News
Anita Hill-Led Harassment Commission Sets Sights on Protecting Hollywood Freelancers
The Hollywood Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality has made protecting freelancers a priority. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Anita Hill-led Commission is...
Brown Girls Doc Mafia Appoints Board of Directors, Receives $105K MacArthur Grant
Big things are happening at Brown Girls Doc Mafia (BGDM), an org advocating for women and non-binary people of color in documentary filmmaking. According to Filmmaker Magazine, BGDM has announced...
Time’s Up to Support Rising Execs and Producers with New Mentorship Program
Time’s Up’s latest initiative is working to improve the entertainment industry’s executive and producer pipeline. A press release from the gender equality and inclusion coalition...
Kyra Sedgwick Launches Production Company, Announces Film and TV Slate
Best known for her Emmy-winning acting in “The Closer” and other series and films, Kyra Sedgwick has also developed an extensive resume behind the scenes. In addition to exec producing...
Feminist Theater Collective The Kilroys Announces New Class
The Kilroys, a Los Angeles-based collective of playwrights and producers fighting for gender parity in American theater, is bringing in some new blood. According to a press release, the 14 new...
Issa Rae and Columbia Pictures Join Forces to Support Emerging Diverse Writers
Issa Rae’s latest project will help boost diverse, up-and-coming screenwriters. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the “Insecure” star’s ColorCreative has signed a...
Jennie Snyder Urman and Dev Exec Joanna Klein Team Up for New Production Company
“Jane the Virgin” is winding down but creator Jennie Snyder Urman’s career is revving up. She and Lifetime’s former senior vp of scripted development, Joanna Klein, are...
Sight & Sound’s 2018 Critics Poll Includes 10 Women-Directed Pics
The results are in for Sight & Sound’s 2018 Critics Poll. The anticipated poll sees critics, programmers, and academics from around the world voting for their favorite films of the year....
“Doc McStuffins” Creator Chris Nee Signs Overall Deal with Netflix
Peabody, Emmy, and Humanitas Prize-winning children’s television screenwriter and producer Chris Nee has signed an overall deal with Netflix. The pact sees Nee writing and producing new animated...
Faye Dunaway Is Returning to Broadway, Will Play Katharine Hepburn
Faye Dunaway is returning to Broadway after a 35-year-plus hiatus. The iconic Hollywood star is set to play a fellow legend of the silver screen — Katharine Hepburn. The Oscar winner will...
Inaugural Class for NBC’s Alternative Directors Program Is All-Female
NBC has announced the inaugural class for their Alternative Directors Program, and all seven participants are women. The first directing pipeline program for unscripted shows, the initiative...
Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir” Lands at A24, Tilda Swinton Stars
Announced as part of Sundance 2019’s lineup last week, Tilda Swinton-starrer “The Souvenir” has found a home. A24 snagged North American rights to Joanna Hogg’s romantic drama...
Female Blockbuster Scribes Team Up to Launch Production Company to “Open Doors”
There are finally a handful of films by and about women in the superhero pipeline, and a team of writers are working to ensure that more are on the way. Lindsey Beer (“Chaos Walking”),...
Samantha Bee Announces New Production Company & Signs First-Look Deal with TBS
Samantha Bee is launching a new production company. The Emmy winner’s Swimsuit Competition will create original narrative and documentary television “that it finds amusing and would...
“The Favourite” Nabs Record 10 BIFA Awards, Continues to Reign Over the Box Office
“The Favourite” revolves around the manipulations and betrayals of Queen Anne’s court, but it’s inspiring a lot of love and loyalty from audiences and awards committees. The...
Apply Now: Shondaland and SeriesFest Women Directing Mentorship
Shonda Rhimes is a long-time supporter of women directors. Just look at the credits on her series. “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” “How to Get Away with...
Women Make Up Over 50 Percent of Variety’s Annual Directors to Watch List
Women dominate Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch list for 2019. Women represent 60 percent of slots on the annual ranking, which recognizes up-and-coming filmmaking talent. Olivia Wilde...
Ava DuVernay Signs $100 Million Overall Deal with Warner Bros. Television
It’s official: Ava DuVernay is now a mogul. The award-winning multi-hyphenate has inked her first studio pact and it’s massive. DuVernay signed a $100 million production and development...
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Releasing Lisa France Documentary “Roll With Me”
ARRAY has lined up its latest film release. Ava DuVernay’s independent distribution company will be screening “Roll With Me,” Lisa France’s doc about recovering addict and...
Viola Davis’ Production Company Inks First-Look Deal with Amazon
Another actress with a burgeoning producing career has joined forces with Amazon Studios. Recent weeks have seen Maya Rudolph, Natasha Lyonne, and Natalie Dormer signing first-look deals with the...
“Roma” and “The Favourite” Shine at the Box Office
It appears turkey wasn’t the only thing people were craving over Thanksgiving weekend: a box office report from Deadline suggests that women-driven films with awards buzz were also high in...
Weekly Update for November 21: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Favourite – Written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (Opens in NY and LA November 23) Set in the early 18th century, we take a closer look at the reign of Queen...
Sundance Institute Announces New Inclusive Filmmaking Fellowship, Names Inaugural Class
Sundance is continuing to up its inclusion game ahead of its 2019 festival. As previously reported, the fest has agreed to make its submissions data transparent and is working to ensure a more...
Janelle Monáe’s Wondaland Pictures Strikes First-Look Deal with Universal
“Hidden Figures” breakout Janelle Monáe has two films on the way with Universal Pictures, and it seems she has plenty more projects on the horizon with the studio. Monáe’s...
Natalie Dormer Inks First-Look Deal with Fremantle
Natalie Dormer is re-teaming with Fremantle and taking her relationship with the production and distribution company to the next level. The “Game of Thrones” alumna has signed a...
Kelly McMahon Is the MPAA’s Next Ratings Chair, Joan Graves Retiring
The MPAA has named a new chair of the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), the group that assigns film ratings. Deadline confirms that Kelly McMahon will succeed Joan Graves, who is...
Marie Curie-Inspired Projects About Young Female Scientists in the Works
MIT Press and Einhorn’s Epic Productions (EEP) are teaming up to inspire future Marie Curies. Deadline reports a YA graphic novel titled “The Curie Society,” about an international...
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Fleabag” to Make New York Debut
“Fleabag” is coming stateside. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s award-winning play is set to debut in New York, a press release announced. Written and performed by Waller-Bridge and directed...
Women In the Director’s Chair Announces 2018 Story & Leadership Participants
Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC), the Canadian organization helping advance women filmmakers, has selected eight directors for its 2018 Story & Leadership program. Anna Cooley, Penny...
Cynthia López Is NY Women in Film & Television’s New Executive Director
New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) has named its new Executive Director. The gender equality advocacy group’s Board of Directors announced Cynthia López would be taking on the...
“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Insecure,” and “SMILF” Among Recipients of ReFrame’s Inaugural TV Stamp
If you’re looking for a new series to watch — and want to avoid one that ignores the existence of women on-screen and behind the scenes — look no further. Variety reports that...
Marti Noxon Signs Multi-Year Overall Deal with Netflix
Marti Noxon’s landmark year — which saw her launching two zeitgeist-y shows, “Sharp Objects” and “Dietland” — just got better. Variety confirms the TV...
Gucci Tribeca Doc Fund’s 2018 Grants Go to Six Women-Directed Projects
Six documentaries from women directors will receive $150,000 in grants from the 2018 Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund. From Tribeca Film Institute (TIF), Gucci, and the Oath Foundation, the fund offers...
Inaugural Class of Female Cinematographers Announced for Fox’s DP Lab
The industry and mainstream media are — at long last — starting to address the dearth of opportunities for women directors, but the conversation hasn’t shifted as much when it comes...
Apply Now: Birds Eye View Future Leaders in Distribution Program
Listen up, UK-based female distribution executives: Birds Eye View wants to support you in breaking through the glass ceiling of the distribution sector. ScreenDaily reports that the gender equality...
BAFTA to Celebrate Nicole Kidman with Career Retrospective
An Oscar, multiple Golden Globes, Emmy, and BAFTA are just a few of the many honors Nicole Kidman has collected along her 30-plus-year career in the film and television industry. She’s amassed...
Apply Now: NBC’s Female Forward and Emerging Director Programs
Heartened by the increasing number of women and people of color behind the camera in episodic TV? If you want to get in on the action, consider submitting to the 2019-20 classes of NBC’s...
FilmRise to Distribute Digital Series Celebrating Women Role Models
“Modern Hero’ has racked up millions of YouTube views, made a significant mark on social media, and won several awards. Now, thanks to FilmRise, from Julia Fisher Farbman and Cindy...
Seed&Spark Crowdfunding Rally Yields Nearly $250,000 for Pilots by Creators of Color
Seed&Spark continues to kick ass. With the highest campaign success rate of any crowdfunding site and its focus on inclusion and diversity, the platform is already helping give the industry a...
Exclusive: Nina Menkes’ “Queen of Diamonds” Has Been Restored, Will Be Re-Released
Originally released in 1991, Nina Menkes’ subversive drama “Queen of Diamonds” was heralded as a feminist masterwork. Now the film about a struggling Blackjack dealer is getting a...
Jennifer Lawrence Launches Producing Shingle and Sets First Look Deal with Makeready
Not yet 30, Jennifer Lawrence already has over half a dozen blockbusters and four Oscar nominations — including a win — to her name. Now the “Mother!” actress is looking to...
Film Forum to Host Ida Lupino Retrospective
Known for taking roles Bette Davis turned down, Ida Lupino went on to pave a path entirely her own. With on-screen credits including “They Drive by Night” and “High Sierra,”...
Namrata Singh Gujral’s “5 Weddings” Banned in Kuwait for Inclusion of Transgender Characters
“5 Weddings” opened in more than a dozen countries this weekend — including the U.S, Russia, and India — but one nation has made it crystal clear that Namrata Singh Gujral’s...
Intimacy Coordinators Will Oversee Sex Scenes on HBO Shows Going Forward
From “Girls” to “Game of Thrones,” HBO’s shows are known for their sex scenes. So it’s fitting that the cabler is bringing on intimacy coordinators to oversee sex...
“Power” Showrunner Courtney Kemp Signs “One-of-a-Kind” Deal with Lionsgate
Courtney Kemp’s “Power” just keeps growing. The creator and showrunner of Starz’s crime saga has inked a huge development and production deal with Starz’s parent...
WGA West Addressing Sexual Harassment with New Workshops
This summer the WGA West found 64 percent of its female writers have experienced sexual harassment at work. Now there’s word that the guild is stepping up its efforts to curb workplace...
WeForShe Names 2018 DirectHer Program Participants
WeForShe has announced the participants for this year’s DirectHer Program. The nine female directors will pair up with seasoned TV directors, who will guarantee the participants’ work on...
Naomi Kawase to Direct Official Tokyo 2020 Olympics Film
No stranger to representing Japan on the world stage, Naomi Kawase has screened eight films at Cannes Film Festival. Now the Japanese filmmaker has been tapped to helm the official film of the...
Donna Gigliotti to Produce the Oscars
The Academy Awards has an Oscar-winning producer on board. Donna Gigliotti will produce the upcoming 91st Oscars, a press release has announced. A Best Picture winner for “Shakespeare in...
New Release Dates Set for “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Charlie’s Angels” Reboot
We’ll have to wait a bit longer to see two of the most highly-anticipated women-directed studio pics. Both Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman 1984” and Elizabeth Banks’...
Viola Davis Gets Candid About Stifling Her Voice, Time’s Up, and What’s Missing from Cinema
“I always say that one thing missing in cinema is that regular black woman,” observes Viola Davis in a new interview with The Guardian. “Not anyone didactic, or whose sole purpose in the...