Features
2017 — The Year That Could Change Everything or Nothing
On the one hand, I can’t wait for this fucking year to end. It’s been brutal and exhausting. It started with women marching together in protest, and it’s ending with women standing up and...
Weekly Update for December 22: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Pitch Perfect 3” Films About Women Opening This Week Pitch Perfect 3 — Directed by Trish Sie; Written by Kay Cannon After college graduation, the Barden Bellas are struggling with their...
Quote of the Day: Jessica Chastain Says “We All Need to Acknowledge & Blow Up This Cycle of Abuse”
Eminently quotable Jessica Chastain is back at it again. The two-time Oscar nominee is speaking out about Hollywood’s toxic culture in a new interview with Time, and, as always, she’s offering...
22 Most Anticipated Films By and About Women of 2018
“A Wrinkle in Time” The end of 2017 is rapidly approaching, and it’s safe to say that plenty of us are relieved. Although this year in particular has been difficult, it did see the release of...
Quote of the Day: Elizabeth Banks on Her “Great Epiphany” About Hollywood Sexism
There was a moment when Elizabeth Banks realized why she felt stalled in her acting career. Mainstream films weren’t providing her interesting roles, and smaller, independent fare wasn’t paying...
2017’s Best TV Created By and About Women
“Big Little Lies”: HBO A group of tight-knit mothers with some very dark secrets. Two 20-something women of color trying to excel in their professional and personal lives. A rag-tag team of...
141 Original Scores Are in the 2017 Oscar Race, and Just 6 of Them Are By Women
The most iconic night in the industry is almost upon us. The Academy Awards take place March 4, and nominations won’t be announced until January 23, but we’re gradually learning more and more...
Get Busy Living: Crowdfunding Picks
“Side Work” We often have to make a choice between pushing back against the setbacks in our lives, or letting the current pull us under. To sink or swim, to fight or take flight — or to put...
Weekly Update for December 15: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”: Lucasfilm Films About Women Opening This Week Star Wars: The Last Jedi Rey (Daisy Ridley) develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker...
Women Screenwriters and Animation Pros Open Up About Sexism in Hollywood
In 2016 women represented only 13 percent of the writers on the top 250 films, and according to 2015 research, women comprise only 10 percent of animation directors and producers. Obviously...
2017’s Best Documentaries By and About Women
“Step” A workers’ rights activist, a movie star-turned-inventor, and a retiring prima ballerina are just a few of the characters at the center of our favorite documentaries by and about women...
2017’s Best Films By and About Women
“Girls Trip”: Michele K. Short/Universal Pictures The big screen had a lot to offer in 2017: Amazonian warriors kicking ass (and breaking box office records), tennis stars smashing misogyny, a...
Quote of the Day: Jessica Chastain Reflects on the Price of Speaking Out
“To be honest, I’m mainly surprised about my nomination,” Jessica Chastain told The New York Times regarding her recently announced Golden Globe nod for “Molly’s Game.” The actor took...
Weekly Update for December 8: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“I, Tonya” Films About Women Opening This Week I, Tonya (Opens in NY and LA) Based on the unbelievable but true events, “I, Tonya” is a darkly comedic tale of American figure skater Tonya...
#MeToo Is Time’s Person of the Year but the Reckoning Still Has a Long Way to Go
Time’s Person of the Year 2017 is not a person at all, but a movement: The women and men of #MeToo, who Time has dubbed “The Silence Breakers.” The activists who came forward with their...
Guest Post: Why Diversity Programs Fail in Hollywood — And How to Fix Them
Guest Post by Kylee Peña In the entertainment industry, there are a lot of diversity programs. Initiatives serving diverse writers, diverse directors, diverse engineers, and diverse...
Weekly Update for December 1: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“The Shape of Water” Films About Women Opening This Week The Shape of Water — Co-Written by Vanessa Taylor (Opens in NY; Opens in LA December 8) Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is a mute, isolated...
Latina Directors Amplifying Their Voices: Crowdfunding Picks
Latinas are severely under-represented in film — both onscreen and behind the scenes. Among the directors of the top films from 2007 to 2016, only one was Latina. In addition, Latinas...
Sundance 2018 Competition Lineup Is 38 Percent Women-Directed
“The Miseducation of Cameron Post” will screen at Sundance next year Sick of hearing about awards season and this year’s contenders? Look onward. Sundance Film Festival has announced its 2018...
December 2017 Film Preview
“Pitch Perfect 3” As the end of the year approaches, a number of promising films are set to premiere and make your spirits bright. December starts off with a spate of exciting releases,...
Guest Post: Why We Still Need Niche Film Festivals
Guest Post by Savine Wong I was very lucky, and I knew it. As a woman working in the financial sector in Hong Kong, my strong command of the English language set me apart from the other women in my...
Quote of the Day: Jane Campion on Why the Post-Weinstein World Is a “Fairytale” for Women
As accounts of sexual harassment and abuse continue to come out of Hollywood (and elsewhere), terms like “reckoning” and “long time coming” are being thrown around. And now, according to...
Weekly Update for November 22: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story” Films About Women Opening This Week Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (Documentary) — Directed by Alexandra Dean (Opens in NY November 24) Austrian...
Indie Spirit Award Nominations: “Lady Bird,” “The Rider,” and More
The 2018 Independent Spirit Award nominations are in. Two of five Best Feature nominees are women-directed: Greta Gerwig’s universally adored “Lady Bird,” a coming-of-age story about a...
The End of the Beginning: A Reckoning Thousands of Years in the Making
I don’t know about you, but when I wake up in the morning, even after a decent night of sleep, I am exhausted. I have been exhausted, outraged, moved, anxious, and pretty much every other emotion...
Weekly Update for November 17: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Mudbound” Films About Women Opening This Week The Breadwinner — Directed by Nora Twomey; Written by Anita Doron and Deborah Ellis “The Breadwinner” Parvana (Saara Chaudry) is an...
Guest Post: How Film Schools Lead to Pipelines Full of Weinsteins
Guest Post by Mary Celeste Kearney Want to know how to eliminate sexual harassment in the Hollywood industry? Stop it in film schools. Yes, I realize that not all media professionals attend film...
A New Chapter: Crowdfunding Picks
“Freelancers Anonymous” As you reach the end of a chapter in your life, the idea of confronting what’s next can be daunting, but the opportunity to start a new chapter can often be refreshing...
Apply Now: Women and Hollywood Internship
Women and Hollywood is looking for two interns for the first half of 2018. The positions will begin on January 2, 2018 and end on June 30, 2018. Applicants must be willing to commit to six months...
Embracing Mythology: The Success of “Wonder Woman” and Failure of “Thor: Ragnarok”
The Amazons of “Wonder Woman” Since the launch of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe in 2008, every year seems to be a Big Year for superhero action films, but 2017 in particular saw the release of...
“The Breadwinner,” “Loving Vincent,” and More Women-Directed Animated Films Submitted for Oscar…
“The Breadwinner,” “Loving Vincent,” and More Women-Directed Animated Films Submitted for Oscar Race The Oscar race is heating up. Features submitted for consideration in the Animated...
Weekly Update for November 10: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Films About Women Opening This Week Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter’s murder...
Navigating This Life Together: November’s VOD and Web Series Picks
“Like Crazy” Friendships between women often don’t receive the attention they deserve in the narratives we consume. So the women behind this month’s VOD and web series picks have taken things...
Guest Post: How to Stay Open to Collaboration When Your Film is Deeply Personal
Guest Post by Victoria Negri My debut feature film “Gold Star” is loosely inspired by my experiences as one of my father’s caregivers in the last year of his life following an intense stroke....
Quote of the Day: Ava DuVernay Says Hollywood’s Exclusionary Hiring Is Intentional
By employing only women directors on “Queen Sugar” and via her film collective ARRAY, which spotlights work from women and people of color, Ava DuVernay has done plenty to fight against...
New Advance “Lady Bird” Screenings Added
As you know, Women and Hollywood has been working with A24 to offer the Women and Hollywood community the opportunity to see advance screenings of “Lady Bird,” written and directed by Greta...
Help Amy Ziering & Kirby Dick Document Hollywood’s Sexual Abuse Problem
A couple weeks ago “The Hunting Ground” and “The Invisible War” filmmakers Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick announced their next project: a documentary tackling Hollywood’s rampant sexual...
Weekly Update for November 3: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Lady Bird” Films About Women Opening This Week Lady Bird — Written and Directed by Greta Gerwig Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) fights against but is exactly like her...
Re-Thinking the Canon
My recent tweet storm about the need to re-think the (overwhelmingly white and male) canon led The Guardian to invite me to elaborate on my thoughts. They’ve used my piece as an introduction for a...
Watch: Women and Hollywood Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Highlights of Women in Film and TV
Women and Hollywood is celebrating our 10th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, we held parties in New York City and Los Angeles in October. The events included a contest for first-time...
Women and Hollywood Invites You to Screenings of Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird”
We’re working* with the folks at A24 to offer the Women and Hollywood community the opportunity to see an advance screening of “Lady Bird,” written and directed by Greta Gerwig. This is a...
Women and Hollywood Invites You to Screenings of Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird”
We’re working* with the folks at A24 to offer the Women and Hollywood community the opportunity to see an advance screening of “Lady Bird,” written and directed by Greta Gerwig. This is a...
Women Who Make Us Laugh: Crowdfunding Picks
Get ready to laugh and reflect: for this round of crowdfunding picks, we’re focusing on comedies about and made by women. First up is Sarah Delpizzo and Melissa Graver’s “The Pet Peeve...
November 2017 Film Preview
“Lady Bird” November is here with collection of women-centric, women-directed, and women-written films that range from funny to heartbreaking to eye-opening to game-changing. On November 1, the...
Quote of the Day: Nicole Kidman Says Being an Advocate Means Putting Things Into Action
2017 saw Nicole Kidman working with two renowned women directors: Jane Campion for “Top of the Lake: China Girl” and Sofia Coppola for “The Beguiled.” Her upcoming projects include Rebecca...
Guest Post: How a Joan Didion Doc Became a Kickstarter Success and Landed at Netflix
Guest Post by Elise McCave This past week “Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold” arrived on Netflix. It’s been quite a road to launching the doc on the streaming service, including a New...
Oscar Doc Submissions Are 35 Percent Women-Directed
It’s time to meet the 2018 Oscar doc contenders. One hundred seventy features have been submitted for consideration in the category at the upcoming Academy Awards, and one of them will be taking...
Round-Up: The Latest Writing on Hollywood Rape Culture
The press is finally addressing Hollywood’s sexual assault problem, a subject that’s been swept under the rug for far too long. Admittedly, there have been journalists and outlets dedicated to...
Weekly Update for October 27: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Novitiate” Films About Women Opening This Week Novitiate — Written and Directed by Margaret Betts (Opens in NY and LA) Spanning over a decade from the early 1950s through to the mid-60s,...
Quote of the Day: Rose McGowan Says “It’s Time to Rise” at The Women’s Convention
“I have been silenced for 20 years,” Rose Mcgowan said as she took the stage earlier today at the Women’s Convention in Detroit. She’s been tweeting up a storm since Harvey Weinstein started...
Some Recommended Reading About Hollywood’s Sexual Harassment Problem
In the three weeks since The New York Times published an exposé about Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual harassment and assault, the floodgates seem to have opened. The #MeToo movement has...