songstress who followed her...
Kate Winslet’s Dark Comedy “The Dressmaker” Heading to Amazon
Jocelyn Moorhouse’s “The Dressmaker” has found an American home at Amazon Studios, reports Variety. The revenge comedy-drama stars Oscar-winner Kate Winslet as a sophisticated couturier who...
Trailer Watch: McCarthy, Wiig, and Co. Go to War in “Ghostbusters”
A second trailer has dropped for Paul Feig’s eagerly-awaited reboot of “Ghostbusters,” starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon. As paranormal researcher Abby...
Robin Wright Demanded Equal Pay for “House of Cards”
Robin Wright is a force to be reckoned with on “House of Cards” — and she’s a force to be reckoned with off-screen as well. While speaking at a Rockefeller Foundation event, Wright...
Cannes 2016 Women Directors: Meet Houda Benyamina — “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...
Amandla Stenberg to Star in New Amma Asante WWII-Set Film
“Hunger Games” vet Amandla Stenberg continues to add to her stacked resume. According to Variety, the teen will star in “Belle” helmer Amma Asante’s next feature, a romance set against the...