BY Rachel Montpelier
Sundance Institute Announces New Inclusive Filmmaking Fellowship, Names Inaugural Class
Sundance is continuing to up its inclusion game ahead of its 2019 festival. As previously reported, the fest has agreed to make its submissions data transparent and is working to ensure a more...
Writer to Watch: “The Little Drummer Girl’s” Claire Wilson
Persistence and playing the long game have been the secrets to UK screenwriter Claire Wilson’s success. The co-writer of new AMC/BBC One miniseries “The Little Drummer Girl” was in...
Sundance Unveils New Inclusion and Transparency Efforts Ahead of 2019 Fest
The Sundance Film Festival has received more than 14,200 submissions for its upcoming 2019 edition — a record high. According to a press release, the fest is ramping up its inclusion and...
Sarah Jessica Parker and Ellen Burstyn Among NYWIFT’s 2018 Muse Award Winners
Sarah Jessica Parker and Ellen Burstyn are headed to the Muse Awards. Both are set to receive honors at the ceremony celebrating women’s contributions in entertainment. Presented by New York...
“Rafiki” Filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu to Direct “Covers” for Working Title and Universal
Wanuri Kahiu is bringing another romantic tale to the big screen. The “Rafiki” director will helm “Covers,” a love story set in Los Angeles’ music scene, for Working...
Pamela B. Green’s Alice Guy-Blaché Doc “Be Natural” Secures Distribution
Audiences will soon be able to learn more about Alice Guy-Blaché, the first woman filmmaker. According to Deadline, Pamela B. Green’s documentary “Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice...
Marie Curie-Inspired Projects About Young Female Scientists in the Works
MIT Press and Einhorn’s Epic Productions (EEP) are teaming up to inspire future Marie Curies. Deadline reports a YA graphic novel titled “The Curie Society,” about an international...
Weekly Update for November 16: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Widows – Written by Gillian Flynn and Steve McQueen Viola Davis leads “Widows,” a heist thriller about a group of women who share little in common besides the...
Study: Women Directors and Women Playwrights Reached New Highs Off Broadway in 2017-18
The League of Professional Theatre Women has released a new report on the status of women in Off Broadway theater. “Women Count: Women Hired Off Broadway,” written by Martha Wade...
“Grown-ish’s” Francia Raisa Bringing Landmark Desegregation Case to the Big Screen
Another film about a game-changing court case may soon be joining the ranks of “On the Basis of Sex” and “Loving.” According to Variety, “Grown-ish”...
Lisa Donato’s Trans Drama “Gossamer Folds” Begins Production, Alexandra Grey Starring
Alexandra Grey broke our hearts as a struggling young trans woman on “Transparent,” and she’s poised to tell another emotional story in “Gossamer Folds.” The 1986-set...
Women In the Director’s Chair Announces 2018 Story & Leadership Participants
Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC), the Canadian organization helping advance women filmmakers, has selected eight directors for its 2018 Story & Leadership program. Anna Cooley, Penny...
Trailer Watch: Ruth Wilson Plays Her Grandmother in Masterpiece’s “Mrs. Wilson”
“You do know I’m entirely unsuitable for a young lady like you?” Alison’s (Ruth Wilson) future husband, intelligence agent and spy novelist Major Alec Wilson (Iain Glen,...
Cynthia López Is NY Women in Film & Television’s New Executive Director
New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) has named its new Executive Director. The gender equality advocacy group’s Board of Directors announced Cynthia López would be taking on the...
Kiersey Clemons to Topline and Produce Film About Youngest Woman on NY Stock Exchange
Kiersey Clemons is headed to Wall Street. The “Transparent” actress has signed on to portray Lauren Simmons, the youngest woman in the history of the New York Stock Exchange and the...
Charlotte Sieling Working on Period Drama About Scandinavian Monarch Margrete The First
Danish film and TV director Charlotte Sieling has lined up her biggest project to date. As Screen Daily reports, the “Queen of the South” and “Homeland” helmer is making an...
Stephany Folsom to Pen Michelle Williams Abortion Drama “This Is Jane”
Another woman has joined “This Is Jane’s” creative team. According to Variety, “Toy Story 4” and Black List writer Stephany Folsom will pen the feature, about a pre-Roe...
Marti Noxon Signs Multi-Year Overall Deal with Netflix
Marti Noxon’s landmark year — which saw her launching two zeitgeist-y shows, “Sharp Objects” and “Dietland” — just got better. Variety confirms the TV...
Trailer Watch: Five Young Refugees Go to Summer Camp in Barbara Kopple’s “New Homeland”
“New Homeland,” Oscar winner Barbara Kopple’s latest documentary, sees five refugee boys from Syria and Iraq going to summer camp, a fairly common rite of passage for kids in the...
Gucci Tribeca Doc Fund’s 2018 Grants Go to Six Women-Directed Projects
Six documentaries from women directors will receive $150,000 in grants from the 2018 Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund. From Tribeca Film Institute (TIF), Gucci, and the Oath Foundation, the fund offers...
Trailer Watch: Alexis Bloom Details Roger Ailes’ History of Harassment in “Divide & Conquer”
“Divide & Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes” traces the rise and fall of the eponymous media mogul. Alexis Bloom’s upcoming documentary details how Ailes worked as Richard...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Ofra Bloch – “Afterward”
Ofra Bloch is a filmmaker and psychoanalyst. She grew up in Israel, where her deep interest in the short and long-term effects of trauma originated. She has volunteered with Doctors of the World,...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Emily Harrold – “While I Breathe, I Hope”
Emily Harrold has directed documentaries including “Checkers in the Afternoon.” Her films have screened at Tribeca Film Festival, the Melbourne International Film Festival, and the...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Karen Winther – “Exit: Leaving Extremism Behind”
Norwegian director Karen Winther made her feature directorial debut with “The Betrayal,” a personal documentary about her involvement in extremist groups as a teenager. The award-winning...
Weekly Update for November 9: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Girl in the Spider’s Web “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” Computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy) and journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Sverrir Gudnason)...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Melody Gilbert – “Silicone Soul”
Melody Gilbert has been making feature-length independent documentaries for 15 years. Her film topics range from children who can’t feel pain (“A Life Without Pain”) to people who want...
TV Host and Chef Sandra Lee Will Accept Gotham’s Made in NY Award
The Gotham Independent Film Awards will be honoring chef, Emmy-winning TV host, and best-selling author Sandra Lee. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lee will receive the Made in NY Award at the...
1972 Aretha Franklin Doc Will Finally Receive Theatrical Release
The Queen of Soul’s “most transcendent” gospel performance will be making its way to theaters. Shot in 1972, the Aretha Franklin documentary “Amazing Grace” will receive...
Hope, Solidarity, and Support at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit
No matter the results of today’s election, I have a good feeling about the future of feminism and inclusion thanks to TheWrap’s inaugural Power Women Summit. Held November 1 and 2, the...
Prize Recognizing Books Without Gendered Violence Announces 2018 Shortlist
Launched by writer Bridget Lawless earlier this year, the Staunch Book Prize celebrates thrillers where women are not beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped, or murdered. Now six titles have...
FilmRise to Distribute Digital Series Celebrating Women Role Models
“Modern Hero’ has racked up millions of YouTube views, made a significant mark on social media, and won several awards. Now, thanks to FilmRise, from Julia Fisher Farbman and Cindy...
Comedian Sarah Kendall to Topline & Write Comedy Series “Frayed,” Sharon Horgan Producing
Sharon Horgan is continuing her reign as Queen of TV. Per The Sydney Morning Herald, the “Catastrophe” actress/co-creator’s production company, Merman, is producing...
Annabel Oakes’ “Edge of Seventeen” Series Lands Pilot Order at YouTube
Get ready for more bittersweet, angsty, and hilarious stories about surviving high school. According to Deadline, YouTube has given a pilot order to “The Edge of Seventeen,” a half-hour...
Intimacy Coordinators Will Oversee Sex Scenes on HBO Shows Going Forward
From “Girls” to “Game of Thrones,” HBO’s shows are known for their sex scenes. So it’s fitting that the cabler is bringing on intimacy coordinators to oversee sex...
Sheila Nevins Will Receive Hamptons Doc Film Fest’s Career Achievement Award
Sheila Nevins is adding the Lumiere Career Achievement Award to her dozens of Emmys and Peabodys. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the former president of HBO Documentary Films will receive the honor at...
Weekly Update for October 26: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Shirkers (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Sandi Tan (Opens in NY and LA) (Also Available on Netflix) “When I was 18 the thing I wanted more than anything was...
“Power” Showrunner Courtney Kemp Signs “One-of-a-Kind” Deal with Lionsgate
Courtney Kemp’s “Power” just keeps growing. The creator and showrunner of Starz’s crime saga has inked a huge development and production deal with Starz’s parent...
New ACLU Web Series Spotlights What It’s Like to Be “Trans in America”
As the Trump administration continues to dehumanize transgender citizens, strip them of their rights, and dictate their identities, the ACLU and Little by Little Films are fighting back with a new...
WGA West Addressing Sexual Harassment with New Workshops
This summer the WGA West found 64 percent of its female writers have experienced sexual harassment at work. Now there’s word that the guild is stepping up its efforts to curb workplace...
Glenn Close to Be Honored at 2019 Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Glenn Close might portray a perpetually-in-the-shadows spouse in “The Wife,” but she’s anything but in real life. A press release has announced the six-time Oscar nominee will be...
Trailer Watch: Midge Is Caught Between Two Worlds in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Season 2
Midge’s double life looks like it’s about to become even more complicated in the second season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” “One year ago my old life ended, and my...
WeForShe Names 2018 DirectHer Program Participants
WeForShe has announced the participants for this year’s DirectHer Program. The nine female directors will pair up with seasoned TV directors, who will guarantee the participants’ work on...
Teaser Watch: The Queen Must Contend with Revolution in “Victoria” Season 3
Season 3 of “Victoria” will see the young monarch facing turmoil across her country and private life. A new teaser for Daisy Goodwin’s ITV/PBS series has dropped, and hints that...
New Release Dates Set for “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Charlie’s Angels” Reboot
We’ll have to wait a bit longer to see two of the most highly-anticipated women-directed studio pics. Both Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman 1984” and Elizabeth Banks’...
Trailer Watch: Julia Roberts Works for a Not-So-Safe Space in “Homecoming”
“You were employed at the Homecoming Transitional Support Center?” an auditor (Shea Whigham, “First Man”) from the Department of Defense asks Julia Roberts in the trailer for...
LFF 2018: Sudabeh Mortezai’s “Joy” Takes Top Prize, Tricia Tuttle Named Head of BFI Fests
The last night of the 2018 BFI London Film Festival (LFF) was an exciting one for women. Not only did Sudabeh Mortezai’s sex trafficking drama “Joy” win Best Film, it was...
“Grown-ish” Exec Producer Jenifer Rice-Genzuk Henry Signs Overall Deal with ABC
We’re going to be seeing more from Jenifer Rice-Genzuk Henry. As Deadline reports, the “Grown-ish” executive producer has inked an overall deal with ABC Studios. The pact will see...
Weekly Update for October 19: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Can You Ever Forgive Me? – Directed by Marielle Heller; Written by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty (Opens in NY and LA) Rightly renowned for her outrageous physical...
Gillian Flynn and Marti Noxon to Be Awarded PEN America Teleplay Prize for “Sharp Objects”
Can’t get the ending of “Sharp Objects” out of your mind? Neither can PEN America, apparently. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the women behind the HBO miniseries’ story,...
Writer to Watch: “Speechless” and “Friends from College” Scribe Broti Gupta
Broti Gupta’s résumé will make you jealous (especially if you’re an aspiring writer). Before penning episodes of Netflix comedy “Friends from College” and inclusive family...
Filmstruck and Film Movement Plus Honoring Women Directors with New Film Collections
Time to plan a movie night. Streamers Filmstruck and Film Movement Plus are both celebrating female directors with newly-added collections of women-helmed films. Filmstruck’s “Spotlight:...