Festivals
Venice Film Fest 2017 Women Directors: Meet Natalia Garagiola — “Hunting Season”
Natalia Garagiola is from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is the writer-director of shorts “Rincón de López,” which screened at the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, and...
BFI London Film Festival’s Official Competition Is 33 Percent Women-Directed
Kelly Reichardt’s “Certain Women” took home top honors at the BFI London Film Festival last year, but the ensemble drama was one of just two women-directed films that screened in the 12-title...
Venice Film Fest Chief Refuses to Accept Any Responsibility for Lack of Women
The following is a rant. Yesterday, a story broke that included comments from Alberto Barbera, the head of the Venice Film Festival, in which he responded to the lack of women directors in the...
Venice Film Fest 2017 Women Directors: Meet Alena Lodkina — “Strange Colours”
Alena Lodkina is a Russian-born filmmaker based in Melbourne, Australia. She has made fiction and documentary short films that have played at festivals around the world, including Melbourne...
TIFF 2017: Sara Driver’s Basquiat Doc Acquired by The Match Factory
The Toronto International Film Festival hasn’t even begun yet and already a woman-directed selection has been sold. Variety reports that Sara Driver’s doc “Boom for Real: The Late Teenage...
Lady Gaga to Perform at TIFF Premiere of Netflix Doc “Gaga: Five Foot Two”
Lady Gaga: Lady Gaga’s Twitter account Lady Gaga is such a larger-than-life figure that at times we forget that there’s a real woman behind the intricate costumes and bring-the-house-down...
Tallgrass Film Fest Announces Inaugural Picks for Women-Directed DOX Spotlight
Earlier this year, the Tallgrass International Film Festival announced its new DOX Spotlight Section. This new competition features undistributed, feature-length documentaries directed by women. And...
Trailer Watch: A Grieving Father and Son Face Off in Natalia Garagiola’s “Hunting Season”
The trailer for Natalia Garagiola’s new feature film clearly establishes two worlds: the one within the home and the one outside. “Hunting Season” (“Temporada de Caza”) follows the...
Susan Sarandon to Receive Woodstock Film Festival Maverick Award
Activist and Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon will be honored with the Maverick Award this year at the Woodstock Film Festival, the Daily Freeman reports. According to the festival’s press...
Venice Trailer Watch: A Radical “Team Hurricane” Will Hit Critics’ Week
The trailer for Danish filmmaker Annika Berg’s directorial debut, “Team Hurricane,” begins with one seemingly overwhelming mantra: “Don’t be so hard on yourself.” This idea is...
TIFF 2017 Announces More Galas and Special Presentations, Brie Larson’s “Unicorn Store” to Premiere
The Toronto International Film Festival unveiled yet another round of films and projects set to screen at its 2017 edition next month. With these new numbers, there is now a total of 20 Galas and 64...
Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton’s “Battle of the Sexes” Set as American Express Gala at BFI…
Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton’s “Battle of the Sexes” Set as American Express Gala at BFI London Film Fest The BFI London Film Festival will be hosting the “Battle of the Sexes.”...
Chloë Sevigny, Zosia Mamet, & More to Appear at Miu Miu Women’s Tales
Women’s Tales, a project created by fashion brand Miu Miu in conjunction with Venice Days, is returning for its sixth consecutive year. In addition to the premiere of two new short films, this...
TIFF 2017 Adds More Programs: “Alias Grace” Series to Make World Premiere
The Toronto International Film Festival announced even more programs for its 2017 edition today. In addition to the Canadian and Cinematheque film lineups, TIFF unveiled the finalists for Telefilm...
TIFF’s Platform Program 50% Women-Directed, Includes World Premiere of Clio Barnard’s “Dark River”
The Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform program has arrived, and it’s something to celebrate. Hailing from eight countries on five continents, the lineup features 12 films, six of...
London Feminist Film Fest Unveils 2017 Lineup
“In these politically and socially turbulent times we felt a real need to address the rising levels of misogyny, racism, and xenophobia,” write the organizers of the fifth London Feminist Film...
TIFF Announces More Lineups: “Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami” to Open Doc Program
The Toronto International Film Festival is rolling out more of its lineups. About a week ago, TIFF announced its most high-profile programs, Galas and Special Presentations (which include Susanna...
Locarno Festival to Award Audentia Prize for Best Female Director
The Council of Europe’s Eurimages Fund has joined forces with the Locarno Film Festival this year to present the second edition of its Audentia Award for best female director, a press release has...
Women-Directed Films Account For Less Than 5 Percent of Venice’s Competition Lineup
“Venice is recognized as the oldest film festival in the world, but the 73rd iteration of the fest demonstrates that they are lagging behind when it comes to gender equality in their...
Venice Days Competition is 33 Percent Women-Directed
Another day, another festival lineup. Less than 24 hours after the Toronto International Film Festival announced its Gala and Special Presentation programs, Venice Days, The Venice Film Festival’s...
TIFF Galas and Special Presentations: Greta Gerwig, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, & More
The Toronto International Film Festival has announced the first batch of films heading up north, and as always, the fest is highlighting both A-List stars and emerging talent. Many of the films...
Venice Critics’ Week Competition is Over 70 Percent Female-Helmed
For the second year in a row, a female director’s feature debut will open Venice Critics’ Week. The independently run Venice sidebar kicked off last year’s screenings with Alice Lowe’s...
Venice Critics’ Week Competition is Over 50 Percent Female-Helmed
“Pin Cushion”For the second year in a row, a female director’s feature debut will open Venice Critics’ Week. The independently run Venice sidebar kicked off last year’s screenings with...
Julianne Moore to Receive Giffoni Film Festival’s Truffaut Award
Looks like Julianne Moore is going to have to make storage space for yet another prestigious award. The Hollywood Reporter writes that the Oscar-winning actress is set to receive Giffoni Film...
Annette Bening Named President of Venice Film Fest Jury, Is the 4th Woman to Hold Position
Annette Bening is doing her herstory-making “20th Century Women” character proud: The actress has been named as the President of the 74th Venice Film Festival’s jury. According to Deadline,...
Quote of the Day: Halle Berry Talks the Lack of Change Since Her Historic 2002 Oscar Win
“This is for every nameless, faceless woman of color who now has a chance because this door has been opened,” a triumphant Halle Berry announced when she won the Best Actress Oscar for...
Amy Adams to Be Honored at Giffoni Film Fest
Amy Adams is adding yet another award to her stacked résumé. The five-time Oscar nominee and two-time Golden Globe winner will be honored at the Giffoni Film Festival, an annual fest in the south...
Women Directors Win Big at LA Film Festival
Women-directed films accounted for 46 percent of the films screening at this year’s LA Film Festival. The level playing field resulted in women directors dominating the fest’s awards ceremony....
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Arnold — “Fat Camp”
Jennifer Arnold is an Emmy-nominated director whose credits include documentaries “A Small Act,” “The Diplomat,” and “Tig.” She’s been an advisor at Outfest, Film Independent, Women in...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Amanda Kopp — “Liyana”
Amanda Kopp is an award-winning photographer and artist. She was producer and cinematographer for “Likhaya.” She also filmed for the “The Hunting Ground,” a documentary about the prevalence...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Leena Pendharkar — “20 Weeks”
Leena Pendharkar is an award-winning writer and director working in film, television, and new media. Her first feature film, “Raspberry Magic,” about a young girl’s connection to nature,...
Announcing the Athena Advertising Awards
The Athena Film Festival has partnered with The 3% Movement to launch the Athena Advertising Awards, a press release has announced. This new venture celebrates advertising that depicts strong, bold...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Leyla Nedorosleva — “Two Four Six”
Leyla Nedorosleva is an independent filmmaker based in Moscow, Russia. Her short film “1919” screened in competition at the 2005 Venice Film Festival. In 2009 Nedorosleva founded Concordius, a...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Valerie Red-Horse Mohl — “Mankiller”
Valerie Red-Horse Mohl, a filmmaker of Cherokee ancestry, is the owner/founder of Red-Horse Native Productions, Inc., which has become a preeminent collaborator with American Indian tribal nations...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Sara Lamm — “Thank You For Coming”
Sara Lamm is a writer, performer, and documentary filmmaker. Her most recent film, “Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives,” co-directed with Mary Wigmore, won the Audience Award at...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Morrison — “Sun Dogs”
Jennifer Morrison is an actress, producer, and director. Her acting credits include “Once Upon a Time,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “House.” She’s the founder of Apartment 3C...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Ciara Lacy — “Out of State”
Ciara Lacy is a Native Hawaiian filmmaker whose interest lies in using strong characters and investigative journalism to challenge the creative and political status quo. Her work has shown in...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Whitney Cummings — “The Female Brain”
Whitney Cummings is a Los Angeles-based comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director. Best known for creating and starring in the NBC series “Whitney,” she also co-created and co-wrote the...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Julia Meltzer — “Dalya’s Other Country”
Julia Meltzer is an award-winning filmmaker and the founder and director of Clockshop, an arts organization. She previously directed the feature film, “The Light in Her Eyes,” which broadcast on...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Elizabeth Rohrbaugh— “Becks”
Elizabeth Rohrbaugh is writer and director based in NYC. Her documentary, “The Perfect Victim,” was on the PBS series “America Reframed” after premiering at the Hot Springs International...
Human Rights Watch FF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Sophia Scott and Georgia Scott — “Lost in Lebanon”
Sophia Scott is a producer, director, and cinematographer. She has worked extensively as a self-shooting camerawoman across Africa and Asia for various organizations including the UN, PBS, CBC, The...
Human Rights Watch FF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Heather White — “Complicit”
Heather White is a first-time documentary director. She is the founder and former Executive Director of Verité, an award-winning non-profit organization recognized for its groundbreaking leadership...
Human Rights Watch FF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Cristina Herrera Borquez— “No Dress Code Required”
Cristina Herrera Borquez is a Mexican film director whose first documentary short film “The Minutemen Project” (2006) received recognition for Outstanding Artistic Endeavo” at the 6th...
Human Rights Watch FF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Katia Maguire and April Hayes — “Home Truth”
Katia Maguire is a director and producer of documentary films. She recently produced two projects for PBS, a film about the lives of three witnesses to the US-Mexico “war on drugs,” and a series...
Human Rights Watch FF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Pamela Yates — “The Resistance Saga”
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...
Human Rights Watch FF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Rina Castelnuovo-Hollander — “Muhi – Generally…
Human Rights Watch FF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Rina Castelnuovo-Hollander — “Muhi – Generally Temporary” “Muhi – Generally Temporary” is Rina Castelnuovo-Hollander’s...
Cross-Post: Parents in the Palais: An Open Letter to the Cannes Film Festival
The following has been reposted from agnès films with the authors’ permission. In response to reports of mistreatment from mothers and parents at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, agnès films’...
Sundance’s Pocket-Sized London Fest Lacks Women Directors But Screens Solid Female-Led Films
The fifth edition of Sundance: London came to a close this weekend. The festival, which cherry-picks a handful of films screened at its American parent festival each year to show across the pond,...
Karen Gillan to Receive Rising Star Award at the Maui Film Festival
Former “Doctor Who” companion Karen Gillan is set to receive the Rising Star Award at the 2017 Maui Film Festival, Variety reports. Since her days on the beloved BBC time-traveling series the...
Karlovy Vary Competition Lineups Announced, Program Is 26% Women-Directed
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has announced its 2017 competition lineups. Of 35 films screening in competition programs, nine are directed or co-directed by women, amounting to 26...
Cannes Interview: “I Am Not a Witch” Writer-Director Rungano Nyoni Talks Misogyny, Witches, and…
Cannes Interview: “I Am Not a Witch” Writer-Director Rungano Nyoni Talks Misogyny, Witches, and Shooting in Zambia “I Am Not a Witch” is one of the most original films about feminism I have...