BY Women and Hollywood
Tig Notaro to Team Up With Diablo Cody on Semi-Autobiographical Amazon Pilot
After being the subject of a Netflix documentary and releasing her own HBO stand-up special (out August 22), Tig Notaro will star in an Amazon series based in part on her (recently turbulent) life....
Diane Keaton Books Her First-Ever Series Regular TV Gig in HBO-Produced ‘The Young Pope’
Diane Keaton’s films have grossed over a billion dollars at the box office. Now it’s time to see what kind of ratings the “Annie Hall” actress can draw on the small screen. Keaton will star...
TIFF 2015 Announces Just 7 Women-Directed Films in Its First Round of Lineup Selections
The Toronto International Film Festival made public its first batch of films for its 2015 lineup this morning. Forty-nine films made the cut, but only a disappointing seven (about 14%) were directed...
Sex-Trafficking Survivors, Pauline Kael and Boxers in Burqas: July 2015’s Crowdfunding Projects
Women have plenty to fight for, and in our picks for this week’s women-centric crowdfunding projects, we see women in battle — for freedom, against sex trafficking, for their right to know...
Trailer Watch: Marcia Gay Harden Gets Her Groove Back in ‘After Words’
‘Le Dep’ Director Sonia Bonspille Boileau on the Need for Better Representations of Indigenous Women
Two Canadian First Nation women — a director from theKanesatake Mohawk tribe and an actress from the Uashat mak Mani-Utenam community — teamed up recently to make one of the first-ever...
Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone Get Pilot Deal for TV Land Sitcom About Their Groundlings Friends
“Every time a friend succeeds,” wrote Gore Vidal, “I die a little.” Hopefully this isn’t how Melissa McCarthy’s former Groundlings pals feel in the face of her recent globe-conquering...
Venice Film Fest Adds Elizabeth Banks, Diane Kruger and Lynne Ramsay to Main Jury
Elizabeth Banks, Diane Kruger and “We Need to Talk About Kevin” director Lynne Ramsay will comprise the three women on the nine-person main jury at this year’s Venice International Film...
2015 Awards Season Preview: Meryl vs. Sandra vs. Cate vs. Julianne vs. Jessica?
Sandra Bullock’s “Our Brand is Crisis,” a drama about US political strategists scheming to re-elect an unpopular Bolivian president, has just been added to the awards season calendar with a...
Two Powerhouse Female Producers Behind ‘Doctor Who’ Launch Production Company
“Doctor Who” showrunner Steven Moffat bristled when asked about the likelihood of a female Doctor just a few short weeks ago at Comic Con 2015, but today brings good news for two women who’ve...
Trailer Watch: Elisabeth Moss Terrifies as A Woman on the Verge in ‘Queen of Earth’
The newly released trailer for the psychological thriller “Queen of Earth” promises to show Elisabeth Moss “as you’ve never seen her before.” The retro-looking spot for the...
Netflix to Launch Live-Action Tween Series about Science-Skilled Spy Girls
Children’s programming is a major if under-discussed part of Netflix’s plan for streaming domination. At least 70 kids’ shows were viewed by 2 million subscribers last year, revealed the...
Director Marielle Heller Protests NC-17 Rating for ‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl’ in the UK
After receiving the British equivalent of a NC-17 rating from an all-male ratings board, the team behind “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” is speaking out against the perceived double standards at...
Trailer Watch: Memories of Abuse Resurface in Macy Gray’s ‘Where Children Play’
“Dear White People” actress Teyonah Parris plays a woman who returns to her hometown for the first time in a decade in writer-director Leila Djansi’s “Where Children Play.” Bell has spent...
Weekly Update for July 24: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week Unexpected — Directed by Kris Swanberg; Written by Megan Mercier and Kris Swanberg Rarely do we see stories about pregnancy represented onscreen. Rarer...
San Sebastian Film Fest Lineup Revealed: No Spanish Women Directors in Competition Section
A total of zero features directed by women will screen in the Spanish-nationality competition section of the 63rd San Sebastian Film Festival this September. The Spanish nationality lineup for...
‘Top of the Lake’ Season 2 Moves to Australia; Jane Campion and Elisabeth Moss to Return
One of the best and most feminist mystery series is moving to Australia for its sophomore year. “Top of the Lake” will follow Detective Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss) from her home country of...
Filmmaker Mag Names 25 New Faces of Independent Film; Pippa Bianco and 10 Other Women Featured
Filmmaker Magazine has released its annual list identifying the “25 New Faces of Independent Film,” and nearly half of the featured up-and-comers are women. Previous honorees include Lena...
Guest Post: Why You Should Consider Embracing the Punk Rock Ethos by Editing Your Doc Yourself
Jessica Yu. Ondi Timoner. Naomi Kawase. What do these names all have in common? Yes, they’re all successful female documentarians. But theyhave something else in common. Something you may not...
The Groundbreaking Gyno-Humor of Amazon’s Realistic Rom Com ‘Catastrophe’
“Catastrophe,” the Amazon sitcom by Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney about a bi-continental couple dealing with an accidental pregnancy resulting from a casual hookup, has been called “the best...
Reese Witherspoon to Receive American Cinematheque Award as Actress and Producer
Reese Witherspoon’s contributions to cinema as an actress and a producer will be recognized with an American Cinematheque Award. The honor is annually bestowed on “an extraordinary artist in...
Angelina Jolie to Direct Netflix Film About Female Cambodian Human Rights Activist
Angelina Jolie has announced her fifth narrative feature since 2011’s “In the Land of Blood and Honey.” The actress-turned-filmmaker will direct a Netflix drama based on Cambodian human...
Kris Swanberg Talks ‘Unexpected’: Female Collabs and Complicated Female Protagonists
Rarely do we see stories about pregnancy represented onscreen. Rarer still are depictions where mothers-to-be have seriously conflicted feelings about the imminent arrival of their bundles of...
Agnès Varda’s New ‘Women’s Tales’ Short to Debut at Venice Film Fest
Agnes Varda and Alice Rohrwacher’s short films for Miu Miu’s Women’s Tales series will have their world festival premiere at the 2015 Venice Film Festival. Varda’s “Les 3 Boutons” and...
Ingrid Bergman’s Life and Work to Be Celebrated By BAMcinématek, MoMA and New Documentary (VIDEO)
Late summer and fall are shaping up to be a great time for fans of legendary actress Ingrid Bergman. If the Swedish icon were alive today, she would be celebrating her one hundredth birthday this...
Amy Poehler to Star as NBA Coach in Comedy for Universal
Amy Poehler will star as a rising basketball coach asked to lead an NBA team in an untitled comedy from Universal. Poehler will also produce the film. The comedienne’s character has a real-life...
Trailer Watch: Katniss Goes to War in Full First Trailer for ‘Mockingjay — Part 2’
After dropping teasers like candy for weeks, Lionsgate has finally released a two-and-a-half minute trailer for the final chapter of Katniss Everdeen’s epic journey, “The Hunger Games:...
“Mad If I Don’t, Mad If I Do”: Amandla Stenberg and Nicki Minaj’s Uphill Battle to Be Heard
If you work hard to keep all things Kardashian out of your mind, you may have missed the recent online kerfuffle between Kylie Jenner and “Hunger Games” actress Amandla Stenberg. Last week,...
Trailer Watch: Ellen Page and Julianne Moore Fight for Love in ‘Freeheld’
The long-gestating feature film “Freeheld,” starring Ellen Page and Julianne Moore, has released its first trailer. The movie chronicles the real-life love story between New Jersey police...
Trailer Watch: An Indian-American Guy Searches for Love via Traditional Matchmaking in ‘Meet the Patels’ Doc
New Female-Led Horror Comedy from ‘Good Wife’ Creators Will Blend ‘The Strain’ With ‘The West Wing’
Mysteries abound whether “The Good Wife’s” upcoming seventh season will be its last, but one thing’s for sure: its creators will be busy developing another show. CBS has ordered to series...
Trailer Watch: FBI Trainee Is Accused of Terrorist Attack in New ABC Drama ‘Quantico’
Protecting her country has always been Alex Parrish’s (Priyanka Chopra) dream — which is why she could never have predicted the day when she’d find herself accused of “the most...
BBC Lists Top 100 American Films of All Time; Only 3 Female Directors Make the Cut
The BBC has compiled a list of the 100 greatest American films ever made. The list spans decades and genres, but what 98% of the listed movies have in common is that they’re directed by men. Only...
Melissa Rosenberg and Liz Friedman Board Patricia Cornwell Movie Adaptation
Author Patricia Cornwell’s Dr. Kay Scarpetta has had a difficult time making the transition from page to screen. But two recently hired writers may speed up the forensic pathologist’s leap to...
The Hustle and Homesickness of Being an Artist of Color: July’s Web Series and VOD Picks
It’s hard to make it in the city, not least in the world of entertainment. Our two July picks for web series both feature strugglingartists trying to succeed. The Spurlock sisters’ satirical...
Trailer Watch: Mother and Daughter Clash Over Class Expectations in Sundance Hit ‘The Second Mother’
A devoted and hardworking live-in housekeeper’s professional and personal lives are turned upside down when her estranged daughter comes to stay with her in writer-director Anna Muylaert’s...
Apply Now for a New Musical-Theater Female Composer Award
The Ziegfield Club, one of the first not-for-profit organizations in the Broadway community, is launching a new award for an emerging female composer-lyricist who “compellingly demonstrates...
Volleyball Olympics Medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings to Get Doc Treatment
Beach volleyball star Kerri Walsh Jennings, who won the gold medal at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics with partner Misty May-Treanor, will be the subject of a new documentary. Walsh...
Trailer Premiere: A Mother Saves Her Daughter From Child Marriage in Pakistan’s Oscar Submission ‘Dukhtar’
“I was 15 when I got married,” a woman named Allah Rakhi (Samiya Mumtaz) says bitterly in Afia Nathaniel’s gorgeous thriller “Dukhtar.” “After that, my story ends.” Allah Rakhi is...
Guest Post: Midwives Finally Get the Spotlight They Deserve in ‘The Mama Sherpas’
After having myfirst child, I always got a lump in my throat when noting that my son was bornvia cesarean birth. Whether rational or irrational, I felt a sense of failure that my body couldn’t do...
Carol Burnett to Receive SAG Lifetime Achievement Award
Comedy pioneer Carol Burnett is set to receive SAG-AFTRA’s highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award. The eponymous star of “The Carol Burnett Show” is the 52nd recipient of the...
Emma Thompson on the Climate for Women in Hollywood: “I Think It’s Still Completely Sh*t, Actually”
Emma Thompson was characteristically blunt when asked recently about sexism and ageism in the film industry. “It is in a worse state than I have known it, particularly for women,” the “Saving...
Cate Blanchett to Make Directorial Debut With TV Drama About Real-Life Government Detention Victim
Cate Blanchett will go behind the camera for the first time with the Australian TV series “Stateless,” a drama she also developed. The prestige project is based on the experiences of Cornelia...
Cicely Tyson Returning to Broadway in Silver-Haired Tragi-Comedy ‘The Gin Game’
Last week, Cicely Tyson earned an Emmy nomination for her guest appearance on “How To Get Away With Murder.” Now comes word that the busy actress is headed back to Broadway. Starting in the fall,...
BlogHer 2015: Ava DuVernay Talks “Follow[ing] the White Guys,” Turning Down Marvel (VIDEO)
Ava DuVernay offered advice on getting ahead and turning down what would probably have been the biggest paycheck of her career during a keynote discussion at the 2015 BlogHer conference in NYC this...
#Femvertising Honors Empowering Ads For Women; Adweek Recognizes Kaling, Rhimes, Schumer and More
Most people — and research — would agree that advertising can have a corrosive effect on people’s self-esteem and body image, especially women. Ads traditionally work by making women...
Joy Bryant Joins Amazon Pilot About Female Journalists Demanding Equality During Women’s Movement
The team behind the Amazon pilot “Good Girls Revolt,” about a group of female journalists who demand equal pay and opportunity at a prominent magazine at the dawn of the women’s movement, has...
Amy Schumer’s ‘Trainwreck’ is This Week’s Real Box Office Winner
Amy Schumer has officially become part of Hollywood’s A-list — according to Variety and box-office receipts, at least. Schumer’s debut feature, “Trainwreck,” is an undisputed success....
Trailer Watch: Judy Greer Finally Gets the Starring Role Worthy of Her in ‘Addicted to Fresno’
There’s been a lot of talk lately about Judy Greer’s summer of tiny, thankless roles, in which she plays characters designed to be instantly forgettable in “Tomorrowland,” “Entourage,”...
The Art of Discovery: Jane Anderson discusses ‘Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson’
Jane Anderson is an award winning playwright, screenwriter and director. As well as being nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Dramatic Series for her work on the second season of...
Weekly Update for July 17: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week Trainwreck — Written by Amy Schumer It’s Amy Schumer’s time. The woman is everywhere, mostly in a good way. She’s brash, funny, feminist and riding...