Films
Trailer Watch: Alison Maclean’s “The Rehearsal” Goes Inside the Actor’s Brain
If any non-actor person were to walk in on an average acting class, they’d probably be really freaked out. The strange exercises that actors do to perfect their craft seem utterly odd to an...
Authorized Angela Davis Biopic in the Works
Another Angela Davis biopic is in the works. Variety reports that Codeblack Films has acquired the film rights to the civil rights activist’s 1974 autobiography with plans to develop and produce...
“Ocean’s Eight” Cast Adds Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, and Helena Bonham Carter
Warner Bros. is closing in on more cast members for its all-female installment of the “Ocean’s” franchise, officially called “Ocean’s Eight,” and thankfully the cast is a...
So Yong Kim’s “Lovesong” Acquired by Strand
Strand Releasing has purchased select U.S. rights to So Yong Kim’s “Lovesong,” Variety reports. Jena Malone (“The Neon Demon,” “The Hunger Games” franchise) and Riley Keough (“The...
Quote of the Day: Ellen Burstyn on Educating Martin Scorsese About Women
Ellen Burstyn won an Oscar in 1975 for her role in “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” but her award-winning performance may never have come into fruition if she hadn’t educated the film’s...
NYFF Announces Main Slate: 20 Percent Women-Directed
The New York Film Festival has announced the Main Slate for its 54th edition. Only five of 25 films screening, or 20 percent, are helmed by women. Still, these numbers demonstrate that the fest is...
Stacie Passon to Direct Shirley Jackson’s “We Have Always Lived in the Castle”
Stacie Passon has co-written and will direct a film adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s 1962 story “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” The Hollywood Reporter writes. The creepy story “centers...
Tessa Ross and Juliette Howell Launch House Productions
Two powerful women in entertainment are joining forces. As Screen Daily reports, former Film4 head Tessa Ross and ex-Working Title TV chief Juliette Howell are launching a TV and Film production...
TIFF Announces More Lineups: Cinema Projectors, Showgirls, and Cannibals
TIFF is less than one month away, and the fest continues to announce programs for its 41st edition. As is the case with the TIFF’s Galas and Special Presentations, the fest’s most prestigious...
Trailer Watch: Amy Adams Makes First Contact with Aliens in “Arrival”
It’s a rare thing these days if we get an alien invasion flick that doesn’t feature extraterrestrials out to destroy the world. It seems that aliens wanting to interact with Earthlings rather...
Serbian Actress Mirjana Karanović on Her Directorial Debut “A Good Wife”
“A Good Wife”: Karlovy Vary Interview By Tina Poglajen Mirjana Karanović has been one of the most instantly recognizable faces of the cinema of the countries of ex-Yugoslavia at least since...
Brie Larson to Make Feature Directorial Debut with “Unicorn Store”
Brie Larson is having a banner 2016. After winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in “Room” earlier this year, Larson was recently announced as taking on the role of...
Trailer Watch: “The Eagle Huntress” Goes Where No Woman Has Gone Before
Sony Pictures Classics’ inspiring new documentary “The Eagle Huntress” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to great reviews, and now the new trailer adds a familiar voice...
Greta Gerwig Taking Over “Little Women” Screenwriting Duties from Sarah Polley
Indie film star Greta Gerwig is taking over the screenwriting duties for Sony Pictures’ adaptation of “Little Women,” The Tracking Board reports. As we previously reported,...
Trailer Watch: “Moana” Olympics TV Spot Puts Female Lead Front and Center
This weekend’s Rio Olympic coverage brought forth a new TV spot for Disney’s upcoming, female-led animated film “Moana,” and the fierce personality of the titular character is an encouraging...
Brazilian Women Directors to be Showcased at Museum of the Moving Image
As the Summer Olympic Games gets underway in Rio, the Museum of the Moving Image in New York is launching a season of women-directed films celebrating contemporary Brazilian cinema. According to a...
Meryl Streep-Funded Writers Lab Announces 2016 Cohort
New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) and the Iris women filmmakers’ collective have announced the names of the talented group of screenwriters who will be participating in The Writers...
Rebel Wilson to Headline “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” Remake
Rebel Wilson has signed on to star in a “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” remake. MGM is developing the project. The original 1998 comedy starred Steve Martin and Michael Caine as con-men who plot to...
Weekly Update for August 5: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“The Little Prince” Films About Women Opening This Week The Little Prince — Co-Written by Irena Brignull (Also Available on Netflix) Inspired by the beloved children’s novel, a young...
Maris Curran Talks Grief and Compassion in “Five Nights in Maine”
Maris Curran spoke with Women and Hollywood about the “joys and trauma of everyday life” that her debut feature, “Five Nights in Maine,” explores. The drama made its World Premiere at TIFF...
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Acquires Rebecca Johnson’s Debut “Honeytrap”
Ava DuVernay’s distribution company ARRAY has a new acquisition from across the pond. “Honeytrap” marks the feature debut of Brit writer-director Rebecca Johnson. The film was critically...
Reese Witherspoon in Talks to Star in Hallie Meyers-Shyer’s “Home Again”
Reese Witherspoon: Peter Souza/ Wikimedia Commons Reese Witherspoon is in talks to star in a new woman-directed feature. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Oscar winner may take the lead in...
Exhibition Celebrating Australian Feminist Films to Open in Sydney
A new exhibition celebrating Australian feminist cinema of the ’90s is set to open at the University of Sydney. The FemFlix exhibition at the University’s Visual Arts faculty, the Sydney College...
Kyra Sedgwick Takes the Lead in ABC’s “Ten Days in the Valley”
2017 is shaping up to be a big year for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” actress Kyra Sedgwick. Not only will her directorial debut “Story of a Girl” debut on Lifetime after making the rounds of the...
Lily Tomlin Wins SAG Life Achievement Award
Lily Tomlin is adding another honor to her esteemed career. The actress has been named the 53rd recipient of the SAG Life Achievement Award, which recognizes those who embody the “finest ideals of...
Creative England Announces Initiatives Aimed at Emerging Producers
Welcome news for up-and-coming producers based in England and Scotland: the UK’s creative industries agency, Creative England, has launched two new initiatives aimed at helping you kick-start...
TIFF’s Canadian Lineup: Deepa Mehta, Lesbian Romance, Poetic Animation, and More
TIFF 2016 will host the World Premiere of Deepa Mehta’s newest film. The fest has announced its Canadian lineup, of which the former Oscar nominee is a part. Screening in the Masters program,...
The Queer and Not-So-Queer History of Early Hollywood Revealed in New Book “Girls Will Be Boys”
Laura Horak tells of a time when cross-dressed women and lesbians roamed the screen in “Girls Will Be Boys: Cross-Dressed Women, Lesbians, and American Cinema, 1908–1934.” Here, Horak...
Quote of the Day: Locarno Artistic Director Explains How Women Enrich Cinema
Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival 2016 gets underway today. Its Artistic Director had some thoughts to share on the dearth of women filmmakers — and lack of diversity in general — in...
“Ghostbusters” and the Specter of Double Standards
“Ghostbusters” It seems as though the positive critical consensus is not enough to bust the ghosts haunting Paul Feig’s “Ghostbusters.” The latest haunting is the specter of double...
“Girl on the Train” Writer Erin Cressida Wilson to Pen Adaptation of “Eileen”
Erin Cressida Wilson continues her hot streak. The in-demand screenwriter has been tapped to adapt “Eileen,” Ottessa Moshfegh’s award-winning debut novel, for Fox Searchlight and producer...
Cheryl Boone Isaacs Re-Elected For Fourth Term As Academy President
Current President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), Cheryl Boone Isaacs, has been re-elected for a fourth term in office. Boone Isaacs became the first woman of color to...
Ava Duvernay Will Be First African American Woman to Helm $100 Million Film
Yesterday a list of CA tax credits was announced. On that list was Disney’s Ava Duvernay-helmed film “A Wrinkle in Time.” Why that is of note is that this marks the first time CA tax...
Kaori Momoi’s “火 Hee” to Open 14th Vladivostok International Film Festival
To call Kaori Momoi accomplished would be an understatement. Both an icon of Japanese cinema and, at times, one of its most influential critics, she has appeared in some 60 films spanning a 35-year...
“Pussy Valley,” “Dirty Girls Social Club,” and “Teresa” Being Developed By Starz
Starz has a number of female-fronted projects in development. The network behind “Outlander” is working on “Pussy Valley,” an hour-long drama centered on five pole dancers in Mississippi;...
Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen to Star in Stalker Comedy
Another day in Hollywood, and yet another novice male director gets trusted to bring the latest star vehicle to the screen. Screenwriter Matt Spicer is set to make his feature-length directorial...
Women and Hollywood Goes Down Under
Melissa Silverstein and Rachel Ward Even before Women and Hollywood was a glimmer in my eye, I had an affinity for Australian women directors. I find it very interesting that most of the seminal...
Trailer Watch: Cannes Hit “The Handmaiden” is a Sexy and Stylish Revenge Thriller
A trailer has arrived for “The Handmaiden,” a stylish new revenge thriller from Korean director Park Chan-wook (“Stoker,” “Oldboy”). While the film is based on Sarah Waters’ 2002 crime...
Rose McGowan and SeriesFest Launch Script Competition For Women-Centric Content
Rose McGowan wants to see more episodic content “about, for, and featuring women.” That’s why the actress and director’s production company, Damage Inc. Productions, has teamed up with...
Trailer Watch: “The Love Witch” Casts an Enchanting Spell on Vintage Horror Fans
Fans of retro horror comedies are in for a delightful blast from the past with Anna Biller’s “The Love Witch.” A newly released NSFW trailer for the film introduces Elaine (Samantha Robinson),...
Katie Couric to Investigate the “Gender Revolution” in New Documentary
“Everything you wanted to know about gender but were afraid to ask.” That’s how Katie Couric is describing her latest documentary project, which was announced by National Geographic Channel...
Women Film Journalists Celebrate “Wonder Women,” Cinema’s Best Female Characters
“Wonder Woman” doesn’t hit theaters until next summer, but if you’re on the hunt for films that feature complex, inspiring female characters, look no further: the Alliance of Women Film...
“Equity” Takes on Wall Street and Is Rewarded at the Box Office, While “AbFab” Still Goes Strong
It’s been another absolutely fabulous week for women at the box office. Not only because “AbFab: The Movie” is still putting bums on seats worldwide, but also thanks to the strength of two new...
August 2016 Film Preview
“A Tale of Love and Darkness” by Rachel Montpelier and Kate Gardner Whether they are opening up about something personal, sharing a beloved fairy tale, or constructing an elaborate charade, the...
Trailer Watch: Léa Seydoux’s “Beauty and the Beast” Goes Back to French Roots
French actress Léa Seydoux wowed American audiences with her emotional performance in the Cannes-winning film “Blue is the Warmest Color.” Disney’s live action remake of “Beauty and the...
Weekly Update for July 29: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Equity” Films About Women Opening This Week Equity — Directed by Meera Menon; Written by Amy Fox (Opens in NY and LA) “Equity” tells the story of a driven female investment banker...
Sandra Oh, Emma Donoghue, and More Canadian Women to be Honored at TIFF
Twelve Canadian female directors, screenwriters, and actors making their mark in cinema will be celebrated at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Telefilm Canada, a federal cultural...
Tribeca Film Institute Announces Grant Recipients for Doc Fund and AOL Award
Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) has announced the 2016 recipients of the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund and its subsection, the AOL Charitable Foundation Award. Seven projects have been chosen to...
Quote of the Day: “Bad Moms’” Mila Kunis on How Female-Led Films Are Judged Differently
Mila Kunis stars in “Bad Moms,” in which she plays a worn out mom who is tired of the pressures on mothers to be “perfect.” In some sense, Kunis is also sick of those same pressures put on...
Matt Damon Learns His Lesson and Takes Initiative to Increase Diversity
After causing a disastrous diversity scandal on the most recent iteration of his reality show “Project Greenlight,” it seems like Matt Damon has learned his lesson and is taking steps to address...
Anna Faris to Write a Memoir
“Mom” star Anna Faris is set to release a memoir titled “Unqualified,” which will take inspiration from the actress’ cheekily titled podcast “Anna Faris Is Unqualified,” where...