BY Rachel Montpelier
Study: Just Six of 2007-2019’s Top 1,300 Films Featured an Asian/Pacific Islander Woman Lead or Co-Lead
This year, Chloé Zhao became the most decorated filmmaker in a single awards season and made history as the first Asian woman to win the Best Director Oscar. Steven Yeun was the first Asian American...
Apply Now: Bisha K. Ali, Netflix, and Sky’s U.K. Screenwriters’ Fellowship
Bisha K. Ali knows all too well how tough it can be to establish a TV writing career, especially if you’re from a marginalized community. As she recalled to Variety, when she was coming up, she...
Freeform Prez Tara Duncan Will Head New Disney/Hulu Content Brand for Creators of Color
Tara Duncan, president of Freeform and one of The Hollywood Reporter’s 2021 Women in Entertainment Power 100, is taking on a new role. Walt Disney Television’s Dana Walden has announced...
Pick of the Day: “The Perfect Candidate”
I don’t have a whole lot in common with Dr. Maryam Alsafan (Mila Al Zahrani), the titular character in Haifaa Al Mansour’s “The Perfect Candidate.” She is a doctor, while I am...
Pick of the Day: “The Underground Railroad”
“The Underground Railroad,” the new Prime Video show based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning novel of the same name, makes for an interesting companion piece to “The Long...
Stacey Abrams’ New Novel “While Justice Sleeps” Getting TV Adaptation
Stacey Abrams’ latest novel just hit bookshelves yesterday, May 10, and an adaptation is already in the works. Deadline confirms Working Title Television scored the rights to “While...
Dawn Porter and National Geographic Join Forces on Tulsa Massacre Doc “Rise Again”
Dawn Porter’s latest documentary delves into one of the worst incidents of racial violence in the United States — yet one that is routinely left out of the history books. “Rise...
Trailer Watch: Five Frontline Camerawomen Share Their Stories in Tribeca Title “No Ordinary Life”
Heather O’Neill’s documentary “No Ordinary Life” centers on five pioneering frontline and combat camerawomen: Maria Fleet, Jane Evans, Cynde Strand, Mary Rogers, and Margaret...
Nancy Buirski’s Next Doc Will Go Behind the Scenes of “Midnight Cowboy”
Nancy Buirski’s filmography has covered miscarriages of justice (“A Crime on the Bayou”), the intersection of racism, misogyny, and sexual violence (“The Rape of Recy Taylor”), and a...
Gabourey Sidibe Will Make Feature Directorial Debut with Thriller “Pale Horse,” Effie T. Brown Producing
Gabourey Sidibe is directing her first film. According to a press release, the Oscar-nominated actress is set to helm thriller “Pale Horse,” with Gamechanger Films’ Effie T. Brown...
Diane Warren Documentary Now in Production, Bess Kargman Directing
Legendary songwriter and musician Diane Warren is getting her own documentary. A press release has announced a doc feature about Warren is now in production from director Bess Kargman (“Defying...
Robin Roberts Will Sit Down with Debbie Allen, Billie Jean King, & More for New Disney+ Interview Series
Robin Roberts’ next project will see her engaging in conversations with women performers, artists, and athletes. The veteran anchor and journalist will welcome Debbie Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis,...
Holly Hunter in Talks to Topline & Produce Adaptation of Sue Miller’s “Monogamy,” Dani Shapiro Will Write
A film adaptation of Sue Miller’s bestselling novel “Monogamy” is in the works at Killer Films and Yellow Bear Films, and Holly Hunter is in talks to star and produce. Memoirist and...
Apply Now: Firelight Media’s Documentary Lab
Firelight Media, a company specializing in non-fiction film by and about people of color, is now accepting applications for its Documentary Lab. The 18-month fellowship supports racially and...
Nicole Newnham to Direct Doc About Pioneering Feminist Sex Researcher Shere Hite
Oscar-nominated “Crip Camp” director Nicole Newnham had lined up her next project. She is set to helm a feature documentary about groundbreaking sex researcher Shere Hite for NBC News...
“Lovecraft Country’s” Ihuoma Ofordire to Pen “Cleopatra Jones” Reboot for Warner Bros. & Macro
Cleopatra Jones is returning to the big screen. Deadline confirms a reboot of the classic Blaxploitation pic is in the works at Warner Bros. and Macro with “Lovecraft Country” scribe...
SAG-AFTRA Introduces Intimacy Coordinator Training Accreditation & Harassment Reporting Tool
SAG-AFTRA has announced two new measures to help combat sexual harassment and misconduct. A press release reports the union has introduced the first industrywide accreditation for intimacy...
May 2021 Television Preview
Get ready to update your watchlist: there are tons of television projects by and about women to check out this month, including shows from Tina Fey, Wanda Sykes, and Ziwe Fumudoh, Kelly Oxford’s...
Trailer Watch: Leyna Bloom Falls in Love & Claims Her Space in Danielle Lessovitz’s “Port Authority”
“I just think about taking back all the space that the world doesn’t give me, and just owning it,” Leyna Bloom says in the trailer for Danielle Lessovitz’s “Port...
Kimi Howl Lee’s Sugar Baby Dark Comedy “$ugar” Heading to Hulu
“$ugar,” a dark comedy about Stanford sugar babies, has landed at Hulu following a four-way bidding war. The Hollywood Reporter confirms Kimi Howl Lee’s show is in early development...
Jenna Coleman to Topline and EP Series About Miss Moneypenny Inspiration Joan Bright
Jenna Coleman is heading to Whitehall. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the “Victoria” star will topline and executive produce TV drama “The War Rooms,” “telling the...
Apply Now: Reese Witherspoon’s LitUp Fellowship for Underrepresented Women Writers
Reese Witherspoon is broadening her support for women writers. The Reese’s Book Club founder and star-producer of “Little Fires Everywhere,” “Wild,” “Gone...
Exclusive: Mental Health & the Criminal Justice System Collide in Trailer for Hot Docs’ “Any Given Day”
“When half the mental health clinics in Chicago closed, the jail population exploded,” director Margaret Byrne informs us in an exclusive trailer for “Any Given Day,” her...
Chinaka Hodge to Be Head Writer on Disney+/Marvel Series “Ironheart”
Chinaka Hodge has been tapped to bring Riri Williams’ story to Disney+. The poet, educator, and “Snowpiercer” scribe will be the head writer on “Ironheart,” a six-part...
Elise Forier Edie’s Play “The Pink Unicorn” Getting Film Adaptation, Amy E. Jones Directing
The story of a Christian mother coming to terms with her genderqueer child’s coming out is headed to the screen. A press release has announced that a film adaptation of Elise Forier...
Cyntoia Brown Limited Series in Development at Starz, Santa Sierra Writing and Exec Producing
A limited series about Cyntoia Brown Long, a sex trafficking survivor who was sentenced to life in prison for murder, is in the works at Starz. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Santa Sierra is...
Trailer Watch: Lily James Goes on Many Adventures in “The Pursuit of Love”
“Linda believes in love,” we’re told in the new trailer for BBC One miniseries “The Pursuit of Love.” “She’s passionately romantic.” Linda Radlett...
Pick of the Day: “A Black Lady Sketch Show”
Get ready for conspiracy theories, the best spy in the world, a new take on the Last Supper, and cameos galore. “A Black Lady Sketch Show” is finally back. Created by Robin Thede, the...
Fallon Fox, the First Openly Trans MMA Fighter, Is Getting a Biopic
A biopic about Fallon Fox, the first openly trans MMA fighter, is in development at Mark Gordon Pictures. The groundbreaking athlete will consult on the project and spouses Allison Glock-Cooper and T...
Pick of the Day: “Rutherford Falls”
A small town reckoning with its racist past (and present) might sound like a better basis for a docuseries or drama than a light-hearted comedy. And yet, in the year 2021, we have “Rutherford...
Dakota Johnson to Star in “Persuasion” Adaptation for Netflix & MRC Film, Carrie Cracknell Directing
Another “Persuasion” screen adaptation is on the way. In the past year, a Sarah Snook-led retelling of the Jane Austen novel, directed by Mahalia Belo, was announced, and a contemporary...
“Nomadland” and Chloé Zhao Win Big at Dorian Film Awards
“Nomadland” was the big winner at this weekend’s Dorians Film Toast 2021, presented by GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. The tale of a modern-day nomad making her...
Pick of the Day: “Hope”
Based on writer-director Maria Sødahl’s own experiences, “Hope” is the emotionally raw story about a couple recommitting to each other under nightmare circumstances. Anja (Andrea...
Trailer Watch: A Young Woman Escapes Slavery and Discovers “The Underground Railroad”
The Underground Railroad is a very real subterranean system of tracks, tunnels, and conductors in Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming limited series. An adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s...
Sabrina Van Tassel’s “The State of Texas vs. Melissa” Acquired by Hulu
Sabrina Van Tassel’s portrait of the first Hispanic woman on death row is now streaming on Hulu. Variety confirms the platform picked up U.S. streaming rights to “The State of Texas vs....
“The Good Wife’s” Jacqueline Hoyt to Write Audrey Hepburn Series for Wildside
Audrey Hepburn’s larger-than-life story is coming to the small screen. Variety confirms “The Good Wife” writer-producer Jacqueline Hoyt is writing “Audrey,” a drama...
Alma Har’el Signs First-Look TV Deal with Amazon Studios
“Honey Boy” director Alma Har’el has inked a first-look television deal with Amazon Studios. According to Deadline, she will develop and create exclusive series for Amazon Prime Video...
Serena Williams Sets Docuseries as First Project Under Amazon TV Deal
Serena Williams is heading to Amazon Studios. The tennis superstar has inked a first-look television deal with the company, which will see her developing scripted and unscripted projects, Variety...
Trailer Watch: A Young Doctor Makes for “The Perfect Candidate” in Haifaa Al Mansour’s Latest
“Change is a big word, and elections are the only way to have our voices heard,” Saudi physician Maryam Alsafan (Mila Al Zahrani) says in the trailer for “The Perfect...
Starz Aims to Increase Representation of Women Helmers with Alliance of Women Directors Partnership
Starz is joining forces with the Alliance of Women Directors (AWD) to boost the number of its women helmers. According to Deadline, the network and the collective have launched the #TakeTheLead...
Maya Sarfaty’s Holocaust Doc “Love It Was Not” Lands at Greenwich Entertainment
Maya Sarfaty’s award-winning documentary about the romance between an Auschwitz prisoner and a Nazi will be released in North America this fall. Deadline confirms “Love It Was Not” has...
Savion Einstein Adapting Helen Hoang’s “The Kiss Quotient” for Lionsgate, Kristin Burr Producing
Helen Hoang’s romance novel “The Kiss Quotient” is one step closer to the big screen. Two years after Lionsgate acquired the rights to the book, Deadline has confirmed Savion Einstein...
Stacey Lee’s YA Novel “The Downstairs Girl” Being Developed as TV Series
Miss Sweetie is bringing her voice to a new platform. According to Variety, Stacey Lee’s young adult novel “The Downstairs Girl” is being developed as a half-hour series at Bound...
Trailer Watch: “Ziwe” Is Comfortable with Getting Uncomfortable in Her New Showtime Series
“I believe in using humor as a tool to shed light on the truth,” Ziwe Fumudoh announces in the trailer for her new Showtime variety series, “Ziwe.” “But there are some...
Apply Now: Still I Rise Fellowship
Documentary film series and distribution platform Still I Rise has earmarked a $50,000 grant for women artists and filmmakers. According to Deadline, the Still I Rise Fellowship will provide...
Pick of the Day: “Slalom”
There is an intimacy between elite athletes and their coaches that can easily become a breeding ground for abuse. In order to get the best performance, to secure the next victory, the coach pushes...
Mindy Kaling, Maya Rudolph, & Michaela Coel Among Variety’s Power of Women Comedy Honorees
Mindy Kaling, Maya Rudolph, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michaela Coel, Sofía Vergara, and Kate McKinnon are being celebrated for their comedic prowess. They will be featured in the upcoming one-hour...
Trailer Watch: Blanca, Pray Tell, and Co. Return to Ballroom in the Final Season of “Pose”
Since the last time we saw Blanca (Mj Rodriguez), Pray Tell (Billy Porter), Angel (Indya Moore), Elektra (Dominique Jackson), and the rest of the “Pose” crew, things have changed....
Tamara Mariam Dawit’s “Finding Sally” Will Air as Part of WORLD Channel’s “AfroPoP” Series
Tamara Mariam Dawit’s investigation into a family mystery is headed to WORLD Channel. A press release has announced “Finding Sally” will debut on WORLD Channel as part of its...
Ellen Rapoport’s Feminist Porn Comedy “Minx” Ordered to Series at HBO Max, Ophelia Lovibond Stars
“Minx” has been given the green light. Ellen Rapoport’s half-hour comedy about the first women’s porn mag has received a 10-episode series order at HBO Max, and lined up its...
Pick of the Day: “Chad”
As monumental as adolescence is in a person’s life, I always appreciate when artists underscore just how ridiculous it is, too. “Chad,” starring and created by “SNL”...