Features
May 2017 Film Preview
“Snatched” Women directors are set to dominate screens this May. Everything from luxurious Paris vacations to time travel to narratives about grief and regret are represented in this month’s...
Hot Docs 2017 Preview: A Flamenco Legend, Female Inmates, and Domestic Violence
“A Better Man” Hot Docs kicks off today. Given that the Toronto fest is among the world’s biggest documentary festivals, it’s unsurprising that this year’s expansive program has something...
Help Us Build Resources
We are working to build some new resources on Women and Hollywood. We’re creating a list of all the databases that are out there for hiring women (The Director List, illuminatrix, etc.) We are...
Women on the Verge: Crowdfunding Picks
“Beast” Everyone has moments of desperation, moments when you are sure nothing in life will ever be quite right again. The women at the center of this months crowdfunding picks bring these...
Book Excerpt: “Hot Pants in Hollywood: Sex, Secrets & Sitcoms”
The following is excerpted from Susan Silver’s “Hot Pants in Hollywood: Sex, Secrets & Sitcoms,” which will be released April 27. (Author’s Note: Iris Rainer Dart, my then writing...
Weekly Update for April 21: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Unforgettable” Films About Women Opening This Week Unforgettable — Directed by Denise Di Novi; Co-Written by Christina Hodson Katherine Heigl stars as Tessa Connover, who is barely coping...
Watch: Why Are Playwrights Lynn Nottage & Paula Vogel Only Just Making It to Broadway?
Hollywood isn’t the only industry with a woman problem. A new video from women’s theater website The Interval reminds us of this as it spotlights Lynn Nottage and Paula Vogel, the only women...
Listen: Podcast with “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” Executive Producer Lydia Dean Pilcher
“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” uncovers important history that’s gone largely unwritten. We should all know the name Henrietta Lacks. The African-American tobacco farmer’s cells...
Tribeca 2017 Preview: Arranged Marriages, Endangered Animals, the Justice System, & More
“A Suitable Girl” Women directed nearly 40 percent of the films screening in Competition at this year’s edition of the Tribeca Film Festival, and there are plenty of women-centric projects in...
Quote of the Day: Romola Garai Explains How Hollywood Makes Women Feel Inadequate
Romola Garai is a two-time Golden Globe nominated actress, but she has a less than favorable opinion of Hollywood. “I did a bit of modeling when I was a teenager and, even then, nobody asked me to...
Cross-Post: #WomenDirectorWeek: The Challenge of Watching Only Female-Directed Films for One Week
The following has been reposted from Film Inquiry with the author’s permission. If you pay much attention to events in the film industry, you’ll already know about the incredible dearth of...
Weekly Update for April 14: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week “A Quiet Passion” A Quiet Passion (Opens in NY; Opens in LA April 21) Cynthia Nixon delivers a triumphant performance as Emily Dickinson as she personifies...
Guest Post: How I Made a Movie Based on My Experience as an Egg Donor
Guest Post by Sonja O’Hara “Submit for the Role of a Lifetime. Become an Egg Donor!” I remember how those words stood out next to listings for non-union commercials and Off-Off-Broadway...
“Ghost in the Shell” and a Brief Herstory of Whitewashing
Scarlett Johansson in “Ghost in the Shell” During its opening weekend, the anticipated yet controversial film “Ghost in the Shell” took home a measly $19 million at the domestic box office....
Guest Post: Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Step Out of Your Lane
Guest Post by Rebecca Serle Since I was a child, the only thing I ever wanted to do was to be a writer. When I sold my first book in 2010, a re-telling of “Romeo and Juliet” from Rosaline’s...
Quote of the Day: Kirsten Dunst on Filming Sex Scenes with Women Directors
Like most actors, Kirsten Dunst is not a fan of filming sex scenes. “I don’t like it, I don’t like it,” the “Hidden Figures” actress told E! News at CinemaCon while promoting Sofia...
Guest Post: A Summary of the Inaugural Women’s Media Summit
Guest Post by Maria Giese On March 31, 2017, 114 women gathered in Provincetown, Massachusetts for the inaugural Women’s Media Summit, a three-day think-tank forum designed to solve gender...
Listen: Podcast with “Shots Fired” Co-Creator Gina Prince-Bythewood
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s film credits include “Beyond the Lights,” “The Secret Life of Bees,” and “Love & Basketball.” Now the writer-director is re-teaming with Sanaa Lathan, who...
Cannes 2017: Women-Directed Films We’re Tracking for This Year’s Festival
“The Beguiled” While many other high-profile festivals have made strides towards closing the gender gap in their programming, Cannes is infamous for lagging behind the times. Last year, just...
Weekly Update for April 7: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week “Their Finest” Their Finest — Directed by Lone Scherfig; Written by Gaby Chiappe “Their Finest” sees Gemma Arterton as Catrin, a young woman hired...
Quote of the Day: “Good Girls Revolt’s” Genevieve Angelson on Equal Pay
In an article for Elle, “Good Girls Revolt” alumna Genevieve Angelson writes about an aspect of the gender pay gap that doesn’t get much attention: There is a stigma surrounding any and all...
Finding the Balance: Crowdfunding Picks
If you’re an avid reader of Women and Hollywood (and if you’re not, welcome!) the disparities between men and women in the film industry are of no surprise. These seemingly never-ending...
WTF of the Day: Marvel Exec Thinks Female & Diverse Characters Are Ruining Sales
Wow. After the Aaron Sorkin debacle last week, you’d assume that powerful executives with a platform — especially if they are white dudes — would carefully consider their words before...
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...
Guest Post: What Inspired Me to Make a Film About Retirees
Guest Post by Rosemary Rodriguez There’s an abundance of turmoil, fear, anger, and hatred expressed through images that come at us 24/7 through social media, TV, and movies. As a society, we are...
Quote of the Day: Ellen Pompeo Praises Shonda Rhimes’ Leadership
Ellen Pompeo made her directorial debut on last night’s episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” after 13 seasons of portraying the titular Dr. Meredith Grey. And it seems as though her boss,...
Weekly Update for March 31: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week “The Zookeeper’s Wife” The Zookeeper’s Wife — Directed by Niki Caro; Written by Angela Workman The real-life story of one working wife and mother...
Guest Post: How One Non-Profit Changed The Game For Parents At SXSW
Guest Post By Christy Lamb and Mathilde Dratwa INT. BEDROOM — VERY EARLY MORNING Actress and director Foster Wilson has just found out that a film she worked on, “The Archer,” will be...
Guest Post: Supporting Women’s Voices in Independent Film
Guest Post by Jere Rae-Mansfield As a distributor of independent feature films for over 30 years, I have enjoyed watching women unite and rise to prominence in the film industry. Not only the titans...
April 2017 Film Preview
“Their Finest” If there’s one thing that April showers bring, it’s a plethora of films that feature women holding both the camera and the pen. Female screenwriters, in particular, drive this...
Listen: Podcast with “Harlots” Producer Alison Owen
“Harlots” premieres today on Hulu. I had a conversation with producer Alison Owen about the brothel drama, set in London during the 18th century. In this podcast, we talk about her foray into...
Male Privilege Watch: Chris Addison to Make Feature Debut with “Nasty Women”
Here we go again. Yet another newbie male director has been given the reins to a much anticipated women-centric project. This time it’s Chris Addison making his feature directorial debut with the...
WTF of the Day: Aaron Sorkin Was Unaware of Hollywood’s Diversity Problem
“Are you saying that women and minorities have a more difficult time getting their stuff read than white men and you’re also saying that [white men] get to make mediocre movies and can continue...
What Happened to the Women Directors in Hollywood? Part 5: 2000–2017
Mira Nair and Ava DuVernay: Wikimedia Commons/IndiaFM/Bollywoodhungama/usbotschaftberlin by Carrie Rickey This five-part Truthdig series by Carrie Rickey is published in partnership with Women and...
Quote of the Day: Kate Winslet Talks Self-Acceptance & How to Rise Above Body Shaming
Kate Winslet is speaking out about body shamers and the value of self-esteem. “I had been bullied at school,” the Oscar winner told an audience of children at a recent We Day U.K. charity event...
Weekly Update for March 24: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week “Prevenge” Prevenge — Written and Directed Alice Lowe (Opens in NY and LA) Widow Ruth (Alice Lowe) is seven months pregnant when, believing herself to...
Shared Experience: Crowdfunding Picks
“The Last Partera” International Women’s Day gave women around the country an opportunity to unite for a common purpose and demonstrate their value. Similarly, this round of crowdfunding picks...
Quote of the Day: Jennifer Lopez Says Roles Like “Selena” Are “Few and Far Between”
“It was a meaty role, but it was few and far between, especially for Latinos to have a role like that,” Jennifer Lopez recently told Variety, discussing her Golden Globe-nominated role in...
Toxic Masculinity in “Beauty and the Beast”
“Beauty and the Beast” is doing huge numbers at the box office. Its first weekend in theaters proved — yet again — that women can more than hold their own at the box office. The...
What Happened to the Women Directors in Hollywood? Part 4: 1984–1999
by Carrie Rickey This five-part Truthdig series by Carrie Rickey is published in partnership with Women and Hollywood. The series considers the historic accomplishments of women behind the camera,...
Weekly Update for March 17: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Beauty and the Beast” Films About Women Opening This Week Beauty and the Beast Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” a live-action retelling of the studio’s animated classic, refashions...
Feminism Paying Off at the Box Office with “Beauty and the Beast”
Between 1980 and 2016 only four women-centric movies topped the U.S. domestic box office: 1997 with “Titanic”; 2013 with “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”; 2015 with “Star Wars: The Force...
Guest Post: When a Woman Called the Shots at the Screen Writers Guild
Guest Post by J.E. Smyth Current debates in the media about women’s employment, representation, and visibility in Hollywood focus — perhaps predictably — on stars’ pay and the...
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...
What Happened to the Women Directors in Hollywood?
What Happened to the Women Directors in Hollywood? Part 3: A New Generation of Women Behind the Camera, 1966–1983 by Carrie Rickey This five-part Truthdig series by Carrie Rickey is published in...
Guest Post: Candice Thompson on Frizzy Hair, Big Lips, and Navigating a Career in Comedy as a…
Guest Post: Candice Thompson on Frizzy Hair, Big Lips, and Navigating a Career in Comedy as a Biracial Woman Guest Post by Candice Thompson Three things happened when I was eight years old. I...
Weekly Update for March 10: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Personal Shopper” Films About Women Opening This Week Personal Shopper Olivier Assayas, the internationally-acclaimed director of “Clouds of Sils Maria” and “Summer Hours,” returns with...
Quote of the Day: Brie Larson Talks Women Directors and Representation
“I love that we’re seeing stronger women on the screen — but I don’t think that’s the end of this conversation,” says Brie Larson in a new interview with BBC News. The Oscar-winning...
In Solidarity: Crowdfunding Picks
“Women’s March” On January 21, millions of women across the globe marched in response to the overwhelming oppression of the Trump administration. Its message is crucial: “Women’s Rights are...
Guest Post: Five Tips to Break into a Career in Music Supervision
Guest Post by Laura Katz When I was a child, I met a woman sitting in a wheelchair in a hospital elevator with a nurse. The woman thought I looked a little sad (and I was, because I was a child...
Lean On Me: March VOD and Web Series Picks
“Brown Girls” It’s often said that friends are the family you choose for yourself. Well, this month’s VOD and web series choices showcase how women deal with both their biological and chosen...