BY Rachel Montpelier
Quote of the Day: “Star Wars'” Kelly Marie Tran Refuses to Be Silenced by Online Harassment
More than two months after she left social media in the wake of racist and sexist trolling, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” star Kelly Marie Tran is speaking out about the experience. The...
Trailer Watch: Sam’s Family Life “Cracks Right Open” in “Atypical” Season 2
Sam Gardner (Keir Gilchrist, “It Follows”) considers his family a pack. “For most mammalian species, survival depends on knowing and sticking with your pack,” he tells us in...
Exclusive: Betty White Recalls Her TV Debut in “First Lady of Television” Clip
We all know Betty White. Whether it’s “Golden Girls,” “Hot in Cleveland,” or “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” she’s been a mainstay on TV for as long as...
Adoption Drama from Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith Gets Put Pilot Order at Fox
“Life Sentence” didn’t receive a second season but that hasn’t slowed down its creators, Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith. Fox has given the duo a put pilot order for their...
Weekly Update for August 17: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Wife – Written by Jane Anderson (Opens in NY and LA) After nearly 40 years of marriage, Joan and Joe Castleman (Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce) are complements....
Renée Zellweger to Topline Netflix Anthology “What/If”
Renée Zellweger has signed on to her first major TV project. Deadline reports the Oscar winner will star in the debut season of “What/If,” an upcoming anthology thriller series at...
Constance Wu Holiday Horror Pic “All the Creatures Were Stirring” Secures VOD Release
In addition to being the first studio film with a predominantly Asian cast in 25 years, as well as a critical and (most likely) commercial success, “Crazy Rich Asians” just goes to show...
Forbes’ Highest-Paid Actresses 2018: Scarlett Johansson Is No. 1, Gal Gadot Makes the Cut
Black Widow is kicking ass all the way to the bank. Forbes has published its World’s Highest-Paid Actresses list of 2018 with “Avengers” mainstay Scarlett Johansson at the top. The...
Quote of the Day: Rachel Brosnahan on Why “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Resonates Today
It’s tempting to look at the world of the ’50s-set “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and tell ourselves that the world is a different place for women now. It is and it isn’t....
Sarajevo Film Festival Signs 5050×2020 Pledge
The Sarajevo Film Festival has followed Cannes, Annecy, and Locarno’s lead and officially committed to gender equality among its filmmakers and leadership. Fest director Mirsad Purivatra...
Elizabeth Banks Will Star in & Produce Film About Wyoming Maid Who Won a Date with Prince
Elizabeth Banks is bringing one hell of an anecdote to the big screen. The director of the upcoming “Charlie’s Angels” reboot will star in Paramount Players’ adaptation of...
More “Designing Women” Could Be On the Way
“Designing Women” could be following in the footsteps of “Murphy Brown,” “Charmed,” and “Daria.” The Hollywood Reporter confirms the...
Trailer Watch: Maika Monroe Hears an Unusual Pickup Line in “After Everything”
Mia (Maika Monroe, “It Follows”) isn’t impressed when Elliot (Jeremy Allen White, “Shameless”) starts chatting her up at subway stop in the trailer for “After...
Weekly Update for August 10: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Crazy Rich Asians – Written by Adele Lim and Peter Chiarelli (Opens August 15) “Crazy Rich Asians” follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she...
Miranda Sings Netflix Comedy Special On the Way
Miranda Sings will return to Netflix. Colleen Ballinger’s character, the millennials’ answer to Florence Foster Jenkins, is getting her own Netflix special, Variety reports. The special will...
Teaser Watch: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” & Co. Enjoy Summer in the Catskills in Season 2
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is going full “Dirty Dancing” in Season 2 — well, the Catskills part of “Dirty Dancing,” at least. A teaser for the second run of...
Actress Lynn Chen to Make Directorial Debut with “I Will Make You Mine”
Lynn Chen is set to helm the final installment of the Goh Nakamura film trilogy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actress will direct her first feature, indie “I Will Make You...
Chelsea Stardust Directing Horror Comedy “Satanic Panic”
Chelsea Stardust is taking the reins on “an ‘After Hours’-esque horror comedy with a dash of gore.” Deadline reports Stardust will helm “Satanic Panic” for growing...
“Queen Sugar” Renewed for a Fourth Season
We’ll get to hang out with the Bordelon family for at least another season. Variety confirms “Queen Sugar” is getting a fourth run at OWN. The Ava DuVernay-created intergenerational...
Trailer Watch: Julianne Moore Sings for Peace in “Bel Canto”
A world renowned opera singer (Julianne Moore) is performing at a swanky birthday party for industrialist Katsumi Hosokawa (Ken Watanabe) when all hell breaks loose in the trailer for “Bel...
Ruby Rose Will Portray Lesbian Batwoman for The CW
The CW’s DC Universe is getting more and more inclusive. As The Hollywood Reporter writes, Ruby Rose will take on the role of superheroine Batwoman (aka Kate Kane), an out lesbian, in the...
Tamra Davis to Direct Robot Comedy “Turned On” for FeigCo. and Fox
Tamra Davis has signed on to direct her first feature in 16 years. Deadline confirms the veteran director will helm artificial intelligence comedy “Turned On” for 20th Century Fox and...
Trans & Nonbinary Communities Demand Better Representation in Open Letter, 47 Orgs Sign
Trans and nonbinary individuals — and their allies — are pushing Hollywood to tell more inclusive, authentic stories about their lives. In an open letter published in Variety, GLAAD and...
Apply Now: 2019 Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship
The 2019 Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship is now accepting submissions. Entering its ninth year, the fellowship supports up-and-coming documentary editors in honor of Sundance award-winning...
Watch: Gemma Arterton Auditions Felicity Jones & More for Humiliating “Leading Lady Parts”
“It’s not rocket science, darling,” a casting director tells Florence Pugh (“Lady Macbeth”) in short film “Leading Lady Parts.” “We’re just...
Weekly Update for August 3: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Miseducation of Cameron Post – Directed by Desiree Akhavan; Written by Desiree Akhavan and Cecilia Frugiuele Cameron Post (Chloë Grace Moretz) looks the part of...
Four Universal Cable Prods. Pilots Will Have Women Directors
Universal Cable Productions (UCP) has brought on four female directors to helm some of its biggest pilots. Variety reports the NBCUniversal company hired Ana Lily Amirpour, Steph Green, Laure de...
Why Are the Only Two Women-Directed Studio Films of the Summer Opening the Same Day?
On the surface “The Spy Who Dumped Me” and “The Darkest Minds” couldn’t be more different. One is an action-comedy about best friends (Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon) who...
Refinery29 Teams Up with NEON to Distribute Women-Driven Features
Refinery29 is getting into the feature film game. The young women’s digital media and entertainment company is partnering with NEON, the studio behind “I, Tonya” and “Ingrid...
Lianne Halfon Is AFI Conservatory’s New Producing Discipline Head
Lianne Halfon will use her producing experience to teach and train the next generation of filmmakers. The American Film Institute (AFI) announced via press release that the veteran producer is AFI...
Hillary Clinton to Exec Produce Women’s Suffrage TV Drama
Hillary Clinton is bringing her passion for women’s rights to television. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the woman we wish were president will make her executive producing debut with a TV...
Severely Gender Imbalanced Venice Fest Will Screen a Dude’s Doc About Women in Film
In news that could either be an attempt to rectify its exclusion of women directors or a simple fuck-you, Venice Film Festival is premiering the first four hours of an epic 16-hour doc about women...
Nicole Kidman and Lena Waithe Get Series Orders at Amazon
Nicole Kidman and Lena Waithe both cleaned up at last year’s Emmys, have numerous TV projects on the horizon, and just scored series orders from Amazon. The Hollywood Reporter confirms the...
Weekly Update for July 27: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING THIS WEEK Snapshots – Directed by Melanie Mayron; Written by Jan Miller Corran and Katherine Cortez (Opens in LA) Three women. Three generations. Two summers. 50 years...
Breaking the Glass Frame Symposium Will Celebrate Women in Animation Industry
Women in Animation (WIA) is joining forces with USC, UCLA, and CalArts to empower women and LGBTQ folks entering the animation field. A press release has announced an upcoming symposium celebrating...
WGA West Survey: 64% of Female Writers Have Encountered Workplace Sexual Harassment
A month after WGA East released the findings of a sexual harassment survey given to its members, its sister union, WGA West, has published the results of its own survey. Unfortunately, the West...
Brenda Chapman Launches Production Company, Signs First-Look Deal at Fox
Not only has Brenda Chapman lined up her next gig, she’s started her own production company. According to Deadline, the “Brave” co-director has launched ‘Twas Entertainment...
Apply Now: New York Film Festival’s Critics Academy
If you’re hoping to break into the film criticism field, this workshop is for you. The Film Society of Lincoln Center (FSLC) and Film Comment magazine are now accepting applications for the...
“2 Dope Queens” Getting Another Four Specials at HBO
Long live the Queens. HBO has announced that it will air four more episodes of Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson’s comedy podcast, “2 Dope Queens,” as hourlong specials in 2019....
Quote of the Day: Playwright Young Jean Lee on Identity Politics and Privilege
In a recent New York Times profile, South Korean-born playwright Young Jean Lee emphasized, “Identity politics saved my life.” It’s what got her through coming of age in Pullman,...
“Wynonna Earp” Gets Season 4 Renewal at Syfy
“Wynonna Earp’s” third season just debuted, but the Syfy fantasy series has already received an order for its fourth installment. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the renewal...
Weekly Update for July 20 Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING THIS WEEK Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again” This sequel to 2008’s “Mamma Mia!” follows a pregnant Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) as she...
Exclusive: A Sex Worker and Writer’s Many Lives Are Explored in “Nelly” Trailer
“I’m not a writer,” a sex worker tells a client in the trailer for “Nelly” — but she actually is. Nelly Arcan (Mylène Mackay) is, in her words, a...
BAMcinématek Hosting “Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers” Film Series
BAMcinématek has lined up its next feminist film series. The Brooklyn venue is teaming up with Kino Lorber and the Library of Congress for “Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers,” which...
Trailer Watch: A Filmmaker and Activist Is Honored in “Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen”
According to her son Hepi, the late filmmaker Merata Mita once said, “What you see when you look at an archival film are resurrections taking place.” She explained, “A past life...
Teaser Watch: Elle Fanning Goes on the Run in Mélanie Laurent’s “Galveston”
“Are you gonna kill me?” Elle Fanning asks Ben Foster in the new teaser for “Galveston.” Roy (Foster), a terminally ill hitman with a bounty on his head, replies no. And so...
Directors’ Fortnight Announces Gender-Balanced Committee, Upholding Cannes 50/50 Pledge
In a positive sign of things to come for Cannes 2019, the fest’s Directors’ Fortnight sidebar has unveiled a gender-balanced selection committee. The six-member group, led by Delegate...
Trailer Watch: RBG Is Ready to “Topple the Whole Damn System” in “On the Basis of Sex”
“You’re a smart girl, Ruthie,” some condescending old dude tells a young Ruth Bader frickin’ Ginsburg in the trailer for “On the Basis of Sex.” “You married...
“UnREAL’s” Fourth and Final Season Is Now on Hulu
“Everlasting” has concluded its final Elimination Ceremony. In a surprise twist fitting for the fictional “Bachelor”-esque series, all eight episodes...
“Claws” Renewed for Season 3
Celebratory mani-pedis are in order. Deadline confirms the nail salon-set crime dramedy “Claws” has received a Season 3 renewal at TNT, following an impressive ratings showcase in its...
Kamil Oshundara Joins Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Prods. as Cultural Exec
Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions has made an unusual but very valuable hire. According to The Hollywood Reporter, activist and scholar Kamil Oshundara will serve as cultural executive at...