BY Women and Hollywood
TIFF’s Documentary Program Includes Films from Rashida Jones, Alexis Bloom, & More
The Toronto International Film Festival is less than a month away, and the fest is dropping announcements almost daily. Today marks the unveiling of the fest’s Documentary and Midnight Madness...
Only One Woman-Directed Film Will Screen in Competition at 2018 Venice Fest
The Venice Film Festival announced the lineup for its 2018 edition and once again it is years behind in terms of representing women directors. Just eight films of the 64 screening in the fest’s...
Guest Post: Why I Made a Documentary About Domestic “Helpers” in Hong Kong
Guest Post by Joanna Bowers I moved to Hong Kong from Los Angeles in 2011 and quickly realized that I couldn’t have chosen two cities more different than one another. Leaving the sprawling,...
Study: Male Film Reviewers Outnumber Females Two to One
Last month a headline-making study from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative revealed just how overrepresented white male film critics were among the reviews of 2017’s top movies. (Spoiler...
Weekly Update for July 13 Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING THIS WEEK What Will People Say – Written and Directed by Iram Haq Sixteen-year-old Nisha (Maria Mozhdah) lives a double life. When out with her...
Guest Post: Why Making a Sci-Fi Film Inspired Me to Fight Destiny and Sexism
Guest Post by Morgan Lariah “Anatomy is destiny, and you, Morgan, are going to have a very hard time.” I was freshly 18 and a new student at Hollywood’s American Academy of Dramatic Arts when...
Weekly Update for July 6 Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING THIS WEEK Whitney (Documentary) With over 200 million album sales worldwide, and remaining the only artist to chart seven consecutive U.S. No. 1’s,...
Academy Invites 928 New Members, 49% Are Women and 38% POC
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited a record 928 people to join its ranks. As Variety reports, the Academy’s list of invitees has been growing steadily for three years....
Mariette Rissenbeek Named Co-Director of Berlinale, Becomes First Woman to Lead the Fest
German Films managing director Mariette Rissenbeek will be the Berlin International Film Festival’s (Berlinale) next executive director, making her the first woman to lead the fest....
Guest Post: When I Stopped Asking for Permission and Started Giving It
Guest Post by Katy-May Hudson It’s mid-2016. I’m an experimental artist writing, performing, and creating new work, mostly with the NY Neo Futurists. We have a normal president in the White House...
Guest Post: Why I Decided to Cut All the Men Out of “Star Wars” and What It Showed Me
Guest Post by Rebecca Harrison Last week, I published some preliminary findings from my research about gender and race in “Star Wars.” I’ve been a life-long fan of the films and...
New Study Finds Film Reviewers are “Overwhelmingly White and Male”
The importance of underrepresented voices on-screen and behind the scenes is finally gaining traction in mainstream media, but a significant piece of the puzzle is often overlooked: the influence of...
ReFrame Spotlights Gender-Balanced Films and TV with New Stamp
ReFrame, a project sponsored in part by the Sundance Institute and Women in Film, has announced a new tool in the quest to provide information on women’s representation, on-screen and behind...
Guest Post: Why I Made a Movie About A Woman Struggling with Mental Health
Guest Post by Sophie Max At the time of writing, my film “Callie” is nearing the end of post-production and preparing to enter the festival circuit. “Callie” is a tale of friendship,...
Guest Post: Is Blockchain a Fad or Will It Turn the Entertainment Industry on Its Head?
Guest Post by Heidi Philipsen Picture it: The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Fall semester in 1991. I was an omnipotent-feeling Gen X undergraduate student more interested in my independent...
Karma’s a Bitch
Women and Hollywood Founder Melissa Silverstein to Participate in Historic Event at Cannes
Saturday May 12th on the 6:30 pm red carpet event, 82 international key women players of the film industry — directors, crew members, actresses, producers, screenwriters, sales agents,...
Support Women at Cannes Film Festival!
Women and Hollywood is standing with our sisters in France, LE DEUXIEME REGARD, to be a part of the 5050×2020 campaign to push for gender equality in the film industry. LE DEUXIEME REGARD is a...
Guest Post: How I Learned to Listen to My Film as a Director and Editor
Guest Post by Rachel Shuman I make a living as a professional editor, working mostly on documentary films. I find the process of editing so engaging and creative that even when I don’t love the...
Mark Your Calendar for Cannes 2018’s Women’s Events
The Cannes Film Festival begins today and along with dozens of film screenings and parties, the fest will feature plenty of events dedicated to gender equality and feminism in film — including...
Guest Post: Why I Founded the American Pavilion at Cannes
Guest Post by Julie Sisk I first attended Cannes in 1989. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing there. As a young woman in the film business I was in between opportunities — so to speak...
Infographic: Women Directors at Cannes 2018 #SeeHerNow
The 2018 Cannes Film Festival is almost here. Beginning tomorrow, May 8, the renowned fest will screen films from veteran directors and newcomers alike. And, as per usual, the number of female...
Guest Post: Why I Launched a Streaming Platform
Guest Post by Melinda Prisco I’m incredibly lucky. Not only do I produce movies, but I get to distribute stunning world cinema on my streaming platform, Filmatique. I conceptualized Filmatique...
You’re Invited: Women and Hollywood Is Hosting a Networking Event at Cannes
If you’re attending the Cannes Film Festival this year, definitely mark your calendar for Women and Hollywood’s Networking Event. Hosted by Founder/Publisher Melissa Silverstein in collaboration...
Guest Post: Why I Was Determined to Make a Film About the First Female Psychoanalyst
Guest Post by Cordula Kablitz-Post Eight years ago, one year before her 150th birthday, I had the idea of doing a film about legendary German-Russian writer, philosopher, and first female...
Cathy Yan Eyed to Direct Margot Robbie Harley Quinn Movie
Cathy Yan is poised to make history. Deadline reports that the “Dead Pigs” director has been tapped to direct Warner Bro. and DC Entertainment’s upcoming Harley Quinn pic. Still untitled, the...
Tribeca 2018 Preview: Women-Directed Films About Cyber Bullying, Police Brutality, Barbie, and More
“Time for Ilhan”: Chris Newberry With timely docs and features about online harassment, investigative journalism in the age of Donald Trump, and surrogates in its program, the 2018 edition of...
You’re Invited: Women and Hollywood is Continuing the Conversation in Cannes
Heading to Cannes 2018 and interested in discussing topics such as securing funding, working collaboratively, and the lack of women-directed films screening in the fest’s Competition? Please join...
Nearly Half of “Luke Cage’s” New Season Is Women-Directed — A Major Change from Season 1
“Luke Cage” has undergone a major behind-the-scenes makeover. According to blackfilm.com, the Netflix superhero series’ sophomore outing will feature six episodes directed by...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Talya Tibbon — “Sky & Ground”
Interview by Kaidia Pickels Talya Tibbon is an award-winning director, producer, and writer. She’s worked in four continents documenting wide-ranging subjects such as street gangs, mass shooters...
MPAA Report 2017: Women-Centric Films Dominate and Females Account for 50 Percent of Moviegoers
Women continued to be a major presence and spending force at the movies last year. The MPAA has published its THEME — theatrical and home entertainment market environment — report for...
Jennifer Morrison on Exploring the World of an Outsider in Her Feature Debut “Sun Dogs”
Interview by Kelsey Moore Johnson Jennifer Morrison is an actress, producer, and director. Her acting credits include “Once Upon a Time,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “House.” She’s...
Guest Post: Why We Founded a Feminist Film Festival in Glasgow
Guest Post by Lauren Clarke and Kathi Kamleitner Conversation is how Femspectives started. About a year ago we were talking about women’s film festivals and their space in the wider film festival...
Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth Are Re-Teaming for “Men in Black” Spinoff — Let’s Talk About Pay
“Thor: Ragnarok” co-stars Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth are reuniting for another big budget project. Thompson is in talks to join Hemsworth in Sony’s “Men in Black” spinoff, Variety...
Check Out the Inclusion Rider Template
Interested in adopting the inclusion rider but unsure how to go about it? USC Annenberg’s Inclusion Initiative is here for you. The organization has released an inclusion rider template online....
Guest Post: How Starting a Film Festival Helped Expand My Social Awareness
Guest Post by Nora Armani Awareness is the first step towards reclaiming our rights as women. So long as we are unaware that we are experiencing inequality, and so long as we accept the status quo...
Women and Hollywood Joins WrapWomen’s Inaugural Power Women Summit
Women and Hollywood is joining Time’s Up, Women In Film (WIF), and more in supporting WrapWomen’s first ever Power Women Summit. Taking place November 1 and 2 in Los Angeles, the event will...
Guest Post: What I Learned From Making a Doc About a Refugee
Guest Post by Kate McCaslin Much of what I know about filmmaking I learned this year from a Sudanese refugee named Rebecca Mabior. I admit it’s peculiar given that I’ve worked in the film...
2018 Athena List Announced
The 2018 Athena Film Festival (AFF) is in full swing. Last night’s opening film, Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton’s “Battle of the Sexes,” was followed by a Q&A with Billie Jean King...
Valeska Grisebach on Exploring Heroes and Male Mythology in “Western”
Interview by Kelsey Moore Valeska Grisebach’s directorial debut, “Be My Star,” won the Critics’ Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Torino Film Festival’s main prize....
TV Actors and Writers Share Their Salaries Via Google Doc
Making salaries more transparent is a major step towards pay equality. Just look what happened when the world discovered the discrepancy between Michelle Williams and Mark Wahlberg’s compensation...
Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer Band Together for Favored Nations Deal on New Film
News of Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer’s on-screen reunion just got that much sweeter. “The Help” co-stars are re-teaming for a holiday comedy, and thanks to Jada Pinkett Smith, we now...
Guest Post: Why I Stepped in Front of the Camera for My Short About Grief and Aging
Guest Post by Susan Bay Nimoy In 1979 I was one of six women in the Directors Guild of America that confronted the male-run Hollywood machine by demanding more directing opportunities for women....
Oscar Noms: Greta Gerwig Up for Best Director, “Mudbound’s” Dee Rees & Rachel Morrison Make History
Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson is moving up from her high school production of “Merrily We Roll Along” all the way to the Academy Awards. Oscar nominations are in, and Greta Gerwig’s...
Guest Post: Why I Made a #MeToo PSA With a Team of Survivors
Guest Post by Summera Howell In recent months outcries of “me too” have rocked Hollywood, politics, and America. As woman after woman has come forth, each voice has strengthened the roar. A...
Quote of the Day: Ellen Pompeo on Asking for What She Deserves
Equal pay in Hollywood is back in the news in the wake of Michelle Williams and Mark Wahlberg’s wildly different paydays for “All the Money in the World’s” reshoots becoming public...
Sundance 2018 Preview: Films About the Apocalypse, LGBTQ Teens, RBG, and More
“On Her Shoulders” The Sundance Film Festival begins this Thursday, January 18 and as expected, there are tons of exciting projects by and about women. For those of you making the trek to Park...
Guest Post: Mary Pickford, Frances Marion, and the Influence of Women in Hollywood’s Early Days
Guest Post by Melanie Benjamin Some of the highest grossing and critically-acclaimed films released last year were by and about women. 2017 was somewhat of a banner year for women in Hollywood,...
BAFTA Nominations: For the Fifth Year in a Row, Women Are Shut Out of Best Director Race
BAFTA nominations are in, and for the fifth year in a row, exactly zero women are nominated in the best director category. As Variety reports, the last female director to score a nod was Kathryn...
Join the #GoldenRobes Initiative to Recognize Women & Minority Filmmakers
Disappointed by the lack of Golden Globes love for “Ladybird’s” Greta Gerwig, “Wonder Woman,” and “Mudbound”? You’re not alone — and there’s an initiative you can participate...
Guest Post: The Importance of Amplifying Quieter Voices in Film
Guest Post by Elhum Shakerifar At the end of 2017, I was humbled to accept the Women in Film and TV Factual Award. The award recognizes outstanding achievement in news, factual programming, current...