BY Rachel Montpelier
Maryam Touzani’s Oscar Hopeful “Adam” Acquired by Strand Releasing
Maryam Touzani’s feature directorial debut, “Adam,” is heading stateside. U.S. rights to the Cannes pic, and Morocco’s selection for the International Feature Oscar, have been...
Quotes of the Day: Julie Delpy and Marjane Satrapi on the Constraints Women Filmmakers Face
Between them, Julie Delpy and Marjane Satrapi have helmed 12 features and netted three Oscar nominations — they obviously know what they’re doing. Yet, as the filmmakers recently revealed...
Female Obama White House Staffers’ Book “Yes She Can” Being Adapted as ABC Drama
The stories of 10 female Obama White House staffers will serve as the basis for an ABC drama. According to Variety, the network is developing a women-driven, D.C.-set political series based on the...
Octavia Spencer Will Receive the PGA’s 2020 Visionary Award
Octavia Spencer has previously been honored as an actress and as an LGBTQ ally — and now she’ll be celebrated as a producer. Deadline confirms the “Truth Be Told” actress and...
“Weeds” Revival in Development at Starz, Mary-Louise Parker Attached to Star and EP
Cue the “Little Boxes.” Mary-Louise Parker has signed on to star and executive produce a “Weeds” sequel series that’s in the works at Starz. The project is written and...
Andrea Riseborough to Topline Supernatural Thriller “Geechee”
Andrea Riseborough will soon have another thriller under her belt. The star of “Nancy” and “Black Mirror’s” “Crocodile” is attached to lead...
GLAAD Report: Number of LGBTQ Series Regulars on Broadcast TV Reaches All-Time High
The LGBTQ presence on broadcast TV is growing. Per Variety, GLAAD has released its annual “Where We Are on TV” report and found that the number of LGBTQ characters represent 10.2 percent of...
We May Be Getting a Latinx-Driven “Revenge” Reboot
ABC is still seeking “Revenge.” The network is developing a follow-up series to the 2010s hit, Deadline reports. This time, the person hellbent on vengeance will be a young Latinx...
Ava DuVernay and “Queen Sugar’s” Kat Candler Bringing Woman-Driven Union Drama to TNT
Ava DuVernay and Kat Candler are re-teaming to tell the story of a female workers rights activist. The “Queen Sugar” collaborators are developing an untitled drama, described as “a...
Margot Robbie & “Birds of Prey” Scribe Christina Hodson Team Up for Women’s Script-Writing Program
Margot Robbie is reuniting with her “Birds of Prey” screenwriter, Christina Hodson. The pair and their respective companies, LuckyChap Entertainment and Hodson Exports, have created the...
Hannah Marks Has a Futuristic Coming-of-Age Story in Development at The CW
Hannah Marks is set to explore the imminent future. The actress and filmmaker has a futuristic comedic drama about four 20-something female friends in development at The CW. Deadline broke the...
Nahnatchka Khan Will Explore the World of Cruise Entertainment with “Showboat”
Nahnatchka Khan is steering the “Showboat.” According to Deadline, the “Fresh Off the Boat” creator and “Always Be My Maybe” director will helm the feature comedy...
Kay Cannon Is Directing a Biopic About Improv Legends Charna Halpern and Del Close
Kay Cannon is having quite the year. Since April, the “Pitch Perfect” screenwriter and “Blockers” helmer has signed on to direct three feature films: a reimagining of...
Ava DuVernay’s Anthology “Cherish the Day” Reaches Full Gender Parity
Every episode of Ava DuVernay’s family drama “Queen Sugar” has been directed by a woman. Her film collective, ARRAY Alliance, is dedicated to supporting and showcasing films from...
Chicago Arts Center Sisters in Cinema Announces Documentary Fellowship Recipients
Sisters in Cinema, a South Side Chicago-based media arts center supporting black women, girls, and non-binary individuals, has selected three first-time women filmmakers for its Documentary...
Lady Gaga Will Star in Biopic About the Gucci Family Dynasty
Lady Gaga played a pop star in the public eye in “A Star Is Born,” and is following up that Oscar-nominated performance with a story about a woman who’s famous for very different...
Elaine May to Be Honored by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) is paying tribute to the work of actress, filmmaker, and comedy icon Elaine May. According to Deadline, the two-time Oscar nominee will receive...
Charly Evon Simpson to Receive Vineyard Theatre’s Paula Vogel Playwriting Award
“Behind the Sheet” playwright Charly Evon Simpson has been named the recipient of the The Vineyard Theatre’s 2019-20 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award. Named for the Pulitzer...
Elizabeth Banks Is the Head of Center for Reproductive Rights’ New Creative Council
You can catch Elizabeth Banks fighting for human rights around the globe as Bosley in the “Charlie’s Angels” reboot in theaters next month. Offscreen, the multi-hyphenate is...
Quote of the Day: Nell Scovell Calls for “More Dialogue” in the #MeToo Movement
In October 2009, veteran TV writer Nell Scovell wrote a piece for Vanity Fair taking her former boss David Letterman to task for his sexism, the toxic work environment he oversaw, and his...
Quote of the Day: Mati Diop Hopes Making History with “Atlantics” Inspires Others
With “Atlantics,” a supernatural star-crossed love story told against the backdrop of the migration crisis, Mati Diop became the first black woman director to screen a feature film in...
Projects from Mindy Kaling, Elizabeth Banks, & Issa Rae in the Works at HBO Max
The list of women-driven projects on HBO Max’s slate keeps getting longer. WarnerMedia’s upcoming streaming platform has revealed that it has half-hour comedies from Mindy Kaling,...
Sundance Institute Selects 2020 Momentum Fellows, Announces Inaugural Launch Grant Fund Recipients
Sundance Institute has chosen eight underrepresented filmmakers for its second Momentum Fellowship, and four women filmmakers for its inaugural Launch Grant Fund, a press release has announced. The...
Participants Announced for Tribeca’s Fifth Through Her Lens Program
Tribeca Film Festival and Chanel have selected five female filmmaking duos for the fifth Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program. A press release announced the participants....
Lina Wertmüller and Geena Davis Call for Change at the 2019 Governors Awards
While accepting Honorary Oscars at the Academy’s Governors Awards last night, both Lina Wertmüller and Geena Davis spoke about the need for change in show business — specifically regarding...
Kitty Green’s “The Assistant” Lands at Bleecker Street, Will Open in January
Kitty Green’s portrait of an aspiring filmmaker working for a powerful, abusive media mogul is hitting theaters this winter. Deadline reports that Bleecker Street has acquired U.S. rights to...
Trailer Watch: “The L Word” Saga Continues with “Generation Q”
Bette, Alice, and Shane are back. The mainstays of the original “L Word” make an appearance in the trailblazing drama’s sequel series, “The L Word: Generation Q,” and...
Esta Spalding, Mary Young Leckie, & Alison Duke Among WIFT-Toronto’s 2019 Crystal Awardees
Women in Film & Television – Toronto (WIFT-T) will celebrate writers, producers, executives, and activists alike at the 32nd Crystal Awards Gala. The advocacy group for women in Canadian...
WIA to Honor Netflix Animation Exec Melissa Cobb and Filmmaker Brenda Lopez
Netflix VP of Original Animation Melissa Cobb and filmmaker and artist Brenda Lopez are among the honorees at this year’s WIA Diversity Awards. WIA (Women in Animation) President Marge Dean...
Apply Now: NBC’s Female Forward and Emerging Director Programs
If you’re a woman, person of color, or non-binary individual looking to take the next step in your directing career, this is for you. Submissions are now open for NBC’s Female Forward and...
Mj Rodriguez to Receive Individual Trailblazer Honor at Outfest Legacy Awards
Outfest is celebrating the mother of all house mothers. Mj Rodriguez — who portrays Blanca, mother of the House of Evangelista, on “Pose” — will be honored with the Individual...
Miranda Kwok’s “Cleaning Lady” Adaptation Lands Script Commitment at Fox
Actress, stuntwoman, writer, and producer Miranda Kwok is working on a U.S. adaptation of Argentinian mob drama “La Chica Que Limpia” for Fox. The project, titled “The Cleaning...
Study: The Number of Women-Directed European Films Is “Growing,” But Slowly
The good news: the number of European feature films directed by women released in 2017 (357) was more than triple the 2003 figure (118). There are definitely more women making movies in Europe. The...
Trailer Watch: The Force Is Always with Rey in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
“People keep telling me they know me,” Rey (Daisy Ridley) says in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s” final trailer. “No one does.” But that doesn’t...
Monica Lewinsky Will EP and Appear in HBO Max Doc “15 Minutes of Shame”
As an anti-bullying activist and creative voice in “American Crime Story’s” upcoming take on the Clinton impeachment, Monica Lewinsky has been systematically reclaiming her voice...
IDA Announces Latest Round of Enterprise Doc Fund Recipients, Over 80% Are Women-Directed
The International Documentary Association (IDA) unveiled the latest round of Enterprise Documentary Fund production grant recipients. A total of $850,000 in funds will be distributed across 12 docs...
Trailer Watch: Olivia Colman Takes “The Crown” in Season 3
“Ask yourself, in the time I’ve been on the throne, what have I actually achieved?” Queen Elizabeth II asks in a new trailer for “The Crown.” Season 3 of Netflix’s...
Lina Wertmüller Retrospectives Planned Ahead of Her Honorary Oscar Acceptance
The Academy is honoring Lina Wertmüller at the Governors Awards on October 27 — and Genoma Films is gearing up for the ceremony. The film company has organized retrospectives and celebrations...
“Hadestown” Director Rachel Chavkin Will Return to Broadway with “Lempicka”
Rachel Chavkin is coming back to Broadway. The Tony-winning “Hadestown” director will helm “Lempicka,” the story of artist Tamara de Lempicka, who survived the Russian...
Shonda Rhimes Is Starting Her Own Podcast Company
Having made her mark in television, theater, and social justice, Shonda Rhimes is now set to conquer the podcast game. Deadline reports the mogul is executive producing a slate of podcasts for...
Screenwriter Denise Meyers Named Inaugural Winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Athena List Dev Grant
The Athena Film Festival (AFF) has announced that screenwriter Denise Meyers is the inaugural recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Athena List Development Grant. The $20,000 honor is given to celebrate...
Elizabeth Coffman & Mark Bosco’s “Flannery” Wins Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize
The inaugural Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film has been awarded to “Flannery,” Elizabeth Coffman and Mark Bosco’s feature documentary about writer Flannery...
Time’s Up Joins Forces with Latinx House Initiative
Time’s Up is supporting The Latinx House in its efforts “to create community, engagement, and further opportunities for Latinx voices in and outside of Hollywood.” The Hollywood...
Leigh Davenport’s “Run the World” Pilot Gets the Green Light at Starz
Starz has ordered a pilot from “Boomerang” writer Leigh Davenport and “Dear White People” co-showrunner Yvette Lee Bowser. According to Deadline, “Run the World”...
Trailer Watch: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Makes It to the Big Leagues in Season 3
Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) is leaving New York’s dingy comedy scene behind for a national tour in Season 3 of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” “This is the big leagues, kid....
Trailer Watch: Two Families Seeking Asylum Are “Torn Apart” in Ellen Goosenberg Kent’s HBO Doc
In “Torn Apart: Separated at the Border,” director Ellen Goosenberg Kent tells the story of two mothers who were taken from their children as a result of the U.S.’s immigration...
Jackie Sibblies Drury and Lauren Yee Named 2019 Steinberg Playwright Award Recipients
The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust has revealed the winners of its 2019 Steinberg Playwright Award. “Fairview’s” Jackie Sibblies Drury and “Cambodian Rock...
Trailer Watch: “Harriet” Risks Her Life and Liberty to Free More Slaves
“Many of you don’t know slavery firsthand,” Harriet Tubman (Cynthia Erivo) says at an abolitionist meeting. “But I remember. I’ve heard their groans, seen their tears....
“Queen Sugar’s” Felicia Pride Writing Erotic Romance for Universal
Fans of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” franchise and “After,” take note. “Queen Sugar” writer Felicia Pride is writing an erotic romance for Universal Pictures....
Trailer Watch: Mackenzie Davis Gets the Nanny Job from Hell in Floria Sigismondi’s “The Turning”
Mackenzie Davis has no idea what she’s in for when she takes her first live-in nanny position in “The Turning,” director Floria Sigismondi’s modern reimagining of Henry...
Trailer Watch: Camila Morrone Will Do Anything for Her Dad in “Mickey and the Bear”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Camila Morrone (“Never Going Back”) promises her dad in the trailer for “Mickey and the Bear.” The prospect of leaving must be...