Films
Trailer Watch: Andrea Arnold’s “American Honey” Hits the Heartland
Andrea Arnold’s much-anticipated “American Honey” will soon hit theaters, and a gorgeous new trailer has just been released. If we weren’t already really excited about this film, the...
Amma Asante’s “A United Kingdom” to Open 60th BFI London Film Festival
The 60th BFI London Film Festival, which runs from October 5–16 this year, will open with “A United Kingdom,” directed by Amma Asante (“Belle”). The film will make its European premiere on...
Paramount Acquires Julia Cox’s Black List Script “Do No Harm”
In total, 16 of the 81 scripts featured on the 2015 Black List, or 20%, were written or co-written by women. The list included Julia Cox’s “Do No Harm,” which has now been acquired by...
Sony Pictures TV Kicks Off Diverse Directors Program: Apply Now
Sony Pictures Television is accepting applications for its Diverse Directors Program, now in its third year. The program aims to offer opportunities to directors with diverse backgrounds. Fifteen...
“I Dream Too Much” Writer-Director Katie Cokinos on Her Bright and Uplifting Coming-of-Age Story
Katie Cokinos began her film career in the late 1980s working at Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP) in Houston, where she co-produced Eagle Pennell’s “Heart Full of Soul” in 1989. She...
Judi Dench to Play Queen Victoria Once Again
Oscar-winning actress Dame Judi Dench will play Queen Victoria in Working Title Films’ “Victoria and Abdul.” According to a press release, the film is slated to go into production this year...
Eight Female Producers on What it Takes to Make it in Hollywood
This year’s Women in Film Crystal Award for Excellence in Film went to eight female producers: Denise Di Novi, Lianne Halfon, Lynda Obst, Jane Rosenthal, Paula Wagner, Lucy Fisher, Lauren Shuler...
Catch a Sneak Peek of “Ghostbusters” With Its Screenwriter Katie Dippold
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced an upcoming event centered around one of summer’s most anticipated releases. “Ghostbusters” won’t hit theaters until July 15,...
“Me Before You” Director Thea Sharrock Attached to Next Project “The Selection”
After the great success of “Me Before You,” director Thea Sharrock has been hired for another book-to-film adaptation, Variety reports. Sharrock is attached to direct YA novel “The...
Nicole Kidman to Star in Big Screen Version of Anna Ziegler’s “Photograph 51”
Playwright Anna Zielger will adapt her play “Photograph 51” for the big screen, The Tracking Board reports, and Nicole Kidman, who starred in the 2015 West End production, is attached to star....
ACLU Supports NY Film and TV Diversity Bill
The ACLU is putting pressure on New York legislators to pass a bill that would make the state the first to grant financial incentives to TV shows that hire women and minority writers and directors,...
Trailer Watch: Sick of the 2016 Election? How About “Roseanne for President!”
“Here I go, running for president,” Roseanne Barr declares in the new trailer for the doc, “Roseanne for President!” The film, which follows Barr’s unsuccessful 2012 campaign for...
Weekly Update for June 17: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week Finding Dory “Finding Dory” reunites the friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) with her loved ones, and everyone learns a few...
Liz Garcia Sets Her Second Feature Film
Liz Garcia is set to direct her second feature film. According to The Tracking Board, Garcia will write and direct “One Percent More Humid.” Garcia will produce through her La Pistola, Inc....
Stacey Snider to Replace Jim Gianopulos As Head of Fox
There’s a lot of movement going on at Fox, where Chief Executive Jim Gianopulos will step down from his post next year, replaced by Stacey Snider, who was brought on less than two years ago as...
Helen Mirren Adds “Fast and Furious 8” to Her Eclectic Career
Dame Helen Mirren is about to drive a suped-up race car. The prestigious actress has confirmed that she’s signed on to appear in “Fast and Furious 8.” In an interview with Elle Magazine,...
“Orphan Black” Renewed for Fifth and Final Season
The good news: “Orphan Black” is returning for a fifth season. The bad news: Season 5 will mark the end of the series. The fifth and final season, composed of 10 episodes, is set to air in 2017....
“Wicked” Musical Coming to the Big Screen
After almost 13 years on Broadway, “Wicked” is finally set to fly on the big screen. Universal has announced that the musical film adaptation of the hit show and book will open in theaters...
Zoe Saldana Was Denied Child Care and Wishes More Women Were on Sets
It’s becoming more and more common for actresses to reveal the issues of sexism they’ve faced on set, from studios, and in their careers. Only when the problems are talked about will we have any...
Anne Hathaway Becomes Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women
Oscar winner Anne Hathaway has a new role to play: the actress has been named a global goodwill ambassador for UN Women, the UN agency working towards gender equality and female...
Whitney Houston Documentary Coming From Miramax and Roadside
Miramax has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “Whitney,” the officially authorized Whitney Houston documentary that’s in the works, Deadline has reported. Miramax will team up with Roadside...
Anika Noni Rose to Produce and Star in Shirley Chisholm Biopic
Anika Noni Rose is attached to produce and star in a film based on Shirley Chisholm, Shadow and Act has reported. Chisholm was the first African-American woman elected to the United States Congress,...
Award-Winning Female Composers Recognized at “The Women Who Score” Concert
Of the 112 original scores eligible for an Oscar last award season, only three, or 2.7 percent, were composed or co-composed by women. Female composers are sorely underrepresented in the industry,...
Sally Potter’s “The Party” to Star Patricia Clarkson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Cherry Jones
Patricia Clarkson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Cherry Jones, and Emily Mortimer are set to star in Sally Potter’s “The Party,” Variety has reported. That means that three-quarters of the female...
Trailer Watch: Rachel Weisz Gets Taken to Court in Holocaust Drama “Denial”
A gripping trailer has been released for “Denial,” Rachel Weisz’s upcoming courtroom drama. The hotly anticipated film was just given an Oscar-friendly release date of September 30, and the...
Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson” Takes Home Top Honors at Sheffield Doc/Fest
Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson” has been named the grand prize winner of Sheffield Doc/Fest. The documentary is a curated collection of extraordinary footage that Johnson has assembled over...
Quote of the Day: “The Girlfriend Experience” Star Riley Keough Talks “Shitty” Roles For Women
Riley Keough plays a law student and sex worker on Starz’s “The Girlfriend Experience.” The rising star explained the allure of the meaty role to The Hollywood Reporter: the chance to play an...
Trailer Watch: “Yarn” Explores a Forgotten Art Form
Knitting might not seem like a modern day art, but a new documentary is out to prove that assumption incorrect. Una Lorenzen’s “Yarn” explores a quirky art form often ignored by the mainstream...
New TV Adaptation of “Portrait of a Lady” in the Works
A new television adaptation of Henry James’ “Portrait of a Lady” is in the works. As Variety reports, Number 9 Films, one of the producers of “Carol,” is teaming up with Red Production...
Gena Rowlands’ Collaborations with John Cassavetes Celebrated at Metrograph in NY
Metrograph is set to honor a match made cinematic heaven. The Manhattan movie theater will host Cassavetes/Rowlands, a program celebrating the collaborations between legendary screen actress Gena...
Akosua Adoma Owusu Will Adapt Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “On Monday of Last Week”
Writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who last year granted Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”) the film rights to her novel “Americanah,” will now see another of her works adapted for the...
Lisa Joy to Write “Battlestar Galactica” Movie
A long-awaited, new big-screen adaptation of the 1970s TV series “Battlestar Galactica” is in the works at Universal with a female screenwriter. Lisa Joy, executive producer and scriptwriter for...
CBS Developing Limited Series Based on Patty Hearst
Prepare for the term “Stockholm Syndrome” to re-enter public consciousness in a big way. CBS is in the midst of developing a limited series based on Patty Hearst, arguably the most famous,...
Teaser Watch: “Moana” Presents Disney’s Next Feisty Heroine
Disney’s next adventurous heroine just got a little closer and a little more real, with the official teaser trailer for “Moana” released last night during the Tony awards. As we previously...
Exclusive: Hilarious Video from “Adult Life Skills” Director Rachel Tunnard Nails Industry Sexism
One of the things we love about Rachel Tunnard’s “Adult Life Skills” is how it rejects the notion of a “strong female character” in favor of an interesting one that is allowed to mess up,...
Claire Carré’s “Embers” Will Be First Narrative Released By Slamdance Presents
Claire Carré’s directorial debut “Embers,” which closed this year’s Slamdance Film Festival, will be the first narrative feature released by the new Slamdance Presents label, Variety has...
BBC’s Adaptation of Zadie Smith’s “NW” Will Star Nikki Amuka-Bird and Phoebe Fox
The leading ladies for BBC’s adaption of Zadie Smith’s 2012 novel “NW” have been revealed. Deadline announced that Nikki Amuka-Bird (“Luther,” “Jupiter Ascending”) and Phoebe Fox...
Weekly Update for June 10: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week Diary of a Chambermaid — Co-Written by Hélène Zimmer “Diary of a Chambermaid” is set during the beginning of the 20th century in provincial France....
LA Film Fest Winners: “HEIS (chronicles),” “Political Animals,” “Paint it Black” All Honored
The LA Film Festival, produced by Film Independent, has announced the winners of the 2016 fest. The festival, which ran from June 1–9 this year, handed out juried awards in the categories of:...
Jennifer Lawrence to Play Elizabeth Holmes, Founder of Theranos
Jennifer Lawrence has signed on to a high-profile, timely new project. The Oscar winner will play Elizabeth Holmes, the 32-year-old founder of Theranos, a controversial medical company. Adam McKay...
When the Moment Strikes: Crowdfunding Picks
This month’s crowdfunding picks test time in various ways. In Georgia Oakley’s “Little Bird” we travel back to 1941 London, where a young woman (Emily Taafe) is interviewing for the...
Ingrid Veninger’s “He Hated Pigeons” to Open Female Eye Film Festival
Ingrid Veninger’s “He Hated Pigeons” will open the 14th annual Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto. The fest is an international showcase of female directors, and runs from June 14–19 this...
Trailer Watch: Blake Lively Takes On a Great White Shark in “The Shallows”
Looking forward to an upcoming beach vacation? The final trailer for “The Shallows” may make you reconsider cooling off in the water. Blake Lively leaves her designer “Gossip Girl” dresses...
Geena Davis to Produce Hollywood Gender Inequality Doc, But a Man Will Direct
Geena Davis will produce a a documentary on Hollywood’s gender inequality, Variety has learned. Davis, a prominent activist about this issue, is teaming up with Creative Chaos vmg and their...
“O.J.: Made In America” Producer Caroline Waterlow on Race, Marcia Clark, and Domestic Abuse
Women and Hollywood spoke with Caroline Waterlow, producer of the highly anticipated “O.J.: Made in America,” one of Sundance 2016’s biggest hits. Described as a masterpiece by many critics,...
Trailer Watch: Teen Girls Battle Bratwurst Nazis in “Yoga Hosers”
Prepare to meet Canadian Hitler. A trailer has landed for Kevin Smith’s horror-comedy “Yoga Hosers,” starring Harley Quinn Smith (“Tusk”) and model Lily-Rose Depp as sardonic Canadian...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Anaïs Volpé — “HEIS (chronicles)”
Anaïs Volpé is a screenwriter, filmmaker, visual artist, and actress. She likes mixing arts and exploring new forms of narration. In 2013, she directed her first short film, “Blast.” The film...
Sexist Comment of the Day: Studio Ghibli Producer Explains Why They Don’t Hire Women to Direct
Perpetuating stereotypes is never a good thing — but especially in the context of an interview with one of the world’s most prominent publications. The Guardian asked Studio Ghibli producer...
Elizabeth Banks and Directing While Mothering
First things first, I am not a mom. Nor am I a director. But I have spoken with many moms who are directors and many directors who aren't moms. Second, this discussion is inherently sexist...
Trailer Watch: “Jesus Camp” Directors Tackle TV Icon in “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You”
A newly released trailer for Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You” introduces the doc’s subject by saying, “He has been around approximately forever.”...
How Finding a Filmmaking Partner Changed My Career
Guest Post by Siobhan Devine Making an independent film takes a village, and that’s pretty much the only part that everyone likes to talk about; that two days or three weeks of crazy madness and...