BY Women and Hollywood
‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ and Inimitable Tina Fey
Guest Post: My Valentine’s Day ‘Bitch’ Slap from Facebook
This pastValentine’s weekend, I got bitch-slapped by Facebook — a digital smack acrossmy female indie filmmaker face — and all because of one word: “bitch.” A few weeksago, I...
Guest Post: Enough with the “Black Movies,” Bring on the Black Mermaids
I love seeing movies with black people in them, but I’m not interested in making “black movies.” There’s a difference. I want to see representations of women like me in movies where it’s...
Watch: New Trailer for Lone Scherfig’s Murderous-Rich-Kids Drama ‘The Riot Club’
“I am sick to death of poor people.” That about sums up the philosphy of The Riot Club, the ultra-exclusive society at already tony Oxford University, where the future leaders of the world learn...
Study: Diverse Movies and TV Shows Earn More Money and Attract More Viewers
If you’re reading this site, chances are good you’ve heard of “Empire,” the new FOX drama that has increased its audience every single week since its series premiere seven weeks ago. There...
Watch: An Orthodox Jewish Woman Ventures into the Secular World in ‘Felix & Meira’
Seeking Our Story: Marguerite Duras Stages a Lurid Funeral for Colonialism in ‘India Song’
MargueriteDuras (1914–1996), the prolific author, playwright, political troublemaker, andfilmmaker, was born in Vietnam to French emigrant parents. Her family’s descent into poverty, themadness...
Lady Gaga to Star in the Next Season of ‘American Horror Story’
It’s been quite a week for Lady Gaga. On Sunday, she stunned critics and viewers with her powerful “Sound of Music” tribute at the Oscars, prompting Time to suggest that her show-stealing...
Guest Post: How to Hire a Woman Director
At the Oscars on Sunday night,Best Supporting Actress Patricia Arquette used her moment in the spotlight to speak out on the issue ofgender inequity. “It’s our time to have wage equality once...
Paula Patton to Star in ABC’s Arms-Dealing Drama ‘Runner’
Paula Patton is ditching the occasional supporting part in film for a leading role on TV. The “Precious” and “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” actress has signed on to...
Trailer Watch: Shailene Woodley Lets Her Anger Consume Her in Final ‘Insurgent’ Spot
The “Divergent” series’ ass-kicking heroine Tris (Shailene Woodley) is under a whole lot of pressure in the newest — and final — trailer for “Insurgent.” “This is the only...
Jessica Chastain and Emily Blunt Cast in ‘The Huntsman’
The tale of “The Huntsman” gets curiouser and curiouser. The “Snow White and the Huntsman” sequel-turned-prequel first got on our radar for ditching its star, Kristen Stewart, and its...
Watch: Cannes Grand Prix-Winner Alice Rohrwacher’s Lovely Stop-Motion Short for Miu Miu
Suzan-Lori Parks’ Historical Play ‘Father Comes Home From the Wars’ Wins Kennedy Prize
Pulitzer-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks has received the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for her American epic “Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3).” The Kennedy Prize, which...
EXCLUSIVE TRAILER: ‘How I Got Over’ Chronicles the Streets-to-Stage Journey of 15 Homeless Women
The talent, intelligence, and creativity of women on the margins is showcased in “How I Got Over,” an inspirational documentary that chronicles how 15 formerly homeless women put together and...
Marielle Heller’s ‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl’ to Open ND/NF Festival
Writer-director Marielle Heller’s Sundance gem “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” will open the 2015 New Directions/New Films festival (March 18–29). Based on Phoebe Gloeckner’s graphic novel,...
Marisa Tomei to Play Gloria Steinem in HBO Movie About the Founding of Ms. Magazine
Just days after signing a producing deal with HBO, Marisa Tomei has announced her first project with the premium cable network: a biopic miniseries of Gloria Steinem, focusing on the 1971 founding...
Watch: Kristen Wiig Wins the Lottery But Loses Her Mind in New Dramedy ‘Welcome to Me’
Marielle Heller’s ‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl’ to Open ND/NF Festival
Writer-director Marielle Heller’s Sundance gem "The Diary of a Teenage Girl" will open the 2015 New Directions/New Films festival (March 18-29). Based on Phoebe...
LA Times Study: Among Major Studios, Sony Has Most Female Directors, Warner Bros. Has Least
According to a new study conducted by the Los Angeles Times, Sony hired the most women directors and Warner Bros. the least among major studios in the last six years. But before we toast to...
Patricia Arquette Elaborates on Her Call for Equal Pay
We were thrilled to see this year’s Best Supporting Actress winner Patricia Arquette use her time at the podium to call for equal rights and equal pay for women. But Arquette’s call for change...
The Big O: The Cry for Equal Pay, the Need for Equal Screen Time, & the Death of the Mani-Cam
To quote Meryl Streep as she shouted from her primo Dolby Theatre seat in support of “Boyhood’s” newly minted Oscar winner Patricia Arquette after she turned her supporting-actress acceptance...
Arquette Calls for Equality, But ‘Ida’ and ‘Still Alice’ Are Oscars 2015’s Only Female-Centric Winners
http://video.vulture.com/video/Oscars-2015-Patricia-Arquette-s/player?layout=compact&read_more=1 DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: “Citizenfour” COSTUME DESIGN: “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Milena...
Irene Bedard to Produce Native American Classic ‘Two Old Women’ for the Big Screen
Golden Globe-winning actress Irene Bedard will shepherd a movie adaptation of the Native American publishing sensation “Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage, and Survival.” Best...
Weekly Update for February 20: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week The DUFF (Women and Hollywood’s Pick of the Week) A definite case of “don’t judge a movie by its title,” “The DUFF” — which wincingly stands for...
Corinna McFarlane’s ‘The Silent Storm’ Sold to Sony
Corinna McFarlane’s directorial debut “The Silent Storm” has been acquired by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions. Starring Andrea Riseborough (“Birdman,” “Oblivion”) and Damian...
Mo’Nique on Being “Blackballed” and Labeled “Difficult” After Her Oscar Win
In an eye-opening interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Mo’Nique has revealed that she was “blackballed” after winning an Academy Award for her supporting role in “Precious.” The...
Engineering-Themed Competition Seeks ‘The Next (Female) MacGyver’
The Next MacGyver, a joint initiative of the National Academy of Engineering and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, hopes to offer a new face in problem-solving under extreme pressure: a lady...
Quote of the Day: Anna Kendrick on Aging and Still Having to Play Pretty
Anna Kendrick is speaking up about the pressure to project a certain image as a young actress in Hollywood — namely, being seen as “hot.” Kendrick previously poked fun at her appearance in...
Crosspost: Holding Out For a Heroine: On Being a Woman and Loving Star Wars
The following is cross-posted from with permission from Sound on Sight.It is a truth universally acknowledged that a little girl in possession of a good imagination must be in want of a heroine. At...
Jenji Kohan Sells Salem Pilot to HBO
“Orange is the New Black” creator Jenji Kohan has created another show about female victims, scapegoats, and troublemakers. HBO has given a pilot order to “New World,” a drama set in...
Marisa Tomei Enters the World of TV Producing with HBO
Deadline is reporting that Marisa Tomei has signed on to a first-look development deal at HBO, which will see the actress developing, producing, and possibly (hopefully!) starring in projects for...
A Season of Oscar Discontent
From my latest Forbes post on this weekend’s dispiriting Oscars: “For the first time in my adult life, I really don’t care about the Oscars. I’ve been watching the Oscars for as long as I...
Patti Smith on ‘Twilight’-Haters: “F*ck Them”
Patti Smith: singer, poet, artist, Twi-hard? We jest, but it’s certainly refreshing to see the punk goddess defend the success and popularity of the much-maligned “Twilight” movies. In a...
Quote of the Day: Goldie Hawn: “The Fear of Women’s Movies is Embedded in the Culture”
On the eve of an Oscar ceremony in which no film about a woman has a chance at taking home the most prized trophy in the film industry, Goldie Hawn says what we’re all thinking in a new interview:...
Former ‘House’ EP Katie Jacobs Goes Indie Route for New Medical Pilot
Between the traditional networks, Netflix and Amazon, Yahoo’s pick-up of NBC’s “Community,” and the proliferation of buzzy, slickly produced webseries like “High Maintenance,” it’s...
Watch: To the Academy and All People in the Film Business: We Need to Do Better
Each year, Women and Hollywood brings you a video that illuminates our feelings about the Oscar season. This year, three generations of the Athena Film Festival team took on that task to bring you,...
Nobody is All Right: Lisa Cholodenko’s ‘The Slap’
Watch: Pussy Riot Releases New English-Language Music Video “I Can’t Breathe”
Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova and Masha Alyokhina have released the group’s first song in English as a response to the killing of Eric Garner by NYPD officers last summer. “It’s getting...
Writer to Watch: Kristin Gore Penning Scarlett Johansson Thriller, HBO Comedy ‘Women in Space’
Former “SNL” and “Futurama” writer Kristin Gore is on a career upswing. The daughter of former Vice President Al Gore is currently working on a screenplay for Universal’s adaptation of...
Whoopi Goldberg to Co-Star in ABC Comedy as Football-Obsessed Ex-Cop
EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg is returning to scripted television. Goldberg, who has served as a host on “The View” for the last decade, will co-star in the sitcom “Delores & Jermaine,”...
The Big O: When Actresses Are Given Their Just Rewards — And It Feels So Good
Ten screenwriting contenders, all men. Eight best-picture nominees, each revolving around male characters. Five directing slots, and no women allowed. Oscar, you have done the ladies wrong. It’s...
Watch: ‘Hey Academy, I’m a Woman’ Mocks Male-Dominated Oscars
A new video directed by Leslie Korein and written by Kim Kalish offers a comic takedown of this year’s Oscars. As the video’s description notes, of 26 individual Academy Award nominees for...
Michelle Williams and Kelly Reichardt Reunite for Untitled Indie Drama
Michelle Williams and Kelly Reichardt will be joining forces for the third time in an as-yet untitled indie drama. Reichardt is set to write and direct the project. No details about the plot have...
Remembering Lesley Gore, Billboard-Topping Feminist
Amma Asante on Channeling the Warrior Queen to Make ‘Belle’
In the midst of the 2015 Berlinale, Amma Asante gave the closing speech at an International Women’s Film Festival Network (IWFFN) event on February 12. The director was candid about the...
Producer Gale Anne Hurd: Sexism Against Women Directors Hasn’t Changed Since the 80s
Superstar producer Gale Anne Hurd reflected on her three decades in the film and TV business in a Hollywood Masters interview yesterday. Most famous for her behind-the-scenes contributions to...
Oscar 2015 Spotlight: 6 Nominees You Should Know About
When this year’s Oscar nominees were announced, we noted that Academy voters had given us the whitest, malest, most deflating awards season in recent history. As an infographic from the Women’s...
Working Together to Make Change: The Film Fatales Panel at the 2015 Athena Film Festival
On Friday, February 6th, the Film Fatales hosteda panel discussion called “Working Together to Make Change” at the Athena FilmFestival. The panel offered an introduction to the Film Fatales: an...
Happy Monday: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Jane Curtin Return to Host SNL40’s ‘Weekend Update’
Among the highlights of the “Saturday Night Live” 40th-anniversary show last night was Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Jane Curtin returning behind the Weekend Update desk. (Fey and Poehler famously...
BET’s Female-Centered Slavery Miniseries ‘The Book of Negroes’ Premieres Tonight