BY Women and Hollywood
Ellen Page Explains How Starring in Lesbian Drama ‘Freeheld’ Prompted Her to Come Out
EXCLUSIVE: Watch the First Trailer for Elisabeth Scharang’s Philosophical Thriller ‘Jack’
There are a lot of “bad boys” in literature, but Jack Unterweger is the real deal: he’s as famous for being a killer as he is an author. In director Elizabeth Scharang’s thriller, Jack...
Meryl Streep to be Honored at 2015 Brittania Awards
Apparently there’s an award out there that Meryl Streep hasn’t already won. The “Ricki and the Flash” actress will receive the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film at the...
‘Lucy’ Inspires ‘Sarah,’ Another Sci-Fi Action Thriller With a Female Ass-Kicker
After the successes of female-led action films like “Lucy,” “Gravity,” “Spy” and the “Hunger Games” and “Divergent” franchises, we’ve been waiting for Hollywood to do the...
Jennifer Lawrence, Scarlett Johansson, Melissa McCarthy Top Forbes’ 2015 Highest-Paid Actresses List
Jennifer Lawrence has been named the highest-paid actress by Forbes’ annual survey of Hollywood’s top-earning on-screen talent. The list is based on actresses’ income from June 2014 to June...
Christine Evangelista to Star in ‘The Arrangement,’ E!’s Scripted, Cynical Take on Celebrity Culture
Rising star Christine Evangelista (“Chicago Fire”) will assume the lead in E!’s second scripted series as a (hopefully) different type of rising star: one who’s offered a Faustian bargain of...
Less Than Zen: ‘Om City’ on Life as a Female Yoga Teacher
‘Learning to Drive’ Helmer Isabel Coixet on Middle-Age Life Lessons, the Hazards of Shooting in a Car
“Learningto Drive” is a lovely meditation on aging, expectations and learning to livelife on your own terms. Patricia Clarkson stars as Wendy, a writer whose husbandleaves her literally stranded...
Whoopi Goldberg Producing Movie About Emmett Till
Sixty years ago, 14-year-old Emmett Till was kidnapped from his home. Three days later, his body was found, naked and mutilated. Till’s death was retribution for the black teenager’s reported...
Happy Humpday: Most Badass Female Marvel Characters (INFOGRAPHIC)
Just because Marvel hasn’t made any female-led movies (and is increasingly running out of reasons why) doesn’t mean the comic-book company hasn’t created any superheroines worth telling...
‘Scandal’ Inspiration Judy Smith Sells NOLA Political Family Drama ‘House of the Rising Sin’ to NBC
Judy Smith, the political fixer who was Shonda Rhimes’ inspiration for Olivia Pope, is making her own mark on the small screen. NBC has bought the Smith-produced “House of the Rising Sin,” an...
Anne Hathaway Returns to TV Roots with Kidnapping Miniseries ‘The Ambassador’s Wife’
Anne Hathaway is heading to the small screen, joining the ranks of other Oscar-winning A-Listers like Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman. The “Les Misérables” actress will star in “The...
Rebecca Ferguson in Talks to Star in ‘The Girl on the Train’ Opposite Emily Blunt
After breaking out in “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation,” Rebecca Ferguson will likely follow up in a supporting role in “The Girl on the Train.” The film adaptation of Paula...
Sandra Bullock Took Role Meant for George Clooney After Not Finding Any “Exciting” Female Characters
Sandra Bullock is gunning for a second Oscar with the political comedy “Our Brand is Crisis,” in which she plays a Machiavellian genius described as a “female Karl Rove.” The mega-popular...
Taissa Farmiga Deals with Boyfriend Drama in the First 7 Minutes of Hannah Fidell’s ‘6 Years’ (CLIP)
“6 Years,” Hannah Fidell’s follow-up to 2013’s “A Teacher,” starts off real steamy. College students Melanie (Taissa Farmiga) and Dan (Ben Rosenfield, “Boardwalk Empire”) have been...
TIFF Announces More Films, Incl. Works by Catherine Hardwicke, Natalie Portman, Chantal Akerman
TIFF continues to roll out additions to its lineup on a near daily basis, and thankfully many of the newly announced crop of films are helmed by women. Three female directors have been added to the...
‘Cleopatra’ TV Show in the Works With ‘Elizabeth’ Director
Angelina Jolie isn’t the only Hollywood creative looking to resuscitate antiquity’s most famous queen. Slingshot Global Media is working with “Elizabeth” director Shekhar Kapur to develop...
Comedy Central Renews ‘Another Period’ for Season 2
One of this summer’s best new shows, Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” has been renewed for a second season. Created by and starring Natasha Leggero and Riki Lindhome, the mockumentary...
Mill Valley Film Fest’s 2015 Lineup Boasts Cannes Alums ‘Carol,’ ‘Mustang,’ ‘My Mother,’ ‘Girl King’
The 38th Mill Valley Film Festival in Marin County, California, will include Cannes picks and local works in its 2015 lineup. Among the Cannes alum to screen at MVFF 2015 (October 8–18) are Todd...
European Film Industry Passes Gender Equality Declaration (UPDATED)
Representatives from European film funds and ministries of culture passed a declaration embracing gender equality in the industry on the first day of the Sarajevo Film Festival (August 14–22). The...
Gloria Estefan’s Broadway Musical ‘On Your Feet!’ to Open Nov. 15; Tickets Available Starting Today
Tickets are now available for “On Your Feet!,” Gloria Estefan’s Broadway musical about her rise to stardom. Starring Ana Villafañe, the production traces Gloria and her husband Emilio’s...
NBC Orders Tina Fey Sitcom, Two Other Female-Driven Comedies
Tina Fey is returning to the peacock fold after taking “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” to Netflix. NBC has all but picked up an untitled series by Fey and Robert Carlock, as well as two other...
Trailer Watch: Rooney Mara is Enthralled by Captivating Older Woman Cate Blanchett in ‘Carol’
The first teaser trailer for Todd Haynes’ much-anticipated adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s lesbian romance “The Price of Salt” has been released just as word comes that the film has been...
Trailer Watch: ‘Doll & Em’ Launch an Off-Broadway Play About Their Friendship in Season 2
TIFF’s Inaugural ‘Platform’ Program Includes Films by Sue Brooks, Eva Husson, Fabienne Berthaud
The 2015 Toronto International Film Festival (September 10–20) will introduce a new program. Platform will showcase “artistically ambitious” works at the festival, and the winner of the...
Sham Marriage and ‘Fast Fashion’ Workers: August 2015’s Women-Centric VOD & Web Series Picks
This month’s VOD and web series picks are projects driven by the evocative experiences and masterful talents of women. Available on VOD are works that dive head-first into the depths of women’s...
Weekly Update for August 14: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week Mistress America — Co-Written by Greta Gerwig — Women and Hollywood’s Pick of the Week As the titular character in 2012’s “Frances Ha,” Greta...
Trailer Watch: A Family and a Nation Face Crises in Natalie Portman’s ‘A Tale of Love and Darkness’
Sara Bareilles’s ‘Waitress’ Musical Headed to Broadway
After wrapping up a successful run in Cambridge on September 27, the Sara Bareilles’ stage musical “Waitress” is heading to Broadway. Starring Tony-winning actress Jessie Mueller, the...
Sanaa Hamri to Helm Film Adaptation of Black Ballerina Michaela DePrince’s Memoir
Prolific film and TV director Sanaa Hamri will adapt Sierra Leonese-American ballerina Michaela DePrince’s memoir for MGM. An orphaned survivor of the Sierra Leonese civil war, DePrince’s...
Trailer Watch: Three Women Hold the Fort Down in Feminist Western ‘The Keeping Room’
The long-anticipated feminist Western “The Keeping Room” has a trailer. The Civil War thriller, which premiered at TIFF 2014, focuses on sisters Augusta and Louise (Brit Marling and Hailee...
Marvel Launches New Comic-Book Series About Black Pre-Teen Heroine Moon Girl
After debuting America’s first Muslim superheroine two years ago, Marvel is devoting a new comic-book series to an 11-year-old black genius and her friendship with a dinosaur. Moon Girl, AKA...
Jennifer Hudson to Star in Aretha Franklin Biopic
Jennifer Hudson is attached to play Aretha Franklin in an upcoming biopic. The untitled project will focus on the Queen of Soul’s rise to fame during the ’60s, focusing on the iconic singer’s...
Trailer Watch: Emily Blunt Questions Who Are the Real Killers in Mexico in New ‘Sicario’ Trailer
Guest Post: Making Period Films on a Budget and the Importance of Authentic Casting
As a feature-film writer-director, I’ve created a wide range of projects: a Western about awoman who passes as a man, a neo-noir thriller about a bedridden gossip, a musical-dramaabout an...
NYFF 2015’s Main Slate Revealed; 3 of 26 Features Directed by Women
The New York Film Festival, now in its 53rd year, has released the final lineup for its main program. Twenty-six films will be screened, only three (or 12%) directed by women. The disappointment...
Trailer Watch: Alison Brie Learns About Masturbation in Dirty Rom Com ‘Sleeping with Other People’
Lainey (Alison Brie) is a serial cheater and Jake (Jason Sudeikis) is a sex addict. While they aren’t, shall we say, an ideal match, the red-band trailer for writer-director Leslye Headland’s...
Kristen Stewart and the Evolving Politics of Coming Out
To be out or not be out, that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler to come out definitively and suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous publicity or to take arms against the sea of labels and...
Angelina Jolie Pitt to Exec Produce Film Adaptation of Mulan-esque YA Novel ‘The Breadwinner’
Angelina Jolie Pitt will executive produce an animated feature adaptation of Deborah Ellis’s YA novel “The Breadwinner,” about an 11-year-old Afghan girl named Parvana who dresses up as a boy...
Rosario Dawson to Be Menaced by Katherine Heigl in ‘Unforgettable’ Thriller (UPDATED)
Rosario Dawson will take over from Kerry Washington as the lead in Denise Di Novi’s “Unforgettable,” about a newlywed menaced by her husband’s ex-wife (played by Katherine Heigl). Dawson is...
Made in NY Fellowship Launched to Support Diversity Among NYC Storytellers and Entrepreneurs
Independent Filmmaker Project’s (IFP) Made in NY Media Center has launched a new fellowship to foster a more diverse media industry. As the center’s website notes, recognizing “different...
Trailer Watch: ‘Jem and the Holograms’ Offers Female Friendship, Neon Faces
TIFF Announces More Films, Including World Premiere of Barbara Kopple’s ‘Miss Sharon Jones!’
The Toronto International Film Festival has announced more entries in a number of lineups for the 40th installment of the high-profile fest. Of the first batch of films TIFF made public, a mere 14%...
CW’s Many Female Showrunners Discuss Keeping Sexual Assault, Violence Against Women Off Their Series
Eight of the CW’s 12 female showrunners took the stage at this year’s TCAs in a display of the network’s commitment to telling stories for women, by women. Representing series as diverse as...
Patti Smith’s Memoir ‘Just Kids’ to Become Showtime Miniseries
Patti Smith will adapt her 2010 memoir “Just Kids” as a Showtime miniseries. The singer/artist/punk poet laureate will produce and pen the limited series with “Penny Dreadful” showrunner...
Producer Justine Nagan to Head American Documentaries at PBS’s ‘POV’
After a decade at Chicago’s Kartemquin Films, director/producer Justine Nagan will serve as the next executive director of American Documentary, Inc., as well as the executive producer of PBS’s...
‘Little House on the Prairie’ Actress Melissa Gilbert Running for Congress in Michigan
Laura Ingalls Wilder has her sights set far beyond the prairies. Former “Little House on the Prairie” star Melissa Gilbert has announced that she’s running for Congress. Gilbert will be...
The 5 Women We’re Excited to See This August
It’s been a much-better-than-usual summer for women on screen. We’ve had females leading smart comedies (“Spy,” “Trainwreck”), inspiring blockbusters (“Inside Out,” “Mad Max: Fury...
Amy Schumer Gets HBO Special Teaser, Speaks Out for Gun Control at Locarno Film Fest
Another week, another round of Amy Schumer headlines. This time around, the net is abuzz with chatter of Schumer’s upcoming HBO stand-up special, which has a new “announcement teaser.”...
Lena Waithe’s Black Coming-Of-Age Drama Gets Showtime Pilot Order
An untitled coming-of-age drama from “Dear White People” producer Lena Waithe has received a pilot order from Showtime. The Chicago-set series is being described as a relevant, timely and...
Upcoming Sony Releases: Jennifer Lawrence’s ‘Passengers,’ Jodie Foster’s ‘Money Monster’ and More
After a calamitous summer, Sony has nowhere to go but up and forward. And so the studio has revealed the release dates for its slate through 2017. While most of what the studio has in store is...