Festivals
Women Directed Over Half of San Sebastian’s 2019 New Directors Lineup
Spain’s San Sebastian International Film Festival signed the Gender Parity Pledge last year and — if its 2019 New Directors lineup is any indication — is taking its commitment to...
Just Two Women-Directed Features Will Screen in Competition at Venice 2019
Venice Film Festival continues to disappoint. Last year the fest signed the 5050×2020 Pledge, committing to greater transparency in its selection process and staff, with the goal of eventually...
Venice Days Competition Lineup Includes Offerings from Isabel Sandoval and Fabienne Berthaud
Venice Film Festival’s independently run Venice Days section has announced its 2019 lineup. Four of 11 features in competition are directed or co-directed by women, amounting to about 36...
TIFF’s 2019 Gala Lineup Is 50 Percent Women-Directed
The Toronto International Film Festival has started unrolling its 2019 lineup. The fest’s Galas slate is composed of 18 titles, nine of which are directed or co-directed by women — a...
Women Under the Influence Announces Inaugural Film Festival Lineup
Women Under the Influence (WUTI) has announced the lineup for its inaugural film festival, WUTI Goes IdyllWILD. Set to take place September 20-22 in Idyllwild, California, the fest will showcase...
Venice Critics’ Week Lineup to Open with Gitanjali Rao’s “Bombay Rose”
Gitanjali Rao’s feature debut will kick off the 2019 Venice Critics’ Week. The award-winning Indian animator will premiere “Bombay Rose” at the independently run Venice...
Outfest 2019 Preview: The Lesbian Herstory Archives, Young Love, Family Drama, & More
Outfest, a Los Angeles film festival celebrating the LGBTQ community, kicks off today, July 18. Women and Hollywood has selected five women-directed titles we’re especially excited about,...
Locarno 2019: Women-Directed Films Comprise 28% of Main Lineup
The Locarno International Film Festival has revealed its 2019 program. According to Screen Daily, 10 women-directed pics — including the previously-announced opener, Ginevra Elkann’s...
BlackStar Film Fest Announces 2019 Lineup, Will Honor Marcia Smith
The BlackStar Film Festival has announced its 2019 lineup. A celebration of black, brown, and indigenous films from around the world, the Philadelphia-based fest also revealed the recipient of this...
51Fest Announces Inaugural Lineup: “After the Wedding,” “For Sama,” & More
Now here’s a fest that recognizes the existence of women directors and the importance of female-led stories. 51Fest, presented by Women in the World and IFC Center, has unveiled the lineup for...
Lucrecia Martel Named Venice Jury President
Lucrecia Martel will serve as president of the jury at this year’s Venice Film Festival, Variety confirms. The Argentinian filmmaker’s last feature, “Zama,” premiered at the 2017...
Locarno Film Festival to Open with Ginevra Elkann’s “Magari”
The 2019 Locarno International Film Festival will kick off with Italian filmmaker Ginevra Elkann’s feature directorial debut. Cineuropa confirmed that “Magari” has been chosen as...
Julianne Moore and Patricia Clarkson to Be Honored at Karlovy Vary Film Fest
“Far from Heaven” co-stars Julianne Moore and Patricia Clarkson are set to reunite at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF). Both are being honored at the 2019 edition of...
Banff Fest 2019: Fund Launched for Women in TV, Paul Feig Talks Equality & Representation
Gender equality and inclusion have been among the main topics of conversation at this year’s Banff World Media Festival. The Canadian fest saw the announcement of the Banff Accelerator for...
Apply Now: Oxford Film Fest’s Female Filmmaker Retreat
Oxford, Mississippi’s film festival will be hosting a Female Filmmaker Retreat during its 2020 edition. Scheduled to take place March 16-19, 2020 at Oxford’s Camp Hopewell, the retreat...
Edinburgh Film Fest’s 2019 Lineup Includes “Go Back to China,” “The Black Forest,” & More
Nearly 43 percent features and shorts screening at the 2019 Edinburgh International Film Festival are directed or co-directed by a woman, the BBC reports. Slated to take place June 19-30, this...
Karlovy Vary Film Fest’s 2019 Main Competition Lineup Is 25% Women-Directed
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has announced the lineup for its 54th edition. Cineuropa confirms 12 titles have been selected for the fest’s Main Competition. Three of those...
Cannes 2019 Winners Include “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “Atlantics,” and “For Sama”
Trailblazer Mati Diop has taken home Cannes Film Festival’s second-most prestigious prize. The French-Senegalese director made history as the first black female filmmaker to screen a feature in...
AFI DOCS’ 2019 Slate Includes “Ruth – Justice Ginsburg In Her Own Words,” “American Factory,” & More
AFI DOCS has announced its 2019 slate. The festival will host 72 films from 17 countries, 48 percent of which are directed by women, according to a press release. This year’s Centerpiece...
Cannes Releases Gender Stats for 2019 Festival, in Accordance With Parity Pledge
Representation-wise, Cannes 2019 has been a significant — albeit not unexpected — disappointment for women directors. Just a handful of women-helmed films have been selected for...
Cannes 2019: Gong Li to Receive Women In Motion Award
Gong Li has been named as the recipient of Cannes’ 2019 Women In Motion Award. “Her name will be forever linked to the Festival de Cannes, especially for her unforgettable performances in...
Nantucket Film Festival Announces All-Female Lineup for 2019 Screenwriters Tribute
The Nantucket Film Festival (NFF) is celebrating women scribes. The fest announced an all-female slate of honorees and focus for the 2019 Screenwriters Tribute, one of NFF’s tentpole...
Rachel Ward’s “Palm Beach” Will Open 2019 Sydney Film Festival
Rachel Ward’s latest will kick things off at this year’s Sydney Film Festival. The Sydney Morning Herald confirms “Palm Beach,” an ensemble comedy about a group of friends...
Cannes: Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s Stacy L. Smith Partners with Women in Motion
Annenberg Inclusion Initiative founder and director Stacy L. Smith is joining forces with Women in Motion, Kering and the Cannes Film Festival’s program spotlighting women in film. According...
Submit Now: The Athena Film Festival and The Athena List
The Athena Film Festival is gearing up for its 2020 edition. A four-day celebration of stories about fierce and fearless women leaders, the fest will be marking its 10th anniversary next year, and...
Elle Fanning, Kelly Reichardt, & More to Serve on Cannes Competition Jury
Cannes Film Festival has revealed who will be deciding this year’s recipient of its most prestigious honor, the Palme d’Or. As previously announced, the Competition jury will be headed by...
Submit Now: Women Over 50 Film Festival
Movies about women over 50 are, unfortunately, few and far between. Women Over 50 Film Festival (WOFFF) is dedicated to celebrating older women on both sides of the camera. Based in England, the fest...
Phoebe Robinson, Nikki Glaser, & More to Perform at Women in Comedy Festival
Women in Comedy Festival (WICF) is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a stacked lineup. Set to take place May 2-5, the 2019 edition of the fest features headliners Phoebe Robinson (HBO’s...
Cannes 2019: Directors’ Fortnight Features Lineup Is Just 17 Percent Women-Directed
Another day, another disappointing Cannes announcement. The lineup for the 2019 Directors’ Fortnight sidebar has been announced, and of 24 features set to screen, just four are directed by women,...
Cannes 2019: Only One Woman-Directed Film Selected for Critics’ Week Feature Competition
The 2019 Cannes Film Festival continues to disappoint. Last week it was announced that only four women-helmed films will screen in the fest’s main competition. Now, per Deadline, the...
Tribeca 2019 Preview: Cheerleaders Fighting Wage Theft, the USA Gymnastics Scandal, & More
Fifty percent of the film’s screening in competition sections at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival are women-directed or co-directed, and plenty more titles from female filmmakers appear in the...
Four Women-Directed Films Will Screen in Cannes’ Main Competition. That’s Not Good Enough.
The Gender Parity Pledge was launched at Cannes last year with the mission of making film festivals more inclusive and transparent. Behind-the-scenes, the Cannes Film Fest does seem to be improving:...
Shakespeare’s Globe Hosting “Women & Power” Festival
Next month, Shakespeare’s Globe will put on a festival dedicated to “Women & Power.” From May 12-18, the iconic theater will host a series of performances, panels, workshops,...
Yolande Zauberman Will Chair Cannes’ Golden Eye Jury
Another Cannes jury will be led by a woman filmmaker. According to Cineuropa, “M” director Yolande Zauberman has been tapped to chair the Golden Eye Jury, which evaluates the...
Sundance Film Festival: London to Open with “Late Night”
“Late Night’s” traveling across the pond. Nisha Ganatra’s comedy about a late-night host (Emma Thompson) who hires her first female staff writer (Mindy Kaling) made its world...
Cannes 2019 Official Poster Honors Agnès Varda
Cannes Film Festival is paying tribute to the late, great Agnès Varda. The fest released the official poster for its 2019 edition and it features a photograph of Varda shooting her first movie,...
Women in the World & IFC Center Join Forces for Fest Celebrating Women’s Stories
Tina Brown’s Women in the World organization and IFC Center are collaborating on a new women’s festival. According to a press release, the inaugural 51Fest will be held July 18-21 in...
“Real Women Have Curves” to Open UCLA Latin American, Latinx, and Iberian Film Fest: Women’s Voices
Women filmmakers will take center stage at the 7th UCLA Latin American, Latinx, and Iberian Film Festival. Subtitled “Women’s Voices” this year, the fest’s 2019 edition will...
Cannes & Marché du Film Will Offer Childcare to Industry Attendees With Kids
The Cannes Film Festival just became a lot more welcoming to working parents. The world’s most prestigious fest and its film market, Marché du Film, have launched “Le Ballon Rouge,...
Bentonville Film Fest’s 2019 Lineup Includes “Always in Season,” “Go Back to China,” & More
The Bentonville Film Festival has announced its 2019 gala and competition slate. The fest was launched to highlight diverse and inclusive films, and this year’s program absolutely reflects that...
Claire Denis Will Lead Cannes’ Short Films & Cinéfondation Jury
Claire Denis is back from space and heading to Cannes. The French filmmaker has been named as President of the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Films and Cinéfondation Jury, a press release...
Lynn Shelton’s “Sword of Trust” Will Open 2019 Seattle International Film Festival
For the second time, a Lynn Shelton film will open the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). The Seattle Times reports that the Seattle filmmaker’s latest movie, “Sword of...
Sydney Film Festival to Highlight Women Directors
The 2019 Sydney Film Festival will pay homage to the women directors who helped launch, sustain, and further Australian cinema. Now in its 66th year, the fest has announced that it’ll screen 10...
Women Make Up Over Half of Berlinale’s New Selection Committee Members
Last month the Berlin International Film Festival vowed to work toward better gender representation when its artistic director signed the Gender Parity Pledge. The fest seems to be taking that...
Submit Now: Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase
It’s no secret that Cannes Film Festival would benefit from being more diverse and inclusive. Scheduled to be held May 20, the Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase is dedicated to...
Cannes 2019: “Capernaum” Director Nadine Labaki Named President of Un Certain Regard
In 2018 Nadine Labaki won the Jury Prize at Cannes for “Capernaum,” her third feature film. This year she’ll be returning to the prestigious fest as the President of the Un...
SFIFF Announces 2019 Lineup: “Booksmart,” “Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City,” & More
You’ll have another chance to catch SXSW breakout “Booksmart” before it hits cinemas May 24. Olivia Wilde’s feature debut about overachieving, college-bound BFFs determined to...
Hot Docs Announces Full Lineup, Tasha Hubbard’s “nîpawistamâsowin” to Open the Fest
Hot Docs has unveiled the full lineup for its 2019 edition and it’s set to be an exciting one for women filmmakers. According to a press release, the festival will present 234 films and...
Hot Docs Adds “One Child Nation,” “I Love You, Now Die,” & More to Special Presentations Lineup
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival has added more titles to its Special Presentations lineup, described as “a high-profile collection of world and international premieres, award...
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival to Open with “American Factory”
Sundance winner “American Factory” is slated to open the 22nd annual edition of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. A look inside what happened when a Chinese billionaire opened a...
SXSW 2019 Preview: Olivia Wilde’s Directorial Debut, a Portrait of Life in Syria, & More
Sixty percent of films screening in Competition categories at this year’s edition of the SXSW Film Festival are women-directed or co-directed. With no shortage of films by and about women in...