BY Rachel Montpelier
“No Ordinary Man” and “Les Nôtres” Acquired by Oscilloscope
Oscilloscope Laboratories has secured U.S. rights to Aisling Chin-Yee’s and Chase Joynt’s “No Ordinary Man,” a documentary about a misunderstood transmasculine trailblazer,...
Nikole Hannah-Jones & Oprah Set “1619 Project” Docuseries at Hulu, Shoshana Guy to Be Showrunner
Nikole Hannah-Jones and Oprah Winfrey have set their first “1619 Project” adaptation. Last summer the duo announced they were collaborating with Lionsgate on a slate of features, TV...
Pick of the Day: “Shiva Baby”
As a fairly shy, private person who loathes being put on the spot — especially at social gatherings — I can’t tell you how tense I was during “Shiva Baby.” But it was...
Exclusive: Emerald Fennell Discusses the Inspiration for “Promising Young Woman”
“Promising Young Woman” stars Carey Mulligan as an ex-med student who spends her nights going to clubs, pretending to be wasted, and scaring the hell out of the dudes who try to have sex...
April 2021 Television Preview
An interview series featuring one dope queen, an awkward comedy that sees an “SNL” alumna playing a pubescent boy, and an action series remake that reclaims the problematic...
Outfest Fusion QTBIPOC Film Fest Announces 2021 Lineup: “Ma Belle, My Beauty,” “Unapologetic,” & More
Outfest has released the lineup for this year’s Outfest Fusion QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Film Festival. Set to run April 16-20 in Los Angeles, the hybrid...
Cast & Crew of Broadway’s “Jagged Little Pill” Reunite for Social Responsibility Discussion Series
Broadway isn’t up back up and running yet but that hasn’t stopped the cast, creative, and producing teams of “Jagged Little Pill” from working together to observe Sexual...
Constance Wu Inks First-Look TV Production Deal with eOne
Constance Wu is expanding her repertoire. The star of “Fresh Off The Boat” and “Crazy Rich Asians” is starting her own production venture and has signed a first-look...
Brown Girls Doc Mafia Announces Sustainable Artist & Black Directors Grant Recipients
Advocacy group Brown Girls Doc Mafia (BGDM) has presented it inaugural BGDM Sustainable Artist Grants and the BGDM Black Directors Grants. According to Deadline, the grants come with $10,000,...
Viola Davis, Issa Rae, and Stacey Abrams Take Home NAACP Image Awards
Viola Davis, Issa Rae, and Stacey Abrams were among the big winners on the final night of the 2021 NAACP Image Awards. Prizes were given out over five nights in non-televised, virtual ceremonies last...
Women in Animation’s Spring 2021 Mentorship Program to Focus on Advancing Women of Color
Women in Animation (WIA) is teaming up with Black N’Animated, LatinX in Animation, and Rise Up Animation for its 2021 Spring Mentorship Program in order to “directly advance career...
Pick of the Day: “Tina”
Tina Turner has one helluva work ethic. The new HBO documentary about the icon, “Tina,” delves into her personal life, her art, and her legacy but the throughline is Turner’s...
Tanya Saracho and More Partner with Writers Guild Foundation for Inclusive Training Program
Television writers Tanya Saracho (“Vida”), Liz Hsiao Lan Alper (“Day of the Dead”), and Mike Royce (“One Day at a Time”) are joining forces with the Writers Guild...
Sharon Horgan and Paul Feig Joining Forces to Remake “Motherland” for the U.S.
Sharon Horgan is returning to the “Motherland” — and she’s bringing Paul Feig with her. According to Deadline, the multi-hyphenates are collaborating with Lionsgate on a U.S....
Lifetime Celebrating VP Kamala Harris and More “Women Making History” in New Special
Lifetime will cap off Women’s History Month with a one-hour special paying tribute to women making strides in politics, activism, medicine, and more. A press release has announced that...
WGA Awards: Emerald Fennell Wins Original Screenplay Prize for “Promising Young Woman”
Emerald Fennell took home one of the top prizes at this weekend’s Writers Guild Awards (WGA Awards). She received the Original Screenplay honor for “Promising Young Woman,” her...
Inclusive SXSW Musical “Best Summer Ever” Gets Distribution at Freestyle Digital Media
“Best Summer Ever,” a teen musical from directors Lauren Smitelli and Michael Parks Randa, has nabbed distribution. Freestyle Digital Media will release the film — which was...
Alliance of Women Directors and AMC Join Forces for Directing Master Class Series
Time to buckle in. The Alliance of Women Directors (AWD) and AMC Networks are presenting High-Octane Episodic Directing Series, a five-part master class series exploring direction on action and...
Pick of the Day: “Genius: Aretha”
Get ready to play “Chain of Fools” on repeat. The latest installment of National Geographic’s anthology series, “Genius,” focuses on Aretha Franklin. Star of stage and...
Maya Rudolph to Topline and Exec Produce Half-Hour Apple Comedy
Maya Rudolph is about to make it rain. The Emmy winner will play a jilted billionaire in an as-yet untitled half-hour comedy series, which has been ordered at Apple. Variety confirmed the news. The...
Pick of the Day: “Jumbo”
“Jumbo” is about a shy young woman who experiences a sexual awakening when she falls in love with an amusement park ride — but more than that, Zoé Wittock’s feature...
Chloé Zhao and Jessica Bruder Win USC Libraries Scripter Award for “Nomadland”
“Nomadland” is continuing its hot streak. The USC Libraries Scripter Awards were held in an online ceremony on Saturday and the writers behind the drama, Chloé Zhao and Jessica Bruder,...
Rachel Fleit’s “Introducing, Selma Blair” Acquired by discovery+ Ahead of SXSW Premiere
“Introducing, Selma Blair” has lined up distribution ahead of its world premiere at SXSW next week. A press release confirms Rachel Fleit’s first feature doc has been acquired by...
The Writers Lab Expands to U.K. and Ireland with the Support of Cate Blanchett’s Dirty Films
The Writers Lab is crossing the pond. A press release announced that the program for women screenwriters aged 40 or older is launching a new edition: The Writers Lab U.K. & Ireland. Supported by...
Apply Now: NYWIFT’s Women’s Film Preservation Fund
New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) is accepting applications for the latest cycle of its Women’s Film Preservation Fund (WFPF) until May 1. Since 1995, the fund has awarded grants to...
Trailer Watch: Tina Turner Talks Trauma, Faith, and Her Legacy in HBO Doc “Tina”
“I had an abusive life. There’s no other way to tell the story,” Tina Turner says in the new trailer for “Tina.” The rock superstar discusses her struggles and triumphs...
Doc About U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s Equal Pay Fight to Premiere on HBO Max
The story of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s 2019 FIFA victory and push for equal pay is headed to HBO Max. A press release has announced “LFG” — as in...
Adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s “Kindred” in the Works at FX
The story of Dana Franklin is headed to the small screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, FX has ordered a pilot for “Kindred,” an adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s seminal...
“Lovecraft Country’s” Jurnee Smollett and Misha Green Reuniting for Amazon Action Pic “Fuel”
Jurnee Smollett and Misha Green are set to collaborate once again. The “Lovecraft Country” and “Underground” colleagues are teaming up for “Fuel,” an action film...
Trailer Watch: Activists Work to Destigmatize Periods in “Pandora’s Box”
“When I started my period, I was very young and nobody had told me about it,” an interviewee reveals in the trailer for “Pandora’s Box,” a documentary about the stigma...
Trailer Watch: Irish Women Call for Equality, Abortion Rights, and Personal Autonomy in “The 8th”
In 2018, Ireland voted to repeal the 8th amendment, the 1983 law that granted fetuses the same right to life as their mothers, in a historic referendum. The story behind this huge advancement in...
Exclusive: Chicken & Egg Pictures Selects 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab Grantees
Chicken & Egg Pictures has selected the grantees for its 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab, Women and Hollywood can confirm exclusively. The program awards a total of $400,000 to first- and second-time...
Sabrina Doyle’s “Lorelei” Secures U.S. Distribution at Vertical Entertainment
“Lorelei,” writer-director Sabrina Doyle’s feature debut, will soon be making its way to cinemas and on-demand services. A press release announced that Vertical Entertainment acquired...
Submit Now: Breaking Through The Lens Financing Program for Women & Non-Binary Directors
If you are a woman or non-binary director in late-stage development on a feature, this is for you. Breaking Through The Lens (BTTL) has opened its 2021 application cycle. The program will give 10...
Kalinda Vazquez Tapped to Write New “Star Trek” Pic
“Star Trek: Discovery” writer Kalinda Vazquez is heading on another adventure: she’s writing a “Star Trek” film for Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot. “Insiders...
Paley Center to Host Conversation Series in Honor of International Women’s Day
The Paley Center for Media is celebrating International Women’s Day by launching a quarterly conversation series about women’s achievements and struggles, particularly in regards to the...
“The Act’s” Michelle Dean to Write Sunny Jacobs Biopic “Stolen Time” for Amblin Partners
Michelle Dean is bringing another shocking true story to the screen. “The Act” co-creator, writer, and exec producer will pen “Stolen Time,” Amblin Partners’ biopic...
Applications Opening Soon for Firelight Media’s William Greaves Fund
The second year of Firelight Media’s William Greaves Fund will kick off with an open call for applications on March 15, a press release announced. The fund is designed “to support...
All-Native Writers Room Lined Up for Netflix Children’s Show “Spirit Rangers”
“Spirit Rangers,” an animated Netflix series about three shape-shifting siblings, won’t debut until next year, but it’s already making a major cultural mark. Led by showrunner...
Patricia Clarkson Will Topline Rachel Feldman’s Lilly Ledbetter Biopic
Rachel Feldman’s political thriller about fair pay whistleblower and activist Lilly Ledbetter has found its leading lady. Patricia Clarkson will take on the titular character in...
Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo, Alison Brie, & Merritt Wever Will Star in Apple Anthology Series “Roar”
Nicole Kidman’s long-in-the-works TV adaptation of Cecelia Ahern’s short story collection “Roar” has found a home — and will also count Cynthia Erivo, Alison Brie, and...
Pick of the Day: “Sophie Jones”
Grief is always tough, but it’s especially hellish when it hits during adolescence. When you experience a loss before you even really know who you are, how can you possibly heal? “Sophie...
Civil Rights Activist Fannie Lou Hamer Is Getting a Biopic
Another Fannie Lou Hamer project is on the way. A few months ago, it was announced that Alfre Woodard would play the civil rights activist in a limited series, and now there’s word that a film...
Trailer Watch: A Highschooler Grieves and Comes of Age in Jessie Barr’s “Sophie Jones”
After her mother’s death, the titular character in “Sophie Jones” has a hard time of it, and she doesn’t really know what, if anything, will help her feel better. “At...
Betsy West and Julie Cohen’s “My Name Is Pauli Murray” Acquired by Amazon Studios
The new doc from Oscar-nominated “RBG” filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen has secured worldwide distribution. Variety confirms “My Name Is Pauli Murray” has been acquired...
March 2021 Television Preview
Winter isn’t quite over yet, but Spring TV has definitely arrived. From an Aretha Franklin miniseries to a drama about high school students figuring out who they are, there are plenty of...
Pick of the Day: “My Zoe”
I went into “My Zoe” only knowing the very basics of its plot, and I would advise anyone else interested in Julie Delpy’s latest film to do the same. (But there is a trailer below...
Half of Netflix’s 2018-2019 Films and Shows Were Driven by Women and Girls, New Study Finds
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has released a new report analyzing the U.S.-based 126 movies and 180 series released on Netflix in 2018 and 2019. “Inclusion in Netflix Original U.S....
Trailer Watch: “Isabel” Tells the Story of the World’s Most-Read Spanish-Language Author
Isabel Allende has written 25 books that have sold 75 million copies, and been translated into 42 languages. She is the world’s most-read Spanish-language author, the scribe of classics...
America Ferrera Directing “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” Adaptation for Netflix
America Ferrera broke out playing a college-bound young woman struggling to connect with her mother in Patricia Cardoso’s “Real Women Have Curves” — and now she’s set to...
DGA Report: Women Directed 34 Percent All TV Episodes in 2019-2020 Season
Once again, the number of television episodes directed by women and people of color bested its own record. The Directors Guild of America released its latest “Episodic Television Director...