BY Women and Hollywood
Nominate a Female-Created, Female-Starring TV Pilot Script for the 2016 WriteHer List
TV has a reputation for being a more inviting place for women, but female storytellers are still outnumbered nearly 3 to 1 as writers and creators for the small screen. WeForShe, an advocacy group...
Quote of the Day: Ava DuVernay Explains Why It’s a Problem There Are So Few Women Directors
Recently asked what her “leading frustration about Hollywood” is, Ava DuVernay offered a characteristically insightful and honest response. She identified gender inequality behind the camera as...
Stripping Down to the Truth: November 2015’s VOD and Web Series Picks
Jenica Bergere’s comedy “Come Simi” follows a pregnant woman’s efforts to unite with her estranged family before letting a new member of it enter the world. If only she had the...
Marvel Steps Up Its Game With ‘Jessica Jones’
Betsy Steinberg Takes Over Leadership of Doc Collective Kartemquin Films
Betsy Steinberg has been named the new executive director of Kartemquin Films, an award-winning non-profit documentary production collective. Steinberg will be following in the footsteps of another...
‘Lord of the Rings’ Writer Philippa Boyens to Pen Disney’s ‘Young Merlin’
“Lord of the Rings” screenwriter Philippa Boyens has signed on to pen another wizard’s tale. Best known for her writing and producing duties on the “LOTR” movies, “King Kong” and...
Trailer Watch: Charlize Theron and Emily Blunt Wreak Havoc in ‘The Huntsman Winter’s War’
A trailer for “The Huntsman Winter’s War” has dropped, and as The Ice Queen (Emily Blunt), a new addition to the franchise, announces, “If it’s a fairy tale you’re hoping for, prepare...
Havana Marking Wins Sundance Institute and TED Award For Doc on Political Corruption
Havana Marking has been named the recipient of the Sundance Institute | TED Prize Filmmaker Award, an honor that includes a $125,000 grant. Making won for “Bloody Mary,” a documentary short...
Women & Hollywood Is Coming to London
Over the last several months, the conversation surrounding gender inequality in Hollywood has grown much louder. This new conversation with Melissa Silverstein — writer, founder and editor of...
Guest Post: How London’s Underwire Festival is Supporting the Next Generation of Female Filmmakers
In March 2010, over a caramel latte in aShoreditch café in London, the idea for the Underwire Festival was born. Since setting it up with Gemma Mitchell, I am co-producing Underwire, now in its...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Sabrina Schmidt Gordon — ‘BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez’
Sabrina Schmidt Gordon is a documentary producer, editor and director from NYC. Her editing debut won an Emmy for WGBH (public broadcasting from Boston), and she has continued to distinguish herself...
Julianne Moore to Team Up Again With Director Todd Haynes for ‘Wonderstruck’
Julianne Moore has signed on to “Wonderstruck,” director Todd Haynes’ follow-up to “Carol.” Their previous collaboration, “Far From Heaven,” resulted in Oscar nods for the actress and...
Guest Post: Producer Lydia Dean Pilcher on the Great Conundrum Facing Feminist Progress in Hollywood Today
With “Suffragette” now in theaters, what lessons can we glean from this powerful story in thecurrent struggle for gender equality in Hollywood? While women in entertainment certainly aren’t...
Is This the End of the Model Gay Character?
Earlier this month, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Ron Nyswaner reignited a debate that has long been percolating in the LGBT community about our representation in media and entertainment. At the...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Shannon Post — ‘Circle of Poison’
Shannon Post is a filmmaker, sociologist and food and garden educator based in Brooklyn. “Circle of Poison” is her first film. Post is also the co-founder of Player Piano Productions, a company...
Exploring Internal Lesbian Discrimination in ‘The Same Difference’
Within the lesbian community — especially in communities of color (in the United States but also around the globe) — there are a lot of rules and internal discrimination that take place....
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Dyllan McGee — ‘MAKERS: Once and For All’
Dyllan McGee is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and the founder and executive producer of “MAKERS,” an Emmy Award-nominated series on women in space, Hollywood, politics, war, comedy and...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Nicole N. Horanyi — ‘Motley’s Law’
Acclaimed Danish filmmaker Nicole N. Horanyi has screened her award-winning documentary films around the world. “Motley’s Law” is her most recent collaboration with leading European film...
Trailer Watch: A Scottish Woman Struggles with Abuse in Period Drama ‘Sunset Song’
If you loved “The Danish Girl” star Alicia Vikander in her real breakout role of 2015, “Testament of Youth,” as much as we did, you might want to keep your eye out for “Sunset Song,”...
Academy Launches 5-Year Diversity Initiative
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the body behind the Academy Awards, is launching a new initiative to encourage more diversity in Hollywood called A2020. On Saturday, Spike Lee...
‘Pitch Perfect’ Writer Kay Cannon to Make Directorial Debut With Anti-Sex Comedy ‘The Pact’
Veteran comedy writer Kay Cannon will make her directorial debut with “The Pact.” Best known for penning the “Pitch Perfect” movies (she’s been tapped the write the trilogy capper as...
Trailer Watch: Shailene Woodley Saves Chicago from Destruction in ‘Allegiant’
A new trailer for “The Divergent Series: Allegiant” has landed, and the question at the forefront of everyone’s mind seems to be what the purpose of borders are. Do they divide or protect? And...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Holly Morris — ‘The Babushkas of Chernobyl’
Holly Morris has written and directed several documentaries that explore the lives of courageous women: politicos, activists and artists making change in their home cultures. “The Babushkas of...
Patti LuPone, Christine Ebersole to Star in New Musical About Rival Cosmetics Entrepreneurs
Two-time Tony winners Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole will team up on a new musical about a real-life rivalry. LuPone and Ebersole will star in “War Paint,” which centers on the 50-year...
Cate Blanchett in Talks to Play Eccentric Architect in ‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette?’
After playing an evil stepmother, a bisexual housewife and a fierce TV producer this year, Cate Blanchett is looking to continue her streak of taking up some of the best female roles Hollywood has...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Amy Berg — ‘Janis: Little Girl Blue’
Amy Berg is a critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker. She was nominated for an Academy Award and a DGA Award (Outstanding Directorial Achievement in...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Erika Frankel — ‘King Georges’
Erika Frankel most recently produced “The Home Team” (SXSW, AFI DOCS 2014), “Annie: It’s the Hard Knock Life” (PBS 2013) and “Frontrunners” (SXSW, Oscilloscope 2008; Sundance Channel...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Juliet Jordan — ‘Miriam: Home Delivery’
Juliet Jordan is a British documentary filmmaker, currently based in New York City. She graduated from The National Film and Television School, Beaconsfield, Britain. She won the Royal...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Nicole Groton — ‘The Melting Family’
Nicole Groton started her career as Creative Executive at Intuition Productions, where she developed and produced new projects and served as field producer. Groton has worked for the president at...
Weekly Update for November 13: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week Ayanda — Directed by Sara Blecher; Written by Trish Malone In a community vibrant with migrants from across the African continent, against the backdrop of...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Hillevi Loven — ‘Deep Run’
Hillevi Loven is a filmmaker, producer and still photographer based in Brooklyn. She is making her feature-film-directing debut with “Deep Run.” In collaboration with NYU anthropologist Natasha...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Redfearn — ‘Tocando la Luz (Touch the Light)’
Jennifer Redfearn is an Academy Award-nominated director and producer. She directed and produced “Sun Come Up,” nominated for an Academy Award and the IDA’s Pare Lorentz Award. Redfearn has...
Women-Directed Films on More Screens in Theaters Than Ever Before This Weekend?
Women directors are taking over multiplex screens — or, at the very least, playing on many more of them than usual. There’s actually a good chance, in fact, that there are more theater...
That’s “General Leia” To You: ‘Star Wars’ Welcomes Back Carrie Fisher With a Kick-Ass Promotion
Die-hard fans were more than excited to hear that Carrie Fisher, well known for her portrayal of the kick-ass and quick-witted Leia Organa, will be back for the next installment of the “Star...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Meghan L. O’Hara — ‘The C Word’
As a producer, Meghan L. O’Hara’s credits include the award-winning features “Sicko,” “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Bowling For Columbine.” She began her career directing, writing and...
Stephenie Meyer Has New Series in the Works at Hulu, Annie Mumolo at HBO
Two women writers who have made a big mark in the film world are taking their talents to the small screen. “Bridesmaids” co-writer Annie Mumolo has a drama in development at HBO, while Stephenie...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Molly Bernstein — ‘An Art That Nature Makes: The Work of Rosamond Purcell’
Molly Bernstein was the director, producer and editor of “Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay,” about the great magician, actor and “scholar of the unusual.” She has...
Cast Your Vote for Amazon’s ‘Good Girls Revolt’
‘Song of Lahore’ Co-Directer Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on Pakistan’s Rich Music Scene and Culture
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the Oscar-winning co-director of 2012’s “Saving Face,” once again finds inspiration in her birth country, Pakistan, in “Song of Lahore.” This time around,...
“Song of Lahore” Co-Director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on Pakistan’s Rich Music Scene and Culture
Interview by Becca Rose Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the Oscar-winning co-director of 2012’s “Saving Face,” once again finds inspiration in her birth country, Pakistan, in “Song of Lahore.”...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Sharon Shattuck — ‘From This Day Forward’
Sharon Shattuck is a filmmaker and animator. She is the co-creator of the New York Times Op-Docs series “Animated Life,” which illustrates historical moments of scientific discovery using...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Darcy Dennett — ‘The Champions’
Darcy Dennett has worked in photography, film and television for nearly twenty years. “The Champions” is her first documentary. In 2013, Dennett produced a segment in Nigeria for Oprah...
Trailer Watch: ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’ Promises More Fun and Dysfunction
Audiences are finally invited to another big, fat Greek wedding — and we have a preview of what to expect at the fun-filled, boundary-crossing party. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” grossed...
Documenting Women’s Stories: November 2015’s Crowdfunding Picks
This month’s first crowdfunding picks focus on the strength of women in the powerful medium of documentary film. Unintentionally — yet joyously — our top crowdfunding projects this...
Trailer Watch: Jennifer Garner’s Prayers Are Answered in Patricia Riggen’s ‘Miracles from Heaven’
A trailer has arrived for Patricia Riggen’s upcoming Christian drama “Miracles from Heaven,” starring Jennifer Garner. Despite being told by doctors that there was no cure for her young...
Kim Longinotto on Her Long Career and the Role of (Lack of) Confidence in Her Filmmaking
For over thirty years, Kim Longinotto has made acclaimed documentaries that have won awards from BAFTA, the Sundance Film Festival and the San Francisco International Film Festival, among others....
DOC NYC 2015 Preview: Race-Car Drivers, Rock Gods and AIDS Activists
38% of the features screening at DOC NYC this year are directed or co-directed by women — 39 films of the 104 screening. The good and bad news is that there are simply too many films by female...
Systemic Change in Hollywood: So What Do We Do Now?
Earlierthis week, Reese Witherspoon spoke at the Glamour Women of the Year event, and in her fantastic, passionate, feminist speech, she talked about whyshe started Pacific Standard, her production...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Emily Abt — ‘Daddy Don’t Go’
Filmmaker Emily Abt was one of Variety Magazine’s “Top 10 Directors to Watch” and has produced and directed documentaries for PBS, OWN, MTV, Showtime and the Sundance Channel. Abt earned her...
‘Carol’ Screenwriter Phyllis Nagy to Adapt Melanie Raabe’s Murder Mystery ‘The Trap’
Playwright and “Carol” screenwriter Phyllis Nagy has lined up her next film project: an adaptation of Melanie Raabe’s “The Trap.” Raabe’s debut novel centers on a reclusive,...
Blythe Danner, Gabourey Sidibe, Patricia Clarkson Among Muse Awards Honorees
Actresses Blythe Danner, Gabourey Sidibe, Patricia Clarkson, BBC America exec Sarah Barnett and Marvel Studios EP Victoria Alonso have been named the 2015 recipients of NY Women in Film and...