BY Women and Hollywood
Trailer Watch: Michelle Dockery Leaves ‘Downton Abbey,’ Joins Sexy Thriller ‘Good Behavior’
Bye bye Lady Mary, hello hard-drinking, ex-con Letty Dobesh. TNT has released a preview for "Good Behavior," Michelle Dockery’s follow-up project to "Downton Abbey."...
HBO’s Anita Hill Film ‘Confirmation’ Starring Kerry Washington to Debut in April
Kerry Washington will show us a very different side of D.C. in "Confirmation," her upcoming Anita Hill biopic. Written by Susannah Grant ("Erin Brockovich,"...
2016 BAFTA Noms: Female-Centric Films Well-Represented, Women Directors Sorely Lacking
The BAFTA nominations are in. The good news: A female-centric film, "Carol," is tied for most nominations (with "Bridge of Spies"). The romance about a floundering shop girl...
‘Mustang’ Among Strongest Contenders for France’s Lumieres Awards
"Mustang," France’s 2015 submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, is also racking up nominations across the Atlantic. Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s directorial...
Trailer Watch: In Netflix’s Six-Decades-Spanning ‘The Crown,’ Being Queen Isn’t As Easy As It Looks
Netflix is betting big on Britannia. The streaming site has launched a four-minute trailer for its most expensive production to date, a six-season series about Queen Elizabeth II that spans the...
Jane Fonda Hosting Comedy Event to Support ERA
The Fund for Women’s Equality and the ERA Coalition are teaming up to host the inaugural "A Night of Comedy With Jane Fonda" event on Sunday, February 7 in New York City. Fonda...
Emma Stone in Talks to Star in Cruella de Vil Origin Story
If there’s anyone who can humanize a famous puppy-killer, it’s probably Emma Stone. So it makes a kind of sense that the actress is in talks to star in "Cruella," an...
‘Inside Amy Schumer,’ ‘Broad City,’ ‘Being Mary Jane’ and More Women-Centric Shows Renewed
Breathe a sigh of relief: lots of your favorite women-centric shows are coming back. Comedy Central has renewed "Inside Amy Schumer" for a fifth season, a seriously no-brainer...
Trailer Watch: Toni Braxton Sells Pain, Not Sex in Lifetime’s ‘Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart’
Toni Braxton is getting the biopic treatment. The singer, songwriter and music producer is the subject of Lifetime’s upcoming TV movie "Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart," for which an...
Jennifer Lopez Is Better Than ‘Shades of Blue’
J.Lo’s new character is a tough, complicated detective who slaps down bar pickup lines ("I don’t do witty banter"), can hold her own in a fight — and is as good at taking...
Quote of the Day: ‘American Crime’ Writer Julie Hébert on Why Diversity in the Writers Room Matters
"American Crime Story," the limited series that explores issues of race, class and justice through the lens of one story per season, received 10 Emmy nominations for its debut...
Disney Announces Five Female-Centric Pics for 2016, Only One Directed By Woman
Disney currently has 13 films scheduled for a 2016 release, and at least five of them will feature a female protagonist: "Zootopia," "Alice Through the Looking Glass,"...
Netflix Orders Therapist Thriller ‘Gypsy’ From Creator Lisa Rubin
Netflix has ordered a 10-episode debut season of creator Lisa Rubin’s "Gypsy." Premiering in 2017, the psychological thriller will center on "Jean Holloway, a therapist who...
Jennifer Lawrence on Planned Parenthood Shooting: “It’s an Attack on Women”
With her career-shifting Lenny letter about equal pay, Jennifer Lawrence announced that she’d become one of the biggest feminist voices in Hollywood. The actress has followed...
Can Caitlyn Jenner Help ‘Tangerine’ Star Mya Taylor Get an Oscar Nom?
"Tangerine" star Mya Taylor has a new fan — one who could potentially improve her odds of landing an Academy Award nomination. Caitlyn Jenner has come aboard the trans...
Hollywood Feminist of the Day: Ryan Coogler
Although the issue of Hollywood’s egregious lack of women directors has gone mainstream, we still don’t have very many prominent male filmmakers willing to speak out on behalf of their...
Quote of the Day: Dakota Johnson on Hollywood’s “Brutal and Absurd” Ageism
Dakota Johnson is only 26, but she’s seen enough of the film industry’s ageism — through her mother Melanie Griffith and her grandmother Tippi Hedren — to speak out against...
‘Force Awakens’ Merch Continues Sci-Fi/Superhero Franchises’ Pattern of Erasing Female Characters
The feminist force is strong with the latest "Star Wars" movie, which introduced the 38-year-old franchise’s first female protagonist in orphaned scavenger Rey, played by dynamo...
Tessa Thompson May Join Natalie Portman and Gina Rodriguez in Sci-Fi ‘Annihilation’
Tessa Thompson ("Creed," "Dear White People") has reportedly been approached to join Natalie Portman and Gina Rodriguez ("Jane the Virgin") in...
Watch: A Celebration of the Top-Grossing Women-Directed Films of 2015
Women and Hollywood is proud to unveil an original video celebrating the work of 2015’s highest-grossing women directors. The video captures some of the year’s most memorable moments in...
Guest Post: Gender Parity in Documentary Filmmaking Is A Fiction
Over the holiday break, I read many of the Oscar predictions that litter not just the trades but the various general interest "papers of record" this time of year. But I hardly saw a single...
Directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos on Challenges and Misconceptions About ‘Making a Murderer’
Since its debut on Netflix last month, the ten-part documentary miniseries "Making a Murderer" has dominated the water-cooler conversation. Below, we rerun an interview with directors Laura...
Crosspost: The Difficulties of Juggling Diversity Activism and a Directing Career in Hollywood
The following has been reposted from Lexi Alexander’s blog with permission of the author. Our version below includes minor edits. 2015 was an interesting year for me. After finally getting back...
Julie Delpy’s Romantic Comedy ‘Lolo’ to Be Released By FilmRise
Julie Delpy’s sixth feature will be distributed by FilmRise. The romantic comedy "Lolo" — which Delpy wrote, directed and stars in — will open March 11. The film...
January 2016 Film Preview
Dark and cold January creeps in on us with a number of equally dark tales of young women finding themselves in dangerous situations. In "The Forest," Natalie Dormer of "Game of...
A Thank You From the Women and Hollywood Team
Dear Women and Hollywood readers, Thank you for all your support in 2015. Happy holidays, and have a wonderful new year. We’ll be back on January 4, 2016. – Melissa, Inkoo,...
Weekly Update for December 23 and January 1: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This WeekJoy – Story by Annie Mumolo “Joy” is the story of a family across four generations and the woman (Jennifer Lawrence) who rises to become founder and...
18 Most Anticipated Films By and About Women in 2016
2016 is rushing swiftly upon us, so to kickstart celebrations, here’s a heads-up on 18 of the most exciting female-centric/women-directed films to watch out for in the coming months. Do...
The 11 Most Important Women of Color Moments of 2015
"Harry Potter" Gets More Inclusive: Hermione Will Be Played by a Black Actress The "Harry Potter" franchise — seven best-selling books, eight movies that struck...
Charlize Theron and David Fincher Developing Serial Killer-Catching Drama for Netflix
Charlize Theron will team up with David Fincher on a new crime series called "Mindhunter" for Netflix. Based on the book "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial...
Guest Post: From the Oscars Stage to Directors Jail: This Is What Sex Discrimination Looks Like
The following was originally posted on composer Michael Levine‘s Facebook page. It has been slightly edited below. Recently, I went to a screening of a 30-minute film called...
The 10 Best Female Performances of 2015
2015 has been an especially strong year for women on screen. Just consider how many actresses turned in performances that were deemed Oscar-worthy. We don’t think Hollywood’s leading...
Reese Witherspoon Continues to Push into TV With ABC Divorce Drama
With the pace of filmmaking so slow, it’s no wonder that Reese Witherspoon, a self-described "Type A," is moving into the faster world of television. Witherspoon and her...
Guest Post: Secrets to Success in Hollywood (For Women)
When I first came to Hollywood and started taking meetings, I was sure it was my high-pitched voice and curvy figure that were placing obstacles in my path to success as a film director. I had a lot...
Hipster Hijabis and the Dark Side of Yoga: December 2015’s VOD and Web Series Picks
This month’s picks are about geographical transitions and cultural clashes. In “Namaste, Bitches,” a yoga teacher moves from New York to L.A. and finds the sunny town’s yogis awfully cold and...
Hey Netflix, Where’s ‘Jessica Jones’s’ Season 2 Renewal?
"Marvel’s Jessica Jones" has appeared on numerous best-of-TV lists (including ours) and is being pirated like crazy, according to a new podcast interview with showrunner Melissa...
Charlotte Rampling to Receive Eight-Film Retrospective at NYC’s IFC Center
Charlotte Rampling, whose transfixing performance in the marriage drama “45 Years” has made her a staple in the best-actress conversations this awards season, is about to show the film world...
Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Masculinity Comedy ‘Chevalier’ to Be Released by Strand
Athina Rachel Tsangari’s latest film, "Chevalier," will be released in the U.S. next spring. That announcement comes from Strand Releasing, the masculinity comedy’s...
Guest Post: How I Made 6 Indie Films in 10 Years
I just finished producing my sixth feature film, "Mr. Rudolpho’s Jubilee." We shot in Berlin, Milan and Tuscany with an artist collective of 300 people from 30 different countries....
Amazon Orders Three New Female-Centric Shows
Amazon has ordered to series a trio of shows about women: a semi-autobiographical dark comedy starring comedian Tig Notaro, a Zelda Fitzgerald bio-series with Christina Ricci in the lead and a...
The Top 10 Film/TV Moments for Queer Women in 2015
In a year when marriage equality became the law of the land, Hollywood — particularly film — was playing some catch-up when it came to LGBT representation. TV came into the year already...
Weekly Update for December 18: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This WeekSisters — Written by Paula Pell We can’t ever get enough of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, so we’re excited that the sweet and salty “Sisters” is a...
Eurimages Launches Woman Director Prize
Eurimages is introducing a new award to recognize superlative female filmmakers. Valued at 30,000 euros (over $32,000), the prize will launch at an upcoming film festival yet to be announced. The...
Two New Nicole Byer Comedies Coming to MTV
MTV is ordering a double dose of Nicole Byer: the network has greenlit an untitled scripted series starring the actress, as well as a hidden-camera prank show called “Ladylike” that she’ll...
Scarlett Johansson in Talks to Star in Black List Comedy Penned by ‘Broad City’ Writers
After proving she can do drama (“Lost in Translation”), sci-fi (“Under the Skin”), action (“Lucy”) and steal a movie with just her voice (“Her”), Scarlett Johansson is setting out to...
‘The Hunting Ground’ to Receive PGA’s Social Issues Award
“The Hunting Ground,” Kirby Dick’s harrowing exposé of campus sexual assault and rousing portrait of a group of young women battling rape-accepting university administrations across the...
Trailer Watch: Tina Fey Wants to Blow Things Up in War-Journalism Comedy ‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’
Only 3 Women Composers Among 112 Original Scores in 2016 Oscar Race
Of the 112 original scores eligible for an Oscar this award season, only three, or 2.7%, were composed or co-composed by women. Those three female composers are Miriam Cutler for the campus-rape...
Trailer Watch: Po Reunites with His Long-Lost Father in Jennifer Yuh’s ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’
The world’s clumsiest kung fu master is back. “Kung Fu Panda 3,” co-directed by Jennifer Yuh, is almost here, and a new trailer has been released in anticipation of the animated flick’s...
Rebecca Thomas in Talks to Helm Live-Action ‘Little Mermaid’ Movie Starring Chloe Grace Moretz
Rebecca Thomas (“Electrick Children”) is in early talks to direct the upcoming live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid,” starring Chloe Grace Moretz (“If I Stay,” “The Clouds of...
Kartemquin Films’ Diverse Voices in Docs Program Now Accepting Applications
Kartemquin Films, the award-winning non-profit documentary production collective behind “Life Itself” and “Hoop Dreams,” is now accepting applications for their 2016 Diverse Voices in Docs...