Films
Guest Post: Directing “Red Trees” and Discovering My Own Identity
Guest Post by Marina Willer The title of my film, “Red Trees,” refers to the moment when my father discovered that he was color blind as a child, drawing trees with red leaves. It makes...
Kate Winslet to Receive Actors Inspiration Award from SAG
Kate Winslet is following in the footsteps of Kerry Washington and Rashida Jones. Variety reports that the Oscar winner will be awarded the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Actors Inspiration Award, an...
Trailer Watch: Sally Hawkins Faces Off Against Michael Shannon in Fairy Tale “The Shape of Water”
Excitement is building for “The Shape of Water.” Described by many critics as a fairy tale for adults, “Pan’s Labyrinth” writer-director Guillermo del Toro’s latest film just won the...
Trailer Watch: A Grieving Family Searches for Answers in Lucy Cohen’s “Kingdom of Us”
“Kingdom of Us” One of the subjects of Lucy Cohen’s doc “Kingdom of Us” recalls an interaction she had with her father the morning before he killed himself. “He told me he had nobody...
Tatiana Huezo’s “Tempestad” Is Mexico’s Foreign-Language Oscar Pick
Another film from a female director has been selected to compete for a best foreign-language film nomination at the 2018 Academy Awards. “Tempestad,” a documentary about the human trafficking...
Trailer Watch: Teen Bloggers Become Murderers in “Tragedy Girls”
“X-Men: Apocalypse’s” Alexandra Shipp and “Deadpool’s” Brianna Hildebrand leave the superhero world behind for a “Heathers”-esque take on the slasher genre in “Tragedy Girls.” A...
Angela Robinson to Co-Adapt “Strangers in Paradise” with Its Creator
Angela Robinson’s “Professor Marston and the Wonder Women” made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival less than a week ago, and the writer-director has already...
Trailer Watch: Jennifer Lawrence Uses Her Body & Mind as Weapons in “Red Sparrow”
Jennifer Lawrence re-teams with Francis Lawrence, who directed her in three installments of “The Hunger Games” franchise, for “Red Sparrow.” A trailer has arrived for the anticipated spy...
Trailer Watch: A Trans Activist Is Remembered in “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson”
Marsha P. Johnson’s body was found floating in the Hudson River in 1992 and 25 years later the case remains cold. “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson” investigates what may have happened...
Quote of the Day: Taraji P. Henson Wants to Inspire Little Black Girls
Taraji P. Henson knows the legacy she’d like to leave behind. “I love black people. I love telling stories,” the “Empire” star said in a new interview with Marie Claire. “I want these...
Watch: Gemma Arterton Yearns for More from Life in Exclusive Clip of “The Escape”
A chance encounter with a book may lead to life-changing consequences in “The Escape.” The drama follows Tara (Gemma Arterton, “Their Finest”), a stay-at-home mom who is struggling with...
Rebel Wilson Receives Record Settlement in Defamation Lawsuit
Rebel Wilson won a landmark sum in her lawsuit against Bauer Media, the publisher behind Woman’s Day and the Australian Women’s Weekly. Wilson, who had brought a libel case against Bauer,...
TIFF 2017 Deals: Emma Thompson’s “The Children Act” and Ellen Page’s “The Cured”
Emma Thompson and Ellen Page’s latest projects have secured distribution. Both features scored strong reviews out of the Toronto International Film Festival, where they made their world premieres...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Bornila Chatterjee — “The Hungry”
Bornila Chatterjee is a writer and filmmaker. Her feature film “Let’s Be Out, The Sun Is Shining” premiered at the 2012 New York Indian Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. Previous...
Quote of the Day: Swedish Film Institute CEO Anna Serner on the Bias Against Women Directors
Anna Serner has heard plenty of bullshit excuses defending the lack of women directors hired to direct high-profile, big-budget projects. This fact was made abundantly clear at a recent event at the...
Trailer Watch: “Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart” Celebrates Playwright & Activist Lorraine Hansberry
“It really doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about the oppressed or the oppressor — an oppressive society will dehumanize and degenerate everyone involved,” says Lorraine Hansberry...
Trailer Watch: Sonia Lowman’s “Teach Us All” Investigates De-Segregation in Schools
“It’s not a story of progress. It’s a story of total inequality of schooling,” says one of the characters in Sonia Lowman’s “Teach Us All.” The upcoming documentary explores...
Patty Jenkins Signs On to Direct “Wonder Woman” Sequel, Becomes Highest-Paid Female Filmmaker Ever
“Wonder Woman” helmer Patty Jenkins has made herstory yet again. Back in June she earned a place in the record books when the Gal Gadot-led superheroine film became the top-grossing live-action...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Tali Shalom-Ezer — “My Days of Mercy”
Tali Shalom-Ezer is a screenwriter and director whose previous works include “Princess” and “Surrogate.” Her films have garnered critical acclaim and won her the Grand Prix at the 2015 Kiev...
Women-Helmed Films Set to Open and Close Busan International Film Fest
Female-directed films will open and close this year’s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). ScreenDaily confirms that Shin Suwon’s “Glass Garden” will kick off the fest October 15, while...
Poland Chooses Agnieszka Holland’s “Spoor” as Foreign-Language Oscar Pick
Agnieszka Holland’s “Spoor” has been chosen as Poland’s candidate for best foreign-language film at the 2018 Oscars, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. Holland’s “In Darkness” received a...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Kamila Andini — “The Seen and Unseen”
Kamila Andini made her feature debut with “The Mirror Never Lies,” which portrays the life of a sea wanderer in the Indonesian ocean. Previous short films include “Following Diana” and...
Eva Green to Star in Alice Winocour Astronaut Drama
Eva Green is heading to space. The “Penny Dreadful” alumna has signed on to star in Alice Winocour’s next feature, a bilingual action-drama that centers on an astronaut. According to The...
Brie Larson on Embracing Uniqueness, Directing Herself, and “Captain Marvel”
Brie Larson is an actress who has given standout performances in films such as “Short Term 12” and “Trainwreck.” In 2016 she won an Oscar for her turn as a young mother willing to do...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Mila Turajlic — “The Other Side of Everything”
Mila Turajlic is a documentary filmmaker from Belgrade, Serbia. Her 2010 directorial debut, “Cinema Komunisto,” premiered at the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam and the Tribeca...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Joan Chemla — “If You Saw His Heart”
Joan Chemla is a director who decided to dedicate herself to filmmaking after an initial stint in law. She has helmed three short films: “Mauvaise Route,” “Dr Nazi,” and “The Man with the...
Trailer Watch: A Young Drifter Rejects Society’s Rules in Nanfu Wang’s “I Am Another You”
A trailer has arrived for “I Am Another You,” Nanfu Wang’s award-winning follow-up to “Hooligan Sparrow.” The atmospheric spot clocks in at over two minutes but we don’t hear a single...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Mouly Surya — “Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts”
Mouly Surya was born in Jakarta, where she currently lives. She is considered one of the most promising filmmakers in Indonesia. Her debut film, “Fiksi.” won numerous awards including Best...
Alice Lowe to Write and Direct Metaphysical Rom-Com “Timestalker”
Alice Lowe is taking on another genre project. A press release has announced that the British writer-director-actress is following up “Prevenge,” a dark comedy about a mom-to-be on a killing...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Ainsley Gardiner — “Waru”
Ainsley Gardiner is of Ngāti Awa, Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Ngāti Pikiao, and Whakatōhea descent. Gardiner previously produced the short films “Two Cars, One Night” and “Tama Tu,” written...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Lisa Langseth — “Euphoria”
Lisa Langseth is a playwright and filmmaker from Stockholm. Her film credits include “Pure” and “Hotell,” both of which are toplined by “Euphoria” star Alicia Vikander. “Euphoria”...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Erika Cohn — “The Judge”
Erika Cohn is a director who has received numerous accolades for her work, including a Director’s Guild of America award for her film, “When the Voices Fade,” a narrative profile of the...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Elizaveta Stishova — “Suleiman Mountain”
Elizaveta Stishova is a Russian writer and director. Her previous short films include “Arta,” “The Hen,” “Watering,” and “The Seagull.” In 2014, Stishova participated in Berlinale...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Rachel Grady — “One of Us”
Rachel Grady is a filmmaker and co-owns New York’s Loki Films with Heidi Ewing. She and Ewing have have directed six feature-length films, including “Jesus Camp,” “The Boys of Baraka,”...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Anahí Berneri — “Alanis”
Anahí Berneri is an Argentinian film and theater director and scriptwriter. Previous feature films include “Un Año Sin Amor,” “Encarnación,” and “Por Tu Culpa.” She has been...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Limor Shmila — “Montana”
Limor Shmila is an Israeli writer and director, who is also known for her work as a casting director. For the last 10 years she has been one of the leading casting directors in Israel, working on...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Zaida Bergroth — “Miami”
Zaida Bergroth is a Finnish film director whose works has been screened at several prominent festivals, including TIFF, and have received awards at Pusan International Film Festival and Chicago...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Clio Barnard — “Dark River”
Clio Barnard is a director whose films have won her The Douglas Hickox Award at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs), Best Screenplay at the Evening Standard British Film Awards, and Best...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Nora Twomey — “The Breadwinner”
Nora Twomey is a filmmaker and co-founder of Cartoon Saloon, the twice Oscar-nominated animation studio based in Ireland. Having co-directed “The Secret of Kells” with Tomm Moore, Twomey went on...
Juliette Binoche to Star in Naomi Kawase’s Next Film “Vision”
Juliette Binoche has lined up her next project. The Oscar-winning actress will portray a journalist in “Vision,” from “Radiance” director Naomi Kawase, ScreenDaily confirms. Filming on the...
Weekly Update for September 8: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Home Again”: Open Road Films Films About Women Opening This Week Home Again — Written and Directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer “Home Again” stars Reese Witherspoon as Alice Kinney in a...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Susanna White — “Woman Walks Ahead”
Susanna White is a BAFTA-winning film and television director. Her previous credits include “Our Kind of Traitor” and “Parade’s End.” White was lauded for her six episodes of “Bleak...
Submit Your Script to the 2018 Athena IRIS Screenwriting Lab
Are you a female-identifying screenwriter? Then we have some good news for you: Submissions for the 2018 Athena IRIS Screenwriting Lab are now open. The Lab, an intensive focused on script...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Valerie Faris — “Battle of the Sexes”
Valerie Faris and her husband, Jonathan Dayton, have co-directed music videos for R.E.M., The Smashing Pumpkins, Janet Jackson, Oasis, and many others in the 1990s and 2000s. Their previous film...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Sadaf Foroughi — “AVA”
Sadaf Foroughi is an Iranian-born, Montreal-based filmmaker. In 2005 she was selected to participate in the Berlinale Talent Campus as a writer-director. She created a short documentary,...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Priscilla Cameron — “The Butterfly Tree”
Priscilla Cameron is a writer and director whose short films have won awards, screened in national and international festivals, and have been sold nationally and internationally. “The Butterfly...
“Year by the Sea” Star Karen Allen on Joan Anderson’s Book, Directing, and Roles for Women Over 60
Probably best-known for her turns in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and the “Christmas Carol” retelling “Scrooged,” Karen Allen has been working regularly since her 1978 debut in “Animal...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Kathleen Hepburn — “Never Steady, Never Still”
Kathleen Hepburn is a Vancouver born writer and director. “Never Steady, Never Still” is an expansion on a short with the same name, which was selected as one of TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten. She...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Iram Haq — “What Will People Say”
Iram Haq is a Norwegian actress, writer, and director. Her directorial debut short, “Little Miss Eyeflap,” screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009. Her feature film debut, “I Am...
Agnès Varda to Receive Honorary Oscar
Agnès Varda is receiving a much-deserved Academy Award. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced via press release that the prolific director will be presented with the Honorary...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Tracy Heather Strain — “Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart”
Tracy Heather Strain is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, writer, and producer. Her previous directing credits include episodes of miniseries “Unnatural Causes” and “I’ll Make Me a...