BY Rachel Montpelier
All-Women Cohort Selected for Blackhouse Foundation’s Multicultural Producers Lab
For the second year in a row, an all-women cohort has been selected for The Blackhouse Foundation’s Multicultural Producers Lab. Danni Conner, Trevite Willis, Avril Speaks, Adetoro Makinde, Letitia...
Katori Hall Signs Overall Deal with Lionsgate TV, Sets Up Mentorship Program for Black Playwrights
Katori Hall is sticking with Lionsgate Television. She has signed an overall deal with the studio, which produces her strip club-set Starz drama “P-Valley.” The pact will see Hall create...
Patty Jenkins Will Be the First Woman to Direct a “Star Wars” Movie
From Themyscira to a galaxy Far, Far Away, Patty Jenkins continues to make history. The “Wonder Woman” filmmaker is set to become the first woman to helm a “Star Wars” film....
Rebel Girls Brand to Develop Films, Series, and More Under Imagine Entertainment Deal
Get ready for more Rebel Girls. The media brand behind the “Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls” book series and “Rebel Podcast” is entering into a development pact with...
Taraji P. Henson to Make Feature Directorial Debut with High School Comedy “Two-Faced”
Taraji P. Henson is directing her first movie. Variety confirms the Oscar-nominated actress will helm, produce, and star in Bron Studios’ high school comedy “Two-Faced.” The project...
Daisy Ridley Will Play Trailblazing Swimmer Gertrude Ederle in Disney+’s “Young Woman and the Sea”
Daisy Ridley may be trading in her light saber for a swim cap and goggles. The “Star Wars” actress is in negotiations to topline “Young Woman and the Sea,” a biopic about...
Pick of the Day: “Funny Boy”
“Why does everyone say I’m funny? What does that mean?” young Arjie (Arush Nand) asks in “Funny Boy.” His parents are trying to explain to him why he can’t dress up as the...
Rose Glass’ “Saint Maud” Sweeps BIFA Nominations with Record-Breaking 17 Nods
The titular character of “Saint Maud” can rest assured: there is some good in the world! Rose Glass’ psychological horror drama received 17 British Independent Film Awards nods this...
Trailer Watch: Clare Dunne Takes On the Housing Crisis and a Toxic Ex in Phyllida Lloyd’s “Herself”
“We can’t go on like this,” Sandra (Clare Dunne), a struggling single mother of two, says in the trailer for Phyllida Lloyd’s new film, “Herself.” In need of new...
Issa Rae Exec Producing HBO’s “Nice White Parents” Adaptation
That staff at We Got Y’All must be so psyched. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Issa Rae is set to exec produce an adaptation of the breakout podcast “Nice White Parents.” HBO...
Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship Teaming Up for CW Project Based on DC Comics’ “Naomi”
Another female-fronted superhero story is in the works at The CW — and it marks the latest in Ava DuVernay’s long string of recent television projects. Variety confirms DuVernay and Jill...
Pick of the Day: “A Suitable Boy”
“A Suitable Boy” hit quite a few milestones on its way to Acorn TV. The miniseries adaptation of Vikram Seth’s bestseller is the first TV show Mira Nair has directed; it’s the...
Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Hosting, Producing Apple Docuseries Based on Their “Gutsy Women” Book
Hillary and Chelsea Clinton are bringing their “favorite stories of courage and resilience” to Apple TV+. The mother-daughter duo will host and executive produce a docuseries adaptation...
Pick of the Day: “La Leyenda Negra”
“Respect my existence or expect resistance.” These are the words high school senior and immigration rights activist Aleteia (Monica Betancourt) reiterates throughout “La Leyenda...
Pick of the Day: “I’m Your Woman”
I have two theories about “I’m Your Woman,” Julia Hart’s latest feature and AFI Fest 2020’s opening film. The first: This movie is the photonegative of the classic...
A.V. Rockwell Making Feature Directorial Debut with “A Thousand and One,” Lena Waithe Producing
A.V. Rockwell is teaming up with Lena Waithe and Focus Features for her first feature film. A press release has announced that mother-son drama “A Thousand and One,” written and directed...
Cynthia Erivo to Topline and Produce Biopic About African Princess Sarah Forbes Bonetta
Cynthia Erivo is set to portray yet another real-life trailblazer. The star of “Harriet” and the forthcoming “Genius: Aretha” has signed on to topline a biopic about Sarah...
“Happiest Season” Breaks Hulu Records, Writer-Director Clea DuVall Open to Making a Sequel
The pandemic may have thrown off “Happiest Season’s” original release plans, but it’s a major success story nonetheless. Clea DuVall’s LGBTQ+ holiday rom-com, from Sony’s...
Awkwafina, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Rashida Jones, & Rachel Brosnahan Among NYWIFT Muse Awards Honorees
Awkwafina, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Rashida Jones, Rachel Brosnahan, and more are set to be honored at New York Women in Film & Television’s (NYWIFT) 41st Annual Muse Awards, a press release...
Loira Limbal, Ekwa Msangi, & Shalini Kantayya Among Sundance Institute’s 2021 Momentum Fellows
The Sundance Institute has announced the selectees for its 2021 Momentum Fellowship, a year-long program “of deep, customized creative and professional support for mid-career writers and...
The Disability List Announces 2020 Selections
The Disability List, an annual collection of the best unproduced scripts featuring at least one lead character with a disability, has selected eight screenplays for its second edition. The 2020 list...
Radha Blank to Receive Sundance Institute’s 2020 Vanguard Award
Time for RadhaMUSPrime to start penning a celebratory rap. The Sundance Institute has named Radha Blank, the writer, director, and star of “The 40-Year-Old Version,” as the recipient of...
Anthology About Remarkable Women in History Lined Up at Starz, Eleanor of Aquitaine to Be First Subject
Eleanor of Aquitaine is the latest female historical figure to get the television treatment at Starz. The cabler, home of “The Spanish Princess” and the upcoming “Becoming Elizabeth”...
Rose Byrne Toplining & Producing Musical from All-Women Creative Team, with Music by Dolly Parton
For her next project, Rose Byrne will collaborate with an all-women creative team, mark the debut film from her production company, Dollhouse Pictures, and pay tribute to an icon and real-life hero....
Apply Now: The Horizon Award for Emerging Women Filmmakers
The Horizon Award, a prize recognizing emerging female-identifying filmmakers who are currently in school or have recently graduated, is accepting applications for its 2021 edition. Two winners will...
Rebecca Carroll to Adapt Her Memoir “Surviving the White Gaze” for TV
Rebecca Carroll’s next book hasn’t even hit shelves yet, but a television adaptation is already in the works. MGM/UA Television has secured the rights to “Surviving the White...
Pick of the Day: “Born to Be”
Although it covers a very different topic, “Born to Be” reminds me of another doc that came out this year, “Aggie.” Like the latter’s protagonist, Agnes Gund,...
Dailyn Rodriguez Developing “Wonder Girl” Series for The CW, Marks First DC TV Title Led by Latina Superhero
Batwoman and Supergirl may soon be welcoming another superheroine to their ranks. According to Deadline, The CW is developing “Wonder Girl,” a drama about Yara Flor, a Latina Dreamer and...
DOC NYC Names Loira Limbal, Iyabo Boyd, and More as Documentary New Leaders
Sixteen up-and-comers in the documentary field — all of whom are women, nonbinary, and/or people of color — are being honored by DOC NYC. The festival announced the honorees for its...
Trailer Watch: A Tragic Accident Leaves Sienna Miller Reconsidering Her Relationship in “Wander Darkly”
“What do you think happens when you die? What if it’s some extension or manifestation of your fears?” a woman asks her husband after her own death. The trailer for Tara...
Athina Rachel Tsangari to Take On Scapegoating with Her Next Film “Harvest”
Athina Rachel Tsangari has explored the complexities of modern masculinity and three-way relationships with “Chevalier” and “Trigonometry,” respectively. Next, she’ll...
Eleanor Burgess and Stephanie Allain Will Give Jane Austen an Update in New CW Anthology
Make room, “Clueless” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary”: another contemporary spin on Jane Austen is on the way. Eleanor Burgess is writing “Modern Austen,” a...
Pick of the Day: “Dirty God”
Sacha Polak’s BIFA-nominated drama “Dirty God” takes on the nexus of gendered violence and sexual objectification through the portrait of one young woman. Jade (newcomer Vicky...
“Novitiate” Director Maggie Betts Lines Up Two New Films
Maggie Betts is set to portray a reproductive rights activist and a bankrupt funeral home owner with her next directing gigs. The “Novitiate” director is set to helm a dramatic thriller...
Danai Gurira, Cherien Dabis, and Stephanie Allain Team Up for “The Fighting Shirley Chisholm”
No stranger to kicking ass in the Marvel universe and on “The Walking Dead,” Danai Gurira is set to portray a real-life hero. The Hollywood Reporter confirms she will topline “The...
Patricia Vidal Delgado’s “La Leyenda Negra” Acquired by HBO
“La Leyenda Negra” is heading to HBO. A press release confirmed that the cabler acquired North American rights to Patricia Vidal Delgado’s story of a teen immigrant making her way...
DOC NYC 2020 Women Directors: Meet Raquel Cepeda – “La Madrina: The [Savage] Life of Lorine Padilla”
Raquel Cepeda’s features include “Bling: A Planet Rock,” about American hip-hop’s obsession with blinging and how that intersected itself into the decade-long blood...
Garrett Bradley, Regina K. Scully, and Maria Ressa to Be Honored at IDA Documentary Awards
Filmmaker Garrett Bradley, producer Regina K. Scully, and intrepid journalist and “A Thousand Cuts” subject Maria Ressa are set to be recognized by the International Documentary...
Trailer Watch: Kate Winslet and Ashley Avis Bring “Black Beauty” to Life Once More
“They say horses pick you,” we learn in the trailer for the latest remake of “Black Beauty,” from writer-director Ashley Avis. That certainly is the case with the titular...
DOC NYC 2020 Women Directors: Meet Marianne Hougen-Moraga – “Songs of Repression”
Marianne Hougen-Moraga has directed a number of short documentaries including “Returned” (2011), which premiered at CPH:DOX, and “Sea of Sorrow – Sea of Hope” (2017), which...
DOC NYC 2020 Women Directors: Meet Abigail Child – “Origin of the Species”
Abigail Child has been at the forefront of experimental writing and media since the 1980s, having completed more than 50 film/video works and installations, and written six books. Her most recent...
Emma Thompson and Lily James Will Star in Rom-Com from Screenwriter Jemima Khan
Emma Thompson and Lily James will ask Tina Turner’s eternal question in a new romantic comedy from Working Title. They, alongside Shazad Latif (“Star Trek: Discovery”), will star in...
Claire Foy-Starrer “Dust” Picked Up by Searchlight
The Claire Foy-starring horror-thriller “Dust,” first introduced at Cannes’ Virtual Market in June, has been acquired. According to Variety, rights to the Dust Bowl-set project have...
Teaser Watch: A Mysterious Gossip Columnist Makes Mischief in Shondaland’s “Bridgerton”
Shonda Rhimes’ first Netflix series looks to be an addictive mash-up of Jane Austen, “Gossip Girl,” and, well, other Shondaland shows. A new teaser has dropped for the Regency...
Trailer Watch: A Young Gay Man Comes of Age in ’70s Sri Lanka in Deepa Mehta’s “Funny Boy”
A boy is pulled in different directions as political tensions mount in 1970s Sri Lanka in Deepa Mehta’s latest, “Funny Boy.” A trailer has arrived for the ARRAY Releasing title,...
Jodie Turner-Smith Will Portray Anne Boleyn in Channel 5 Psychological Thriller
Jodie Turner-Smith is heading to King Henry VIII’s mind-fuck of a court. The “Queen & Slim” actress will play Anne Boleyn in a three-part “convention-defying” drama from...
Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, & Kate Mara Join Abortion Drama “Call Jane,” Phyllis Nagy Directing
Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, and Kate Mara are set to “Call Jane.” Deadline reports that they have boarded the long-in-the-works drama about the Jane Collective, a real 1960s...
Sandra Oh and Awkwafina Will Play Sisters in Netflix Comedy Feature
Sandra Oh and Awkwafina are set to make quite the dream team. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the duo will star as sisters in an as-yet-untitled Netflix comedy. They are also producing the...
Sunny Hostin Has Semi-Autobiographical Drama Series in the Works at Fox
Sunny Hostin will turn to her own life for her next TV project. The “View” host, lawyer, and anchor is executive producing “The Counsel” for Fox, Variety reports. Inspired by...
Trailer Watch: Two Women Are “Running the Shop” in “The Crown” Season 4
Britain’s first female prime minister introduces herself to Queen Elizabeth II (Olivia Colman) in the trailer for “The Crown’s” upcoming fourth season. “Your Majesty, I...
Nicole Kidman to Topline and Exec Produce Amazon Drama “Things I Know to Be True”
Nicole Kidman has added yet another television project to her slate. The Oscar winner will star in and executive produce “Things I Know to Be True.” Amazon has ordered the adaptation of...