Documentary
Doc About Workers’ Rights Activist Dolores Huerta Acquired by PBS
Dolores Huerta will hopefully soon be a household name. A documentary about the workers’ rights activist, “Dolores,” was acquired by PBS and is set to screen theatrically this fall. According...
Pussy Riot Documentary “Act & Punishment” Gets U.S. Release
“If your vagina lands in prison, then the world is gonna listen,” sings Pussy Riot in “Straight Outta Vagina,” a song released in 2016. The Russian punk rock group is the subject of “Act...
Tallgrass Film Festival to Launch Female-Helmed Doc Competition
The largest film festival in Kansas is getting more female-friendly. The Tallgrass Film Association (TFA) has announced the creation of DoXX Spotlight competition for women-directed feature-length...
Character First: April VOD and Web Series Picks
“Reckless Juliets” These days at the box office, it seems that size matters. Whether it’s the latest Marvel film, or even the female-centric “Beauty and the Beast,” movies often mean big...
Trailer Watch: Explorer Gertrude Bell Takes Center Stage in “Letters from Baghdad”
“In the desert, every newcomer is an enemy till you know him to be a friend,” says Gertrude Bell, voiced by Tilda Swinton, in a new trailer for Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum’s “Letters...
Trailer Watch: Kitty Green Returns to the Scene of the Crime in “Casting JonBenet”
The 1996 murder of six-year-old American beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey made international headlines, but the horrifying crime undoubtedly made the most lasting mark in Boulder, Colorado, where...
Trailer Watch: Netflix’s “Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On” Investigates the Porn Industry
“We can’t ignore that porn today is sex education,” emphasizes an interviewee in “Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On.” And she’s not wrong. Sex education is sorely lacking in the U.S. school...
Trailer Watch: Tracy Droz Tragos Gives Women a Platform in “Abortion: Stories Women Tell”
“People telling their stories is so important because we keep those things locked inside of ourselves and they kill us,” says one of the characters in a new trailer for “Abortion: Stories...
Trailer Watch: Petra Epperlein Investigates Surveillance Culture in “Karl Marx City”
“It’s easy to go down the rabbit hole of the subject of modern surveillance and come out sounding like a raving paranoid,” “Karl Marx City” co-director Petra Epperlein told us. But a newly...
Hot Docs Special Presentations Lineup: Dance Teams, Indigenous Musicians, & Animal Rights Activists
Hot Docs has announced the lineup for their Special Presentations program. Nine of 26 films are directed or co-directed by women, amounting to about 35 percent of the high-profile slate. According...
Apply Now for the Producers Guild’s Power of Diversity Master Workshop
The deadline for the Producers Guild of America’s (PGA) 14th annual Power of Diversity Master Workshop has been extended, the PGA announced in a press release. Applications will now be accepted...
Fusion Orders Dawn Porter Doc “Fatherless”
Dawn Porter has a new project on the way. Fusion has commissioned an hour-long documentary from the “Trapped” helmer, Realscreen reports. “Fatherless” will focus on “Grace & Frankie”...
Sarasota Film Festival to Open and Close with Women-Directed Films
This year’s Sarasota Film Festival will feature women-directed films on Opening and Closing Night. According to a press statement from the festival, Rory Kennedy’s “Take Every Wave: The Life...
Exclusive: Reba McEntire Talks Patsy Cline’s Influence in “Patsy Cline: American Masters” Clip
“She brought a dignity to a woman’s feelings,” actress and singer Beverly D’Angelo says of legendary country star Patsy Cline in our exclusive clip of PBS’ “Patsy Cline: American...
Trailer Watch: Jane Jacobs Saves the Neighborhood in “Citizen Jane”
If you need reassurance that one person’s voice can make a difference in the world — really, who doesn’t need that right now? — then “Citizen Jane: Battle for the City” probably...
Women in Sports Doc “Tomboy” Premieres on CSN Tonight
There aren’t many mainstream conversations about women in professional sports, especially during non-Olympics years. Luckily, that drought will break tonight thanks to “Tomboy: Elevating the...
Exclusive: Chicken & Egg Pictures Announces 2017 Accelerator Lab Finalists
Chicken & Egg Pictures has announced the ten women-directed and co-directed projects selected to participate in their 2017 Accelerator Lab, a program designed to support first- and second-time...
Charlene Fisk and Carrie Schrader’s Golf Doc “The Founders” Finds Distribution
Not many stories have been told about women golfers which — considering the numbers on women’s representation in Hollywood, and women in sports in particular — is pretty much par for...
Amanda Lipitz’s Dance Doc “Step” Gets a Release Date
The “Lethal Ladies” are set to dance their way into theaters. Fox Searchlight has announced a release date for “Step,” Amanda Lipitz’s inspirational documentary about a step dance...
“Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan” Gets Distribution and Release Date
“Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan” has found a home. Abramorama has acquired the theatrical rights to the ballet documentary, the company announced in a press release. Directed and produced by...
Free Screenings for “Hidden Figures” and Public Screenings for “13th” Announced
Haven’t had a chance to see “Hidden Figures”? Want to host a screening of “13th” for your school? You’re in luck: Both films have been granted screening access. According to Deadline,...
Princess Diana Miniseries to Air on ABC in August
Princess Diana: Nick Parfjonov/Wikimedia Commons A documentary miniseries about Princess Diana is coming to ABC. According to Deadline, the four-hour untitled project will air over two nights in...
Netflix Updates: Kate McKinnon, “Anne of Green Gables,” and “Casting JonBenét” News
Kate McKinnon in “Ghostbusters”: Sony Pictures Netflix continues its world domination. With so many projects forthcoming, the streaming giant is releasing news on a steady basis. Thanks to a...
“I Am Jane Doe” Director Mary Mazzio on the Terrifying Scope of Child Sex Trafficking
Mary Mazzio is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, Olympic athlete, and former law firm partner. She is the Founder and CEO of 50 Eggs, Inc., an independent film production company. Her credits...
Chicken & Egg Pictures Receives Multi-Year MacArthur Grant
Chicken & Egg Pictures is “now officially part of the MacArthur Foundation legacy.” According to a press release, the organization supporting women non-fiction filmmakers is set to receive a...
Emmy Winner Lili Fini Zanuck to Direct Documentary about Eric Clapton
A documentary about the legendary Eric Clapton is on its way and we couldn’t be happier — because it will be directed by Lili Fini Zanuck. Variety reports that Zanuck, who won an Oscar for...
Oxygen to Rebrand as TV’s Crime Destination for Women
Oxygen is committing to the crime genre. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the women-focused network is pivoting to become “a crime destination network geared toward women.” The rebrand is...
Jennifer Brea’s Sundance Winner “Unrest” Acquired by PBS
Jennifer Brea’s award-winning directorial debut has found a home. PBS has bought the U.S. broadcast rights to “Unrest,” Indiewire reports. The documentary centers on a medical mystery:...
CBS Orders Pilot from Katie Couric and Jenny Lumet
We all know Katie Couric as a respected veteran TV journalist and producer. And now we’ll know her as a TV drama series executive producer. According to The Hollywood Reporter, CBS has ordered a...
Trailer Watch: A Doctor Saves Lives Around the World in “The Resilient Heart”
As Valentine’s Day approaches, heart-shaped paper cutouts and candies are everywhere, as are cards waxing philosophical about love’s impact on the actual heart. We talk so much about the heart...
Jessie Auritt’s “Supergirl” Acquired by FilmRise
Naomi Kutin is poised to powerlift her way into audience’s hearts. The pre-teen is at the center of Jessie Auritt’s “Supergirl,” a coming-of-age documentary that was just acquired by...
IDA Creates New Fund for Feature-Length Docs
Documentary filmmakers, take note: The International Documentary Association (IDA) is launching a new fund. The Enterprise Documentary Fund, created with significant support from the John D. and...
Laura Nix Honored as the 2017 Sundance Institute and Discovery Impact Fellow
Laura Nix has been named as the 2017 Sundance Institute and Discovery Impact Fellow, Deadline reports. “The Yes Men are Revolting” director is the second recipient of the fellowship, which...
Trailer Watch: Jewish Comedians Get “The Last Laugh”
“It’s much more fun to laugh than not to laugh,” Carl Reiner explains in the new trailer for “The Last Laugh.” As fun as it is, laughter is also key to cultural and literal survival in...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Pamela Yates — “500 Years”
Pamela Yates is a co-founder and current creative director of Skylight, a media company dedicated to creating feature length documentary films and digital media tools that advance awareness of human...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Pascale Lamche — “Winnie”
Pascale Lamche is an award-winning filmmaker who has made feature documentaries and series both as a writer-producer and writer-director for key broadcasters internationally. Her films have...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Michelle Latimer— “Rise”
Michelle Latimer is a Métis/Algonquin filmmaker based in Toronto, as well as a programmer, actor, and activist. Her previous directorial efforts include “Choke,” a Sundance Special Jury...
Teaser Watch: Kitty Green’s “Casting JonBenét” Will Give You Goosebumps
“My name is Anna and I’m auditioning for the role of JonBenét Ramsey,” a young aspiring actress announces in a newly released clip from Kitty Green’s “Casting JonBenét.” What comes out...
Trailer Watch: “Motherland” Welcomes Us to the Busiest Maternity Ward on Earth
“I admit I’m crazy. Why wouldn’t I be?” a patient asks in the new trailer for “Motherland.” “The children come one after another. I don’t have enough love to give all of them. I wish...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Laura Dunn — “Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry”
Laura Dunn’s first feature documentary, “The Unforeseen,” executive produced by Robert Redford and Terrence Malick, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and was released theatrically and...
Guest Post: What I Learned from Documenting the Aftermath of Sandy Hook
Guest Post by Kim A. Snyder Chronicling the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was without a doubt the most daunting endeavor I’ve ever undertaken in my twenty years as a...
“Cameraperson” Director Kirsten Johnson Receives Rooftop Films Grant
Kirsten Johnson is on a hot streak. Last week, her documentary “Cameraperson” won three awards at the Cinema Eye Honors. It’s on the Oscars short list and was the grand prize winner of the...
Guest Post: Capturing History As It Happens in the Obama White House
Guest Post by Amy Entelis Shortly after Election Day 2016, CNN began filming inside the Obama White House to tell a story we thought had never previously been told: What is it like to work for the...
Barbara Kopple’s “This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous” Gets Release Date
Barbara Kopple’s latest project has a release date. Following its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, “This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous” will launch February 8 on...
Exclusive: Chicken & Egg Pictures Announces Breakthrough Filmmaker Award Recipients
Chicken & Egg Pictures has announced the recipients of the second Breakthrough Filmmaker Award, which includes a $50,000 unrestricted grant and a year-long creative support and mentorship...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors Preview: Films About Pioneers, Dancers, and Nuns
“Step” The Sundance Film Festival kicks off January 19, and like all major fests, the program is rather overwhelming. There are lots of options, and plenty of projects worth checking out. We’ve...
CIR Launches Glassbreaker Films for Female Documentary Filmmakers
The Center for Investigative Reporting has announced the launch of Glassbreaker Films, a new film studio “intended to support and empower women in documentary filmmaking.” Glassbreaker Films was...
“Cameraperson,” “Hooligan Sparrow,” and “Making a Murderer” Win at Cinema Eye
Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson” topped the Cinema Eye Honors last night, taking home three awards: Outstanding Cinematography for Johnson, Outstanding Editing for Nels Bangerter, and...
Kitty Genovese Doc “The Witness” Getting Narrative Treatment
The documentary “The Witness,” which follows the story of the murder of Kitty Genovese, is getting the narrative film treatment, Deadline reports. Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Pamela...
How Kristi Zea Pays Tribute to a Genius Painter in “Everybody Knows… Elizabeth Murray”
“Everybody Knows… Elizabeth Murray” is Kristi Zea’s documentary directorial debut. She’s a two-time Oscar-nominated production designer and producer. Her narrative directorial debut,...
Trailer Watch: “Amaka’s Kin — The Women Of Nollywood” Celebrates Women Directors in Nigeria
Named in honor of Amaka Igwe, the most successful Nigerian female filmmaker of all-time, “Amaka’s Kin — The Women Of Nollywood” shines a spotlight on women working in a male-dominated...