Features
Women and Hollywood’s Picks of the Week for August 1
Picks of the Week offers Women and Hollywood’s recommendations — women-driven and women-made movies, series, VOD releases, and more — and tells you why they are worth your time and money. The...
Society, Expectations, and the “Other”: VOD and Web Series Picks
Society has unspoken expectations for everyone, especially women. We’re expected to dress in a certain way, do our hair and makeup, be less aggressive with men. Then there are expectations for...
Weekly Update for July 26: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Share – Written and Directed by Pippa Bianco (Premieres July 27 on HBO) “Share,” written and directed by Pippa Bianco, feels in some ways like a horror...
Women and Hollywood’s Picks of the Week for July 25
Picks of the Week offers Women and Hollywood’s recommendations — women-driven and women-made movies, series, VOD releases, and more — and tells you why they are worth your time and...
Weekly Update for July 19: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Varda by Agnès (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Agnès Varda (Opens in the UK) Whether in front of the camera or behind it, Agnès Varda was a visual...
You Must Remember This: Crowdfunding Picks
History is important. Those that don’t remember this aren’t just doomed to repeat their mistakes, but could potentially destroy or lose something irreplaceable. The point of this round of...
Why “Big Little Lies” Fucking Over Andrea Arnold Feels Especially Frustrating
I couldn’t bring myself to watch “Big Little Lies” last night. I may check out the newest episode later this week, but honestly, I’m in no hurry. Indiewire dropped a bomb about...
Weekly Update for July 12: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Farewell – Written and Directed by Lulu Wang “The Farewell” solidifies Awkwafina as a multi-faceted actress. The “Crazy Rich Asians”...
Weekly Update for July 5: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING My Days of Mercy – Directed by Tali Shalom-Ezer (Also Available on VOD) Two sisters, Lucy and Martha, regularly protest capital punishment at state executions. Lucy...
Home Away from Home: VOD and Web Series Picks
Home is the place you’re meant to feel most comfortable. For many people, it’s with their families, their belongings, and their own space. But that isn’t always possible, particularly for those...
July 2019 Film Preview
Summertime can often be a grim time to go to the movies, as male-dominated blockbusters and a deluge of sequels clog the box office. But this July looks especially promising for original films by and...
How Women Showrunners Are Changing TV
This year seven trailblazing series led by women come to an end. Each one — “Jane the Virgin,” “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” “Orange Is the New Black,” “Broad...
Writer to Watch: Grace Nkenge Edwards of “Insecure” and MTV’s New “Daria” Spinoff
Grace Nkenge Edwards has a long-standing love of comedy. Born in Guyana, South America, and raised in Michigan, the “Insecure” writer received a BFA in Acting from the University of...
Weekly Update for June 21: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Endzeit – Ever After – Directed by Carolina Hellsgård; Written by Olivia Vieweg (Opens in NY; Opens in LA June 28) A zombie apocalypse provides the backdrop for...
Quote of the Day: “Pose” Writer-Director Janet Mock Wants Her Work to “Shatter Stigma”
Janet Mock has blazed trails as the first trans woman of color to write and direct a TV ep and the first out trans woman to ink a multimillion-dollar deal with a major content company. But the...
Laugh It Off: Crowdfunding Picks
Comedy has long been a vehicle to talk about the issues plaguing society. From projects like podcast-turned-HBO series “2 Dope Queens” to favorites like “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,”...
Weekly Update for June 14: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING American Woman In a blue-collar town in Pennsylvania, a 32-year-old woman’s (Sienna Miller) teen daughter goes missing and she is left to raise her infant grandson alone....
Under the Radar: “A Woman’s Work” Tackles Gendered Notions of Labor
How many hours of practice does it take to become an NFL cheerleader? In Lacy Fields’ case, approximately 10,560 over 18 years. Yet after she finally accomplished that feat, joining the Oakland...
Quote of the Day: Tessa Thompson on the Barriers Blocking Women of Color from Equal Pay
When news first broke that Tessa Thompson would be starring in the new “Men in Black” movie alongside her “Thor: Ragnarok” co-star Chris Hemsworth, Women and Hollywood...
Weekly Update for June 7: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Late Night – Directed by Nisha Ganatra; Written by Mindy Kaling (Opens in Select Theaters; Opens Wide June 14) “Late Night” is the movie I have been...
Quotes of the Day: Taraji P. Henson and Ellen Pompeo Get Candid About Race and Fair Pay
Taraji P. Henson and Ellen Pompeo work on two of the biggest shows on network TV. The respective “Empire” and “Grey’s Anatomy” stars are also outspoken advocates for...
Binge Worthy: Crowdfunding Picks
Sometimes there’s no better way to decompress from a long day or a stressful week than watching an episode of your favorite show. Or four. Or 10. There’s no shame in a good binge-watching...
June 2019 Film Preview
The summer movie season is kicking off with dozens of films helmed by and centered on women. From Sundance pics to mega blockbusters, June promises to be a month chock-full of exciting...
Weekly Update for May 31: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Too Late to Die Young – Written and Directed by Dominga Sotomayor (Opens in NY; Opens in LA June 7) “Too Late To Die Young” Set in post-Pinochet Chile in...
Our Bodies, Our Choice: VOD and Web Series Picks
Reproductive rights are under attack across the country. And while women throughout Hollywood are making their own efforts to defend access to safe abortion nationwide, there is still work to be done...
Weekly Update for May 24: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Booksmart – Directed by Olivia Wilde; Written by Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, Katie Silberman, and Emily Halpern “Booksmart” is one of the best movies I...
Quote of the Day: Gina Prince-Bythewood on Changing the Narrative About Women Directors
“I am seeing a definite shift, but it doesn’t mean that the numbers are not still absolutely abysmal,” Gina Prince-Bythewood tells Deadline in a new feature about the fight for gender parity...
Quote of the Day: “Port Authority’s” Leyna Bloom on Being the First Trans WOC to Lead a Cannes Pic
Leyna Bloom, star of Danielle Lessovitz’s “Port Authority,” is the first trans woman of color to lead a film selected for the Cannes Film Festival. As she explained in a talk at the fest,...
Watch: Busy Philipps and ACLU Fight Back Against Abortion Bans with #YouKnowMe Campaign
Busy Philipps and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are putting a human face on an issue that is being unjustly politicized — one that, unsurprisingly, affects women, women of color,...
Here & Queer: Crowdfunding Picks
Despite their place at the forefront of the women’s rights movement, queer women have long been marginalized, misunderstood, and underrepresented by media. The history and experiences of queer...
Quote of the Day: Mindy Kaling on “Late Night” and the Stigma of Being a “Diversity Hire”
Mindy Kaling scored one of the biggest deals out of Sundance this year for “Late Night,” a comedy about a veteran late-night host who hires her first female writer under pressure to make...
Under the Radar: Diane Paragas’ “Yellow Rose” Puts the American Dream to Music
“I feel out of place/Song out of tune,” sings Rose Garcia (Eva Noblezada), strumming her guitar on her bed, donning a red cowboy hat. “Like a velvet chair in a dusty sunroom.”...
Weekly Update for May 17: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Sun Is Also a Star – Directed by Ry Russo-Young; Written by Tracy Oliver College-bound romantic Daniel Bae (Charles Melton) and Jamaica-born pragmatist Natasha...
Watch: A Woman Gets a Text from Her Missing Lover in Clips of Mati Diop’s Cannes Pic “Atlantics”
Mati Diop’s “Atlantics” is making history as the first film directed by a black woman to screen in Cannes’ main Competition. The drama centers on Ada (Mame Bineta Sane), a young woman...
Quote of the Day: Julianne Moore Speaks in Favor of Quotas While Attending Cannes
“We will not have gender parity unless everybody is cooperating,” said Julianne Moore at recent event at the Cannes Film Festival, per TIME. Cannes signed the 5050×2020 gender parity...
Weekly Update for May 10: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Poms – Directed by Zara Hayes It is always nice to see women over 40 on-screen, as central characters. “Poms” takes us into a retirement community where...
Exclusive: Taissa Farmiga Keeps the Wickedness at Bay in “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” Clip
“I know wickedness is coming. I feel it,” says Taissa Farmiga in our exclusive clip from “We Have Always Lived in the Castle.” Stacie Passon’s adaptation of Shirley...
Embracing the Surreal: Crowdfunding Picks
Surrealism allows the mundane and the exotic to coexist, woven together in a way that creates a new reality unbound by the limitations of our world. It represents a potent force for creativity and...
Writer to Watch: Katie Silberman of “Booksmart” and “Set It Up”
Katie Silberman has an affinity for romantic comedies. She penned 2018’s Netflix hit “Set It Up,” a story about two assistants falling in love while plotting to get their terrible...
Weekly Update for May 3: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Tell It to the Bees – Directed by Annabel Jankel; Written by Henrietta Ashworth and Jessica Ashworth (Also Available on VOD) “Tell It to the Bees” Dr. Jean...
You Have to Laugh: VOD and Web Series Picks
“Humor is just another defense against the universe,” Mel Brooks told Rolling Stone in 1978. This insight is perhaps even truer for women — we’ve often had to wield our senses...
Quote of the Day: Oprah Talks Empowerment and Opportunity
Oprah Winfrey has delivered yet another inspirational speech, this time at The Hollywood Reporter’s first-ever Empowerment in Entertainment gala. Accepting the inaugural Empowerment in...
Imagine That: Crowdfunding Picks
Imagination, J.K. Rowling shared in her 2008 Harvard Commencement Speech, is “not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not” but also “the power that enables us...
May 2019 Film Preview
May 2019 promises to be an exciting month for new releases by and about women. From star-studded comedies to intimate documentaries, women’s stories are flooding theaters this month. Olivia...
Weekly Update for April 26: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Body at Brighton Rock – Written and Directed by Roxanne Benjamin (Also Available on VOD) “Body at Brighton Rock” Wendy (Karina Fontes), a part-time summer...
Quote of the Day: Amy Poehler on Unpacking Misogyny and Working with Women
Actress, writer, director, producer, Upright Citizens Brigade co-founder, and Worldwide Orphans Foundation ambassador Amy Poehler is a popular dream BFF, and it’s no wonder. One of the...
Weekly Update for April 19: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Little Woods – Written and Directed by Nia DaCosta This Tribeca winner sees Tessa Thompson playing a woman facing a handful of crises in Little Woods, North Dakota....
Under the Radar: Ash Mayfair’s “The Third Wife” Explores a Complicated Coming of Age
In the opening scenes of “The Third Wife,” May (Nguyen Phuong Tra My), a 14-year-old girl, arrives at the Ninh Binh estate in rural Vietnam to be wed to a much older man. As the film’s title...
Quote of the Day: Josie Rourke on the Lack of Appreciation for Female Auteurs
Josie Rourke is sounding off on sexist double standards. The theater and film director told The Stage that “women directors are largely rewarded by critics and awards when they respectfully...
Weekly Update for April 12: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Little – Directed by Tina Gordon; Written by Tina Gordon and Tracy Oliver “Little” is “Big” but reversed and centered on a black girl —...
Managing Motherhood: Crowdfunding Picks
Even as more and more women opt out of having children, the pressure to pursue motherhood remains consistent. Those women who do choose to have kids must grapple with the reality of balancing their...