Festivals
Venice Film Fest Adds Elizabeth Banks, Diane Kruger and Lynne Ramsay to Main Jury
Elizabeth Banks, Diane Kruger and “We Need to Talk About Kevin” director Lynne Ramsay will comprise the three women on the nine-person main jury at this year’s Venice International Film...
San Sebastian Film Fest Lineup Revealed: No Spanish Women Directors in Competition Section
A total of zero features directed by women will screen in the Spanish-nationality competition section of the 63rd San Sebastian Film Festival this September. The Spanish nationality lineup for...
Agnès Varda’s New ‘Women’s Tales’ Short to Debut at Venice Film Fest
Agnes Varda and Alice Rohrwacher’s short films for Miu Miu’s Women’s Tales series will have their world festival premiere at the 2015 Venice Film Festival. Varda’s “Les 3 Boutons” and...
Trailer Watch: Mother and Daughter Clash Over Class Expectations in Sundance Hit ‘The Second Mother’
A devoted and hardworking live-in housekeeper’s professional and personal lives are turned upside down when her estranged daughter comes to stay with her in writer-director Anna Muylaert’s...
Locarno Film Festival Announces 2015 Lineup with Few Women Directors
The lineup for the 68th edition of the Locarno Film Festival has been unveiled, and the program is sorely lacking in female-helmed features. Only two of the 16 titles, or 13 percent, in the...
Claire Denis, Agnieszka Holland to Judge Inaugural TIFF Competition for Int’l “Directors’ Cinema”
Acclaimed directors Claire Denis, Agnieszka Holland and Jia Zhangke will make up the three-person jury for the Toronto International Film Festival’s inaugural Platform category, a new program...
Impact Partners Launches Fellowship for Emerging Documentary Producers at DOC NYC 2015
Impact Partners, a film fund and advisory service that funds independent socially-conscious cinema, has announced the launch of a new annual Emerging Documentary Producers Fellowship. Five...
Trailer Watch: A Preteen Contemplates Tradition and TV Stardom in Alice Rohrwacher’s ‘The Wonders’
Alice Rohrwacher’s “The Wonders” was one of two female-directed films to compete for the Palme d’Or at Cannes last year. The coming-of-age story, set in the quiet and beautiful Umbrian...
Geena Davis Institute and Women in Film/TV to Launch Global Symposium on Gender at London Film Fest
The Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media is taking their research global. The institute, founded by the Academy Award-winning gender-equality advocate, is teaming up with the BFI London Film...
Women Win Majority of Awards at Provincetown Film Fest: Coixet, Green, Bianco and More
Women directors won big at this year’s Provincetown International Film Festival, taking home five of the eight prizes awarded. Isabel Coixet’s “Learning to Drive” landed the HBO Audience...
NY Asian Film Fest Lineup: Emerging Women Directors, Focus on Korean Female Filmmakers
The New York Asian Film Festival, now in its 14th year, has released the complete lineup for its 2015 edition, which will take place from June 26 — July 11 in NYC. In addition to featuring a...
How LA Film Festival Achieved Diversity by “Looking for People Who Are Seeing the World Differently”
The 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival features one of the most diverse programming slates among major festivals, with 40% of features directed by women and almost 30% helmed by filmmakers of color (not...
Country Music and Cannes: Blaming Women for Sexism
At first glance,country music and the Cannes Film Festival couldn’t appear more culturallydifferent. And yet, recent events reveal that some high-profile individualsassociated with these...
28% of 50th Karlovy Vary Film Fest’s Competition Films Helmed by Women Directors
Female filmmakers will make up 28% of the competition lineup at the 2015 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The Czech-based event, one of Europe’s premier film festivals, holds four...
2016 Athena Film Festival Now Accepting Submissions
Interested in submitting your film to the 2016 Athena Film Festival? The festival is now accepting submissions! Please read our criteria and fill out the form below to submit your application. What...
A Gender Quake in the Film World
From my latest Forbes post on the sudden but momentous political progress women in film have made this month: “These last two weeks have been the most important moments in the fight for gender...
Frances McDormand on Shoegate, Hollywood’s Pay Gap and What Makes Her a Successful Producer
Frances McDormand made quite the statement on Shoegate — and sundry other issues relating to women in the film industry — during a Women in Motion panel at this year’s Cannes Film...
Agnes Varda Admits She Has Trouble Securing Funding, Confesses Love for Lena Dunham’s “Girls”
Apparently not even achieving legendary status has shielded Agnes Varda from a common problem afflicting women directors. “I have an entire bestiary of prizes with bears, dogs, etc., but people...
Cannes’ Heelgate: What Women in Heels Really Think (CARTOON)
Liza Donnelly is a contract cartoonist and writer with The New Yorker Magazine, where she has been drawing cartoons about culture and politics for over thirty years. She is also a columnist and...
Catherine Deneuve’s Cannes Opener ‘Standing Tall’ Acquired by Cohen Media Group
For the first time in 28 years, a female-directed film kicked off the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. Now comes word, just as the Croisette is winding down, that the US rights of Emmanuelle Bercot’s...
Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s Harrowing Religious-Repression Drama ‘Mustang’ Gets US Distribution Deal
The Turkish drama “Mustang,” which debuted to ecstatic reviews at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, has been acquired by the Cohen Media Group. The Directors’ Fortnight selection focuses on a...
Cannes 2015: Gender-Policing the Red Carpet
Cannes is like an alternate universe. At 9am yesterday morning, I went to see a fantastic movie called “Mustang” by a woman director named Deniz Gamze Erguven. It is about five sisters in a...
Natalie Portman on the “Vanity” of Women’s Movies (Bonus: Watch a Clip from Her Directorial Debut)
“I had wanted to direct for as long as I can remember,” recalled Natalie Portman in a Cannes interview to promote her first film, “A Tale of Love and Darkness.” But the Oscar-winning was...
Jane Fonda and Megan Ellison Receive Kering’s Inaugural Women in Motion Awards
Jane Fonda and Annapurna Pictures founder Megan Ellison received the inaugural Women in Motion award from Kering at a gala held Sunday in Cannes. Both women delivered acceptance speeches that...
Alice Winocour’s ‘Disorder (Maryland),’ Starring Diane Kruger, Acquired by Sundance Selects
Following its world-premiere screening at the Cannes Film Festival, French writer-director Alice Winocour’s “Disorder (Maryland)” was acquired by Sundance Selects. The Un Certain Regard...
Cannes 2015 Women Directors: Meet Chloé Zhao — ‘Songs My Brothers Taught Me’
Chloé Zhao was raised in Beijing and England and is currently a MFA thesis student at New York University’s graduate film program. She was selected as a fellow at the 2012 Sundance Directors and...
Cannes Deals: Catherine Hardwicke, Marjane Satrapi, Elle Fanning’s Transgender Movie and More
The Cannes Film Festival is about more than the prestige associated with winning the Palme d’Or or the glitz, glamour and couture of the red carpet — the festival is also a hub of wheeling...
The Power and Relevance of ‘Carol’
In a few short weeks, the Supreme Court of the United States will decide on the issue of gay marriage once and for all. Over here at the Cannes Film Festival, “Carol,” based on Patricia...
Oops! I Made a Feminist Manifesto: George Miller and “Mad Max”
It’s been three days since I saw “Mad Max: Fury Road” and I still can’t shut up about how phenomenal it was. I often think of this Onion article when attempting to reconcile my love of...
Cannes 2015 Women Directors: Meet Nancy Buirski — ‘By Sidney Lumet’
Nancy Buirski is the director, producer and writer of “Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq,” which had its world premiere at the 51stNew York Film Festival and its international premiere at...
Infographic: Celebrating Women Directors at Cannes 2015
Today is the kick off of the Cannes Film Festival. While we are still unbelievably unsatisfied at the amount of female directors in the main competition and other areas, there is still so much to...
Watch: Ingrid Bergman Speaks in New Cannes Doc
Ingrid Bergman’s status as a screen legend is secure — her three Academy Awards can attest to that — but during the actress’s lifetime, the “Casablanca” star was just as famous...
Natalie Portman to Play Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Athena List Biopic
Natalie Portman will star as Ruth Bader Ginsburg in a biopic that focuses on the Supreme Court justice’s early career as a feminist legal crusader. Written by Daniel Stiepleman, “On the Basis...
Agnès Varda to Become First Woman Director to Receive Honorary Palme d’Or
Agnès Varda will become the first female filmmaker — and only the fourth director period — to receive an honorary Palme d’Or from the Cannes Film Festival. Varda will be feted at...
Women-Centric Panel at Cannes Announced: “Women Make Great Movies: Strategies for Success”
Great news for those attending the Cannes Film Festival. While our recent infographic illustrates how poorly women directors are represented in the festival’s prestigious competition category this...
LA Film Fest Lineup Released: 40% of Features in Competition Directed by Women
An impressive number of female filmmakers are set to screen their work at the 21st annual Los Angeles Film Festival. The festival released its full lineup on May 5, and 40% of features in...
Infographic: Cannes Women Filmmakers By the Numbers 2005–2015 #SeeHerNow
In one week, the media and the film world will descend on the South of France for the annual Cannes Film Festival. The worldwide press attention will be staggering. As we know, much of the attention...
Three Women Directors to be Featured in Cannes 2015’s Directors’ Fortnight
Three women-directed features are included in the lineup for this year’s Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes. Artistic director Edouard Waintrop announced the program of 19 features, chosen from a...
Cannes 2015 Announces All-Male Roster for Critics’ Week Program
Cannes lives up to its chauvinistic reputation once again with an all-male roster for its high-profile Critics’ Week program. This year’s jury president Ronit Elkabetz will have ten features to...
Cinedigm Acquires Sarah Hirsh Bordo’s ‘A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story’
Cinedigm has secured the North American rights to Sara Hirsh Bordo’s directorial debut, “A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story.” The documentary premiered at SXSW to great acclaim, winning...
Cannes Announces 2015 Lineup; 5 Women Directors to Compete; Natalie Portman Makes Filmmaking Debut
Unlike many other film festivals of its caliber, Cannes has never been a great place to see works by women. A new announcement of the current 2015 lineup reveals that continues to be the case at...
Sally Field’s ‘Hello, My Name is Doris’ Lands 2015 SXSW Film Fest’s Biggest Deal
A third Oscar statuette might be headed Sally Field’s way when her Sundance hit “Hello, My Name is Doris” is released by its domestic distributor, Roadside Attractions. Roadside is set to...
2015 Full Frame Doc Film Fest Announces Winners: Lyric R. Cabral, Alexandra Shiva, Phie Ambo
Female documentarians made up 8 of the 11 award winners at the 2015 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina. Betzabé Garcia’s “Kings of Nowhere” and Lyric R. Cabral...
Cannes 2015 to Kick Off With First Woman-Directed Festival Opener in 28 Years
Actress-turned-director Emmanuelle Bercot will be the first female filmmaker to open the Cannes Film Festival in 28 years. Bercot’s latest film, “La Tete haute,” will kick off the 2015...
Isabella Rossellini to Head Cannes 2015’s Un Certain Regard Jury
Isabella Rossellini has been named the president of the Un Certain Regard section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival (May 13–24). The Un Certain Regard competition selects an international winner...
Lily Tomlin’s ‘Grandma’ to Open LA Film Fest; Tomlin and Gale Anne Hurd to Receive LAFF Honors
Kering to Launch ‘Women in Motion’ Awards and Discussion Series at Cannes
Over the years, the Cannes Film Festival has developed a reputation for not including enough women directors. The years 2010 and 2012 saw no female filmmakers in competition, and only one woman...
Ronit Elkabetz to Serve as President of Cannes’ Critics’ Week
Ronit Elkabetz, the star and co-director of “Gett, The Trial of Viviane Amsalem,” will preside over Cannes’ Critics’ Week jury. She follows British filmmaker Andrea Arnold in the position....
Trailer Watch: ‘Armor of Light’ Explores the Intersection of Gun Culture and Evangelical Christianity
“Almost two children are killed every week in unintentional shootings,” wrote Reverend Rob Schenck in an USA Today editorial earlier this year. “The presence of a gun in the homes of women and...
Quote of the Day: Sally Field: “They Don’t Write Roles for Women of Age and Women of Color”
Sally Field spoke candidly about the lack of roles for women — particularly older women and women of color — in Hollywood during a recent interview with Variety. The Oscar-winning...
33% of Contenders for San Francisco Festival’s Golden Gate Awards Directed by Women
Six women-directed films — three narrative, three nonfiction — will compete for the San Francisco International Film Festival’s Golden Gate Awards this year. The total of 18 films...