Films
New York State Senate and Assembly Pass TV Diversity Bill
The New York State Senate and Assembly have passed new landmark legislation: the TV Diversity Bill. Spearheaded by State Senator Marisol Alcantara and Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, the bill would...
“Queen Sugar” Season 2 Premiere Scores Series-High Ratings Among Women Aged 25–54
All hail the “Queen.” The second season premiere of OWN’s “Queen Sugar” drew 2.3 million viewers as well as a 0.7 18–49 rating and a 2.09 rating among women 25–54 on Tuesday night. As...
Study: CAA Finds That Diverse Films of All Budgets Fare Better at Box Office
A recent study and corresponding database from Creative Artists Agency (CAA) found that diversity does, indeed, sell. As the Los Angeles Times writes, the research suggests that racially inclusive...
Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay, & Reese Witherspoon Make THR’s Most Powerful People in Entertainment…
Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay, & Reese Witherspoon Make THR’s Most Powerful People in Entertainment List Ava DuVernay: The Hollywood Reporter/YouTube Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Ava...
Ana Asensio’s SXSW Winner “Most Beautiful Island” Acquired By Orion and Samuel Goldwyn
Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films have snagged the North American rights to SXSW winner “Most Beautiful Island,” Deadline reports. Directed, written, produced by, and starring Ana Asensio,...
Common Sense Media Unveils “Positive Gender Representations” Seal
Since 2003, Common Sense Media has suggested suitable children’s entertainment to parents and educators. In addition to rating TV series and movies based on age-appropriate content and the...
Patty Jenkins Working on Treatment for Next “Wonder Woman” Film
“Wonder Woman” has grossed over $578 million worldwide — so far — so it comes as no surprise that a sequel is being developed for the Gal Gadot-led blockbuster. But earlier this...
Interview: Costume Designer Stacey Battat Talks Creating the Fashions of “The Beguiled”
“The Beguiled”: Ben Rothstein/Focus Features Costume designer Stacey Battat’s latest film is “The Beguiled,” which happens to be her fourth collaboration with filmmaker Sofia Coppola....
Cross-Post: Lillian Hellman’s Regina Giddens: The Theatre’s Original “Nasty Woman”
By Sarah Rebell The following has been reposted from The Interval with the author’s permission. When I set out to write a piece on “The Little Foxes,” I headed right to the Drama Book Shop in...
“One Day at a Time” Co-Showrunner Gloria Calderon Kellett Signs Deal with Sony TV
If “this is it” for “One Day at a Time” co-showrunner Gloria Calderon Kellett, then she must be having a ball. The co-creator and EP of the updated Norman Lear series has inked an overall...
Trailer Watch: A Possessed Doll Finds New Friends to Torment in “Annabelle: Creation”
“Sister, you always say that even though we can’t see God we can feel His presence,” a young girl (Talitha Bateman, “The 5th Wave”) tells a nun (Stephanie Sigman, “Narcos”) in a new...
Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively in Talks to Star in Paul Feig’s “A Simple Favor”
Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively may be teaming up for a murder mystery. Deadline reports that the actresses are in talks to star in “A Simple Favor,” a project being set up at Lionsgate. Paul...
Trailer Watch: Isabelle Huppert Tries to Reclaim Her Singing Career in “Souvenir”
Isabelle Huppert has gone from a rising star to a factory worker in “Souvenir.” A trailer for the French-language drama has been released, and it suggests that a comeback may be in store for...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Arnold — “Fat Camp”
Jennifer Arnold is an Emmy-nominated director whose credits include documentaries “A Small Act,” “The Diplomat,” and “Tig.” She’s been an advisor at Outfest, Film Independent, Women in...
Mireille Enos-Starrer “Never Here” Acquired by Vertical Entertainment
Vertical Entertainment has snagged the U.S. rights to the Mireille Enos thriller “Never Here,” Deadline reports. The film, which made its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June...
Teaser Watch: The Bellas Are on Tour in Behind-the-Scenes Look at “Pitch Perfect 3”
“Pitch Perfect 3” doesn’t hit theaters for another six months, but the comedy’s new teaser promises it’ll be well worth the wait. The spot features behind-the-scenes footage from the third...
Jennifer Arnold’s “Fat Camp” Snagged by BET
Jennifer Arnold’s “Fat Camp” has found a home just days before its world premiere at the LA Film Festival (LAFF). A press release announced that the comedy has been acquired by BET with plans...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Amanda Kopp — “Liyana”
Amanda Kopp is an award-winning photographer and artist. She was producer and cinematographer for “Likhaya.” She also filmed for the “The Hunting Ground,” a documentary about the prevalence...
Trailer Watch: A Woman Re-Lives Her Murder in “Groundhog Day”-esque “Happy Death Day”
“Groundhog Day” is serving as major inspiration for a second time this year. Ry Russo-Young’s “Before I Fall” saw its teen protagonist re-living the day she died — and reevaluating...
Weekly Update for June 16: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Rough Night” Films About Women Opening This Week Rough Night — Co-Written and Directed by Lucia Aniello In this edgy R-rated comedy, five best friends from college (played by Scarlett...
Teaser Watch: Maura Experiments with Edibles in Season 4 of “Transparent”
The Idyllwild Wimmin’s Music Festival. Various iterations of gender, sexuality, intersectionality, and feminism. Sia. Maura Pfefferman (Jeffrey Tambor) has experienced a bunch of new things since...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Leena Pendharkar — “20 Weeks”
Leena Pendharkar is an award-winning writer and director working in film, television, and new media. Her first feature film, “Raspberry Magic,” about a young girl’s connection to nature,...
Trailer Watch: Reese Witherspoon Forms a Family with Friends in Hallie Meyers-Shyer’s “Home Again”
“Let’s just do our best not to cramp each other’s style,” says Alice (Reese Witherspoon) in a new trailer for Hallie Meyers-Shyer’s “Home Again.” She’s talking to the three young men...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Leyla Nedorosleva — “Two Four Six”
Leyla Nedorosleva is an independent filmmaker based in Moscow, Russia. Her short film “1919” screened in competition at the 2005 Venice Film Festival. In 2009 Nedorosleva founded Concordius, a...
Fiction Is a Fine Line: Crowdfunding Picks
“Split” We’ve all heard that art is an imitation of life. Painters, writers, and filmmakers alike transpose what they see and feel onto their medium of choice. Personal experiences and...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Valerie Red-Horse Mohl — “Mankiller”
Valerie Red-Horse Mohl, a filmmaker of Cherokee ancestry, is the owner/founder of Red-Horse Native Productions, Inc., which has become a preeminent collaborator with American Indian tribal nations...
Exclusive: Mother-Daughter Conflict Reaches a Boiling Point in “Beauty Mark” Clip
“You’re living in a dreamworld,” Angie (Auden Thornton, “Elementary”) tells her mother Ruth Ann (Catherine Curtin, “Orange Is the New Black”) in an exclusive clip from “Beauty...
WTF of the Day: Emmy Rossum Was Asked to Wear a Bikini Instead of Audition for a Role
Today in shudder-worthy news: “Shameless” star Emmy Rossum revealed her experience with sexual harassment during the audition process. In a roundtable discussion with The Hollywood Reporter,...
“Maudie” Director Aisling Walsh on Relationships, Perseverance, and Bringing Maud Lewis to Life
“Maudie” was such an unexpected delight. With terrific performances from Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke, “Maudie” brings us into the lives of Maud and Everett Lewis, two people who come...
Sophie Brooks’ Zosia Mamet-Starrer “The Boy Downstairs” Acquired by FilmRise
Sophie Brooks’ debut feature has found a home. FilmRise has acquired exclusive North American distribution rights to “The Boy Downstairs,” a press release has announced. “Girls’” Zosia...
Trailer Watch: John Boyega Is the Scapegoat in Kathryn Bigelow’s “Detroit”
“I assume this is about what went on at the motel?” John Boyega’s character, Dismukes, asks during an interrogation in the new spot for “Detroit.” It’s obvious he wants to cooperate with...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Sara Lamm — “Thank You For Coming”
Sara Lamm is a writer, performer, and documentary filmmaker. Her most recent film, “Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives,” co-directed with Mary Wigmore, won the Audience Award at...
Submit Now: Women and Hollywood’s First-Time Female Filmmaker Contest
In celebration and recognition of Women and Hollywood’s 10th anniversary, we are launching a short film contest for first-time female filmmakers. The objective of the contest is to help build the...
Submit Now: Women and Hollywood’s First-Time Female Filmmaker Contest
In celebration and recognition of Women and Hollywood’s 10th anniversary, we are launching a short film contest for first-time female filmmakers. The objective of the contest is to help build the...
How You Can Be Involved in Women and Hollywood’s 10th Anniversary
2017is the 10th anniversary of Women and Hollywood. We spend every day putting out information that we believe people need to know about how women are treated in the entertainment business. Lots of...
How You Can Be Involved in Women and Hollywood’s 10th Anniversary
2017 is the 10th anniversary of Women and Hollywood. We spend every day putting out information that we believe people need to know about how women are treated in the entertainment business. Lots of...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Morrison — “Sun Dogs”
Jennifer Morrison is an actress, producer, and director. Her acting credits include “Once Upon a Time,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “House.” She’s the founder of Apartment 3C...
Exclusive: Sony Pictures Classics Co-President Tom Bernard Talks Supporting Women Directors
Michael Barker and Tom Bernard of Sony Pictures Classics were honored with the The Women In Film Beacon Award at last night’s Women in Film LA’s Crystal + Lucy Awards. Below is Bernard’s...
Save the Date: Women and Hollywood Is Celebrating Its 10th Anniversary
Women and Hollywood is celebrating its tenth anniversary this fall and we want you to be there! Founder and Publisher Melissa Silverstein will be hosting three different events — one in New...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Ciara Lacy — “Out of State”
Ciara Lacy is a Native Hawaiian filmmaker whose interest lies in using strong characters and investigative journalism to challenge the creative and political status quo. Her work has shown in...
Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Banks Praise “Wonder Woman” at Crystal + Lucy Awards
Cuts to Planned Parenthood, the renewed global gag rule, ending the Let Girls Learn initiative — times have been especially trying for U.S. feminists lately. Luckily, the success of Patty...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Whitney Cummings — “The Female Brain”
Whitney Cummings is a Los Angeles-based comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director. Best known for creating and starring in the NBC series “Whitney,” she also co-created and co-wrote the...
Playwright Susan Soon He Stanton Wins Leah Ryan’s Fund for Emerging Women Writers
The eighth annual recipient of Leah Ryan’s Fund for Emerging Women Writers (FEWW) has been announced. According to a press release from the fund, playwright and screenwriter Susan Soon He Stanton...
Quote of the Day: Elizabeth Banks on the Importance of Taking Action to Effect Change in Hollywood
Elizabeth Banks’ feature directorial debut was a smash hit. “Pitch Perfect 2” grossed more than $184 million in the U.S. — one of the highest-earning woman-directed films ever. Now the...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Julia Meltzer — “Dalya’s Other Country”
Julia Meltzer is an award-winning filmmaker and the founder and director of Clockshop, an arts organization. She previously directed the feature film, “The Light in Her Eyes,” which broadcast on...
Sandra Oh to Star in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Killing Eve”
Move over, Cristina Yang; Sandra Oh has lined up a new series-regular role. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the “Grey’s Anatomy” actress has signed on to topline “Fleabag” creator and...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Elizabeth Rohrbaugh— “Becks”
Elizabeth Rohrbaugh is writer and director based in NYC. Her documentary, “The Perfect Victim,” was on the PBS series “America Reframed” after premiering at the Hot Springs International...
Trailer Watch: A Teen Tries to Move On from Her Viral Past in Kyra Sedgwick’s “Story of a Girl”
“It was three years ago when the video of me and Tommy Webber went viral,” says Deanna (Ryann Shane, “Banshee”) in a new trailer for Kyra Sedgwick’s “Story of a Girl.” The video...
Human Rights Watch FF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Sophia Scott and Georgia Scott — “Lost in Lebanon”
Sophia Scott is a producer, director, and cinematographer. She has worked extensively as a self-shooting camerawoman across Africa and Asia for various organizations including the UN, PBS, CBC, The...
Regina King Is Adapting Dana Dane Song “Cinderfella” for the Screen
Regina King is bringing rapper Dana Dane’s “Cinderfella” to the big screen. According to Vibe, the Emmy-winning actress is partnering with Dane to adapt his 1987 song — a gender reversal...
Trailer Watch: Halle Berry Vows to Save Her Son in “Kidnap”
An idyllic day instantly turns into the stuff of nightmares in a new trailer for “Kidnap.” Karla (Halle Berry) is playing Marco Polo with her son Frankie (Sage Correa, “Grey’s Anatomy”) at...