BY Rachel Montpelier
Equity’s Safe Space Program and Start-Up Callisto Fight Sexual Harassment in Theater
Trade union Equity has introduced a new campaign to fight sexual harassment in the theater industry. Per The Stage, Equity unveiled Safe Space with the help of singer-actress Billie Piper, who is...
Women Creators and Directors Making Strides on 2018–19 Pilot Season
This pilot season looks like it will be a historic one for women directors and creators. According to a report from Variety, “female creators and directors saw gains virtually across the board.”...
Trailer Watch: Gilead Is Within Offred in “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 2
When we last saw Offred (Elisabeth Moss), real name June, in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” she was being carted away to who knows where in a foreboding black van. In the trailer for Season 2 of...
Zelda Perkins Testifies About Weinstein NDA Before Parliamentary Committee
Women and Hollywood Trailblazer awardee Zelda Perkins spoke out about Harvey Weinstein’s use of non-disclosure agreements — aka his way of making sure his victims and employees could not...
Connie Britton Will Topline and EP First Season of Bravo Anthology “Dirty John”
Connie Britton has booked yet another TV project. The “Friday Night Lights” alumna has signed on to star and executive produce Season 1 of “Dirty John,” Bravo’s upcoming true crime...
Cannes 2018: Filmmaker Ursula Meier Named President of Caméra D’Or Jury
The Cannes Film Festival has tapped “Sister” director Ursula Meier to lead its 2018 Caméra d’or Jury. According to a press release, Meier will serve as president and, alongside the six-member...
Women Directing 32 Percent of 2018–19 Pilots
It’s official: the 2018–19 pilot season has been much more welcoming to women than 2017–18. According to Vulture, women are directing 24 of the 75 broadcast TV pilots this year, which amounts...
Australian Women Launch #MeToo and #TimesUp-Inspired NOW Organization
Less than two months after Screen Australia revised its code of conduct, Australian women have officially joined the fight against sexual harassment. The Daily Telegraph has announced the launch of...
Adaptation of Sarah J. Maas Best-Seller “A Court of Thorns and Roses” On the Way
Sarah J. Maas’ YA fantasy novel “A Court of Thorns and Roses” is getting the big screen treatment. Deadline reports that Germany production company Constantin Film acquired the rights to the...
Nahnatchka Khan Directing Rom-Com for Netflix, Ali Wong and Randall Park to Star
“Fresh Off the Boat’s” Nahnatchka Khan, Ali Wong, and Randall Park are teaming up for a romantic comedy, Variety confirms. The ABC family comedy’s creator/showrunner, Khan, will direct Wong...
Weekly Update for March 23: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Unsane” Films About Women Opening This Week Unsane Sawyer Valentini (Claire Foy) relocates from Boston to Pennsylvania to escape the man who’s been stalking her for the last two years. While...
Quote of the Day: Lena Waithe Wants to Tell More Black, Queer Stories
“I am tired of white folks telling my stories,” actress, writer, and producer Lena Waithe said in Vanity Fair’s April 2018 cover story. “We gotta tell our shit. Can’t no one tell a black...
Melina Kanakaredes to Co-Write and Produce Pic About Death Studies Pioneer Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, the award-winning psychiatrist behind the seminal book “On Death and Dying” and coiner of the five stages of grief, is getting her own film. Deadline reports that...
Books, Films, News, Television
Alicia Vikander and Riley Keough Teaming Up for Noir Thriller “The Earthquake Bird”
Alicia Vikander and Riley Keough are heading to Japan. The new Lara Croft and the “American Honey” actress are in talks to topline Netflix noir thriller “The Earthquake Bird,” based on...
“Queen Sugar” Season 3 Will Be Directed Entirely by Women
“Queen Sugar” is sticking with its feminist hiring practices for its third season. The Root confirms that Season 3 of the Ava DuVernay’s OWN family drama will be directed entirely by women, as...
Trailer Watch: Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon Are Hapless Agents in “The Spy Who Dumped Me”
Car chases through beautiful cities are a staple of the spy movie genre — but what if your getaway vehicle, the one thing between you and the bad guys, isn’t an automatic? That’s the...
Trailer Watch: Women Run Things “As Good As Any Man” in WWI Drama “The Guardians”
France, 1915. Hortense (Nathalie Baye) is trying to keep the family farm going as her sons fight in The Great War. “I stopped reading the papers,” she tells them in a letter. “The war scares...
Susan Sarandon and Edie Falco Starring in Maryam Keshavarz’s “Vulture Club”
Susan Sarandon is swapping Bette Davis’ Old Hollywood glamour for ER scrubs. The “Feud” actress is toplining “Vulture Club,” a film about a veteran nurse desperate to rescue her journalist...
Cynthia Nixon Is Running for New York State Governor
Cynthia Nixon is looking to make the jump from the screen to political office. The “Sex and the City” alumna has thrown her hat in the race for New York Governor, and will face off against...
Today in #TimesUp and #MeToo: “Crown” Producers Apologize to Foy, Updates on Weinstein
#MeToo and #TimesUp are showing no signs of slowing down. In the wake of public outcry over the disparity between Claire Foy and Matt Smith’s pay on “The Crown,” the Netflix series’...
Submit Your Script to Athena Film Fest’s Summer 2018 TV and Screenwriting Labs
The Athena Film Festival (AFF) is launching a new program for rising women screenwriters. In partnership with IRIS and the Stephens College Master of Fine Arts in Television and Screenwriting, AFF...
Mahalia Belo Will Helm Slavery Drama Series “The Long Song” for BBC
Up and coming director Mahalia Belo has booked her next gig. Deadline reports that the “Requiem” helmer has signed on to the BBC drama series “The Long Song.” Based on Andrea Levy’s...
Biopic About First Woman to Win Workplace Harassment Suit in the Works
Sandra Bundy, the first woman to win a workplace sexual harassment lawsuit in the historic Bundy v. Jackson, is getting her own film. Deadline reports that Adaptive Studios and EnLight Productions...
Films, Music, News, Television
Queen Latifah and Toni Braxton Ink Production Deals With Lifetime
Lifetime is making it official with two of its frequent collaborators, Queen Latifah and Toni Braxton. Variety confirms that both multi-hyphenates have signed major production deals with the...
Weekly Update for March 16: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Tomb Raider” Films About Women Opening This Week Tomb Raider — Co-Written by Geneva Robertson-Dworet Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander) is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric...
Quote of the Day: Zoey Deutch on the Lack of Complex Film Roles for Women
In her new movie, “Flower,” Zoey Deutch portrays an opportunistic, morally ambiguous teen who turns to vigilantism to take down a sex offender. Deutch’s Erica isn’t the usual teen...
2018 Full Frame Doc Film Fest’s Main Lineup Is Nearly 50 Percent Women-Directed
The schedule for the 2018 Full Frame Doc Film Fest is in and the subject of its opening night film, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, would be very proud of its representation of women. Women directed or...
Amma Asante Will Helm Cold War Biopic “The Billion Dollar Spy”
2018 Athena Film Festival honoree Amma Asante has booked her next gig. She will direct the big screen adaptation of David E. Hoffman’s true crime thriller “The Billion Dollar Spy” for Walden...
Trailer Watch: Melissa Benoist Helps Defend the Homefront in Jennifer Morrison’s “Sun Dogs”
In the wake of 9/11 Ned Chipley (Michael Angarano, “The Knick”) wants nothing more than to be a hero. “I put on 15 pounds of muscle mass,” he announces when he tries to join the marines....
AmDoc, Pinewood Atlanta Launch Kickstarter Campaigns to Support Rising Filmmakers
American Documentary (AmDoc) and Pinewood Atlanta Studios have both started Kickstarter funds for up and coming filmmakers. Per Variety, AmDoc is teaming up with the Knight Foundation to support...
Sarah Drew and Michelle Hurd to Topline “Cagney & Lacey” Reboot, Rosemary Rodriguez Directing
“Grey’s Anatomy” star Sarah Drew and “Blindspot” actress Michelle Hurd are the new Cagney and Lacey. Deadline confirms that the duo have been cast as the leads of the “Cagney &...
Pilot News: Projects for Nina Dobrev and Cazzie David, Directing Gig for Patricia Riggen
“Vampire Diaries” alumna Nina Dobrev, “Eighty Sixed” web series co-creator and star Cazzie David, and “Miracles from Heaven” director Patricia Riggen have all booked pilots. Dobrev is...
Paul Feig, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck Latest to Adopt Inclusion Rider
Paul Feig, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck are following in Brie Larson and Michael B. Jordan’s footsteps and committing to the inclusion rider. Feig announced that his production company, Feigco...
Producer Lisa Marie Russo to Run New BFI Doc Society Fund
Lisa Marie Russo is heading to Doc Society (formerly BRITDOC). The “Deep Blue Sea” producer will lead the new BFI Doc Society Fund, a £1M-per-year (about $1.4M USD) endowment supporting...
“Maudie” and “Alias Grace” Win Big at 2018 Canadian Screen Awards
Women dominated Sunday night’s Canadian Screen Awards. Not only did female-led projects “Maudie,” “Alias Grace,” “Anne With an E,” and “Baroness von Sketch Show” sweep the major...
Lily James-Starrer “Guernsey” and Augustine Frizzell’s “Never Goin’ Back” Get Distribution
Lily James-led period piece “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” and Augustine Frizzell’s coming-of-age pic “Never Goin’ Back” have both found homes. “Guernsey” will...
Weekly Update for March 9: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“A Wrinkle in Time” Films About Women Opening This Week A Wrinkle in Time — Directed by Ava DuVernay; Written by Jennifer Lee A reimagining of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel that...
#OscarsSoWhite Creator April Reign’s New Database Helps POC Find Work in the Biz
In 2015 April Reign spearheaded the #OscarsSoWhite movement to call out the Academy Awards’ lack of inclusivity among its acting nominees. The hashtag gained even more momentum in 2016, when the...
Tina Fey and #MeToo Founder Tarana Burke Among Variety’s Power of Women 2018 Honorees
Variety’s annual Power of Women: New York event has announced its 2018 honorees. The five women, whose humanitarian efforts will be celebrated at a luncheon on April 13, are Tina Fey, Emily Blunt,...
ReFrame Pushes for More Inclusive Hiring in Hollywood with New Handbook
ReFrame, a Hollywood inclusion program that boasts 50 industry leaders among its ranks, has set its sights on updating show business’ current hiring practices — i.e. its habit of employing...
Trailer Watch: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is a Superhero in Betsy West and Julie Cohen’s “RBG”
As her legendary dissents prove, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg knows how to turn a phrase. Her way with words is one of her trademarks — as is her exercise regimen — and...
Tribeca 2018 Competition Lineup Is 44 Percent Women-Directed
The Tribeca Film Festival has unveiled its 2018 lineup and women directors are very well represented. As previously reported, Tribeca’s opening film will be Lisa D’Apolito’s Gilda Radner doc...
Trailer Watch: Annette Bening and Saoirse Ronan Lead a Tangled Web of Love in “The Seagull”
“Remember all the laughter and the noise?” Irina (Annette Bening) reminisces in the trailer for “The Seagull.” “And the love affairs — so many love affairs.” Irina is talking about...
Only 3.3 Percent of 2018’s Studio Films Are Women-Directed
“A Wrinkle in Time” is part of the 3.3 percent: Disney “A Wrinkle in Time,” “The Darkest Minds,” and “Blockers” — those are the only women-directed studio films you can look...
Women Take the Spotlight in 2018 Oscar Commercials and Trailers
Between Frances McDormand recognizing all the female nominees in her acceptance speech and Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek, and Annabella Sciorra’s Time’s Up moment, gender equality and diversity were...
Weekly Update for March 2: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Red Sparrow” Films About Women Opening This Week Red Sparrow When she suffers a career-ending injury, Dominika (Jennifer Lawrence) and her mother are facing a bleak and uncertain future. That...
Time’s Up Planning a “Moment” at Oscars, Has Received 1,700 Help Requests
Time’s Up is becoming more and more powerful. According to Variety, the anti-harassment movement will continue its awards show domination at Sunday’s Academy Awards, and its defense fund has...
Anita Hill-Led Commission on Sexual Harassment Considering Tech to ID Abusers
The Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equity in the Workplace might be adopting a technology system to identify sexual predators in the entertainment business. According to...
Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira Teaming Up for “Americanah” TV Adaptation
The long-gestating screen adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Americanah” is moving forward. Nearly four years after Lupita Nyong’o first optioned the heartbreaking novel about love,...
French Film Industry Introduces 50/50 by 2020 Gender Equality Initiative
Members of the French film industry are gearing up their fight for gender equality just in time for Friday’s César Awards. Per Deadline, 300 artists and execs are lending their support to 5050...
45 Music Festivals Vow 50/50 Gender Parity in Lineups by 2022
Music festivals including Toronto’s North by North East (NXNE) and New York’s Winter Jazzfest and A2IM Indie Week have promised 50/50 gender parity in their lineups by 2022. Pitchfork reports...