BY Melissa Silverstein
Women and Hollywood Invites You to Screenings of Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird”
We’re working* with the folks at A24 to offer the Women and Hollywood community the opportunity to see an advance screening of “Lady Bird,” written and directed by Greta Gerwig. This is a...
Women and Hollywood Celebrates 10 Years with NYT Profile and Parties in NYC & LA
Check it out — Women and Hollywood is in The New York Times. The Times did a profile of me and the work of Women and Hollywood to coincide with a major milestone: The blog is celebrating our...
Cannes Officials Need to Look Inward While They Denounce Harvey Weinstein
Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux and prez Pierre Lescure are the latest film industry figures to publicly decry Harvey Weinstein. In a joint statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Fremaux...
Firing Harvey Weinstein Was a Start, But Hollywood Needs a Revolution
Every woman I’ve spoken with or seen on social media is gutted right now. We are raw. While some people clearly knew what was going on — at this point many are acknowledging it’s been an...
Brave Women Take Down Harvey Weinstein — But Will We See Industry-Wide Change?
Last week was an especially bad week for women and politics. The Trump administration is removing the ACA mandate on access to contraception and trying to criminalize abortion after 20 weeks. Yet at...
Another Quake in the Film Community
The film community in Austin, Texas, as well as the wider community online, has been shaken to its core in the past few weeks. First with the whole Devin Faraci bullshit and how Tim League and...
Acclaimed Women-Directed Films Were One of the Major Narratives of TIFF 2017
There are always multiple narratives that come out of a festival as big as TIFF. This year, one of the through lines was the amazing films that had female directors. TIFF consistently includes lots...
Brie Larson on Embracing Uniqueness, Directing Herself, and “Captain Marvel”
Brie Larson is an actress who has given standout performances in films such as “Short Term 12” and “Trainwreck.” In 2016 she won an Oscar for her turn as a young mother willing to do...
“Year by the Sea” Star Karen Allen on Joan Anderson’s Book, Directing, and Roles for Women Over 60
Probably best-known for her turns in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and the “Christmas Carol” retelling “Scrooged,” Karen Allen has been working regularly since her 1978 debut in “Animal...
Gurinder Chadha on “Viceroy’s House,” the Partiality of Historical Films, and “Bend It Like…
Gurinder Chadha on “Viceroy’s House,” the Partiality of Historical Films, and “Bend It Like Beckham” Gurinder Chadha is a writer, director, and producer known for films like “Bend It...
Venice Film Fest Chief Refuses to Accept Any Responsibility for Lack of Women
The following is a rant. Yesterday, a story broke that included comments from Alberto Barbera, the head of the Venice Film Festival, in which he responded to the lack of women directors in the...
James Cameron Disses “Wonder Woman” and the Internet Disses Him Back
Gal Gadot shutting down an attacker in “Wonder Woman”: Clay Enos/Warner Bros. Yesterday, James Cameron found out that he’s no longer the King of the World. There is a new king — actually...
Amanda Lipitz on the Inspiring Girls of “Step”
Do yourself a favor and go see “Step” this weekend. It’s impossible to watch without wanting to dance in your seat. Directed by Amanda Lipitz, the inspiring doc follows three senior...
“Landline’s” Gillian Robespierre and Elisabeth Holm on Jenny Slate, the ’90s, and Sisterhood
Gillian Robespierre and Elisabeth Holm are a filmmaking team best known for their 2014 abortion comedy “Obvious Child.” Their newest film, “Landline,” which the duo co-wrote and Robespierre...
“Desert Hearts” Director Donna Deitch Talks Love Scenes, Gloria Steinem, and the Sequel
The groundbreaking lesbian film “Desert Hearts” has been digitally remastered and is being released on the big screen and on Blu-ray. Originally released in 1986, the Natalie Cooper-written film...
New Deadline for Women and Hollywood’s First-Time Female Filmmaker Contest
Thank you to all the women who have submitted films for Women and Hollywood’s First-Time Female Filmmaker Contest. The response has been mind blowing, so much so that we have almost 1,000...
“Maudie” Director Aisling Walsh on Relationships, Perseverance, and Bringing Maud Lewis to Life
“Maudie” was such an unexpected delight. With terrific performances from Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke, “Maudie” brings us into the lives of Maud and Everett Lewis, two people who come...
Submit Now: Women and Hollywood’s First-Time Female Filmmaker Contest
In celebration and recognition of Women and Hollywood’s 10th anniversary, we are launching a short film contest for first-time female filmmakers. The objective of the contest is to help build the...
How You Can Be Involved in Women and Hollywood’s 10th Anniversary
2017 is the 10th anniversary of Women and Hollywood. We spend every day putting out information that we believe people need to know about how women are treated in the entertainment business. Lots of...
Zoe Lister-Jones on Hiring an All-Female Crew for Her Directorial Debut “Band Aid”
Zoe Lister-Jones is an actress, writer, and producer. And now she’s a director. “Band Aid,” her directorial debut, is a terrific story about a couple who decide to turn their epic fights into...
“Wonder Woman” Helps Take a Piece Out of the Glass Ceiling for Women in Film
I’ve been tracking women working in Hollywood and the global film industry for ten years now. Way back when I first started writing for this blog having a woman direct a female-led superhero movie...
Cannes Interview: “I Am Not a Witch” Writer-Director Rungano Nyoni Talks Misogyny, Witches, and…
Cannes Interview: “I Am Not a Witch” Writer-Director Rungano Nyoni Talks Misogyny, Witches, and Shooting in Zambia “I Am Not a Witch” is one of the most original films about feminism I have...
Cannes 2017: All Hail Jane Campion
Me with Jane Campion at Cannes Cannes Film Festival celebrated its 70th anniversary this year. Just remember that only one female director — Jane Campion — has won a Palme d’Or. She...
Cannes Interview: Kristen Stewart Explains Why Directing Shouldn’t Be About Correcting
Kristen Stewart is crafting a great career for herself. She shot to international stardom in “Twilight,” but it’s what she’s done after the vampire romance franchise that really makes her...
The Cannes Conundrum
I feel very conflicted writing about the Cannes Film Festival. It would be easy if I wrote reviews and I could just talk about the movies — whether I like them or not, and whether they suck or...
“Wakefield” Writer-Director Robin Swicord on How She Got the Movie Made and Breaking into Directing
Robin Swicord’s many writing credits span from ’90s family favorite “Matilda” to Oscar-nominated drama “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” She made her directorial feature debut with...
“Snatched” Writer Katie Dippold Talks Writing Roles for Women Over 40
Katie Dippold has been a screenwriter for about a decade. She made a splash with 2013’s “The Heat,” but became a household name last year with the premiere of “Ghostbusters” — the...
Listen: Podcast with President of HBO Documentary Films Sheila Nevins
Sheila Nevins has won dozens of Emmy Awards. When the powerhouse exec offers insight and advice, you’ll want to listen. We can all benefit from Nevin’s wisdom thanks to the release of her new...
Help Us Build Resources
We are working to build some new resources on Women and Hollywood. We’re creating a list of all the databases that are out there for hiring women (The Director List, illuminatrix, etc.) We are...
Cannes 2017: Join Women and Hollywood and Other Organizers Supporting Female Filmmakers
This year at the Cannes Film Festival, Women and Hollywood will once again be hosting a networking meeting with influencers who advocate for female filmmakers. Join us May 22 at the Scandinavian...
Listen: Podcast with “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” Executive Producer Lydia Dean Pilcher
“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” uncovers important history that’s gone largely unwritten. We should all know the name Henrietta Lacks. The African-American tobacco farmer’s cells...
Cannes 2017 Lineup: Women Directors Represent 16% of Main Competition
Naomi Kawase’s “Radiance” A couple of weeks ago, the 70th anniversary poster for the Cannes Film Festival was unveiled. It featured a picture of a giddy, twirling Claudia Cardinale and received...
Listen: Podcast with “Shots Fired” Co-Creator Gina Prince-Bythewood
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s film credits include “Beyond the Lights,” “The Secret Life of Bees,” and “Love & Basketball.” Now the writer-director is re-teaming with Sanaa Lathan, who...
“Their Finest” Director Lone Scherfig on Making Meaningful Films
Most audiences were introduced to Lone Scherfig’s work with the 2009 Oscar-nominated Carey Mulligan-starrer “An Education,” but the Danish writer and director has been working since the...
Gemma Arterton Talks Sexism and Likability in “Their Finest”
“Their Finest” sees Gemma Arterton playing Catrin, a young woman hired to write lines for women in British war propaganda movies. It’s a movie within a movie dealing with gender roles in the...
Listen: Podcast with “Harlots” Producer Alison Owen
“Harlots” premieres today on Hulu. I had a conversation with producer Alison Owen about the brothel drama, set in London during the 18th century. In this podcast, we talk about her foray into...
A Conversation with “The Zookeeper’s Wife” Director Niki Caro
We have been anxiously awaiting “The Zookeeper’s Wife” ever since Jessica Chastain’s 2015 guest feature for The Hollywood Reporter. Long before its release, Niki Caro’s film was labeled a...
Feminism Paying Off at the Box Office with “Beauty and the Beast”
Between 1980 and 2016 only four women-centric movies topped the U.S. domestic box office: 1997 with “Titanic”; 2013 with “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”; 2015 with “Star Wars: The Force...
Watch: Oscars 2017 Prove That Our Work in Hollywood Isn’t Done
For the last several years Women and Hollywood has used the opportunity of Oscar week to share a video that focuses on the representation of women both in front of and behind the scenes...
A Tough Feminist Conversation at Sundance
There is a story circulating about a star-studded lunch that took place last week at Sundance in honor of women filmmakers and others attending the fest. The hosts were Glamour’s Cindi Leive and...
What Mary Tyler Moore Meant to Me
I’m a bit too young to have had “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” be about me and my life, but I do clearly remember watching, learning, and understanding what this woman meant to the world beyond...
Oscar 2017 Nominations: #OscarsSoWhite Gets a Slight Makeover
The 2017 Oscar nominations are in, and the more inclusive group of actors and films to receive nods suggests that the Academy’s decision to invite a diverse new class of members was, as expected,...
Maren Ade and Sandra Hüller Discuss Nudity and Feminism in Oscar Favorite “Toni Erdmann”
“Toni Erdman” is one of the most lauded films of 2016. It was won many critics awards and was named best film of the year by multiple international critics associations, including Sight &...
2016 Celluloid Ceiling Study Shows Us That Women Still Aren’t Making Progress
Jennifer Yuh Nelson, co-director of “Kung Fu Panda 3,” 2016’s highest-grossing film with a woman director: channelAPA — Asian American Entertainment/ YouTube We here at Women and...
Listen: Podcast with “Hidden Figures” Screenwriter Allison Schroeder
We’ve been counting down the days to “Hidden Figures’” release: We can’t for audiences to be introduced the unsung heroes behind one of NASA’s greatest accomplishments. The film is based...
A Reflection on 2016 and a Promise for 2017
Friends, Let’s not pretend that 2016 hasn’t been a tough year. But as I wrote after the election, we here at Women and Hollywood are deeply committed to continuing and expanding our work in...
A Renewed Purpose
Yesterday, many like-minded people woke up in shock that this country clearly did not share the values that we believe in. Today, the shock has worn off and the brutal reality has set in. While...
When Visionary Women Aren’t Trusted: Emma Rice Out at The Globe Theatre
Just two days ago I read a story about Emma Rice, the new (she started in April) and soon to depart Artistic Director of The Globe Theatre in London. She was on a panel sponsored by Tonic Theatre...
In the Wake of Trump, Hollywood Must Confront Its Own Misogyny
Hollywood is known as a liberal community. Many of the power moguls donate millions upon millions of dollars to Democratic candidates. But for many women working in Hollywood, both on-screen and...
Listen: Podcast with “13th” Director Ava DuVernay
It’s amazing to be reminded that director Ava DuVernay didn’t pick up a camera until she was 33 years old. She has come so far in such a short time. I sat down with her last week and talked...
A Conversation with BFI London Film Festival Director Clare Stewart
Clare Stewart came to the BFI London Film Festival in 2011 from running the Sydney Film Festival in Australia. She spoke with Women and Hollywood before the 60th edition of the fest kicks off with...