Films
“Beaches” Remake Starring Idina Menzel Coming to Lifetime
Broadway powerhouse and star of Disney’s “Frozen” Idina Menzel has signed on to headline a Lifetime TV movie, a contemporary remake of the 1988 Gary Marshall-directed movie “Beaches,”...
Sian Heder Reveals What Inspired Her New Kidnapping Drama “Tallulah”
Sian Heder writes and produces on “Orange is the New Black,” for which she has received multiple WGA nominations. Her first short film, “Mother,” won top honors at the Cannes Film Festival,...
New Mermaid Drama Headed to Freeform
Rebecca Thomas’ live-action version of “The Little Mermaid” starring Chloë Grace Moretz is currently in pre-production, but it looks like we’ll soon be seeing mer-folk on-screen in another...
Annette Bening at Center Stage of New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival, which takes place from September 30-October 16 this fall, has just announced that “20th Century Women” starring Annette Bening will be the Centerpiece...
Trailer Watch: Meg Ryan Reteams with Tom Hanks for Her Directorial Debut “Ithaca”
Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are reuniting on the big-screen, but what makes the collaboration especially exciting is the fact that they are joining forces for Ryan’s directorial debut, “Ithaca.” A...
Sequel to Disney’s “The Rocketeer” Will Feature a Black Female Protagonist
Fire up your proton packs, ladies…uh, we mean rocket packs! Following in the footsteps of the all-female “Ghostbusters,” another hero is being re-imagined as a woman. A sequel-reboot of...
“Into the Forest” Writer-Director Patricia Rozema on Her Sister-Centric Survival Story
Interview by Freja Dam Patricia Rozema’s first feature, “I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing,” won the Prix de la Jeunesse and was runner-up for the Camera d’Or at the 1987 Cannes Film...
Trailer Watch: “Queen of Katwe” TV Spot Makes Chess Exciting
A fun new TV spot for Mira Nair’s “Queen of Katwe” has hit the web, and it shows that while chess is often thought of as a high-brow pursuit, it can also be fun, competitive, and...
Venice Film Fest 2016 Lineup: Competition Features Only 10 Percent Female Directors
The Venice International Film Festival has announced its 2016 slate, and female filmmakers do not feature prominently. Venice is recognized as the oldest film festival in the world, but the 73rd...
Women Vs. the World: Crowdfunding Picks
In this month’s crowdfunding picks, it’s all about the challenges women face, be they the daily challenges of finding a job, or the struggle of coming to terms with one’s own past. These...
Women Are EVERYWHERE at the Movies This Weekend: Ladies of Wall Street, Wild Moms, and More
Unless you’re a die-hard fan of blockbusters, summer probably isn’t your favorite season to head to the cinema (besides for the air-conditioning, of course). But this weekend is almost an...
Director Ry Russo-Young’s “Before I Fall” Gets Spring 2017 Release Date
The Zoey Deutch’s starrer “Before I Fall” has been given a release date, Variety reports. Open Road Films will premiere the film on April 7, 2017. The movie, directed by Ry Russo-Young and...
“Winter’s Bone” Helmer Debra Granik to Write and Direct New Adventure Drama
Debra Granik, best known for her 2010 indie sensation “Winter’s Bone,” is set to co-write and direct a new adventure drama. The Tracking Board reports that Granik is working on an adaptation...
The Top Five Highest Grossing Indie Movies of 2016 Are Women-Centric
It’s a good year for female characters in indie movies. Out of the top ten highest grossing indie films of 2016 so far, according to Indiewire’s list, the top five feature women as...
A Record Number of Women Directors in Consideration for British Doc Awards
With 52 women on the Grierson shortlist, a record number of women are now in consideration for this year’s British Documentary Awards. As the BBC reports, Lorraine Heggessey, the trust’s chair,...
Oprah Winfrey Joining Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time”
Oprah Winfrey is joining the cast of Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” Variety has reported. The media mogul is in final negotiations to appear in the Disney adaptation of Madeleine...
Oscar Winner Barbara Kopple on Her Inspiring New Doc “Miss Sharon Jones!”
Barbara Kopple is a two-time Academy Award winning filmmaker. Her recent credits include “Shelter,” which explores the psychological trauma created by military service, the effects that remain...
Venice Days Lineup Highlights Female Directors
Venice Days, The Venice Film Festival’s independent arm modeled on Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, has unveiled their lineup for the 13th fest, which runs from August 31-September 10...
TIFF Galas and Special Presentations: Mira Nair, Amma Asante, and More
The “Queen of Katwe” is Toronto-bound. The Toronto International Film Festival has announced the first crop of titles for the 41st edition of the fest. A significant number of films selected as...
Listen: Podcast with “Equity” Director Meera Menon
Women and Hollywood recently had the chance to talk with director Meera Menon about her trailblazing new film. “Equity” tells the story of the women of Wall Street — the powerful female...
“Fresh Off the Boat” Creator Nahnatchka Khan Sells “Hair Wars” Script to Fox 2000
“Fresh off the Boat” creator and showrunner Nahnatchka Khan just sold a script to Fox 2000. The studio has landed the rights to “Hair Wars” after an intense bidding war, The Hollywood...
ReelPitch Challenge to Award $25,000 and Other Prizes to Four Emerging Filmmakers
The ReelPitch Challenge is now accepting submissions for its Audience Awards (“AudAwards”) which will go to four emerging filmmakers. Launched in 2013, Audience Awards (AudAwards) is “an...
Mandy Moore Shark Thriller Acquired by Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios
Will it ever be safe to go into the water? It’s been over 40 years since “Jaws” hit theaters, but filmmakers remain committed to ruining your beach vacation. A shark thriller starring Mandy...
“Transparent” Creator Jill Soloway Named Keynote Speaker for SXSW 2017
SXSW won’t kick off until March 2017, but organizers have revealed that “Transparent” creator Jill Soloway will be a keynote speaker at the fest, Deadline reports. This is great...
Alice Lowe’s “Prevenge” To Open Venice Critics’ Week
Prepare for “Prevenge.” Alice Lowe’s feature directorial debut will open the Venice International Film Festival’s Critics’ Week. The fest runs from August 31-September 10 in...
“Ghostbusters” Toys Are Selling Well to Both Boys and Girls
Fire up your proton packs. According to Variety, toymaker Mattel has reported strong sales for its line of “Ghostbusters” toys. Both girls and boys are snatching up the action figures, which...
Roxane Gay Makes History and Joins the Marvel Comic Universe
Roxane Gay is set to become the first-ever black woman to pen a Marvel comic book. An announcement at Comic-Con revealed that the “Bad Feminist” essayist will co-write a new Black Panther...
Oscar Winner Brie Larson Will Play Captain Marvel in Studio’s First Female-Led Movie
Ladies and gentlemen, meet your new Captain Marvel, Brie Larson. Over the weekend during the Marvel presentation at San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Larson is taking on the role in...
Trailer Watch: “Wonder Woman” Has Arrived and There’s No Going Back
Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman: Warner Bros. Did you hear that? That massive sound over the weekend? That was the collective sigh of relief let out by female comic books fans, female film fans, and...
Why Female Screenwriters Shouldn’t Get Depressed by WGA Stats
Guest Post by Rebecca Norris Are you a female screenwriter who is depressed by the latest Hollywood statistics that seem to suggest women are becoming more marginalized in Tinseltown, rather than...
Writer-Director Nijla Mu’min Selected for Panavision New Filmmaker Program
Nijla Mu’min is set to receive some valuable support for her feature film debut: the writer-director has been selected for The Panavision New Filmmaker Program. In “Jinn,” Mu’min will tackle...
“Thelma & Louise” Returns to Theaters for 25th Anniversary
Grab your BBF and your coolest car. “Thelma & Louise” is coming back to theaters for two days only in celebration of its 25th anniversary As part of Fathom Events’ efforts to bring classic...
Weekly Update for July 22: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie” Films About Women Opening This Week Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie — Directed by Mandie Fletcher; Written by Jennifer Saunders The big-screen version of...
Michael Moore’s Film Fest Lineup is Exclusively Women-Directed
Many film festivals talk the talk of gender equality, but when it comes to unveiling their programs, particularly the most high-profile sections, male-directed films continue to dominate. Michael...
Wonder Woman Gets Her Own Stamps for 75th Anniversary Celebration from USPS
Credit: USPS Wonder Woman is going to be flying your mail to its final destination. The U.S. Postal Service has teamed up with Warner Bros. and DC to reveal four Forever stamps commemorating the 75th...
New Pilot from “Transparent” Creator Jill Soloway to Hit Amazon in August
Season 3 of “Transparent” won’t debut until sometime this fall, but you can catch a new pilot from Jill Soloway, the show’s creator, on Amazon in August. While “Transparent” was...
Trailer Watch: Natalie Portman’s Directorial Debut “A Tale of Love and Darkness”
Natalie Portman premiered her directorial debut, “A Tale of Love and Darkness” at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where her promise as a director became evident. Now that the film has made its...
Women Will Guest Program Aspen Film’s 2016–2017 Season
Aspen Film has announced special guest programmers for its 2016–2017 season and they are all women. Rachel Chanoff has been named Director of Programming for the 38th annual Aspen Filmfest, Jane...
Charlize Theron to Produce Drama About War Photographer Marie Colvin
Charlize Theron will produce “Marie Colvin,” a biopic of the late war photographer. The Hollywood Reporter details that the script is based on a Vanity Fair article chronicling Colvin’s...
ArcLight to Present Second Annual Women in Entertainment Summit
Theater chain ArcLight Cinemas is set to present the second annual Women in Entertainment Summit, Yahoo! News reports. The event will take place November 10 at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. The...
Final “Divergent” Film Banished From Theaters, Will Instead Premiere on Television
The “Divergent” film series isn’t ending the way it began. The franchise, which is based on Veronica Roth’s novels, will see its fourth and final film appear on television as a TV movie,...
Women in Film and The Black List Announce Participants of Inaugural TV Lab
Earlier this year Women In Film, Los Angeles and The Black List announced that they would join forces to launch a new episodic television lab for women writers. The eight-week lab offers an...
Amandla Stenberg to Star in Stella Meghie’s “Everything Everything” Adaptation
Amandla Stenberg, who played Rue in “The Hunger Games,” has signed on to star in the film adaptation the YA book by “Everything Everything” by Nicola Yoon, The Hollywood Reporter writes....
Kirsten Dunst to Direct Dakota Fanning in “The Bell Jar”
Kirsten Dunst is set to helm her debut feature. The “Fargo” star and Emmy nominee is bringing an adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s influential 1963 novel “The Bell Jar” to the big-screen. Dunst...
“AbFab: The Movie” is a Vacation from the Suck
“Welcome to the Republican National Convention!” yelled legendary drag queen Lady Bunny, introducing Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley at the New York premiere of “Absolutely Fabulous: The...
Identity Politics: July Web Series and VOD Picks
“Oh Lucy!” One of the most popular themes in art is the exploration of the self, identity, and the way society impacts the way we view ourselves. In this month’s picks for web series, women try...
Trailer Watch: Patricia Arquette and Gloria Steinem Talk Women’s Rights in “Equal Means Equal”
Patricia Arquette’s 2015 Oscar speech continues to make waves. The “Boyhood” winner used her time at the podium to call for equal rights and equal pay for women, a demand she’s expounding on...
TIFF Industry Conference Announces “Visionary Women” Programming
While the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is best known for its high-profile film screenings, the festival also hosts a bustling Industry Conference where topics such distribution,...
Maren Ade’s “Toni Erdmann” a Hit in Germany
Maren Ade’s film “Toni Erdmann” was a fan favorite at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, but it didn’t take home any of the fest’s prizes. It did, however, earn top honors from the...
Catherine Corsini on Pioneering Lesbian Feminists and “Summertime”
In “Summertime,” Catherine Corsini gives us a love story about two women in Paris and the French countryside at the dawn of the feminist movement in the early 1970s. These women are forging a...
BBC Films’ Christine Langan to Become CEO of Baby Cow Productions
Head of BBC Films Christine Langan is stepping down from that post to take on a new role: CEO of Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow Productions. As Variety reports, Baby Cow was started by Coogan and Henry...