Films
Sigourney Weaver to Receive Donostia Award from San Sebastian Festival
Sigourney Weaver will receive the 2016 Donostia Award for Career Achievement at the 64th San Sebastian Festival, Variety has reported. The festival runs from September 18–26 this year in the...
Laura Dern Joins Elected Branch Governors of the Academy Along With Two More Women
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made some headway earlier this summer when it announced that it had invited a total of 683 new members to its ranks in an effort to diversify its...
Quote of the Day: Evan Rachel Wood Says Hollywood Wage Gap is “Staggering”
Evan Rachel Wood is starring alongside Ellen Page in “Into the Forest,” a tale of two sisters facing an apocalyptic event. She’ll also appear in HBO’s upcoming series “Westworld.” In...
AMBI Classics Makes its Debut with Niki Caro’s “Whale Rider”
Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s AMBI Group is forging its way into specialty distribution. AMBI has a library of more than 400 titles from Exclusive Media Group to draw on, and are planning...
Jennifer Morrison to Receive Trailblazer Award at HollyShorts Film Festival
The HollyShorts Film Festival has announced that Jennifer Morrison will be honored with the 2016 HollyShorts Trailblazer Award presented by Women in Film at the 12th incarnation of...
Books, Films, News, Television
Kyra Sedgwick to Make Directorial Debut with Lifetime Coming-of-Age Drama
Kyra Sedgwick is stepping behind the camera. The “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” actress is set to make her directorial debut with “Story of a Girl,” an adaptation of Sara Zarr’s YA novel, a finalist...
Trailer Watch: Emily Blunt is Afraid of Herself in “The Girl on the Train”
A new trailer has been released for this fall’s highly anticipated “The Girl on the Train.” In it, we hear more from Rachel Watson, the unreliable narrator who has galvanized readers since...
Ava DuVernay’s “The 13th” Will Be First Doc Opener of New York Film Festival
Director Ava DuVernay (“Selma”) has secured the Opening Night spot at this year’s New York Film Festival, which runs from September 30-October 16, for her documentary “The 13th.” It’s...
Women Win Big at Outfest Los Angeles
Female filmmakers took home two out of three Audience Awards at this year’s Outfest, an LA-based LGBTQ film festival. Annalise Ophelian won the U.S. Documentary Audience Award for “Major!” and...
Lifetime and Women in Film & TV UK Launch Short Film Competition
A+E Networks, the parent company of Lifetime, has launched Lifetime’s “Broad Focus” initiative in partnership with Women in Film & TV UK. The initiative kicks off with a short film...
Melissa McCarthy Receives Gilda Radner Award and “Life of the Party” Release Date
It’s been a great week for Melissa McCarthy — and we aren’t just talking about the fact that she had her biggest opening weekend numbers ever for “Ghostbusters.” McCarthy led the...
Women at the Box Office: “Ghostbusters” Hits its Goal, “Finding Dory” Breaks a Record
The box office got slimed. “Ghostbusters” did well during its opening weekend, earning a respectable $46 million, when most box-office experts had it earning in the $38-$40 million range. This...
Get Excited for “Wonder Woman” at Comic-Con With These New Teaser Photos
Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman: Warner Bros. It was practically an accepted truth that Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was the best part of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” So with Patty Jenkins’...
True Crime Doc “Southwest of Salem” Gets Worldwide Distribution
If you’re looking for the next “Making a Murderer,” “Serial,” or “West of Memphis” you’re in for some good news: an award-winning true crime documentary by Deborah S. Esquenazi has...
Apply Now for the Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellowship Through The Black List
If you’re an aspiring screenwriter and member of The Black List, here’s some good news: For the fourth year of the Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellowship, two screenwriters instead...
Watch: “Star Trek Beyond” Adds a Powerful New Female Character
While there are a good number of great women in the “Star Trek” universe on the whole, there weren’t many prominent female characters in “The Original Series,” and as a result, there...
Weekly Update for July 15: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Ghostbusters” Films About Women Opening This Week Ghostbusters — Co-Written by Katie Dippold “Ghostbusters” bursts onto the screen with several of our country’s funniest...
Books, Films, News, Television
Reed Morano to Direct “The Handmaid’s Tale” Starring Elisabeth Moss
Reed Morano has been confirmed to helm “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Hulu’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s classic 1985 dystopian novel. The streaming service has given a straight-to-series...
“Ghostbusters” Makes $3.4 Million in One Night, Earns Fan in Harold Ramis’ Daughter
The all-female reboot of “Ghostbusters” had a great opening last night, taking in $3.4 million at U.S. theaters. This puts the movie on its way to finishing its opening weekend around $38-$40...
Trailer Watch: Hailee Steinfeld Has Growing Pains in “The Edge of Seventeen”
A NSFW trailer has landed for “The Edge of Seventeen,” a coming-of-age dramedy starring Oscar-nominated actress Hailee Steinfeld (“True Grit,” “Pitch Perfect 2”) as Nadine, an awkward...
Ramona Diaz Honored by Docs In Progress Inspiration Award
The Documentary Inspiration Awards will honor filmmaker Ramona Diaz. Docs in Progress, a D.C. area-based non-profit, will host a special evening to celebrate Diaz and learn from her in an intimate...
Misty Copeland Joins Disney’s “Nutcracker”
Misty Copeland will appear in Disney’s new “Nutcracker” project and, according to Variety, will play the lead ballerina in the film’s only dance sequence. The project, titled “The...
Mia Hansen-Løve Announces Two New Projects
“Goodbye First Love” writer-director Mia Hansen-Løve revealed information about two new projects in an interview with ScreenDaily. “Maya” will star Roman Kolinka, an actor Hansen-Løve...
Apply Now for New York Film Festival Critics Academy
Attention aspiring female film critics! Are you ready to break the glass ceiling that is the dudeocracy of film writers? Are you ready to change the dismal numbers of female film critics out there?...
Jessica Chastain Joins the Oscar Race with Gun Control Drama “Miss Sloane”
Two-time Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain is joining this year’s Oscar race. Variety reports that EuropaCorp and FilmNation have decided on “an awards-season release” of December 9 for...
Jessica Jones Getting New Comic Series
Jessica Jones is returning to the comics, IGN has reported. After the success of the Netflix series starring Krysten Ritter revolving around the character, Marvel is bringing her back to...
Locarno Film Fest’s International Competition Lineup is Nearly 50 Percent Female-Directed
The Locarno Film Festival has announced its lineup for the 69th edition of the fest. The Switzerland-based festival boasts an International Competition that’s nearly 50 percent female-directed, or...
“Ghostbusters” Is Number One in Fandango’s Advanced Ticket Sales
Suck it, trolls. As we continue to celebrate this weekend’s opening of “Ghostbusters,” some fantastic news has hit that looks good for the movie’s box-office prospects. The all-lady...
Jennifer Aniston Stands Up to Tabloids and Speaks Out Against Sexism
Jennifer Aniston gets to determine her own “happily ever after” — tabloids and societal pressure be damned. The “Friends” actress penned a candid essay for The Huffington Post, where...
Fork Films Announces Funding Grants for Female Directed and Women-Centric Films
“Even When I Fall” New York-based production company Fork Films has announced funding for 10 film projects in various stages of development, 90 percent of which are female-directed. The 10...
Watch: BFI London Fest’s Gala Selection “Queen of Katwe” Moving Featurette
Mira Nair has lived in Kampala, Uganda for over 27 years, but hadn’t heard of Phiona, Uganda’s female chess champion, until a Ugandan at Disney told her of the inspiring story. In this new...
Trailer Watch: A College Student Tailspins in Elizabeth Wood’s Sundance Hit “White Girl”
A trailer has landed for “White Girl,” Elizabeth Wood’s feature directorial debut. The film premiered to rave reviews at Sundance, where it was compared to Larry Clark’s “Kids,” another...
“Kung Fu Panda 2” Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson to Make Her Live Action Debut
“Kung Fu Panda 2” director Jennifer Yuh Nelson will make her live-action directorial debut with an adaptation of YA hit “The Darkest Minds,” the first installment of a book trilogy by...
Screen Australia Announces Recipients of $3 Million in Funding For Women in Film
The Australian government has announced the 58 projects selected for Screen Australia’s Gender Matters: Brilliant Stories and Brilliant Careers. The selections include 45 story ideas and 13...
Sundance Institute and Women In Film LA Name Alison Emilio Director for the Systemic Change Project
The Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles have announced that they have hired Alison Emilio for the newly-appointed position of Director for the Systemic Change Project. Emilio has more...
Trolls Flood “Ghostbusters” IMDb Ratings, But Female Film Critics Fight Back
“Ghostbusters”: Sony As we continue our celebration of “Ghostbusters” this week, the film, which opens this Friday, July 15, faces yet another foe: phony IMDb ratings. In a move that comes...
Jimmy Choo Co-Founder Tamara Mellon’s Memoir Getting the Big Screen Treatement
Working Title has optioned Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon’s memoir “In My Shoes,” Deadline has reported. Comedian and screenwriter Laura Solon (“Hot in Cleveland”) has adapted the...
Cannes-Winning Director Keren Yedaya to Make Film of Israeli Rock Opera “Mami”
Israeli director Keren Yedaya will shoot a big-screen version of the 1986 surrealist Israeli stage rock opera “Mami,” Screen Daily has reported. The original musical “created political waves...
Fighting for Female DP’s in “Shooting Women: Behind the Camera, Around the World”
An excerpt from the preface for “Shooting Women: Behind the Camera, Around the World” by Harriet Margolis, Julia Stein, and Alexis Krasilovsky. Preface by Alexis Krasilovsky. Every couple of...
5 Reasons We’re Excited for “Ghostbusters”
It’s “Ghostbusters” week here at Women and Hollywood, and we’ll be celebrating the film all week up until its official release on Friday, July 15. After all of the misogynist backlash, the...
Seeking Our Story: Mary Pickford and the Feminist Foundation of Hollywood
Pickford on the set of “Little Annie Rooney” Guest Post by Samantha Shada For five years I passed the signs on Venice at National; the only billboard sized image in Los Angeles with a woman...
Weekly Update for July 8: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Our Little Sister” Films About Women Opening This Week Under the Sun (Documentary) (Opens in NY; Opens in LA July 15) “My father says that Korea is the most beautiful country… Korea is...
Maria Grasso Named President of “UnReal” Co-Creator Marti Noxon’s Production Banner Tiny Pyro
Maria Grasso has been named President of Tiny Pyro, “UnReal” co-creator Marti Noxon’s production banner, Deadline has reported. Grasso is a veteran TV producer who has developed and overseen...
David Oyelowo Launches Scholarship for Nigerian Girls
British-Nigerian actor David Oyelowo, star of Ava DuVernay’s “Selma,” has joined up with The GEANCO Foundation to start the first David Oyelowo Leadership Scholarship for Girls in Nigeria, The...
Alicia Vikander’s “Tomb Raider” Reboot Given a Release Date
Alicia Vikander’s “Tomb Raider” reboot now has a release date. Multiple outlets have reported that we’ll see Vikander take on the famous role of Lara Croft on March 16, 2018. Vikander took...
Introducing Iron Woman
Tony Stark will soon step out of the Iron Man suit, Screen Rant has reported, and much to the delight of diverse comic fans everywhere, his successor is a black woman. Riri Williams is a...
Bella Thorne to Star in Adaptation of YA Novel “Break My Heart 1,000 Times”
Bella Thorne will star in “Break My Heart 1,000 Times,” Variety has reported, an adaptation of the young adult novel by Daniel Waters. The plot centers on “a cataclysmic event that tears the...
New Joan Collins and Pauline Collins Film Begins Production
Filming has begun on Joan Collins and Pauline Collins’ new film “The Time of Their Lives,” Screen Daily reports. The film is described as a road trip comedy with “former Hollywood siren...
Trailer Watch: Anna Kendrick is Exiled to “Table 19”
Almost everyone has been to a wedding where you notice “the table.” The one with the singletons, old bosses, young cousins, and weird neighbors. In the new trailer for “Table 19,” Anna...
You’re Invited!
You’re Invited! An Evening with Melissa Silverstein in Australia: Why Gender Equality is Vital for Hollywood Dear Australian Women and Hollywood readers! You’re invited to a special event in...
Trailer Watch: Dianne Wiest and David Oyelowo Face Off in Maris Curran’s “Five Nights in Maine”
The new trailer for Maris Curran’s directorial feature film debut “Five Nights in Maine” brings chills as two powerhouse actors, David Oyelowo and Dianne Wiest, face off in...