BY Women and Hollywood
You’re Invited: Special NYC Screening of “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” Benefitting Abortion Funds
Women and Hollywood is partnering with Rooftop Films, NEON, and more for a special screening of Céline Sciamma’s Cannes winner “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” in New York City, with...
The Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellowship at Sundance Launches 10th Edition
The Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellowship at Sundance, an annual program set up in partnership with The Black List, is now accepting submissions for its 10th edition. Each year, the...
Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum Discusses Making “Purple Hearts” as a Response to Political Divisions
Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum is a DGA Award-nominated film and television director. She has helmed many television pilots — all of which have been picked up to series. Most recently, she directed...
Renée Webster Discusses the Relatable, Human Story of “How to Please a Woman”
Renée Webster is an Australian writer-director. Her two short films, “Scoff” and “Edgar and Elizabeth” garnered multiple awards and screened at numerous international film...
Athena Film Fest Partners with Disney on Dev Grant for Emerging Women & Non-Binary Filmmakers
The Athena Film Festival (AFF) is joining forces with Disney Studios Content to expand its Creative Development Program, which awards over $50,000 annually to underrepresented filmmakers. A press...
Mo’Nique Lines Up a Netflix Special, Re-Teams with Her “Precious” Director
After a long and winding road, Mo’Nique finally has a Netflix special on the way. In 2018, the comedian and Oscar-winning actress called out the streamer for gender and color bias when they...
“Yellowjackets” & “Abbott Elementary” Among Reframe TV Stamp Recipients for Gender-Balanced Hiring
Ninety-four of the 200 most popular series of the 2021-2022 season have earned the ReFrame Stamp for gender-balanced hiring. This amounts to 47 percent, a seven percent decrease from the previous...
USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and Snap Launch $25K Student Film Grant for WOC
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative is teaming up with Snap to offer funding and mentorship to a student filmmaker. A press release announced the launch of an award “that consists of $25,000...
Emmy Nominations: Quinta Brunson Makes History, Women Directors Lead in Comedy Category
It turns out that “Abbott Elementary” is a major hit with viewers, critics, and Emmy voters. Emmy nominations are in, and Quinta Brunson’s loving tribute to underpaid and...
Teaser Watch: Kirsten Carthew Takes Us to an Arctic Wasteland in “Polaris”
Sparse on dialogue and rich in atmosphere, a new teaser for “Polaris” introduces us to a girl trapped in a frozen wasteland. Kirsten Carthew’s apocalyptic fantasy is set in 2144,...
Penny Lane to Direct “Mrs. America” Doc
From Satanism (“Hail Satan?”) to Kenny G (“Listening to Kenny G”), Penny Lane’s eclectic filmography has tackled a wide range of subject matter. Up next for the...
Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, and Issa López Team Up for “True Detective: Night Country”
Jodie Foster is investigating another mystery. The Oscar-winning “Silence of the Lambs” actress is reentering the world of law enforcement in “True Detective: Night Country,”...
Join the Girls Club for a Conversation with “37 Words” Director Dawn Porter
One of the “37 Words” directors, Dawn Porter, will join the Girls Club to discuss the four-part ESPN documentary series celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX and exploring the ongoing...
Madeline Brewer Signs on Lola Blanc’s “Pruning”
Madeline Brewer is stepping out of Gilead and entering another nightmare in “Pruning.” The Emmy nominee has signed on to star in Lola Blanc’s psychological horror pic about a...
Book Excerpt: “Nora Ephron: A Biography”
The following is excerpted from Kristin Marguerite Doidge’s “Nora Ephron: A Biography,” which is available now. Reprinted with permission from the publisher, Chicago Review...
Isabel Sandoval’s “Tropical Gothic” To Be Produced by Big Beach
We’re one step closer to seeing Isabel Sandoval’s fourth feature. Deadline reports that Big Beach will produce “Tropical Gothic,” an allegory about Western colonialism that...
Join the Girls Club for a Conversation with “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’s” Director, Sophie Hyde
“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” director, Sophie Hyde, will be sitting down with the Girls Club for a virtual conversation about the Emma Thompson-starrer Wednesday, June 15 at 2 p.m. ET....
Kino Lorber Acquires North American Rights to “Costa Brava, Lebanon” and “Framing Agnes”
Kino Lorber has landed North American rights to two docs making a mark on the festival circuit, award-winners “Costa Brava, Lebanon” and “Framing Agnes.” Press releases...
Chloe Okuno’s “Watcher” Scores Biggest Opening Weekend Grosses Ever for IFC Films/ IFC Midnight
Chloe Okuno’s feature directorial debut is making a splash at the box office. “Watcher” scored “the biggest opening weekend grosses ever for IFC Films and its IFC Midnight/Shudder...
Submit Now: Athena Film Festival and The Athena List
Submissions are now open for the 2023 editions of the Athena Film Festival and The Athena List. A celebration of films from across the globe that tell the stories of fierce and fearless women...
Trailer Watch: A Trans Teen Falls in Love for the First Time in “Anything’s Possible”
“For the first time in my life, I’m actually excited about what’s to come — I truly feel anything is possible,” says Eva Reign in a new trailer for...
Alexandra Billings and Reem Morsi Team Up for “Queen Tut”
“Transparent” alumna Alexandra Billings is set to star in and exec produce “Queen Tut.” Described by Deadline as a “trans revolutionary indie feature,” the project...
Join the Girls Club for a Conversation with “Candy” Writer and Exec Producer Robin Veith
“Candy” writer and executive producer Robin Veith will join the Girls Club to discuss the Hulu crime drama starring Jessica Biel and Melanie Lynskey. The virtual chat will take place...
Trailer Watch: “Bitterbrush” Follows Two Women Herding Cattle in the American West
“I love this work. I love this lifestyle,” we’re told in a new trailer for “Bitterbrush.” Emelie Mahdavian’s documentary follows Hollyn Patterson and Colie Moline, two...
Watch: rePRO Film Presents Conversation with Audrey Diwan, Director of Abortion Drama “Happening”
As the news this week has made abundantly clear, abortion and reproductive justice are under siege in the United States. Irony of ironies, that means “Happening” — the award-winning...
“Julia” Renewed for Season 2
Sarah Lancashire is returning to the kitchen. She’ll continue to revolutionize the American food scene and home cooking in a second season of “Julia.” A press release announced that...
Ukrainian Gymnast Drama “Olga” Lands at Kino Lorber, 10% of Its Proceeds Will Go to Direct Relief in Ukraine
A drama about a Ukrainian gymnast is headed stateside. Kino Lorber landed all North American distribution rights to “Olga,” which sees Ukrainian National Team gymnast Anastasiia...
Cannes 2022 Competition Jury Includes Rebecca Hall, Deepika Padukone, Noomi Rapace, & Jasmine Trinca
Cannes Film Festival has announced the Competition jury set to serve during its 75th edition. The number of women directors screening films at Cannes leaves something to be desired, but the...
Rita Baghdadi “Sirens” Doc About Middle East’s First All-Female Metal Band Lands at Oscilloscope
Get ready to rock: Oscilloscope Laboratories has landed North American rights to “Sirens,” a documentary charting the rise of the Middle East’s first all-female metal band, and is...
Cannes: 43 Percent of Features Screening in Directors’ Fortnight Are Women-Directed
Twenty-three features will screen at the 54th Directors’ Fortnight, and 10 of them are directed or co-directed by women, amounting to 43 percent of the program. Last year, the Cannes side bar...
“Zola” and “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” to Screen at 20th Fusion Film Fest
NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Fusion Film Festival has booked “Zola,” “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,” and both films’ writer-directors for its 20th...
Laura Kosann Tapped to Adapt “Mercy Sparx” Comic for MGM
Black Widow, Captain Marvel, and Ms. Marvel are getting more company: another female-led comic adaptation is on the way. Laura Kosann, the 2021 Academy Nicholl Fellow who’s had two screenplays...
You’re Invited: Women and Hollywood/Athena Creative Development/Girls Club LA Meet Up
Melissa Silverstein, Women and Hollywood’s founder and publisher, is hosting a networking event with the Women and Hollywood community. Date: April 12 Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Location: West...
Book Excerpt: “Mothers of Invention: Film, Media, and Caregiving Labor”
The following is adapted from “Mothers of Invention: Film, Media, and Caregiving Labor,” edited by So Mayer and Corinn Columpar and set to be published April 5. Copyright (c) 2022 Wayne...
Joslyn Rose Lyons to Make Directorial Debut with Gentrification Fable “Shadowbox”
A producer on “Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power,” the winner of this year’s NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary, is set to make her directorial debut. Joslyn Rose Lyons...
Trailer Watch: Emma Cooper Investigates “The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe” in Netflix Doc
“The true things rarely get into circulation. It’s usually the false things,” says Marilyn Monroe in a trailer for a new Netflix documentary. From director Emma Cooper (“The...
Exclusive: “Living with Lions” Doc in the Works at Curiosity, Erica Rugabandana & Muneera Sallies Directing
Tanzanian filmmaker, cinematographer, and conservationist Erica Rugabandana and South African writer and director Muneera Sallies are teaming up to pay tribute to the kings and queens of the jungle....
Join the Girls Club for a Conversation with “The Dropout” Creator Liz Meriwether
“The Dropout” creator, showrunner, and executive producer Elizabeth Meriwether will sit down with the Girls Club to talk about the buzzy Hulu miniseries on Wednesday, March 30, at 6:30 p.m. EST....
Watch: Exclusive “Surviving Sex Trafficking” Clip Sees a Survivor Sharing Her Story & Reclaiming Her Power
Sadhvi Siddhali Shree’s “Surviving Sex Trafficking” examines a global epidemic and highlights the stories of some of the human stories behind the headlines. In an exclusive clip of...
Exclusive: Sophie Marceau Gets a Fresh Start in LA in Lisa Azuelos’ “I Love America” Trailer
“Some dream of a new life, and others, like me, make it come true,” says Sophie Marceau in “I Love America.” We’re premiering the English language subtitled trailer for...
“And Just Like That…” Renewed for a Second Season
Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte are sticking around. HBO Max has renewed “And Just Like That…” for a second season. The “Sex and the City” revival “delivered the...
Dolly Parton to Star in Adaptation of Her Book “Run, Rose, Run,” Also Producing with Reese Witherspoon
Dolly Parton is no stranger to translating her musical sensibility to the screen — look no further than “Dumplin’,” “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” and...
Teaser Watch: Kaley Cuoco Is a CIA Asset in “The Flight Attendant” Season 2
Cassie Bowden is back, and she’s not quite the flaming hot mess she once was. But she’s still messy. A new teaser for “The Flight Attendant’s” second season sees...
Study: Women Made Up 34% of Speaking Roles in 2021’s Top Films, Majority of Those Characters Were White
Earlier this week, we reported on a study from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative that delved into the number of women and people of color serving as leads and co-leads in...
Scripts About Riot Grrrls, LGBTQ+ Divorce, & Women Filmmakers Selected for 2022 Athena Writers Lab
This year, the Athena Writers Lab is offering virtual mentorship, networking opportunities, and peer-to-peer review sessions to the scribes of an adventure pic about an all-women expedition across...
Jane Campion and Maggie Gyllenhaal Make History at DGA Awards
Jane Campion made history at Saturday night’s DGA Awards, becoming the third woman ever to take home the night’s top honor, the Theatrical Feature Film award. Recognized for her first...
Patricia Rozema on Revisiting Her Queer Classic “I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing”
Patricia Rozema’s first feature, “I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing,” screened at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Prix de la Jeunesse, was runner-up for the...
Renée Zellweger Will Play a WASP Leader Fighting Hitler in Peacock’s “Avenger Field”
Renée Zellweger has another small screen project in the works. The two-time Oscar winner’s latest project, true crime series “The Thing About Pam,” premieres on NBC tonight, and...
SXSW 2022 Preview: Inuit Girls Take On an Alien Invasion in the Arctic, Gabby Giffords Fights for Gun Control, & More
Kicking off March 11, SXSW will take place in-person for the first time since 2019. With a Feature Competition slate that is majority-women-directed, there are a bunch of films we’re looking...
Series Adaptation of Danya Kukafka’s “Notes on an Execution” In the Works From John Wells Production
A small screen adaptation of Danya Kukafka’s “Notes on an Execution” is in the works exactly one month about the book hit the shelves. John Wells Productions landed rights to the...
Anita Hill Is Launching a Podcast
Anita Hill will continue to push the conversation forward. The lawyer, author, and feminist trailblazer brought workplace sexual harassment into the national spotlight when she testified at Clarence...