BY Women and Hollywood
CBS Orders Military Family Pilot from Writer Becky Mode and Exec Producer Sarah Timberman
CBS has ordered a pilot centered on two influential families in a military community from former “Smash” writer Becky Mode. “Four Stars” is set in Tampa, Florida, where the high-ranking...
Watch: ‘Natural Woman’ Singer Carole King Revisits Her Breakthrough Album in New PBS Doc
Adele is currently lighting up the Billboard charts and setting records, but she’s far from the first songstress to dominate the airwaves. An upcoming episode of PBS’s “American Masters”...
Dawn Porter’s Abortion Doc ‘Trapped’ Gets Distribution Deal
Dawn Porter’s “Trapped” has landed a distribution deal. Trilogy Films, Big Mouth Productions, Cedar Creek Productions and Chicken & Egg Pictures have announced a partnership with Ro*Co...
Trailer Watch: A Single Mom Falls for a Provincial “Hick” in Julie Delpy’s ‘Lolo’
“How can you think I’d be interested in two hot 20-year-old blondes?” asks Violette’s new beau, Jean-René, when she finds him asleep between a pair of them in the trailer for Julie...
The Orchard Acquires Sundance Hit ‘Christine’ Starring Rebecca Hall
The Orchard has secured all North American rights to Antonio Campos’s “Christine.” The film, which stars Rebecca Hall in the titular role, is based on the story of television reporter Christine...
Paul Feig Named As the Recipient of the Inaugural Athena Leading Man Award at Athena Film Fest
Paul Feig has been named the recipient of the inaugural Athena Leading Man Award by the Athena Film Festival, an annual celebration of women and leadership. The “Ghostbusters” helmer is the first...
Samantha Bee Is Poised To Change The World of Late-Night TV with ‘Full Frontal’
When Jon Stewart announced he was stepping down from “The Daily Show,” many prospective successor names were thrown around — one of the most obvious being Samantha Bee, the show’s most...
Punk-Rock Horror and Women Who Just Rock: February 2016’s Crowdfunding Picks
This roundup of women-centric crowdfunding projects has a little something for every kind of movie fan. The horrors of motherhood, grief and repeating the mistakes of the past are explored in...
Trailer Watch: Agyness Deyn Is A Resilient Heroine in Epic Drama ‘Sunset Song’
A new U.S. trailer has been released for Brit auteur Terence Davies’s latest, “Sunset Song,” which puts young heroine Chris (Agyness Deyn, “Clash of the Titans”) front and center. The film...
Listen: Women & Hollywood Podcast #22: ‘What Happened, Miss Simone?’ Director Liz Garbus
Liz Garbus’s “What Happened, Miss Simone?” is the sole woman-helmed documentary in the running for this year’s Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards. The Netflix doc, which features...
Tina Fey’s Production Company Signs First-Look Deal with Universal
Tina Fey’s production company, Little Stranger, has made a first-look deal with Universal. The studio just released “Sisters,” Fey’s most recent film with long-time collaborator Amy Poehler....
Quote of the Day: America Ferrera Says “The Playing Field Isn’t Level and Equal”
America Ferrera is weighing in on Hollywood’s diversity problem(s), and not for the first time. The former “Ugly Betty” star’s bit with Eva Longoria at this year’s Golden Globes was easily...
Ava DuVernay’s Array Acquires Amanda Marsalis’s Romantic Drama ‘Echo Park’
Array — the film collective founded by director Ava DuVernay dedicated to the amplification of films by people of color and women — has announced indie film “Echo Park” as its...
Trailer Watch: Emilia Clarke Finds Unexpected Love in Thea Sharrock’s ‘Me Before You’
“Me Before You” sees Emilia Clarke switching gears from leading armies — and dragon sidekicks — in “Game of Thrones” to taking on the role of caregiver. Clarke plays Louisa, a...
Jessica Chastain to Star in Susanna White’s Native American Period Drama ‘Woman Walks Ahead’
Jessica Chastain is in talks to star in “Woman Walks Ahead,” Susanna White’s upcoming Native American period drama set in the 19th century. Chastain, a longtime advocate for diversity in the...
New Season of ‘America ReFramed’ Features Diverse Docs By and About Women
The fourth season of documentary series “America ReFramed” premiered this week on World Channel. The series, which features the work of emerging and veteran filmmakers alike, aims to shine a...
SXSW Announces Most of Its 2016 Lineup: Competition Sections Are 40% Female-Helmed
South by Southwest has announced the bulk of its 2016 lineup, and eight of twenty films in competition are female-helmed or co-helmed: That amounts to a not-at-all shabby 40%. In 2015, only 25% of...
‘Fresh Off the Boat’ Breakout Constance Wu to Star in Feature Debut from Jennifer Cho Suhr
Constance Wu — who has attracted rave reviews for her role as Jessica Huang in the ABC sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat” — is set to hone her dramatic skills in independent feature “You...
Watch: Dame Helen Mirren Has Choice Words for Drunk Drivers in New Beer Ad
Helen Mirren has teamed up with Budweiser for its newly launched #GiveADamn campaign. The Dame is advertising beer in a Super Bowl Commercial while simultaneously laying the verbal smackdown on beer...
Trailer Watch: Festival Hit ‘Mavis!’ Tells Story of Legendary Singer and Activist Mavis Staples
HBO has released a trailer for highly-anticipated documentary feature “Mavis!,” which chronicles the life and times of legendary gospel and soul singer Mavis Staples. The trailer opens with...
Guest Post: The Screenwriter of ‘Tumbledown’ on The Challenges of Making Women-Centric Movies
My cinematic coming of age happened in Paris on a post-collegiate Rotary fellowship. In the 6th arrondissement, where there are almost as many cinemas as there are impeccably-dressed women wearing...
Julie Menin Named New Media and Entertainment Commissioner for New York City
Julie Menin will take over as Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment in New York City. Menin, who is currently the Consumer Affairs Commissioner for the city, follows Cynthia...
HBO’s Anita Hill Film Starring Kerry Washington Gets a Premiere Date
A premiere date for “Confirmation” has at long last been confirmed: the HBO film starring Kerry Washington will debut on the premium cable network Saturday, April 16 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT)....
American Girl Programming Coming To Amazon Prime
Amazon has made a multimillion dollar addition to its kids’ content line-up, signing a deal with American Girl to bring programming based on the doll brand’s characters to Amazon Prime later this...
Trailer Watch: A Young Woman is Accused of Witchcraft in Sundance Winner ‘The Witch’
“The Witch” has been terrifying audiences and earning glowing reviews on the festival circuit since it premiered last year at Sundance — and took home the Directing Award in the U.S....
Ondi Timoner to Direct Biopic of Robert Mapplethorpe Starring Zosia Mamet and Matt Smith
Writer, producer, director and all-round Renaissance woman Ondi Timoner wil helm a biopic of American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Former “Doctor Who” star Matt Smith will take on the role...
Viola Davis Makes History on the Cover of Vanity Fair’s 2016 Hollywood Issue
The cover of Vanity Fair’s 2016 Hollywood Issue has been unveiled, and all of the stars being celebrated are women. This is, of course, no accident: The cover is making a statement. Admittedly,...
‘Good Wife’ Actress Archie Panjabi Lands Leading Role in ABC Drama Pilot ‘The Jury’
It looks like Archie Panjabi has found the perfect follow-up to her Emmy Award-winning role as Kalinda in “The Good Wife,” and is set to star in her very own vehicle. The London-born actress has...
Keira Knightley to Star in Biopic from ‘Carol’ Producers About Bisexual French Writer Colette
Keira Knightley is teaming up with the producers behind “Carol,” Number 9 Films (Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley) and Killer Films (Christine Vachon and Pam Koffler). The Oscar-nominated...
Marty, Bobby and Me: An Excerpt from ‘KooKooLand,’ a New Memoir by Gloria Norris
This excerpt from my new book, “KooKooLand,” describes a time, in the fall of 1978, when I was an aspiring filmmaker in New York City. I’d spent the previous year working for no pay on a...
Sundance Hit ‘The Eagle Huntress’ Acquired by Sony Pictures Classics
“The Eagle Huntress” has found a home at Sony Pictures Classics. The crowd-pleasing Sundance documentary chronicles a 13-year-old Mongolian girl’s attempt to challenge 2,000 years of tradition...
‘Gilmore Girls’ Gets 4 Movie-Length Episodes With Original Cast
Netflix has given the green light to what’s being billed as the “Gilmore Girls’” final season. Series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel will return for...
Mary Harron to Direct Manson-Followers Movie ‘The Family’
Mary Harron has signed on to helm “The Family,” a portrait of Charles Manson’s female followers in prison after the Tate-LaBianca murder trials. Harron will collaborate once more with her...
Jennifer Aniston to Star as Real-Life Female Sports Manager in ‘The Fixer’
Jennifer Aniston will play sports manager Denise White in a newly announced project for the increasingly diversifying actress. “The Fixer” is based on a pitch from “Dallas Buyers Club”...
Trailer Watch: AnnaSophia Robb Struggles As Teenage Autism-Caretaker in ‘Jack of the Red Hearts’
Get your hankies out: you’ll need it for the feel-good weepie “Jack of the Red Hearts.” An unfortunate turn of events finds orphaned 18-year-old Jack (AnnaSophia Robb, “The Carrie...
Debuts From Female Filmmakers Win Three of Sundance 2016’s Top Four Awards
Three of Sundance 2016’s top four awards were bestowed on feature debuts from women directors. Elyse Steinberg and Josh Kriegman’s “Weiner,” a portrait of disgraced politician Anthony...
Phyllida Lloyd to Direct All-Female ‘Taming of the Shrew’ for Shakespeare in the Park
Leading theater director Phyllida Lloyd will helm an all-female adaptation of “The Taming of the Shrew” for Shakespeare in the Park’s 2016 season. Cush Jumbo will star as Katherina and Janet...
Weekly Update for January 29: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week Jane Got a Gun A woman (Natalie Portman) asks her ex-lover (Joel Edgerton) for help in order to save her outlaw husband (Noel Emmerich) from a gang out to kill...
Which Studios Have the Most Women in Decision-Making Roles?
In the midst of ongoing pressure on the film industry to embrace gender and racial inclusion, particularly at the studio level, The Hollywood Reporter has published a “diversity scorecard” for...
Trailer Watch: Amateur Opera Singer Screeches Toward Stardom in ‘Marguerite’
“There are two ways to live life,” explains the titular character of “Marguerite” in a new trailer for the film. “We can dream it or achieve it.” Marguerite (Catherine Frot, “Family...
Clea Duvall’s Directorial Debut ‘The Intervention’ Acquired By Paramount
Clea Duvall first effort behind the camera has paid off in spades. The character actress’s directorial debut, “The Intervention,” has been sold for “just north of $2 million” at Sundance...
Julia Roberts to Play Erin Brockovich-like Prisoners’ Rights Crusader in ‘ADX’
Julia Roberts is set to star in and produce “ADX,” about a real-life attorney’s fight to improve conditions at America’s only supermax prison. The HBO Films project is based on the NY Times...
The Trials of Marcia Clark: Sarah Paulson in ‘American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson’
Kathryn Bigelow Announces Next Film: Drama About 1967 Detroit Riots
More than three years after the release of her last film (“Zero Dark Thirty”), Kathryn Bigelow has finally announced her next project. The first and only woman filmmaker to ever win the Best...
Varda On Demand: Two Newly Restored Films from Legendary Feminist Filmmaker to Stream
Two newly restored films from the doyen of feminist filmmaking are set for VOD release. Agnès Varda made the relatively neglected “Jane B. By Agnès V.” and “Kung-Fu Master!” in 1988, with...
Kelly Reichardt Retrospective to Tour Europe
After her latest feature, “Certain Women,” gained unanimously rapturous reviews out of Sundance, Kelly Reichardt will have her filmography travel Europe in a career-long retrospective. The...
Trailer Watch: A Gymnastics Diva Refuses to Grow Up in ‘The Bronze’
Hope Gregory (Melissa Rauch, “The Big Bang Theory”) was an Olympic athlete, but when we’re introduced to her in the trailer for “The Bronze,” the gymnast’s glory days are long behind...
Chloë Sevigny’s Directorial Debut Headlines Refinery29 Female Filmmaker Short Film Series
Lifestyle website Refinery29 is putting female filmmakers in the spotlight with a series of short films. The appropriately named ShatterBox Anthology promises to showcase the work of an array of...
ABC Picks Up Legal Drama and Soccer Comedy Pilots From ‘Jessica Jones’ and ‘Will & Grace’ Writers
ABC has picked up the pilots of two women-created and -written series. “Jessica Jones” writer Liz Friedman received a formal pilot order from the network for “Conviction,” while Kari Lizer,...
Sundance Deals: ‘Audrie and Daisy’ to Netflix, ‘Weiner’ to Hulu and Showtime
Two high-profile docs that made their world premieres at Sundance 2016 have found new distribution deals. Netflix acquired all rights to Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk’s “Audrie & Daisy,” about...
February 2016 Film Preview
February’s slate of female-centric and/or women-directed films begins with “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” — a fun spin on the Jane Austen classic that takes the Elizabeth Bennett’s...