BY Rachel Montpelier
CBS Orders Pilot from Katie Couric and Jenny Lumet
We all know Katie Couric as a respected veteran TV journalist and producer. And now we’ll know her as a TV drama series executive producer. According to The Hollywood Reporter, CBS has ordered a...
Gina Rodriguez Inks Multi-Year Deal with CBS
Looks like “Jane the Virgin” is just the beginning. Gina Rodriguez has signed a multi-year overall deal with CBS, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. With this deal, Rodriguez is set to “develop...
Women Represent Only 20% of Non-Acting Oscar Nominations
Our sentiments exactly. “Toni Erdmann” Today in news that makes us want to scream, women make up only 20 percent of this year’s non-acting Academy Award nominations, according to research from...
SAG Awards: A Night of Inclusivity, Empathy, and Women Taking a Stand
As politically bleak as the last 10 days have been, one thing is for sure: Hollywood is rising to the occasion. Last night’s Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards ceremony was less about who won what...
Sundance 2017 Awards: Women Win Big During a Political Ceremony
Now, that’s more like it. The 2017 Sundance Film Festival held its closing awards ceremony last night and the winners reflect the actual world we live in: women won eight of the 16 filmmaking...
NBC Gives Pilot Orders to Projects from Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling
Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling are set to produce more TV magic. NBC has given pilot orders to Fey’s “The Sackett Sisters” and an untitled project from Kaling, Deadline writes. Both are...
Janelle Monaé, Issa Rae Among Essence’s Black Women in Hollywood Honorees
Essence has announced the honorees of its 2017 Black Women in Hollywood Awards. Musician and “Hidden Figures” star Janelle Monaé, “Insecure’s” Issa Rae, “How to Get Away with...
No Women Directors Included in Walmart’s “Diverse” Oscar Short Films
Today in WTF, Walmart bragged about its involvement in the Oscars this year and boasted about hiring some top tier directors for the gig. Problem is — they are all men. Score one more for the...
Ellen Pompeo to Make Directorial Debut on “Grey’s Anatomy”
Even after 13 seasons, “Grey’s Anatomy” continues to blaze trails. This time, the broken barrier is behind the camera: “Grey’s” headliner Ellen Pompeo is set to make her directorial...
“The Salesman” Star to Boycott Oscars in Protest of Trump’s Visa Ban
Actress Taraneh Alidoosti, Iranian star of “The Salesman,” will not be attending this year’s Oscars. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Alidoosti announced via Twitter that she will boycott...
Quote of the Day: DP Nancy Schreiber on Opening Doors for Other Women
Nancy Schreiber is set to make history. The veteran cinematographer will be the first woman to receive the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Presidents Award, Variety reports. In fact,...
Watch: Samantha Bee Discusses the Women’s March on “Full Frontal”
“Hey, how was your weekend?” Samantha Bee asked her audience on last night’s episode of “Full Frontal.” “Me, I didn’t do much — just went for a walk with a few friends.” This...
Trailer Watch: A Doctor Saves Lives Around the World in “The Resilient Heart”
As Valentine’s Day approaches, heart-shaped paper cutouts and candies are everywhere, as are cards waxing philosophical about love’s impact on the actual heart. We talk so much about the heart...
Refinery29 & TNT Team Up for Return of Women-Focused Shatterbox Anthology
Refinery29 is partnering up with TNT the return of Shatterbox Anthology, its women-focused short film series. According to a press release, Shatterbox “provides a platform for the next cycle of...
Sundance Deals: Sales for Women-Directed “Landline,” “To the Bone,” & More
This year’s edition of the Sundance Film Festival is shaping up to be a memorable one for women directors. In the past day alone Gillian Robespierre’s “Landline,” Amanda Lipitz’s...
Pilot Updates: Pilot Order for Diablo Cody, Script Commitment for “Witchblade”
Women-centric television projects from Diablo Cody and Caroline Dries are on the horizon. According to reports from The Hollywood Reporter, ABC gave a pilot order to “Raised by Wolves,” written...
Gina Prince-Bythewood to Direct “Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger” Pilot for Freeform
Gina Prince-Bythewood just made the Marvel Cinematic Universe a bit more palatable to women. After reports from Season Zero and Geeks of Color mentioned her involvement in the upcoming Freeform...
Trailer Watch: Jewish Comedians Get “The Last Laugh”
“It’s much more fun to laugh than not to laugh,” Carl Reiner explains in the new trailer for “The Last Laugh.” As fun as it is, laughter is also key to cultural and literal survival in...
Amid Feminist Protests, Roman Polanski Declines César Awards Position
The past few days are excellent examples of the power women have when they organize. Only three days after the Women’s March, Roman Polanski announced he would not serve as President of the César...
Gita Pullapilly and Aron Gaudet to Direct Their Black List Script “Crook County”
“Crook County,” a Black List script from Gita Pullapilly and Aron Gaudet, is officially on its way to the big screen. Deadline writes that the partners and spouses will direct the film, “based...
Sofia Vergara to Pursue Latin American Stories with New Mobile Platform Raze
The highest-paid actress on TV is using her clout and business acumen to tell more Latin American stories with Raze, a digital startup. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Modern Family” star...
Sundance Deals: “Novitiate,” “Fun Mom Dinner,” and “The Big Sick” Find Homes
The Sundance Film Festival isn’t even halfway through yet, but there have already been some exciting deals and developments for films by and about women. Maggie Betts’ “Novitiate” and...
Roman Polanski’s César Awards Honor Inspires Protest from Feminist Groups
Roman Polanski was named President of the César Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, and women are not accepting the news without a fight. According to stories from The Hollywood Reporter,...
ABC in Early Talks for “Black-ish” Spinoff Starring Yara Shahidi
There aren’t many television series focused on young women of color. There are even less that depict college life. The potential “Black-ish” spinoff could be an antidote to both those...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Michelle Latimer— “Rise”
Michelle Latimer is a Métis/Algonquin filmmaker based in Toronto, as well as a programmer, actor, and activist. Her previous directorial efforts include “Choke,” a Sundance Special Jury...
Seed&Spark Launches #100DaysOfDiversity Initiative
Today, Inauguration Day, is sad for a lot of us. It’s surreal, like an unfunny comedy sketch gone awry. The good news: It’s also the first day of Seed&Spark’s new #100DaysOfDiversity...
ABC Releases “Scandal” Web Series Created and Directed by Darby Stanchfield
Prepare to have even more “Scandal” in your life. The Hollywood Reporter writes that ABC surprise-released six webisodes of “Scandal: Gladiator Wanted” on January 19. The web series, an...
Trailer Watch: “Motherland” Welcomes Us to the Busiest Maternity Ward on Earth
“I admit I’m crazy. Why wouldn’t I be?” a patient asks in the new trailer for “Motherland.” “The children come one after another. I don’t have enough love to give all of them. I wish...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Marianna Palka — “Bitch”
Sundance Film Festival alum, humanist filmmaker, and proud Scotswoman Marianna Palka has previously directed the features “Good Dick” (2008), “I’m the Same” (2014), and “Always Worthy”...
“Cameraperson” Director Kirsten Johnson Receives Rooftop Films Grant
Kirsten Johnson is on a hot streak. Last week, her documentary “Cameraperson” won three awards at the Cinema Eye Honors. It’s on the Oscars short list and was the grand prize winner of the...
Quote of the Day: Blake Lively Emphasizes the Value of Women’s Stories
It’s hard to remember a time when Blake Lively wasn’t a movie star. The actress first came on the scene in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” an ode to the importance of female...
Film Editors Thelma Schoonmaker & Janet Ashikaga to Receive Career Achievement Awards
The American Cinema Editors will present Thelma Schoonmaker and Janet Ashikaga with Career Achievement awards during the ACE Eddie Awards, Deadline writes. The event will be held in Beverly Hills on...
Comedy from Zainab Johnson and Wanda Sykes in Development at ABC
It looks like ABC is continuing its recent trend of pursuing inclusive, politically resonant comedies like “Black-ish” and “Fresh Off the Boat,” judging by its latest development deal....
Courtney Moorehead Balaker’s “Little Pink House” to Open Athena Film Festival
The Athena Film Festival announced today that “Little Pink House,” written and directed by Courtney Moorehead Balaker, will screen on Thursday, February 9 as the fest’s Opening...
“Hidden Figures” STEM Contest Grand Prize Winners are Announced
“The Search for Hidden Figures” is officially over. According to Shadow and Act, the scholarship contest, inspired by the film “Hidden Figures,” awarded its two grand prizes to Joy Buolamwin...
“Fun Home” Lyricist Lisa Kron Receives Kleban Prize for Musical Theater
Lisa Kron, who wrote the book and lyrics for the musical “Fun Home,” recently received the 2017 Kleban Prize, which includes $100,000, for writing in musical theater, the New York Times writes....
Upcoming BAM Exhibition Celebrates Black Women’s Cinema
Cinephiles, your February just became a whole lot busier. Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) recently announced its “One Way or Another: Black Women’s Cinema, 1970–1991” exhibition, which...
AFI Announces the 25 Female Directors Selected for Fox Filmmaker Lab
The American Film Institute (AFI) recently announced the 25 female directors selected for the 2017 Fox Filmmaker Lab, an initiative designed to increase the number of women directing major studio...
TCA Update: Lifetime and FX Make Strides Towards Gender Equality, Inclusivity
It’s TCA time again, when presidents and CEOs of major networks — who are mostly white men in their fifties or sixties — make bold, sweeping promises about how this is the year when...
“Shots Fired’s” First Season Features Equal Number of Male and Female Directors
In addition to bringing the Black Lives Matter movement to the mainstream media, Gina Prince-Bythewood is also working to bridge the gender gap. “Shots Fired,” the upcoming Fox event series...
Nanfu Wang, Anna Rose Holmer, and Jordana Mollick Recieve Spirit Grants
Nanfu Wang’s “Hooligan Sparrow”Three grants were awarded to women this past Saturday annual Film Independent’s annual Spirit Awards Nominees Brunch. As The Hollywood Reporter writes, Jordana...
20 Most Anticipated Films By and About Women of 2017
“Wonder Woman” By Rachel Montpelier and Kate Gardner As we say goodbye to the festering disappointment that was 2016 — and try to be cautiously optimistic that next year will be a little...
Breaking the Fourth Wall: December’s VOD and Web Series Picks
“Online Heroines” Whether through irony, autobiography, or documentary, this month’s batch of VOD and web series recommendations all chip away at the fourth wall, that barrier that usually...
Rory Gilmore Might, Indeed, Be the Worst. Or She Might Be Seriously Depressed.
Rory Gilmore is the most polarizing TV character since Hannah Horvath first put her foot in her mouth in 2012. At least, that’s the consensus judging from the recent think pieces and word-of-mouth...
December 2016 Film Preview
“Hidden Figures” ‘Tis the holiday movie season once more, Women and Hollywood readers! This is the time of year to escape designated family time by going to your local theater and choosing from...
Putting it All Out in the Open: Crowdfunding Picks
“Netizens” A lot of social and cultural issues stem from those in power refusing to acknowledge the elephant in the room. In our crowdfunding picks, two documentaries delve into topics that are...
Alia Shawkat Is Awesome. So Why Has “State of Grace” Been All but Forgotten?
Alia Shawkat is killing it on “Search Party,” the new dramedy on TBS. The series centers on a confused twentysomething, Dory (Shawkat), and her obsession with a missing acquaintance from college....
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Zhao Qing— “Please Remember Me”
Zhao Qing began her career at Shanghai Media Group in 1991, where she directed and produced television documentaries. Qing’s filmography includes “A Water Town — Zhou Zhuang,”...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Allie Humenuk and Amy Geller— “The Guys Next Door”
Allie Humenuk is an award-winning filmmaker and Emmy-nominated cinematographer. Humenuk made her directorial debut with “Shadow of the House,” a documentary about the photographer Abelardo...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Laura Paglin — “Unseen”
Based out of Cleveland, Ohio, Laura Paglin is a producer and director who has made a name for herself by bringing the stories of marginalized communities to a worldwide audience. Paglin’s prior...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Jill Campbell— “Mr. Chibbs”
Jill Campbell has worked as a producer, director, and writer on myriad documentaries, including “Dancing Across Borders,” “Bernal’s Picasso: When Art Met Science,” and “Out of Print.”...