BY Women and Hollywood
Sundance 2020 Preview: #MeToo Stories, a Gloria Steinem Biopic, Biased Technology, & More
The 2020 Sundance Film Festival kicks off Thursday and its slate is packed with titles by and about women. Women and Hollywood has put together a rundown of some of the buzziest films screening in...
Weekly Update for January 17: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Troop Zero – Directed by Bert & Bertie; Written by Lucy Alibar (Available on Amazon Prime) Nine-year-old oddball Christmas Flint (Mckenna Grace) is obsessed with...
Guest Post: Tired of Playing the Replaceable Wife, I Decided to Pursue Directing
Guest Post by Ashley Williams I’d been counting the calls. The phone in my back pocket buzzed for the 10th time. Or was it the 11th? I still didn’t reach for it. Her face flashed in my head....
Cate Blanchett Will Be Jury President at 2020 Venice Film Festival
Well, maybe the 77th Venice International Film Festival will include more than one or two woman-directed features in competition. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cate Blanchett has been named...
2020 Oscar Noms: Women Shut Out of Directing Race (Yet Again) But Clean Up in Doc Category
The Academy Awards is celebrating its 92nd edition this year. Nominees for the biggest awards show of the season just dropped, and women directors have been excluded from the best director category...
Weekly Update for January 10: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Like a Boss Best friends Mia (Tiffany Haddish) and Mel (Rose Byrne) are living their best lives, running the cosmetics company they’ve built from the ground up....
“Booksmart” and “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” Among Dorian Award and GLAAD Media Award Nominees
The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics’ (GALECA) has announced the nominees for their annual Dorian Awards. Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” received a...
Golden Globes: Awkwafina Makes History, Kate McKinnon Pays Tribute To Ellen DeGeneres
Awkwafina celebrated a historic win at last night’s Golden Globe Awards. The “Crazy Rich Asians” breakout was named best lead actress in a movie comedy/musical for “The...
Weekly Update for January 3: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Grudge After a young mother murders her family in her own house, a detective (Andrea Riseborough) attempts to investigate the mysterious case, only to discover that the...
Research: Women Directors Hit 13-Year High in 2019 But WOC Remain Especially Underrepresented
We’re ushering in 2020 with some good news and some bad news. Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative just dropped their latest report, “Inclusion in the...
Happy Holidays from the Women and Hollywood Team
Happy holidays. Thank you for continuing to support Women and Hollywood. We’ll be returning to our desks in the new year. – Melissa, Laura, Rachel, and Mariana
15 Most Anticipated Films By and About Women of 2020
By Jenna Dorsi and Sophie Willard It’s time to say goodbye to 2019 and hello to a new year full of films by and about women. Women and Hollywood has compiled a helpful guide of 15 of the...
Weekly Update for December 20: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Season’s greetings from Women and Hollywood. We’re getting ready to go on break, so this will be our last Weekly Update of the year. We’ll resume the feature on January 3. Happy...
2019’s Best Films By and About Women
Adaptations of classic novels, feminist takes on the One Crazy Night trope, true stories based on actual lies — 2019 has been a superb year for women in film. From “Portrait of a Lady on...
Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton Are “Still Working 9 to 5” in This Exclusive Trailer
Today, December 19, marks the 39th anniversary of “9 to 5’s” release. And the topics the beloved comedy tackled — equal pay, sexual harassment, childcare, women’s...
The Biggest Moments of the Decade for Women in Film
The fight for gender equality and inclusion in show business is very much one step forward, two steps back. Just consider the 2020 Golden Globe nominations: even though there were a bunch of great...
Guest Post: What TV Commissioning Data Can Tell Us About the Longevity of the “#MeToo Moment”
Guest Post by Alice Thorpe By now, we are used to hearing the gains made by women in the U.S. film and TV industries in recent years described as a “moment.” We are still regularly assured that...
The 2019 Black List Has Been Unveiled
As 2019 wraps up, it’s time to look onward. The Black List has unveiled its 2019 edition, offering a peek at what stories we’ll — hopefully — get the chance to see on the big...
2019’s Best Documentaries By and About Women
Women-directed docs have been a major part of the awards conversation all year — if only we could say the same about equally deserving titles in the narrative world. Our favorite documentaries...
Women and Hollywood, WIF LA, and NYWIFT Launch #VoteForWomen Awards Campaign
What if awards ballots featured all women candidates in every category, instead of the usual one or zero? What if women directors, writers, DPs, editors, and other crew members were the subject of...
2019’s Best Television Created By and About Women
It’s been an exciting year for television, especially women-driven television. Long-anticipated projects on new streamers, such as Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show,” finally...
“Frozen 2” Tops $1 Billion Worldwide
“Frozen 2” is on fire. Elsa and Anna’s second adventure has officially taken in more than $1 billion worldwide, Deadline reports. As of Saturday, the Disney sequel has grossed $666...
Weekly Update for December 13: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Black Christmas – Directed by Sophia Takal; Written by Sophia Takal and April Wolfe Hawthorne College is quieting down for the holidays. But as Riley Stone (Imogen...
Women and Hollywood’s Picks of the Week for December 12
Picks of the Week offers Women and Hollywood’s top recommendations — women-driven and women-made movies, series, VOD releases, and more — and tells you why they are worth your time and...
Guest Post: Want to Increase the Number of Women Feature Directors? Look to TV
Guest Post by Rachel Feldman 2019 is a banner year for international women directors, with 30 percent of the International Oscar contenders being female — and brava! Plenty of excellent...
Gretchen Carlson Teams Up with Fellow Fox News Plaintiffs to End Mandatory NDAs
Gretchen Carlson is working to ban mandatory Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), confidentiality contracts that protect high-profile predators and the companies who hired them, while preventing victims...
IDA Documentary Awards Winners: “For Sama,” “American Factory,” & More
“For Sama” took home the top honor at this year’s IDA Documentary Awards, held Saturday in LA. Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts received the Best Feature Documentary Award for the...
Golden Globe Nominations: Women Directors Are Shut Out Yet Again
The 2020 Golden Globe nominations are in. Since 2010, 50 filmmakers have been nominated for Best Director at the ceremony. Just two of them have been women: Kathryn Bigelow (“Zero Dark...
Feminist Collective Urges European Film Academy Not to Honor Polanski’s New Film in Open Letter
Roman Polanski’s latest film, “An Officer and a Spy,” won four awards at Venice Film Festival this year and received a theatrical release in France and several other countries...
Weekly Update for November 27: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Ximei (Documentary) – Directed by Gaylen Ross and Andy Cohen (Opens in NY November 29) “Ximei” Ximei is a young peasant woman from rural Henan Province who...
BBC Celebrates the 100 Greatest Films Directed by Women
BBC Culture just dropped its most comprehensive international poll of film experts ever, with votes from 368 critics in 84 countries, including Women and Hollywood Founder and Publisher Melissa...
Weekly Update for November 22: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Frozen II – Directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck; Written by Allison Schroeder Why was Elsa (Idina Menzel) born with magical powers? What truths about the past...
Guest Post: How I Made the Switch from Working in Finance to Producing an Oscar Contender
Guest Post by Alexa Khan After graduating from college, I embarked on a very successful and lucrative career in finance — yet I felt stuck in life. Although I loved the sense of accomplishment,...
Women and Hollywood’s Picks of the Week for November 21
Picks of the Week offers Women and Hollywood’s top recommendations — women-driven and women-made movies, series, VOD releases, and more — and tells you why they are worth your time and...
Variety’s 2020 Directors to Watch List Includes Mati Diop, Shannon Murphy, & More
As the year winds down and awards season heats up, Variety is looking onward and celebrating rising talents. The trade just announced its 2020 Directors to Watch list, and of 10 filmmakers featured,...
Paramount’s 2020 Slate Includes 16 Movies, and Just One Is Directed by a Woman
Paramount’s current 2020 film slate includes 16 films, and exactly one of them is directed by a woman: Reed Morano’s Blake Lively-starrer “The Rhythm Section.” As it stands,...
Weekly Update for November 15: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Charlie’s Angels – Written and Directed by Elizabeth Banks Elizabeth Banks takes the helm as the next generation of fearless Charlie’s Angels takes flight. In...
Women and Hollywood’s Picks of the Week for November 14
Picks of the Week offers Women and Hollywood’s top recommendations — women-driven and women-made movies, series, VOD releases, and more — and tells you why they are worth your time and...
You’re Invited: Join Women and Hollywood for a Meet-Up in London
If you’ll be in London on December 4, you should drop by the Curzon Soho theater: Women and Hollywood’s Melissa Silverstein will be hosting a meet-up in its downstairs alcove. Please join...
Weekly Update for November 8: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Women and Hollywood is organizing a casual meeting in London in the early evening of December 4. If you’re interested in participating, please email Melissa Silverstein...
Women and Hollywood’s Picks of the Week for November 7
Picks of the Week offers Women and Hollywood’s top recommendations — women-driven and women-made movies, series, VOD releases, and more — and tells you why they are worth your time and...
Apply Now: Women and Hollywood Internship
Women and Hollywood is looking for two interns for the first half of 2020. The position will begin on January 2 and end July 1. Applicants must be willing to commit to 10-15 hours per week for the...
Weekly Update for November 1: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Harriet – Directed by Kasi Lemmons; Written by Kasi Lemmons and Gregory Allen Howard I seriously can’t believe that it has taken this long to tell the story of...
“The Woman Who Loves Giraffes” Lands Distribution
“The Woman Who Loves Giraffes” is heading to theaters. Zeitgeist Films in association with Kino Lorber snagged U.S. rights to Alison Reid’s documentary about Canadian zoologist,...
Women and Hollywood’s Picks of the Week for October 31
Picks of the Week offers Women and Hollywood’s top recommendations — women-driven and women-made movies, series, VOD releases, and more — and tells you why they are worth your time and...
IDFA 2019 Lineup Marks Highest Percentage of Women Directors in Fest’s History
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam’s (IDFA) 2019 program marks “the highest percentage of female filmmakers in the event’s 31-year history: 64% of competition titles and...
Weekly Update for October 25: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Paradise Hills – Directed by Alice Waddington (Available on VOD November 1) On an isolated island, Uma (Emma Roberts) wakes up to find herself at Paradise Hills, a...
Women and Hollywood’s Picks of the Week for October 24
Picks of the Week offers Women and Hollywood’s top recommendations — women-driven and women-made movies, series, VOD releases, and more — and tells you why they are worth your time and...
IDA Documentary Awards Announces 2019 Noms, Women Dominate Best Director Race
Nominations for the 35th Annual IDA Documentary Awards have been announced, and films helmed by women dominate. Of 10 Best Feature nominees, six are directed or co-directed by women. Titles in the...
Weekly Update for October 18: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Maleficent: Mistress of Evil – Written by Linda Woolverton, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, and Noah Harpster There’s a lot of awesome woman power on-screen in this sequel to...
Göteborg Film Fest’s 2020 Edition Will Be 50 Percent Women-Directed
Most film festival organizers believe in gender equality — in theory. In practice, they talk about the importance of parity but sometimes there is no real plan and sometimes it’s about...