Films
Trailer Watch: There’s Something within “Thelma”
Thelma (Eili Harboe) has just left her religious family and small hometown to attend university in Oslo. It’s not long before she finds herself thrown by two unexpected and seemingly unrelated...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Molly McGlynn — “Mary Goes Round”
Molly McGlynn is a Canadian writer and director. Her previous short films include “I Am Not a Weird Person,” “Shoes,” and “3-Way (Not Calling).” “Mary Goes Round” is her first...
Hungary Chooses Ildikó Enyedi’s “On Body and Soul” as Foreign-Language Oscar Pick
Ildikó Enyedi’s “On Body and Soul” took home top honors at the Berlin Film Festival in February, and it could land an Oscar nomination in the coming months. The unconventional romantic drama...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Haifaa Al-Mansour — “Mary Shelley”
Haifaa Al-Mansour is the first female filmmaker in Saudi Arabia, where her 2005 documentary “Women Without Shadows” has influenced a new wave of filmmakers. Her work is both praised and vilified...
Trailer Watch: A Superstar Seeks Connection in Sophie Fiennes’ “Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami”
“I’ve been around the block — too many times,” Grace Jones observes in a trailer for Sophie Fiennes’ new documentary. “Around the globe is more like it.” That’s for sure: Jones...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Kate Novack — “The Gospel According to André”
Kate Novack is a producer and director. Her credits include “Page One: Inside the New York Times,” “A Table in Heaven,” and “Eat This New York.” Novack’s first feature screenplay,...
New Research Disproves Three Myths About Female Directors
You know that only dudes go to the movies, right? That might sound ridiculous — because it is ridiculous and untrue — but that’s a sexist rule of thumb that studio execs still very...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Greta Gerwig — “Lady Bird”
Greta Gerwig’s acting credits include “Maggie’s Plan,” “Frances Ha,” and “Mistress America.” She co-wrote the latter two features, and alongside Joe Swanberg she co-directed the...
Trailer Watch: A Trans Woman Deals with Heartbreak and Prejudice in “A Fantastic Woman”
The first trailer for “A Fantastic Woman” sees Marina (Daniela Vega) living a nightmare. The waitress and singer has not only lost Orlando (Francisco Reyes), the love of her life, after he dies...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Barbara Albert — “Mademoiselle Paradis”
Barbara Albert is a director and writer whose short films have been introduced at festivals around the world. Her first feature film “Nordrand,” or “Northern Skirts,” premiered at Venice...
Trailer Watch: Families in the American South Collide in Dee Rees’ “Mudbound”
Atrailer has finally landed for the biggest hit out of Sundance 2017, Dee Rees’ “Mudbound.” The drama is set in the rural American South during World War II, and the spot kicks off with two...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Sophie Fiennes — “Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami”
Sophie Fiennes is a film director whose feature documentaries include her collaborations with the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, “The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema” and “The Pervert’s...
Charlotte Bruus Christensen Named Inaugural Recipient of Sue Gibson BSC, Cinematography Award
The National Film and Television School (NFTS) has announced that the inaugural winner of The Sue Gibson BSC, Cinematography Award. According to Women in Film and Television UK, Charlotte Bruus...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Aoife McArdle — “Kissing Candice”
Aoife McArdle was born in Northern Ireland. Her work as a music video director has earned her a nomination for Best Director at the 2014 UK Music Video Awards. “Kissing Candice” is her feature...
Screen Australia Funding Projects from Reese Witherspoon, Naomi Watts, Bruna Papandrea, & More
Reese Witherspoon, Naomi Watts, and producer Bruna Papandrea are teaming up on a new feature film. Screen Australia confirms that the three will produce “Penguin Bloom,” a family film in which...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Jenna Bass — “High Fantasy”
Jenna Bass is a director and writer whose work has premiered around the world, including Sundance, Berlinale, Göteborg, Busan, and Durban International Film Festivals, where she has been heralded...
Laura Dern on “Changing the Game for Actresses Over 40” and Equal Pay
Laura Dern is up for an Emmy for her role on “Big Little Lies,” and she’s loudly and proudly acknowledging the impact of the hit HBO series. “We’re changing the game for actresses over...
17 Films By and About Women to Check Out at TIFF 2017
“Unicorn Store” The 42nd edition of the Toronto International Film Festival will kick off in just two days, and as always, there is an overwhelming amount of amazing-sounding films screening at...
Trailer Watch: Saoirse Ronan Grows Up in Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird”
“I hate California. I want to go to the East Coast. I want to go to where culture is like New York,” says Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) in the first trailer for Greta...
Mothers of the 21st Century: Crowdfunding Picks
“Brighton” Mothers play a critical role in our ability to grow, love, learn, and experience the world — but they are still women of the 21st century. They love, falter, make mistakes, and...
Ana Urushadze’s “Scary Mother” Chosen as Georgia’s Foreign-Language Oscar Pick
Ana Urushadze’s award-winning directorial debut may be headed to the Academy Awards. “Scary Mother” has been chosen to represent Georgia in the best foreign-language film category at the 2018...
Trailer Watch: A Dancer Changes Her Life in Elvira Lind’s Tribeca Winner “Bobbi Jene”
“I need to do what I need to do. I need to dance. I need to work hard. That’s it,” says Bobbi Jene Smith in a new trailer for Elvira Lind’s “Bobbi Jene.” The award-winning documentary...
Weekly Update for September 1: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Viceroy’s House” Films About Women Opening This Week Tulip Fever “Tulip” In 17th century Amsterdam, an orphaned girl (Alicia Vikander) is forcibly married to a rich and powerful merchant...
Venice Film Fest 2017 Women Directors: Meet Annika Berg — “Team Hurricane”
Since she was a teenager Danish filmmaker Annika Berg has been making movies. She graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 2015 and received critical acclaim for her graduation film,...
Venice Film Fest 2017 Women Directors: Meet Katharina Wyss — “Sarah Plays A Werewolf”
Katharina Wyss is a Swiss filmmaker based in Berlin. She has previously written, directed, edited, and produced commercials and short films “Es war einmal ein König,” “1000 Meilen von...
Trailer Watch: A Celebration Goes Off the Rails in Sally Potter’s “The Party”
A star-studded cast swaps barbs in a UK trailer for “The Party.” Described as “a comedy wrapped around a tragedy,” the black and white Sally Potter film features Patricia Clarkson (“House...
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...
September 2017 Film Preview
Jennifer Lawrence in “mother!” Fall will come rolling in with a bevy of women-centric, women-directed, and women-written films that range from romantic to historical to scary to funny. There’s...
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...
Trailer Watch: Joaquin Phoenix Is a Vigilante in Lynne Ramsay’s “You Were Never Really Here”
Not much is known about Joe (Joaquin Phoenix), the protagonist of Lynne Ramsay’s Cannes-winning thriller, “You Were Never Really Here.” He doesn’t answer when a client asks if he has kids. A...
Gurinder Chadha on “Viceroy’s House,” the Partiality of Historical Films, and “Bend It Like…
Gurinder Chadha on “Viceroy’s House,” the Partiality of Historical Films, and “Bend It Like Beckham” Gurinder Chadha is a writer, director, and producer known for films like “Bend It...
Palestine Selects Annemarie Jacir’s “Wajib” for Foreign-Language Oscar Pick
Annemarie Jacir has been chosen to represent Palestine for the third time at the Academy Awards. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jacir’s latest film, “Wajib,” is now a contender in the...
“Living Single” Reboot in the Works
The final episode of “Living Single” aired nearly two decades ago, but according to Queen Latifah, a reboot of the beloved sitcom may be on the way. The Oscar nominee spilled some details during...
TIFF 2017: Coralie Fargeat’s “Revenge” Acquired by Shudder
“Revenge” has found a home in advance of its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. AMC Networks’ Shudder snagged the North American, U.K., Ireland, and Australian rights...
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...
Alankrita Shrivastava’s “Lipstick Under My Burkha” Gets U.S. Release
“Lipstick Under My Burkha” will have a U.S. theatrical run. Alankrita Shrivastava’s feminist film — which opened in India earlier this summer after initially being blocked for release by...
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...
“Madam Secretary” Showrunner Barbara Hall Developing CIA Drama for CBS
Barbara Hall is shifting gears from the White House to the CIA. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the “Madam Secretary” creator and showrunner is working on “Family Business,” a CBS drama about a...
Noomi Rapace and Director Vicky Jewson Team Up for Female Bodyguard Flick
BAFTA-nominated actress Noomi Rapace is no stranger to fast-paced thrillers. The star has appeared in everything from “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” franchise to “Prometheus” to...
Weekly Update for August 25: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Served Like a Girl” Films About Women Opening This Week Served Like a Girl (Documentary) — Co-Written and Directed by Lysa Heslov (Opens in NY and LA) Director Lysa Heslov’s powerful...
Floria Sigismondi to Direct Adaptation of Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw”
Floria Sigismondi will once again make her way from the music scene to the big screen. Deadline has just announced that “The Runaways” helmer is set to direct “The Turning,” a new film from...
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...
Film About Racketeer Stephanie St. Clair in Development at HBO
A fter presenting the Oprah Winfrey-starring, Emmy nominated film “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” earlier this year, HBO is planning to bring another historically overlooked...
James Cameron Disses “Wonder Woman” and the Internet Disses Him Back
Gal Gadot shutting down an attacker in “Wonder Woman”: Clay Enos/Warner Bros. Yesterday, James Cameron found out that he’s no longer the King of the World. There is a new king — actually...
Guest Post: Why the Lack of Women-Made Films in the National Film Registry Is a Problem — and How…
Guest Post: Why the Lack of Women-Made Films in the National Film Registry Is a Problem — and How We Can Fix It Guest Post by Maya Pearson New strides towards equality are being made every...
Trailer Watch: A Female Sergeant Comes Home and Faces PTSD in “Blood Stripe”
The trailer for “Blood Stripe” plays out much like the film’s main protagonist: quietly. Viewers are guided not by dialogue, but rather by action and accompanying music. Our protagonist cannot...
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...
Julianne Moore Will Be Celebrated at 2017 MoMA Film Benefit
It looks like Julianne Moore is going to have a good autumn. The Oscar winner has three films coming out — “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” “Wonderstruck,” and...
Netflix to Premiere New Joan Didion Doc at New York Film Festival
“How does one capture such a celebrated and prolific author while delivering something new for audiences to engage with?” That is precisely the question Netflix aims to tackle with its newly...
Alicia Vikander-Starrer “Tulip Fever” Gets Racier Trailer and New Premiere Date
The Weinstein Company’s adaptation of Deborah Moggach’s best-selling novel has been scheduled and rescheduled and rescheduled again, but it looks like we’ll finally see “Tulip Fever’s”...