Festivals
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Ry Russo-Young — “Before I Fall”
“Before I Fall” marks director Ry Russo-Young’s first wide-release movie. Her previous credits include “Nobody Walks,” which won a special Jury Prize at Sundance and was released...
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...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Helene Hegemann — “Axolotl Overkill”
Helene Hegemann is a German writer and director. She has written two novels, including the German bestseller “Axolotl Roadkill.” Hegemann has directed award-winning work in film, theater, and...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Marianna Palka — “Bitch”
Sundance Film Festival alum, humanist filmmaker, and proud Scotswoman Marianna Palka has previously directed the features “Good Dick” (2008), “I’m the Same” (2014), and “Always Worthy”...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Alicia Scherson — “Family Life”
Now based in Chile, Alicia Scherson has studied, worked, and lived in Cuba, Spain, and the U.S. Her feature films “Play,” “Turistas,” and “Il Futuro” have been shown in theaters...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Christina Clusiau — “Trophy”
Christina Clusiau is a documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, and photojournalist based in Brooklyn, NY. In 2013, Clusiau co-founded Reel Peak Films, a production company specializing in short and...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Cate Shortland — “Berlin Syndrome”
Cate Shortland’s films have screened at film festivals around the world, including Cannes Film Festival and Sydney Film Festival. Her previous credits include “Somersault”...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Neasa Ní Chianáin — “In Loco Parentis”
Neasa Ní Chianáin started directing in 2001 with television documentaries. Her previous credits include the award-winning “Frank Ned & Busy Lizzie,” which won the Best Feature award at The...
Courtney Moorehead Balaker’s “Little Pink House” to Open Athena Film Festival
The Athena Film Festival announced today that “Little Pink House,” written and directed by Courtney Moorehead Balaker, will screen on Thursday, February 9 as the fest’s Opening...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Susan Froemke— “Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman”
Susan Froemke is a four-time Emmy winner and non-fiction filmmaker with over thirty films to her credit, including Academy Award-nominated HBO documentary film “Lalee’s Kin,” “Grey...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Sabaah Folayan — “Whose Streets?”
Sabaah Folayan is a storyteller and activist based in Brooklyn, New York. She was a lead organizer for The Millions March, one of the largest marches for racial justice in New York history. “Whose...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Gillian Robespierre — “Landline”
Gillian Robespierre is a filmmaker born and raised in New York City. She graduated from the School of Visual Arts, Film and Video Program. Her first feature, “Obvious Child,” premiered at...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Kyoko Miyake — “Tokyo Idols”
Born in Japan, Kyoko Miyake studied history at Tokyo University and then moved to Britain to research the history of witchcraft at Oxford. Her film “Brakeless” won a Peabody Award after airing...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Kirsten Tan — “Pop Aye”
Kirsten Tan is a writer, director, and cinematographer. Her work has screened at film fests across the world, including Singapore, Rotterdam, and Toronto. Tan has won numerous international awards,...
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...
New York Jewish Film Festival 2017 Lineup is 50 Percent Female-Directed
The Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Jewish Museum kicked off the 26th Annual New York Jewish Film Festival yesterday and half of the lineup is directed by women. The NYJFF is one of the...
Athena Film Festival Announces its 2017 Lineup: “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Fits,” & More
The Athena Film Festival has released its seventh annual lineup. The 2017 edition of the fest, which is dedicated to celebrating female leaders in the real life and the fictional world, will feature...
Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Hits Palm Springs International Film Festival
The Palm Springs International Film Festival has kicked off, but not without a touch of scandal. Mere days before the festival began, The Desert Sun reports, the former acting director, Helen Du...
Katra Film Series Finalists Are 63% Female Directed, Written, and/or Produced
The 5th Annual Katra Film Series Grand Finale is toasting a big group of women this year. The finale of the series will take place on January 25 at the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn. The series...
Berlinale’s Panorama Program is 55% Women-Directed (So Far)
The Berlin International Film Festival has announced 11 films for its 2017 Panorama program, and six of them are directed or co-directed by women, amounting to about 55 percent of the slate. While...
Athena Film Festival Will Honor Eve Ensler, Patricia Riggen, Regina K. Scully
The Athena Film Festival (AFF) has announced its 2017 awardees, celebrating female leaders in the entertainment industry and those who support them. The festival will honor Tony Award-winning...
First Set of Berlinale Film Festival Competition is 40% Female-Directed
The Berlin International Film Festival kicks off in February, and the first set of films slated to screen has just been announced. In the main competition, 10 films have been selected so far, and...
Annette Bening Honored with Palm Springs Fest Career Achievement Award
Annette Bening will be honored with the Career Achievement Award at the 28th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, which runs from January 2–16, 2017. Bening is a four-time Academy...
Isabelle Huppert to Receive Montecito Award by Santa Barbara Film Festival
Legendary French actress Isabelle Huppert with be honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival this year, where she will receive the Montecito Award for her role in the controversial...
Amy Adams to Receive Chairman’s Award at Palm Springs International Film Fest
Five-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams will be presented with the Chairman’s Award at the 2017 Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) for her performance in “Arrival.” She’ll receive...
Sundance Short Film Lineup is About 50 Percent Women-Directed
“Come Swim”: Sundance The 68 short films that will screen alongside the feature lineup of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival were announced today, and female filmmakers are very well-represented in...
Sundance 2017 to Host World Premieres of Films by Barbara Kopple, Dee Rees, & More
The Sundance Film Festival has unveiled more of its 2017 slate. The Park City, Utah-based fest will host World Premieres of films by Oscar winner Barbara Kopple, Lucy Walker, Dee Rees,...
“Hidden Figures” to Receive Ensemble Performance Award At Palm Springs Fest
The love for “Hidden Figures” continues. It has just been announced that the 28th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival will present the cast of “Hidden Figures” with the Ensemble...
Sundance 2017 Competition Lineup Revealed, 36% of Films Women-Directed
“Casting JonBenet”: Sundance Sundance has revealed the competition lineup for the 2017 edition of the fest, to be held in Park City, Utah January 19–29. Of the 56 films that have been announced...
Amazon Studios to Sponsor the 2017 Athena Film Festival’s Athena List
The Athena Film Festival has announced that Amazon Studios will sponsor the 2017 Athena List, a slate of three to five screenplays that have yet to be produced that showcase female leadership or...
Nicole Kidman Honored with Palm Springs Film Festival International Star Award
Nicole Kidman will receive the International Star Award at the 28th Annual Palm Springs Film Festival this year. The fest is set for January 2–16, 2017. “One of the world’s most luminous and...
Introducing the 2017 Women at Sundance Fellows
The Sundance Institute has announced the women directors chosen for its fifth iteration of Women at Sundance Fellows. The six diverse filmmakers work as producers and directors in the documentary...
Moore College of Art and Design Now Accepting Submissions for Animation Fest
Heads-up women animators: Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia is now accepting animated short film submissions for its 2017 “Moore Women Artists Film Festival: Women in Animation.”...
Whistler Film Festival Highlights Women Directors
The Whistler Film Festival in Canada, which runs from Novermber 30-December 4 this year, is proudly presenting a number of female-focused films, talent, events, and awards. The festival will feature...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Lara Stolman — “Swim Team”
Lara Stolman has produced news and documentaries that have aired on NBC, MSNBC, TLC, AMC, VH-1, and The New York Times’ website. Her film “Portraits of Survival,” which explored coming to...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Julie Sokolow — “Woman on Fire”
Julie Sokolow’s films have appeared at the New York Times, TIME, and Huffington Post. Her feature film directorial debut, “Aspie Seeks Love,” won Best Documentary at the 2015 Cinequest Film...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Robin Lung — “Finding Kukan”
Producer-director Robin Lung is a fourth generation Chinese American who was raised in Hawai’i. She has a 16-year history of bringing untold minority and women’s stories to film. A graduate of...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Nicole Opper — “Visitor’s Day”
Nicole Opper is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker who directed and produced the award-winning feature documentary “Off and Running.” The film was nationally broadcast on PBS’ “POV” in 2010....
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Jessica Dimmock — “The Pearl”
Jessica Dimmock is an award-winning director and cinematographer. She is the recipient of the 2014 Infinity Award for Photojournalist of the Year from the International Center of Photography and the...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Maro Chermayeff — “Soundbreaking”
Maro Chermayeff is the Series Director & Executive Producer of “Soundbreaking,” the Co-founder and Executive Producer at production company Show of Force, and the Chair of the MFA Social...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Zhao Qing— “Please Remember Me”
Zhao Qing began her career at Shanghai Media Group in 1991, where she directed and produced television documentaries. Qing’s filmography includes “A Water Town — Zhou Zhuang,”...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Allie Humenuk and Amy Geller— “The Guys Next Door”
Allie Humenuk is an award-winning filmmaker and Emmy-nominated cinematographer. Humenuk made her directorial debut with “Shadow of the House,” a documentary about the photographer Abelardo...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Carrie Lozano and Charlotte Lagarde — “The Ballad of Fred…
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Carrie Lozano and Charlotte Lagarde — “The Ballad of Fred Hersch” Carrie Lozano is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist. She is...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Carrie Lozano and Charlotte Lagarde — “The Ballad of Fred Hersch…
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Carrie Lozano and Charlotte Lagarde — “The Ballad of Fred Hersch” “The Ballad of Fred Hersch” Carrie Lozano is an award-winning documentary...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Leah Warshawski — “Big Sonia”
Leah Warshawski is a director and producer. Her award-winning first feature film, “Finding Hillywood,” screened at more than 65 festivals around the world. She is currently co-executive...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Deirdre Fishel — “Care”
Deirdre Fishel has a 20-year history of directing both documentaries and dramas. Her films have premiered at Sundance and SXSW, and have been broadcast in 25 countries worldwide. Her documentary...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Laura Paglin — “Unseen”
Based out of Cleveland, Ohio, Laura Paglin is a producer and director who has made a name for herself by bringing the stories of marginalized communities to a worldwide audience. Paglin’s prior...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Jill Campbell— “Mr. Chibbs”
Jill Campbell has worked as a producer, director, and writer on myriad documentaries, including “Dancing Across Borders,” “Bernal’s Picasso: When Art Met Science,” and “Out of Print.”...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Diedie Weng— “The Beekeeper and his Son”
Diedie Weng grew up in Guangdong, Southern China and is currently based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Weng received her MFA in documentary production at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Sally Jean Williams — “Ken Dewey — This Is A Test”
Sally Jean Williams has produced and directed for the National Geographic Channel, Lifetime and Animal Planet/Discovery Networks. She worked with award winning global production house NHNZ filming...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Kimi Takesue — “95 And 6 To Go”
Kimi Takesue is an award-winning filmmaker and the recipient of the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in Film. Takesue’s critically acclaimed Ugandan feature-length documentary “Where Are You...