BY Women and Hollywood
Tribeca 2015 Women Directors: Meet Erin Lee Carr — ‘Thought Crimes’
Erin Lee Carr is a documentary filmmaker. Before that, she covered the vast intersection between science and technology for Vice Media, specifically for their science vertical Motherboard. She also...
Tribeca 2015 Women Directors: Meet Pamela Romanowsky — ‘The Adderall Diaries’
Pamela Romanowsky studied behavioral psychology at Macalester College, verité documentary filmmaking with Barbara Kopple, and narrative filmmaking at New York University’s MFA program. “The...
Cannes 2015 to Kick Off With First Woman-Directed Festival Opener in 28 Years
Actress-turned-director Emmanuelle Bercot will be the first female filmmaker to open the Cannes Film Festival in 28 years. Bercot’s latest film, “La Tete haute,” will kick off the 2015...
Yogis, Sworn Virgins and Coders: 10 Most Anticipated Films By and About Women at Tribeca 2015
There’s much to look forward to at the 2015 edition of the Tribeca Film Festival, which begins this week. For starters, 33% of the feature filmmakers screening at this year’s festival are...
Guest Post: What I Learned From a Post-It Note to Make My First Film
Back in 2008, I heard about that Oprah tip — the one whereyou make a list of goals on a Post-It and put it on your bathroom mirror. Youare supposed to look at it every morning when you wake up...
Jessica Edwards’ Doc ‘Mavis!’ About Singer Mavis Staples Acquired by HBO
Jessica Edwards’ “Mavis!,” the first documentary about gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples, has been acquired by HBO. Edwards described “Mavis!” as an exploration...
Trailer Watch: Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin Laugh Through the Pain in Netflix’s ‘Grace and Frankie’
A trailer has (finally!) been released for “Grace and Frankie,” Netflix’s original comedy series starring the incomparable Jane Fonda (Grace) and Lily Tomlin (Frankie). The series comes from...
Taraji P. Henson to Host ‘SNL,’ Publish Memoir
Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea to Produce Lionsgate Film ‘Luckiest Girl Alive’
Reese Witherspoon and her producing partner Bruna Papandrea have attached themselves to the film adaptation of another hotly anticipated, yet-to-be-published book. Witherspoon and Papandrea will...
Kate McKinnon’s Webseries, Hilarious Kiwi Roommates: April’s Noteworthy VOD Films and Webseries
This month’s female-centric VOD releases and noteworthy webseries may range in genre, topic and tone, but all four projects showcase women at their most talented. “Fantail,” our most dramatic...
Isabella Rossellini to Head Cannes 2015’s Un Certain Regard Jury
Isabella Rossellini has been named the president of the Un Certain Regard section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival (May 13–24). The Un Certain Regard competition selects an international winner...
Julianne Moore to Star in Nicole Holofcener Movie as Forger
Julianne Moore will likely star in Nicole Holofcener’s follow-up to “Enough Said.” Moore would play biographer-turned-literary forger Lee Israel in an adaptation of the latter’s 2008 memoir,...
Kate Mulgrew and Candice Bergen Release Memoirs
“Orange is the New Black” co-star Kate Mulgrew and “Murphy Brown” actress Candice Bergen each memoirs coming out. Titled “Born With Teeth,” Mulgrew’s book will chronicle her life from...
Trailer Watch: Laura Prepon’s Back in Prison and a Different Castmember Goes Free in ‘Orange’ Season 3
‘Veep’ is in the (White) House
Reed Morano’s ‘Meadowland’ Gets International Distribution Deal Ahead of Tribeca Debut
“Frozen River” and “The Skeleton Twins” cinematographer Reed Morano will make her directorial debut with “Meadowland,” a film about the disintegration of a marriage following the...
W&H Podcast #10: Caryn Waechter & Marilyn Fu Tell the Truth About Girlhood in ‘Sisterhood of Night’
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Lily Tomlin’s ‘Grandma’ to Open LA Film Fest; Tomlin and Gale Anne Hurd to Receive LAFF Honors
Trailer Watch: Blythe Danner is Determined to Enjoy Her Golden Years in ‘I’ll See You in My Dreams’
Nicole Kidman’s ‘Grace of Monaco’ Heads to Lifetime
Nicole Kidman’s “Grace of Monaco” will skip US theaters and land directly at Lifetime. The Grace Kelly biopic opened the Cannes Film Festival last spring to none-too-positive reviews. It will...
Documentary About Plus-Size Modeling, ‘A Perfect 14,’ in the Works
A new documentary about the plus-size modeling industry will explore the issue of sizeism in fashion and the larger world. Currently in production, “A Perfect 14” is directed by Giovanna...
2014 VIDA Count: Harper’s and The New Republic Make Gains in Women’s Bylines, Others Slide Backward
The 2014 VIDA Count is out, and the larger picture is mixed as usual. Women writers continue to lag behind their male counterparts as both literary reviewers and reviewees, and nearly all the...
Watch: Sarah Silverman Speak Out on Equal Pay and Why We Need to ‘Ask4More’
In a new video encouraging women to demand equal pay, Sarah Silverman shares some insights from her therapist, who told the comedienne, “We don’t get what we want. We get what we think we...
Andrea Arnold’s First US Film, ‘American Honey,’ to Star Shia LeBeouf
British filmmaker Andrea Arnold (“Wuthering Heights,” “Fish Tank,” “Red Road”) has cast Shia LeBeouf in her first US film, “American Honey.” The project has been percolating for some...
Karyn Kusama’s ‘The Invitation’ Bought by Drafthouse Films
The tastemakers over at Drafthouse Films have acquired Karyn Kusama’s “The Invitation.” The horror film stars Logan Marshall-Green who attends a dinner party at his old house, now occupied by...
Guest Post: How I Ended Up With a “Faith” Movie by Believing in Myself
In three short days, I am releasing my second film, “Dial a Prayer.” I directed from my own script (my first as a solo writer), and the coming-of-age comedy stars Brittany Snow, William H. Macy,...
Provincetown Film Society Launches Women Filmmakers Residency Program
The Gabrielle A. Hanna Film Institute, an initiative of the Provincetown Film Society, has announced the launch of a residency program for female filmmakers. The program will offer female...
Book Excerpt: Lessons from Dedicating Three Decades to a Life in the Theater
The following is an excerpt from Carey Perloff’s memoir “Beautiful Chaos: A Life in the Theater.” Much has been written about the paucity of female voices in the contemporary theater, and...
Trailer Watch: Queen Latifah Lives the Blues in Dee Rees’ ‘Bessie’ on HBO
Do We Need Another ‘The L Word’?
The song tells us we can’t always get what we want. As lesbian and bisexual female media consumers, we know this all too well. But it also promises that, if we try, sometimes we’ll get what we...
Weekly Update for April 3: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week Woman in Gold “Woman in Gold” is the remarkable true story of one woman’s journey to reclaim her heritage and seek justice for what happened to her family....
Infographic: Female Actors, Directors, and Playwrights Lag Behind Male Counterparts in SF Theater
A study breaking down employment opportunities in the San Francisco Bay Area theatre world by gender has found that female actors, directors, and playwrights have yet to reach parity. A majority...
Stage 32 and PGA Women’s Impact Network Launch Pitching Event for Female-Centric Scripts
Female protagonists at the movie theater are becoming an endangered species. To help tell more relevant and interesting stories to girls and women — an audience that has proven itself loyal...
Abigail Breslin to Pen Essay Collection of Advice and Personal Stories
Abigail Breslin will become the latest celebrity to write a collection of nonfiction essays. Based on her Tumblr, “This May Sound Crazy” will include personal stories and advice to readers....
Trailer Watch: Melissa McCarthy Faces Off Against Rose Byrne in New Spot for ‘Spy’
‘Outlander,’ Back and Better than the Books
Quote of the Day: Lupita Nyong’o on Her Sense of Responsibility to Speak Out
Lupita Nyong’o appears on next month’s cover of Harper’s Bazaar UK, and the Oscar-winning actress used to occasion to speak out about, well, why she speaks out. “I don’t feel like the...
‘Apartment Troubles’ Directors/Stars Jennifer Prediger & Jess Weixler on Making a Film With a New BFF
Jennifer Prediger and Jess Weixler’s directorial debut “Apartment Troubles” follows the trials and tribulations of co-dependentroommates Olivia (Prediger) and Nicole (Weixler), who find...
Michelle Pfeiffer, Katie Couric, ‘Murphy Brown’ Creator Diane English Pitching Comedy About TV News
The dream team of Michelle Pfeiffer, Katie Couric, and “Murphy Brown” creator Diane English is currently shopping around a comedy series about the morning TV news business. Based on Couric’s...
Kristen Wiig to Star in Lifetime Parody ‘A Deadly Adoption’ (UPDATED)
Patricia Arquette to Pen Memoir About Her Career and Single Motherhood
Oscar winner Patricia Arquette is set to write a memoir for Random House. According to the press release, the book will focus on Arquette’s atypical family, which includes a father who converted...
Trailer Watch: Amy Winehouse Contemplates Fame in First Teaser for Doc About the Late Singer
‘Apartment Troubles’ Directors/Stars Jennifer Prediger & Jess Weixler on Making a Film With a New BFF
Jennifer Prediger and Jess Weixler’s directorial debut "Apartment Troubles" follows the trials and tribulations of co-dependent roommates Olivia (Prediger) and Nicole (Weixler), who...
Lisbeth Salander to Live on in New ‘Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ Book
A fourth “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” novel will be published on August 27. Lisbeth Salander, the anti-social hacker-heroine created by deceased Swedish author Stieg Larsson, will make her...
Quote of the Day: Michelle Rodriguez: “I Can’t Be the Slut, I Cannot Be Just the girlfriend”
Michelle Rodriguez recently made some fans unhappy when she spoke out against race-blind casting in superhero movies. “It’s so stupid,” she said. “Stop stealing all the white people’s...
Anne Frank’s Life Retold Through Hallucinogenic Animation in New Film (IMAGES)
Anne Frank’s story has been told countless times, but never quite like in Ari Folman’s upcoming animated film. The Israeli director of “The Congress” and the Oscar-nominated “Waltz with...
Debbie Tucker Green to Co-Write Steve McQueen’s BBC “Epic” Miniseries About Black Britons
The day after “12 Years a Slave” director Steve McQueen announced that he would co-write the female heist thriller “Widows” with “Gone Girl” author and screenwriter Gillian Flynn, he...
April 2015 Film Preview
Summer blockbuster season is just around the corner, but there’s no need to wait until then to see a great movie. April brings us a wide variety of women-centric projects, as well as quite a few...
‘Fancy Nancy’ Adaptation Lands at Disney Channel
The children’s book series “Fancy Nancy” will be turned into a TV movie and a weekly series for the Disney Channel. Written by Jane O’Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser,...
Nicole Kidman, Ava DuVernay, Jill Soloway Among Women in Film’s 2015 Crystal + Lucy Awardees
Actresses Nicole Kidman and Kate Mara, writer-directors Ava DuVernay and Jill Soloway, Warner Bros. marketing chief Sue Kroll, and ICM partner Toni Howard have been named the honorees of this...
Trailer Watch: Chilean Miners Fight for Survival in Patricia Riggen’s ‘The 33’
An international trailer has been released for Patricia Riggen’s English-language Chilean mining drama “The 33.” The film is, of course, based on a true event — the 69-day struggle to...