BY Rachel Montpelier
WGA West Releases Statement on Sexual Harassment
The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is the latest Hollywood institution to weigh in on the industry’s rampant sexual harassment problem. Unfortunately, its stance is not as unequivocally...
Lena Waithe’s “The Chi” Renewed for Season 2, Ayanna Floyd Davis Named New Showrunner
Showtime is making itself at home in “The Chi.” Shadow and Act reports that Lena Waithe’s sprawling Southside Chicago-set drama will receive a second season. Series writer Ayanna Floyd Davis...
Trailer Watch: Toni Collette Is Haunted by Her Mother in Sundance Hit “Hereditary”
“My mother was a very secretive and private woman,” Annie (Toni Collette) eulogizes in the trailer for “Hereditary.” “She was a very difficult woman, which maybe explains me.” The...
TV Updates: Stephenie Meyer Adaptation, Pilots from Ilene Chaiken & Liz Meriwether in the Works
Another day, another batch of women-centric and created series announced. Projects from “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer and showrunners Ilene Chaiken (“The L Word”) and Liz Meriwether...
Roxanne Benjamin’s Feature Directorial Debut Acquired by Magnet Releasing
Writer-director Roxanne Benjamin’s first feature film has found a home. Variety confirms that Magnet Releasing, Magnolia Pictures’ genre arm, has obtained worldwide rights to Benjamin’s...
Denise Di Novi and Nina Tassler Form New Studio Dedicated to Inclusivity
Director/producer Denise Di Novi and former CBS Entertainment Chairman Nina Tassler will spotlight diverse stories via their new company, PatMa Productions. A press release announced that the newly...
Marielle Heller Will Direct Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers
“Diary of a Teenage Girl” director Marielle Heller is bringing Tom Hanks to Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Heller will direct “You Are My Friend,” which is...
ABC Orders Diablo Cody Comedy Pilot, Three Female-Driven Dramas
Diablo Cody is headed back to television. After the premature cancellation of “One Mississippi,” the dramedy she co-created with Tig Notaro, ABC has ordered Cody’s pilot “Most Likely To.”...
Academy Announces Procedures to Enforce New Code of Conduct
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has made it easier for members to report instances of workplace misconduct. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the organization approved measures to...
Weekly Update for January 26: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Please Stand By” Films About Women Opening This Week Please Stand By (Also Available on VOD) A young autistic woman (Dakota Fanning) runs away from her caregiver in order to boldly go and...
Today in #MeToo: Updates on Franco, Affleck, and Weinstein
Thanks to #MeToo and the brave individuals who continue to speak out, two more men are facing consequences for their past actions. James Franco was digitally removed from Vanity Fair’s annual...
Study: Women Are Being Shut Out of Popular Music
We’re living in the time of Queen Bey, but the music industry has yet to receive the memo. The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has released a new study on popular music and found that, while...
Helen Mirren to Play Catherine the Great in HBO/Sky Miniseries
Helen Mirren has portrayed both Queen Elizabeths and Queen Charlotte, and she’ll soon take on another famous monarch, Catherine the Great. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that the Oscar winner...
“Murphy Brown” Revival on the Way, Candice Bergen to Star
Murphy Brown will soon be back at the FYI desk. Deadline reports that CBS has ordered a 13-episode revival of Diane English’s “Murphy Brown.” The sitcom, which centers on Candice Bergen’s...
Pam MacKinnon Will Head San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater
Broadway director Pam MacKinnon will soon be making her way to the West Coast. The New York Times confirms that the “Parisian Woman” helmer will succeed Carey Perloff as American Conservatory...
“Conviction” Co-Creator Liz Friedlander Directing ABC Crime Dramedy Pilot
Liz Friedlander is the first hourlong directing hire of the 2018–19 season. Deadline writes that the “Conviction” co-creator will helm and EP the pilot of ABC’s straight-to-series crime...
Sundance Deals: Betsy West and Julie Cohen’s “RBG” Gets Distribution
“Colette” and Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace” are in good company. Betsy West and Julie Cohen’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary “RBG” is one of the latest flicks to get a deal at...
2018 Writers Lab for Women Screenwriters Over 40 Now Accepting Submissions
If you know or are a female screenwriter over age 40, this is for you: The Writers Lab’s 2018 program is accepting submissions. Produced by IRIS and New York Women In Film & Television...
Trailer Watch: A Line Is Crossed in “Mary Kills People” Season 2
Mary Harris believes in her work. “Death gives life meaning,” the secret euthanasia provider (Caroline Dhavernas, “Hannibal”) declares in the trailer for Season 2 of Lifetime’s “Mary...
Melissa McCarthy, Dee Rees, and Nancy Meyers Directing Oscar Shorts for Walmart
What a difference a year makes. After hiring all male directors for its Oscar shorts project in 2017, Walmart has brought on all women to direct its 2018 campaign. Melissa McCarthy, Dee Rees...
CBS’ First 2018–19 Pilot Orders Are All from Female Creators
CBS has made its first pilot orders for the 2018–19 season and each of the three projects is from a woman creator. According to Variety, the network has tapped two comedies, Gloria Calderon...
Benita Ozoude and Giselle Bonilla Named Horizon Award Winners at Sundance
The Horizon Awards were given out this Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival. A press release announced Benita Ozoude and Giselle Bonilla as this year’s recipients. The pair were presented the...
Mo’Nique Calls Out Netflix for Gender and Racial Bias, Receives Support from Wanda Sykes
Mo’Nique is pushing for a Netflix boycott over the streamer’s “gender bias and color bias.” Per Page Six, the comedian and Oscar-winning actress posted a video on Instagram revealing that...
SAG and PGA 2018: Wins for Nicole Kidman and Women-Led Projects
Women’s voices were heard loud and clear this past weekend, and not just at the second annual Women’s March. The 2018 PGA and SAG Awards ceremonies also took place, on Saturday and Sunday...
Cleopatra Series Headed to Freeform
“Cleopatra” by Michelangelo: WikiCommons Looks like Elizabeth II and Victoria won’t be the only queens with their own TV shows. Deadline reports that Freeform is close to giving the green light...
Pixar Producer Darla K. Anderson to Be Honored by Advanced Imaging Society
Award-winning producer Darla K. Anderson will soon add another honor to her résumé. The Pixar Animation Studios producer will receive the Harold Lloyd Award for Filmmaking at next month’s...
Weekly Update for January 19: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Forever My Girl” Films About Women Opening This Week Mary and the Witch’s Flower — Co-Written by Riko Sakaguchi “Mary and the Witch’s Flower” Mary (Ruby Barnhill) is a plain,...
Julie Dash and Nina Menkes Named First Recipients of Eos World Fund for Women Directors
Director and producer Gwen Wynne (“Wild About Harry”) is set to unveil a new funding initiative for female filmmakers. A press release announced that she’s launching the Eos World Fund at...
“Yours in Sisterhood” Doc Brings ’70s Era Ms. Magazine Letters to Life
A lot has changed since Ms. magazine launched in 1971 — and a lot hasn’t. This ironic truth is something Irene Lusztig explores in her performative documentary, “Yours in Sisterhood.”...
PBS to Air Five-Part Series About #MeToo
The #MeToo movement will be the subject of PBS’ next series. According to Deadline, PBS CEO Paula Kerger unveiled “#MeToo, Now What?” at TCA. Set to debut February 2, the five-part series will...
Sharon Horgan Signs Overall Deal With Amazon Studios
“Catastrophe” co-creator and star Sharon Horgan will be sticking around Amazon for the foreseeable future. Deadline reports that the Emmy nominee has inked an overall deal with the streamer....
Trailer Watch: Gloria Allred Refuses to Be Silenced in “Seeing Allred”
“Seeing Allred” “Women are now empowered,” feminist attorney Gloria Allred declares in the trailer for “Seeing Allred,” “and they will never be silent again.” That’s true: our...
Abigail Disney and Killer Content Team Up to Form New Studio Spotlighting Women and POC
Abigail Disney and Killer Content are joining forces to support projects from women and people of color. Variety reports that filmmaker and philanthropist Disney and media company Killer Content...
Weekly Update for January 12: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Proud Mary”: Dana Starbard/CTMG Films About Women Opening This Week Proud Mary Mary (Taraji P. Henson) is a hitwoman working for an organized crime family in Boston. Mary’s life is completely...
Chicken & Egg Pictures Announces Breakthrough Filmmaker Award Recipients
Chicken & Egg Pictures will support Nanfu Wang, Ramona Diaz, Natalia Almada, Laura Nix, and Kimi Takesue as they break through to the next phase of their filmmaking careers. The five documentary...
Aisling Walsh’s “Maudie” Leads Irish Film and TV Academy Award Nominations
The Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) has announced the nominees for its 2018 awards, and the film that scored the most nods is Aisling Walsh’s “Maudie.” Per Screen Daily, the Maud...
Jac Schaeffer to Pen Standalone Black Widow Film
Black Widow is finally getting her own movie — and a woman-written movie at that. TheWrap reports that Jac Schaeffer, the screenwriter behind the upcoming “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” remake,...
Biopic About Oscar-Winning Actress Hattie McDaniel in the Works
McDaniel: Wikimedia Commons History-making actress Hattie McDaniel is getting the biopic treatment. McDaniel — the first African-American person to win an Oscar — will be the subject of a...
2017 Celluloid Ceiling Report: Number of Women Behind the Scenes Has Barely Shifted in 20 Years
Less than a week after the publication of the latest “Inclusion in the Director’s Chair?” report comes another in-depth study about women’s representation in 2017 film. The research, Dr....
Liz Garbus’ New York Times Doc Gets Release Date on Showtime
Awards for fake news stories and the fact that terms like “post-truth” exist suggest that we need a David and Goliath narrative about the importance of journalism now more than ever. Thankfully,...
Weekly Update for January 5: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“In Between” Films About Women Opening This Week In Between — Written and Directed by Maysaloun Hamoud “In Between” captures the daily duality of three young Palestinian women (Mouna...
Winter 2018 TV Preview: Shows Created By & About Women to Mark on Your Calendar
“2 Dope Queens”: HBO Looking for a way to avoid the post-holidays winter doldrums? You’ve come to the right place. There are a bunch of women-centric and created shows premiering or returning...
New Research: The Needle Hasn’t Moved for Women Directors Over Past 11 Years
Patricia Riggen is the only Latina to direct a top-grossing movie from 2007 to 2017: patriciariggen.com 2017 brought us the Women’s March and #MeToo but, as new research shows, there’s still a...
Trailer Watch: Kathy Bates Celebrates 420 in “Disjointed” Part 2
Ruth’s Alternative Caring is re-opening its doors. A trailer for Part 2 of the marijuana dispensary comedy “Disjointed” has dropped and promises plenty of new cannabis-fueled shenanigans for...
Writers Guild Foundation and Stephens College MFA Hosting Town Hall On Female Entrepreneurship
Thanks to #MeToo, there’s been plenty of online discourse about the way women are treated in Hollywood and beyond. However, there hasn’t been as much public in-person discussion, which The...
Reese Witherspoon, Shonda Rhimes, and More Launch Anti-Harassment Initiative
The fight to end workplace sexual harassment is still going strong in the new year. Reese Witherspoon and Shonda Rhimes are just a couple of the 300 Hollywood women who are banding together for...
Weekly Update for December 22: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Pitch Perfect 3” Films About Women Opening This Week Pitch Perfect 3 — Directed by Trish Sie; Written by Kay Cannon After college graduation, the Barden Bellas are struggling with their...
Eva Longoria Has Two Women-Penned Drama Series in Development at Fox
Eva Longoria has new series in the works. According to Deadline, the multi-hyphenate has two hour-long dramas in development at Fox through her UnbeliEVAble Entertainment banner. Both are written...
Paramount Announces Several Future Films, None Are Confirmed to Be By or About Women
When the sale of the Fox studio to Disney is complete, there will be five big studios left. Paramount has announced release dates for several slated films through 2021 — and none of them have...
Quote of the Day: Elizabeth Banks on Her “Great Epiphany” About Hollywood Sexism
There was a moment when Elizabeth Banks realized why she felt stalled in her acting career. Mainstream films weren’t providing her interesting roles, and smaller, independent fare wasn’t paying...
Zelda Perkins Speaks Out, Challenges the Legal System for Enabling Predators Like Harvey Weinstein
“It’s a smoking gun.” That’s how Robert Fox Ltd theater producer Zelda Perkins described the non-disclosure agreement she signed in 1998, after stepping down as Harvey Weinstein’s...