Films
Shamim Sarif’s “Despite the Falling Snow” Gets U.S. Distribution
Shamim Sarif’s Cold War thriller “Despite The Falling Snow” has been picked up by ET Pictures for a U.S. release, Screen Daily reports. The film is described as a “romance-thriller about a...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Katell Quillévéré — “Heal the Living”
Katell Quillévéré was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Her films include the shorts “À bras les corps,” “L’Imprudence,” and “L’Échappée,” and the features “Un poison violent”...
Pietra Brettkelly’s “A Flickering Truth” Will Represent New Zealand at the Oscars
Film lovers and supporters of female directors will be excited about this one: New Zealand has chosen “A Flickering Truth” as their contender for the Academy Awards in the foreign-language...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Raja Amari — “Foreign Body”
Raja Amari’s previous features include “Satin Rouge” and “Buried Secrets.” She was born in Tunis and completed a Master’s degree in French literature at the University of Tunis, and...
Natalie Portman Enters the Oscar Race with “Jackie”
Natalie Portman might be heading for her second Best Actress Oscar. As Deadline reports, the biopic “Jackie,” in which Portman plays Jackie Kennedy before and after the assassination of JFK, has...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Bronwen Hughes — “The Journey is the Destination”
Bronwen Hughes is a Canadian-British film director based in New York and Hollywood. “The Journey is the Destination” is her fourth feature film. Hughes’ previous films include “Forces of...
“Transparent” Creator Jill Soloway Talks the Female Gaze at TIFF
Jill Soloway, one of our favorite artists and creator of hit series “Transparent” and the new comedy “I Love Dick,” hit up the Toronto International Film Festival to give a master class on...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Erin Heidenreich — “Girl Unbound”
Director-writer-producer of documentaries, short films, and branded content, Erin Heidenreich’s voice has been shaped by the cultures she has immersed herself in across the globe. Set in the...
Sarah Jessica Parker to Play a Singer in Upcoming Drama
Sarah Jessica Parker in “All Roads Lead to Rome”: Cristina di Paolo Antonio / eOne Entertainment Sarah Jessica Parker portrays a woman who is ending her marriage in HBO’s upcoming series...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Elite Zexer — “Sand Storm”
Interview by Eboni Boykin and Laura Berger Elite Zexer’s previous short films are “Take Note,” which won the Best Fiction Film Award at the Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival, and...
Elisabeth Moss’ “The Square” Heading to Magnolia Pictures
Magnolia Pictures has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “The Square,” starring Elisabeth Moss, The Hollywood Reporter writes. The film, THR reports, which is set in the art world, “follows...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Robin Swicord — “Wakefield”
Robin Swicord made her feature directorial debut with “The Jane Austen Book Club,” which she also penned the screenplay for. Her other screenwriting credits include “Memoirs of a Geisha,”...
TIFF 2016: Oscar-Worthy Performances, Nudity, and Other Highlights
“American Honey” The Toronto International Film Festival’s program is stacked. While our TIFF preview collected highlights from the slate, there were literally dozens of worthy...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Emmanuelle Bercot — “150 Milligrams”
Emmanuelle Bercot’s previous directing credits include “Clément,” “Backstage,” “On My Way,” and “Standing Tall.” Bercot’s films have earned her many awards and honors,...
Katie Holmes’ Feature Directorial Debut Gets Distribution
Katie Holmes’ feature directorial debut has found a home. Gravitas Ventures has acquired the North American rights to “All We Had,” Holmes’ mother-daughter drama that premiered at the...
Quote of the Day: Natalie Portman Calls for More of the “Female Gaze”
In a 25 year career and with 45 acting credits, Natalie Portman had never worked with a female director. Last year, Portman became one herself with her directorial debut “A Tale of Love and...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors : Meet Sofia Exarchou — “Park”
Sofia Exarchou was born in Athens. She has been working as an assistant director in feature films and commercials since 2004. She has written and directed two short films, “Distance” and...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet María José Cuevas — “Beauties of the Night”
María José Cuevas’ practice draws from her experience in documentary, experimental video, design, and photography. She has collaborated on a variety of diverse cultural projects, which have...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Sarah Adina Smith — “Buster’s Mal Heart”
Sarah Adina Smith’s first feature, “The Midnight Swim,” won six top prizes on the festival circuit, including the breakthrough audience award from AFI FEST. Smith was the only female director...
Trailer Watch: Jessica Sula is a Fish-Out-of-Water in Rebecca Johnson’s “Honeytrap”
Raised by her grandparents in Trinidad, 15-year-old Layla (Jessica Sula) moves to Brixton, London to find an uncaring mother and a whole new set of rules and pressures from the area’s teen set. On...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet April Mullen — “Below Her Mouth”
April Mullen’s previous features include “88,” an action thriller, and “Dead Before Dawn 3D,” which confirmed Mullen as the youngest person and first female to direct a live action...
Weekly Update for September 9: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“As I Open My Eyes” Films About Women Opening This Week As I Open My Eyes — Directed by Leyla Bouzid; Written by Leyla Bouzid and Marie-Sophie Chambon (Opens in NY; Opens in LA September...
Viola Davis and Quvenzhané Wallis Join Claire McCarthy’s “Personal History Of Rachel Dupree”
Two Oscar nominees are joining forces for Claire McCarthy’s period drama “The Personal History Of Rachel Dupree.” Viola Davis and Quvenzhané Wallis have signed on, with Davis playing the...
Lexi Alexander Returning to Film to Direct Wrestling Biopic “Crossface”
Credit: Aaron Goodwin/Courtesy of Lexi Alexander/NPR Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lexi Alexander has signed on to direct “Crossface,” the story of wrestler Chris Benoit. Alexander will helm the...
Trailer Watch: Talulah Riley’s Wildlife RomCom “Scottish Mussel”
Boy meets girl. Girl is saving mussels from pearl poachers. Boy is a pearl poacher. Hijinks and romance commence with the aid of doofus-y friends, a strapping American rival for the girl’s...
Apply Now to Writers Guild’s “Made in NY Writers Room” Fellowship
The Writers Guild of America, East has teamed up with The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and the New York City Department of Small Business Services to launch the Made in NY Writers...
TIFF 2016: Meet Chloé Robichaud — “Boundaries”
Born in Quebec, screenwriter and director Chloé Robichaud lives and works in Montreal. Her first feature film, “Sarah préfère la course,” was selected for the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Her...
No More Excuses, Just Hire More Women
According to the Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative’s latest study, 29 female directors were involved in 800 of the top-grossing films between 2007 and 2015 (excluding 2011). 29 out...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Rachel Lambert — “In the Radiant City”
Rachel Lambert received a BFA from Boston University and also studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. After graduating, she worked for HanWay Films in addition to writing and...
Ana Lily Amirpour’s “The Bad Batch” Acquired By Netflix Out of Venice
Ana Lily Amirpour’s “The Bad Batch” has been acquired by Netflix out of the Venice Film Festival, The Hollywood Reporter writes. The deal is for SVOD rights. Amirpour’s second feature after...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Selma Vilhunen — “Little Wing”
Selma Vilhunen is an Academy Award nominated director and screenwriter based in Helsinki, Finland. She has written and directed both documentaries and fiction films since 1998. Vilhunen’s short...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Amma Asante — “A United Kingdom”
Amma Asante’s previous directing credits include “Belle” and “A Way of Life.” Both films premiered at TIFF. Asante has been named by Variety as one of the Top Ten Directors to Watch, and...
Rooney Mara Confronts Her Past in Tension-Filled “Una” Clip
Rooney Mara stars in “Una,” an adaptation of the play “Blackbird,” which follows a young woman seeking answers for long-ago events that have shaped her path in life, for better...
Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon May Join Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time”
Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time” seems like it’s gearing up to being the coolest movie ever. As The Hollywood Reporter writes, Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon may be joining...
“As I Open My Eyes” Writer-Director Leyla Bouzid on Arab Women and Revolution
Interview by Siân Melton Leyla Bouzid is a Tunisian born and raised filmmaker. She studied French literature at the University of Paris and film directing at La Fémis. Her shorts...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Alison Maclean — “The Rehearsal”
Alison Maclean’s credits include “Crush,” “Jesus’s Son,” and “Kitchen Sink.” She was born in Canada and raised in New Zealand. “The Rehearsal” will premiere at the 2016 Toronto...
Julianne Moore Cast as Opera Singer in “Bel Canto” Adaptation
Oscar-winner Julianne Moore is set to play a world-famous American soprano in an upcoming adaptation of Ann Patchett’s “Bel Canto.” Directed by Paul Weitz , the film finds Moore’s Roxanne...
“Arrival” is Amy Adams’ Movie, and Jeremy Renner Knew That
Jeremy Renner hasn’t exactly been America’s sweetheart. He came under fire in 2015 when he and fellow Avenger, Chris Evans, called Scarlett Johansson’s character Black Widow a “slut” and a...
TIFF 2016 Preview: Women-Directed Films About Athletes, Geniuses, and Cannibals
“A United Kingdom” The Toronto International Film Festival kicks off today, and with nearly 30 percent of the program helmed by women (if you include shorts), there’s lots to look forward to....
Trailer Watch: “My Art” Explores Life as a Female Artist at Age 65
Laurie Simmons might be extra famous for being Lena Dunham’s mom, but for decades she’s had a successful artistic career of her own. Now she’s returning to film in “My Art,” which follows...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Ann Marie Fleming — “Window Horses”
Ann Marie Fleming is an independent Eurasian-Canadian filmmaker, writer, and artist. She has created award-winning work in a variety of genres, and often focuses on the themes of family, history,...
New Research Shows Gender Equality in Hollywood is Stalled
Credit: MDSC Initiative We spend every day at Women and Hollywood educating, advocating, and agitating for gender equality in Hollywood and the global film industry. We know that while there has been...
Melissa McCarthy Developing Family Comedy Series for Fox
Though her hit comedy series “Mike and Molly” was cancelled, Melissa McCarthy isn’t leaving the TV world any time soon. According to Variety, McCarthy is developing a family comedy for Fox as...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Anne Émond — “Nelly”
Anne Émond lives and works in Montreal. Between 2005 and 2011, she wrote and directed seven short films, “Naissances” and “Sophie Lavoie” among them, which screened at several international...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Ralitza Petrova — “Godless”
Ralitza Petrova studied Directing at the National Film and Television School in the UK. Her films have won acclaim at film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, and Locarno. In 2007 she was awarded the...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Susan Johnson — “Carrie Pilby”
Susan Johnson is an Independent Spirit Award winning filmmaker. “Carrie Pilby” marks her feature directorial debut. After a successful career as a music video director, Johnson has produced 10...
Trailer Watch: “Below Her Mouth” Benefited From an All-Female Crew
Sometimes kicking the men off set leads to a more authentic performance, and that’s exactly what “Below Her Mouth” was going for, as is revealed in its steamy new trailer. The film was...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Hope Dickson Leach— “The Levelling”
Born in Hong Kong and educated in the UK, Hope Dickson Leach completed her MFA in filmmaking at Columbia University in New York. Her award-winning thesis film, “The Dawn Chorus,” played at...
Take Part in the #DirectedByWomen Worldwide Film Viewing Party
Call September Women’s Cinema History Month. #DirectedByWomen is hosting a month-long Worldwide Film Viewing Party to celebrate and recognize the thousands of films, television shows, web series,...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Maren Ade — “Toni Erdmann”
Maren Ade‘s second feature, “Everyone Else,” won two Silver Bears at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival: the Grand Jury Prize and Best Actress for Birgit Minichmayr. The modern relationship drama...
“Bad Moms” Passes the $100 Million Mark
“Bad Moms” has passed the $100 million benchmark at the domestic box office, Forbes reports. The film sees Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, and Kathryn Hahn playing three mothers who endeavor to stop...