BY Rachel Montpelier
Pick of the Day: “The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales”
Disney branding itself as a wholesome, magical company where dreams come true, where happy endings are within everyone’s grasp, has always been treacly enough to irk me. But now, after watching...
Pick of the Day: “The Silent Twins”
“The Silent Twins” is hardly your everyday biopic. From director Agnieszka Smoczyńska (“The Lure”) and screenwriter Andrea Seigel (“Laggies”), and based on the...
Showrunner Coalition Now in Talks with Studios Re: Abortion Demands, Aiming to Launch Hotline
The coalition of over 400 women and nonbinary showrunners — and the approximately 1,000 directors and male showrunners who are standing with them in solidarity — is continuing its quest...
Pick of the Day: “Medusa”
I can’t lie: At this point in time, I’m not above indulging in schadenfreude when I hear about people who have played an active part in rolling back women’s rights — white...
Zendaya Makes History (Again) at 2022 Emmys, Quinta Brunson Also Among Big Winners
Zendaya is now the youngest actress to receive two Emmys and the first Black woman to win Lead Actress in a Drama Series twice. The 26-year-old took home her second statuette for...
Laura Poitras’ “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” & Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer” Take Top Prizes at Venice
For the third consecutive year, Venice Film Festival has awarded its top prize, the Golden Lion, to a film by a woman director. Following in the footsteps of Chloé Zhao in 2020...
Trailer Watch: Essie Davis Will Go to Any Lengths to Get Her Kids Back in “The Justice of Bunny King”
Described by director Gaysorn Thavat as “a social justice action film about motherhood,” “The Justice of Bunny King” sees the titular character (Essie Davis, “The...
Pick of the Day: “True Things”
I love stories that give their female characters the space and compassion to be messy, stories that are unconcerned if, on paper, they’re flirting with the misogynist “crazy woman”...
Octavia Spencer, Krista Vernoff, & Meghann Plunkett Bringing Ashley Elston Novel “First Lie Wins” to Hulu
Octavia Spencer is collaborating with “Grey’s Anatomy” showrunner Krista Vernoff and “Station 19” writer Meghann Plunkett on a Hulu adaptation of Ashley Elston’s...
Quote of the Day: Viola Davis & “The Woman King” Cast on Being Black Women in the Biz & Building Sisterhood
The stars of Gina Prince-Bythewood’s highly anticipated “The Woman King” — Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Thuso Mbedu, and Adrienne Warren — speak frankly...
Muslim Characters Are Erased & Stereotyped in Popular TV, According to Inclusion Initiative Study
Last year, Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative released a study outlining the inadequate representation the Muslim community has received in popular film in recent years....
Quote of the Day: Jennifer Lawrence Reflects on Pregnancy & Motherhood in the Wake of Roe Reversal
“The morning after I gave birth, I felt like my whole life had started over. Like, Now is day one of my life,” Jennifer Lawrence recalls in a new feature for Vogue. “I just stared. I...
Doc from Saelyx Finna, Mia Imani, & Laurie Polisky Wins Gamechanger-Sandbox Accelerator Award
Director-producers Saelyx Finna, Mia Imani, and Laurie Polisky will make a documentary about dream technology and surveillance with the backing of Gamechanger Films and Sandbox Films. According to a...
Pick of the Day: “Loving Highsmith”
“Loving Highsmith” assumes that you are familiar, to some degree, with the work of author Patricia Highsmith — or at least the numerous screen adaptations of her novels, such as...
Venice 2022 Women Directors: Meet Georgia Oakley – “Blue Jean”
Georgia Oakley is a screenwriter and director with a particular fondness for convention-defying, female-led narratives. Her shorts have screened at dozens of international festivals, including SXSW,...
Venice 2022 Women Directors: Meet Soudade Kaadan – “Nezouh”
Soudade Kaadan is a Syrian director based in London. Her first feature fiction film, “The Day I Lost My Shadow,” was awarded the Lion of The Future for best debut at the 2018 Venice Film...
Cynthia Lowen’s Abortion Rights Doc “Battleground” to Be Released by Abramorama & ROCO Films
Most Americans support the legal right to abortion, and people from all backgrounds have abortions — so why is it such a polarizing issue? Why do anti-choicers have so much influence and...
Diane Davis’ Weinstein-Inspired Play “Complicity” to Make World Premiere This Fall, Illana Stein Directs
“Complicity,” Diane Davis’ play about the system that enables and protects sexual abuse in Hollywood — specifically the women who play a part in upholding that system —...
Trailer Watch: Jamila C. Gray Is a Rapper “On the Come Up” in Sanaa Lathan’s Feature Directorial Debut
“Once upon a time there was a girl named Bri/That’s me,” newcomer Jamila C. Gray informs us, via improvised spoken word, in the trailer for Sanaa Lathan’s Toronto Film...
Marlee Matlin Exec Producing Limited Series Based on Middle-Grade Holocaust Memoir “Signs of Survival”
A middle-grade memoir about two Jewish sisters, one Deaf and one hearing, fighting to survive during the Holocaust, is making its way to the small screen, with the help of Marlee Matlin. The Oscar...
Teaser Watch: Cate Blanchett Is a Conductor Fixated on Time, Power, and Art in Venice Pic “TÁR”
Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) understands the power she wields — and the power she doesn’t — in an atmospheric teaser for “TÁR.” The Venice Competition title appears to...
“Jane” Director Sabrina Jaglom Talks Depicting Teen Mental Health On-Screen
Sabrina Jaglom is an LA-native writer and director. This year, she released two scripted podcasts — QCode’s Rachel Brosnahan-starring “Listening In” and iHeartRadio’s...
Early Patricia Rozema Films Line Up Restoration/Distribution Deals at Kino Lorber and MUBI
Less than six months after her renowned debut feature, “I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing,” received a 4K restoration and new theatrical run, there’s word that several other early...
Amy Aniobi Developing Vanessa Walters’ Upcoming Novel “The Nigerwife” as HBO Series
HBO mainstay Amy Aniobi has yet another project in the works at the cabler. The “Insecure” writer-producer-director, “Two Dope Queens” showrunner, and recent “Rap...
Vanessa Paradis & Nina Hoss Will Resist the Nazi Occupation of Jersey in Vanessa Filho’s “Trespassers”
Vanessa Paradis and Nina Hoss will portray stepsisters, lovers, artists, and agents of the resistance in Vanessa Filho’s next feature. Screen Daily reports the actresses will star in...
Charlotte Gainsbourg Set to Be Honored at Zurich Film Festival
The 18th Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) will celebrate Charlotte Gainsbourg for her “exceptional acting.” According to a press release, the “Nymphomaniac” star will receive the...
Trailer Watch: Hillary Clinton & Chelsea Clinton Interview “Gutsy” Women in New Apple Docuseries
Hillary Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea Clinton, want to “shine a light on women who inspire us to bolder and braver,” “women who push us outside our comfort zone and make us...
Trailer Watch: Sandra Alvarez Takes a Look at the “InHospitable” U.S. Hospital System
“Today, what we see is that everyone but the one percent is at risk of financial disaster, from even a relatively minor healthcare encounter,” we are told in the new trailer for...
Apply Now: The Inaugural Black List x YouTube Originals Black Voices Creator Fellowship
The Black List’s latest initiative is spotlighting scribes “who can write exceptionally and authentically about the Black experience.” The organization behind the annual ranking of...
Sam Bee & Soledad O’Brien Have Comedic Docuseries About Women’s Healthcare Crisis in the Works
If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. That seems to be Samantha Bee and Soledad O’Brien’s take on the dumpster fire that is U.S. women’s healthcare. Bee and O’Brien are...
TV Academy Members from Marginalized Groups Report Underrep, Exclusion, & Ineffective DEI Practices
A new report from the Television Academy lays bare how much work the industry has to do if it ever truly wants to be diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Based on the findings from a survey of 4,128 TV...
Laura Poitras’ “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” Acquired by Neon Ahead of Venice Premiere
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” has yet to make its world premiere at Venice Film Festival or its subsequent outings at Toronto and New York Film Festivals, but it’s already been...
Pick of the Day: “Bad Sisters”
I’m pleased to confirm Sharon Horgan has made yet another slam-dunk of a show. She’s following up “Catastrophe,” “This Way Up,” “Motherland,”...
Pick of the Day: “The Legend of Molly Johnson”
At first blush, “The Legend of Molly Johnson” comes across as a white feminist story. It sets itself up as a Western about a heavily pregnant woman who can shoot as well as any man and...
Production Underway on “A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow,” Katherine Fairfax Wright Directing
Production on “A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow” has commenced in Yorkshire, England. The adaptation of Laura Taylor Namey’s YA bestseller hails from director Katherine...
Bryce Dallas Howard Made “So Much Less” Than Chris Pratt for “Jurassic World” Sequel, Less Than Orig Reported
In 2018, it was reported that Bryce Dallas Howard earned significantly less than co-lead Chris Pratt for “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” — she made $8 million to his $10 million....
Showrunner Coalition Sends Second Letter Issuing Abortion Safety Demands, Requires Studio Response by Labor Day
The coalition of women TV showrunners and creators demanding abortion safety plans from studios is not backing down. Following the non-response/fuck-you companies including Disney, Netflix, AppleTV+,...
Ashley Williams Teams Up with Hallmark to Launch Reciprocal Director Mentorship Program
Thanks to an idea from veteran character actress Ashley Williams, Hallmark Media is upping its support of women directors. A press release announced that Make Her Mark, a reciprocal director mentor...
Pick of the Day: “Girl Picture”
I wish I had come of age in the world of “Girl Picture.” Alli Haapasalo’s Sundance award winner follows three 17- or 18-year-old young women as they begin to figure out who they are...
Pick of the Day: “A League of Their Own”
I am sick to death of franchises and reboots, so I was a little bit trepidatious about Abbi Jacobson’s update of one of my favorite movies ever, “A League of Their Own.” (I...
Pick of the Day: “Emily the Criminal”
“Ingrid Goes West,” “The Little Hours,” “Black Bear,” “Happiest Season,” “Legion” — Aubrey Plaza has delivered some truly smart,...
Nothing but Empty Words from Studios Re: Female Showrunners’ Abortion Protection Demands
“I shouldn’t be surprised, I am, but I know I shouldn’t be.” This is what a signatory of the July 28 letter from 411 women TV showrunners and creators — in which the collective...
Michelle Yeoh to Receive Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Kirk Douglas Award
2022 is shaping up to be a very good year for Michelle Yeoh. She toplined the critical and commercial hit “Everything Everywhere All at Once” — which has become A24’s...
Trailer Watch: Marriage & Death Are Equally Appealing in “Catherine Called Birdy,” Lena Dunham’s TIFF Pic
Lady Catherine, who prefers to called Birdy (Bella Ramsey), does not want to get married. Can you blame her? She’s only in her teens and her father (Andrew Scott) just wants her to get hitched...
Women Directed 41 Percent of New York Film Fest’s 2022 Main Slate
The New York Film Festival (NYFF) has lined up titles from Kelly Reichardt, Claire Denis, Alice Diop, Joanna Hogg, and more for its Main Slate this year. Overall, women directed or co-directed 13 of...
Gina Prince-Bythewood & Karyn Kusama Among 400 Directors Supporting TV Execs’ Abortion Access Demands
Gina Prince-Bythewood, Karyn Kusama, Catherine Hardwicke, Alice Wu, and hundreds of other directors are standing in solidarity with the 411 women showrunners who sent a letter demanding media...
Journalist Emily Maitlis to Deliver James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture at Edinburgh TV Fest
Emily Maitlis, the journalist who made headlines for questioning Prince Andrew about his connections to Jeffrey Epstein in a jaw-dropping “Newsnight” interview, has been tapped to deliver...
Mary Harron’s “Dalíland” Set as TIFF 2022’s Closing Night Gala Film
The 2022 Toronto International Film Festival will be bookended by films directed by women. A couple weeks after the fest unveiled Sally El Hosaini’s “The Swimmers” as its Opening Night Gala, it...
Camilla Nielsson’s Political Doc “President” Banned in Zimbabwe
Camilla Nielsson’s “President,” a documentary following Nelson Chamisa’s challenge to incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa during Zimbabwe’s 2018 presidential race — the...
Quinta Brunson’s “Abbott Elementary” Wins Big at TCA Awards
The love for “Abbott Elementary” keeps pouring in. Quinta Brunson’s mockumentary about a group of intrepid teachers at an underfunded Philadelphia elementary school was the big...
Trailer Watch: Laura Mora Centers a Found Family in Her San Sebastián Pic “The Kings of the World”
Featuring a roster of non-professional actors, Laura Mora’s San Sebastián-bound “The Kings of the World” (“Los Reyes del Mundo”) follows a group of five boys, aged 12 to 19,...