BY Women and Hollywood
Sofia Coppola Directs Natalie Portman in Dior Ad
At least a woman director is now getting some of the bucks for a commercial. I’m thinking that I’ve reached the Natalie Portman saturation point.
Tina Fey Stands Up for Working Moms (and Working Women) in Hollywood
I know that I am late to the game on this piece but I just read it over the weekend and there are some interesting things to discuss. First, I don’t think I can remember a woman as visible (in the...
Guest Post: Women of Cinematic Arts Inaugural Film Festival by Katherine Bowman
Women of Cinematic Arts held its inaugural film festival on February 5 at the Ray Stark Family Theatre at the University of Southern California. The festival featured new and upcoming filmmakers with...
Trailer Watch: Cracks Directed and Co-Written by Jordan Scott
Will open in the US on March 18
Guest Post: An Oscar Nominee Attends the Nomination Luncheon by Sara Nesson, director Poster Girl
I am a first time director, first time Oscar Nominee and first time blogger. Over the last 3½ years while making Poster Girl I have made little attempt to record my experiences, which I know I will...
Hollywood Trusts First Time Male Directors With Big Budget Flicks
The Hollywood Reporter just published a story that highlights a current trend in Hollywood — hiring first time dudes to direct big budget flicks. That doesn’t feel like news to me, but again...
Bird’s Eye View Film Festival Trailer
If I was going to be in London this March, this is the place I would be. Bird’s Eye View Film Festival
Christine Lahti and Maria Bello Book Pilots
Not only are Hollywood directors booking pilot gigs, but TV has become the place for female actresses over 40 whose names are not Meryl Streep or Helen Mirren to get substantive gigs. Christine Lahti...
Hollywood Hates Emma Watson’s Hair
For an industry that puts wigs on everyone all the time the blow back that Emma Watson has gotten over her pixie cut seems bizarre. Emma couldn’t cut her hair for a decade while she filmed the...
Kimberly Peirce Gets a Studio Directing Gig
Interesting News — director Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry, Stop-Loss) just got a gig directing The Knife for Universal and Imagine. The reason why this is interesting is because so few...
No Shocker — Hollywood is Sexist and Ageist
I spend a lot of time talking about the plight of women directors, but make no mistake it is just as bad for women writers. The latest statistics show that only 10% of the top 250 grossing films...
New Directors/New Films — The Women
I always looks at the lineup of New Directors/New Films as a kind of Sundance east because some of the best of Sundance inevitably make it to NYC for this festival. Some highlights from Sundance will...
Meet the New Wonder Woman — Adrianne Palicki
I don’t know why I am so excited about this, but I am. I loved Adrianne on Friday Night Lights. I’m just gonna hope the show doesn’t suck. Scoop: TV’s New Wonder Woman Is Friday Night...
Trailer Watch: Cinema Verite directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini
Now we know- reality TV is all their fault.
New Directors/New Films – The Women
I always looks at the lineup of New Directors/New Films as a kind of Sundance east because some of the best of Sundance inevitably make it to NYC for this festival. Some highlights from Sundance...
House Actress Lisa Edelstein Stands Up for Abortion Rights
Here’s the new ad from Move on.org
Airbrushing Helen Mirren
Here is Helen Mirren in the Arthur poster and Helen Mirren in real life. Doesn’t her head look too big for her body in the Arthur poster?
Some News Missed Over the Last Week
Vera Farmiga’s Sundance film Higher Ground got picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics. (Deadline) Charlize Theron joins Noomi Rapace in Prometheus. (MTV) Nicole Kidman and Rachel...
Trailer Watch: Oranges and Sunshine
Stars Emily Watson. Opens in the UK on April 1
Clip from Social Media Week Panel on Marketing Films to Women
PepsiCo sponsored a Social Media Week panel on film industry and how social media is being used to engage women and build audience. Here are some highlights from panelists including: * Melissa...
Barbra Streisand on the Grammys
In case you missed it
Guest Post: The Athena Film Festival Kicks Off by Kathleen Sweeney
The Athena Film Festival kicked off last night at Barnard College with an awards ceremony honoring the breakthrough achievements of thirteen extraordinary film world mavericks. Citing them as her...
INAUGURAL ATHENA FILM FESTIVAL: A CELEBRATION OF WOMEN AND LEADERSHIP
This is why you won’t see any new blog posts until next week- Hope to see you there INAUGURAL ATHENA FILM FESTIVALA CELEBRATION OF WOMEN AND LEADERSHIPNYC’s First Film Festival Focusing on...
Meryl as Maggie
They are on week two of filming. Film is directed by Phyllida Lloyd and written by Abi Morgan. Footage will be screened at Cannes. No US distributor yet.
Melissa Leo Goes for Her Oscar and Future
Melissa Leo wants to make sure that this year her Oscar campaign ends with a win. It also looks like she wants to get another gig. This woman has some serious guts to put herself out there with these...
Where’s Lisa Cholodenko’s Next Movie?
This is what came into my email last week. While I have nothing against Affleck, and his film The Town made money, it just made me think, where’s Lisa Cholodenko’s next gig? I know that Debra...
Kristin Schaal’s WGA Opening
Schaal hosted the east coast segment of the WGA Awards on Saturday evening. This will hopefully put her on the map for other awards shows. She rocked.
Panel Alert: How Social Media Can Be used to Help Build the Women’s Audience for Films
I’m going to be moderating and participating on this panel sponsored by Pepsico in advance of the Athena Film Festival later this week. Event Title: “How Social Media Can Be used to Help Build...
Latest Female Casting News
Now that Hollywood has secured an unknown Brit to take on the latest Superman reboot (and please tell why we need another Superman reboot; can’t people come up with something original), the search...
Trailer Watch: Yelling to the Sky Written and Directed by Victoria Mahoney
This film is going to Berlin and South by Southwest.
The Susan Smith Blackburn Finalists
This is the 33rd year of the awards that honor the most outstanding English written play by a woman. Julia Cho won the award in 2010. The 2011 nominees are (descriptions below):Lisa...
Trailer Watch: In a Better World Directed by Susanne Bier
This woman is a master. Her version of Brothers was way superior to the American remake and After the Wedding is stunning. She got screwed when she came here and made Things We Lost in the Fire. The...
Kristen Schaal Defines The Gray Areas of Rape on The Daily Show
As if there are any gray areas. She talks about rape rape, rapeesque (being raped by a famous penis), rapeish rape with benefits (date rape) and a rape mare. Home3
The Numbers Speak For Themselves
This is day two of crappy stats about women in the creative business — this time, the literary world. An organization named VIDA — Women in Literary Arts — has released a very...
Hollywood’s Top Earners
It’s time for Vanity Fair’s annual Hollywood issue and the cover always stirs controversy. This year they seem to have airbrushed in Robert Duvall, forgot to dress Olivia MunnWilde (I am...
Natalie Portman Focuses on Producing
Now that Portman is going to take some time off from being in front of the screen for her pregnancy, she is not going to just disappear. She’s ramped up her producing business handsomecharlie with...
Bridesmaids Trailer
I liked the poster and I am very mixed on the trailer. It really looks like it is a “Hangover” with women. Do women need to prove that we can fart and burp just as well as men? But I am still not...
The Celluloid Ceiling Just Keeps Getting Higher and Higher
Groundhog Day might be tomorrow, but it sure feels like today with the release of the new Celluloid Ceiling Study from Dr. Martha Lauzen Executive Director, Center for the Study of Women in...
Cross-Post: On TV, The Lesbians Are All Right… As Long As They’re Pregnant by Trish Bendix
Originally posted on Alternet This week, NBC announced it was working with ex-“Will & Grace” executive producer Jhoni Marchinko on a new half-hour sitcom called “I Hate That I Love You.“...
ABC Family Goes All Girl
Three new shows were given the green light yesterday and they all focus on young women. The good news is that the Jennifer Weiner (yes, the best-selling author) created show The Great State of...
Bridesmaids Poster
While I pretty much never want to see another wedding movie ever, I might just be interested in this one. I think the poster is very different. Those women look ready to rumble. The film is written...
The Bigelow Effect — Why We Care
Why do we care about women’s presence in the awards race? Specifically, why do we care so much about a woman getting nominated for best director? That is a great question raised in an very...
Sundance Deals and Award Winners
Sundance 2011 is over. The week started off with the NY Times article declaring that Sundance is a welcoming place for women directors, and it ended with a couple of women getting deals and awards....
The DGA Awards — Not a Single Female Winner
Last year we celebrated the fact that Kathryn Bigelow broke the cycle for women directors in the feature category at the DGA Awards, and this year we knew that a woman wouldn’t win, because none...
30 Rock Gives it to Mel Gibson
Totally awesome https://medium.com/media/1919bf14aa02c43fc768f7b45a0706e4/href
The Women’s Media Center Video From Sundance
Sundance might be a more welcoming place for women, but this video reminds us how much work there still is to be done. Women’s Media Center
When We Leave
German actress Feo Aladag makes her debut as writer and director with When We Leave, a moving film about how “honor” and “tradition” can lead to devastating consequences. The film tells the...
Focus Features Buys Pariah in Two Picture Deal With Dee Rees
Big news. A woman gets a seven figure deal. Focus Features the the studio that released The Kids Are All Right to great box office and critical success including its multiple Oscar nominations this...
Interview with Feo Aladag — writer and director of When We Leave
When We Leave, Germany’s entry for the Academy Awards, is written and directed by Feo Aladag. It is a powerful film that tells the story of a young Turkish German woman who leaves her unhappy and...
Top Grossing Comedy Actresses
The Hollywood Reporter has a list of the top grossing comedy films led by actresses and surprise your highest grossing female comedy actress in Meryl Streep. Her comedic films have earned $1.3...
The Game on BET Changes the Game for BET
The Game, created by Mara Brock Akil as a spin off from Girlfriends, languished with low ratings in its three years on the CW. It never was able to connect with a decent size audience and the CW...