BY Rachel Montpelier
Trailer Watch: Fonda, Keaton, Bergen, and Steenburgen Have a Lust for Life in “Book Club”
Sharon (Candice Bergen) announces that she’s done with romance in the trailer for “Book Club.” “We are four smart, successful women,” she declares to her friends (Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton,...
Wanuri Kahiu’s LGBTQ-Themed Cannes Film “Rafiki” Banned in Kenya
“Rafiki” will make history as the first Kenyan feature to premiere at Cannes Film Festival, but the lesbian romance has been banned in Kenya, where homosexuality is illegal. Variety confirms...
Weekly Update for April 27: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Let the Sunshine In” Films About Women Opening This Week Let the Sunshine In — Directed by Claire Denis; Written by Claire Denis and Christine Angot (U.S. Release) (Also Available...
Cannes Film Fest Teams Up with French Government for Sexual Harassment Hotline
Cannes Film Festival is taking steps to protect women at its 2018 edition with the help of the French government. According to Screen Daily, Cannes is organizing a hotline for survivors and...
Limited Series About First Female Israeli PM Golda Meir in the Works
The first project from Denise Di Novi and Nina Tassler’s new company, PatMa Productions, will be a limited series about Israel’s first and only female prime minister, Golda Meir. According to...
Watch: Celebrate 50/50 Day With This Inspirational Short Film
Today, April 26, is 50/50 Day, a day that sees people all over the world fighting to achieve gender equality. Over 35,000 events have been organized to celebrate the occasion, including livestreamed...
Issa Rae’s ColorCreative Teams Up with BET for TV Writing Contest
Issa Rae is joining forces with BET to elevate diverse TV writers. The “Insecure” co-creator and star’s ColorCreative company has launched a contest for emerging writers alongside BET Networks...
Laura Linney, Ellen Page, and Olympia Dukakis Join “Tales of the City” Netflix Revival
Netflix is making its way to 28 Barbary Lane. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that the streaming giant has ordered a 10-episode revival of “Tales of the City.” Based on the book series by...
Trailer Watch: Laura Dern Revisits Her Past in Sexual Abuse Drama “The Tale”
“The story you’re about to see is true — as far as I know,” says Laura Dern in a trailer for “The Tale.” Jennifer Fox’s film memoir centers on a filmmaker named Jennifer (Dern) who...
Cannes 2018: Agnès Varda Film to Screen in Classics Program, Cinéfondation Jury Is 60% Female
Cannes has announced another program for its 2018 edition. Featuring iconic movies and works from renowned filmmakers, the Cannes Classics category is a celebration of the history of film. The fest...
Ava DuVernay to Be Honored at GLAAD Media Awards
Ava DuVernay is having a remarkable year. She’s been named the NAACP Image Awards’ Entertainer of the Year, received the PGA’s Visionary Award, been brought on to the Cannes Jury, debuted her...
Trailer Watch: Constance Wu and Michelle Yeoh Face Off in “Crazy Rich Asians”
When Rachel Chu (Constance Wu, “Fresh Off the Boat”) finds out her boyfriend, Nick Young (newcomer Henry Golding), is crazy rich — like the Prince Harry of Asia rich — she takes it...
UK Labour Party Pushes for Inclusion Riders on Films and TV Claiming Tax Relief
The focus on inclusion riders — that is, contract clauses that ensure projects have diverse casts and crews — has made its way across the pond. Deadline reports that the Labour Party,...
Weekly Update for April 20: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Little Pink House” Films About Women Opening This Week Little Pink House — Written and Directed by Courtney Moorehead Balaker Based on a true story, a small-town paramedic named Susette...
Mary Shelley Named Protagonist of “Genius” Season 3
Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso will be succeeded by legendary writer Mary Shelley on National Geographic’s “Genius.” Deadline confirms that the “Frankenstein” author has been named the...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Hagar Ben Asher — “Dead Women Walking”
Hagar Ben Asher is the writer-director of features “The Slut” and “The Burglar.” Her work has screened at festivals such as Cannes, Telluride, Rotterdam, Moscow, and Warsaw. Ben Asher has...
NYC Mayor’s Office Reveals Details of $5M Fund for Women in Film and Theater
The New York City Mayor’s Office and the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) have disclosed the details for their $5 million MOME Women’s Fund, a grant program for filmmakers,...
Cannes Adds Titles to Competition, Ratio of Women Directors Worsens
The 2018 Cannes Film Festival bungled its chance to make its Competition lineup a bit more women-friendly. Per Variety, the fest added three titles to the program, none of which are from female...
Gabrielle Union Signs First Look Deal with Sony Pictures TV
Gabrielle Union is well on her way to becoming a mogul. According to Deadline, the “Being Mary Jane” star and producer has inked a first look deal with Sony Pictures TV. The two-year agreement...
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s” Aline Brosh McKenna and Sono Patel Have a New Show in the Works
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” co-creator and showrunner Aline Brosh McKenna has yet another TV project in the works. Deadline revealed that Pop TV has ordered a pilot from Brosh McKenna and “Crazy...
Angela Bassett and Patricia Arquette in Talks to Star in Cindy Chupack’s “Otherhood”
Angela Bassett and Patricia Arquette may be joining forces for Cindy Chupack’s feature directorial debut. The duo are in talks to topline “Otherhood,” a Netflix feature comedy about three...
Victoria Mahoney Makes History as Second Unit Director on Next “Star Wars” Film
The “Star Wars” franchise is finally getting a bit more diverse behind the scenes. Deadline confirms that “Yelling to the Sky” director Victoria Mahoney will be the second unit director on...
Trailer Watch: NYT Contends with Trust and Trump in Liz Garbus’ “The Fourth Estate”
Since Donald Trump’s election in November 2016, much of the country has been feeling tense. This sense of dread is front and center in a new trailer for Liz Garbus’ Showtime docuseries “The...
Cannes 2018: Directors’ Fortnight Feature Lineup Falls to 25% Women-Directed
Cannes has announced its 2018 Directors’ Fortnight schedule and, unfortunately, the numbers have dipped quite a bit from last year. Five of the 20 features selected to screen in the...
NYT and New Yorker Win Public Service Pulitzer for Reporting on Weinstein, Sexual Harassment
The 2018 Pulitzer Prizes were awarded yesterday and the journalists on the front lines of the Harvey Weinstein and sexual harassment stories took home the Public Service honor. The New York Times’...
“On My Block” Renewed for Season 2
Netflix has given “On My Block” a sophomore season. Variety reports that the half-hour comedy co-created by Lauren Iungerich (“Awkward”) has been renewed. The series, which bowed in March,...
Emma Thompson Co-Writing and Directing “Nanny McPhee” Stage Musical
Emma Thompson is stepping into the director’s chair. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that the Oscar winner will helm and co-write a stage musical adaptation of 2005’s “Nanny McPhee.”...
Cannes 2018: Critics’ Week Main Competition Is 57% Women-Directed
Cannes’ 2018 Critics’ Week lineup has been announced. Dedicated to directors’ first and second films, this year’s sidebar is much more female-friendly than the fest’s recently announced...
New Hotline Offers Help to Those Working in UK Film and TV
If you or someone you know works in UK film and television and is struggling, the Film & Television Charity is here to help. A press release has announced the launch of the Film & TV Support...
Women in Animation Launches and Signs “ASAP” Anti-Harassment Pledge
Women in Animation (WIA) has followed through on president Margaret Dean’s promise to create and sign a pledge against sexual harassment in the animation industry. According to a press release,...
Trailer Watch: Dawn Porter Documents RFK’s Life and Death in “Bobby Kennedy for President”
“What I think is quite clear is, there is division, there’s violence, and disenchantment with our society,” Robert Kennedy asserts, via archival footage, in the trailer for “Bobby Kennedy...
Cannes 2018: 25% of Shorts and 47% of Cinéfondation Films Directed by Women
Cannes Film Festival has unveiled its Short Film and Cinéfondation lineups for 2018. While the Cinéfondation selections are 47 percent women-directed — a slight increase from last year’s...
“Insecure,” “Handmaid’s Tale,” and More Nominated for Peabody Awards
This is cause for a celebration: nominations for the 77th annual Peabody Awards have been announced and a wide range of projects by and about women are being recognized. Female-driven works such as...
Trailer Watch: Meet the Women Who Should Have Been Space Race Astronauts in “Mercury 13”
“I would’ve liked to walk on the moon,” one of the subjects of “Mercury 13” confesses in a trailer for the documentary. “I could’ve walked on it, I could’ve kicked it out, I...
Uzo Aduba and Janet McTeer to Star in New Plays by Lydia R. Diamond and Theresa Rebeck
Uzo Aduba and Janet McTeer are returning to the stage. The respective “Orange Is the New Black” and “Jessica Jones” actresses are set to topline new plays by Lydia R. Diamond and Theresa...
Birds’ Eye View Unveils New Project to Grow Audiences for Women-Directed Films
Birds’ Eye View (BEV) has introduced a new initiative to increase the audiences for female-helmed movies: the “Reclaim The Frame” Influencer Project. From April to September BEV will spotlight...
Gender-Swapped “High Fidelity” TV Reboot in Development
“High Fidelity” may soon be making its way to your “Top Five Gender-Flipped Reboots” list. “Ugly Betty” writers Veronica West and Sarah Kucserka are adapting the 1995 Nick Hornby novel...
Ashley Judd to Receive Greenwich Film Fest’s Changemaker Award
Actress, activist, and Silence Breaker Ashley Judd will be celebrated for her international work with women and children at this year’s Greenwich International Film Festival. According to PEOPLE,...
Weekly Update for April 6: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“You Were Never Really Here” Films About Women Opening This Week “The Miracle Season”: LD Entertainment The Miracle Season — Co-Written by Elissa Matsueda Based on the inspiring true...
“Hidden Figures” Series in Development, “First Wives Club” Gets Pilot Order
We might be getting more Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Elise Elliot Atchison, Brenda Morelli Cushman, and Annie MacDuggan Paradis. That’s right: TV adaptations of “Hidden...
Veteran Film Exec Sue Kroll Begins Her Own Production Company at Warner Bros.
After more than 20 years with Warner Bros., movie exec Sue Kroll is beginning her own banner. A press release announced that the studio’s former President of Worldwide Marketing and Distribution...
Quote of the Day: Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on Why Anger Is Vital for Her Work
Anger is complicated territory for women. Displaying a trace of irritability—nevermind fury — means running the risk of being called imbalanced or irrational. Yet anger is also a useful,...
Trailer Watch: An Expectant Couple Faces a Difficult Decision in Leena Pendharkar’s “20 Weeks”
Most of the conversations surrounding abortion assume that women seek the medical procedure only when their pregnancies are unplanned. Leena Pendharkar’s new film, “20 Weeks,” focuses on...
Anita Hill-Led Commission on Sexual Harassment Looks to Hollywood for Funding
The Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equity in the Workplace has set its fundraising sights on the entertainment industry. The Anita Hill-led organization — which show...
BAMcinématek to Spotlight Women Filmmakers & Black Cinema in Upcoming Film Series
Brooklyn theater BAMcinématek is celebrating women directors and black cinema in two of its upcoming film series. The venue will host “New Voices in Black Cinema” April 26–29 as well as “A...
TV Adaptation of Christie Watson’s Nursing Memoir “Language of Kindness” On the Way
“The Language of Kindness” hasn’t even hit shelves yet and it’s already being adapted for the screen. Christie Watson’s memoir about nurses, compassion, caring, and healing is receiving...
Spring 2018 TV Preview: Shows Created By and About Women to Check Out
“Killing Eve”: Sophie Mutevelian Warmer weather, budding trees, blooming flowers — spring (fingers crossed) finally seems to be here. To make good news even better, it has arrived with a...
Octavia Spencer to Exec Produce Alethea Root’s Anti-Slavery Film “Mumbet”
Octavia Spencer is making good on her vow to produce stories that will “inspire and educate.” Variety confirms that the Oscar winner is executive producing the anti-slavery historical pic...
Leah Nanako Winkler Wins Yale Drama Series Prize
Playwright Leah Nanako Winkler is adding yet another honor to her résumé. The New York Times reports that Nanako Winkler has won this year’s Yale Drama Series Prize for her latest play, “God...
Weekly Update for March 30: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Outside In” Films About Women Opening This Week Gemini “Gemini” A heinous crime tests the complex relationship between a tenacious personal assistant (Lola Kirke), and her Hollywood starlet...
Stephens College and SeriesFest Unveil Scholarship for Women Screenwriters Over 55
If you’re 55 or over, identify as a woman, and have TV and film writing aspirations, here’s some good news for you: Stephens College and television festival SeriesFest have announced The Jan...