News
Trailer Watch: Fat-Shamers and Sexual Abusers Face the Music in AMC’s “Dietland”
Revolution is afoot in a trailer for “Dietland,” Marti Noxon’s new AMC series. “I never wanted to stand out. I was just trying to fit in,” says Plum (Joy Nash, “Twin Peaks”). She’s a...
BAFTA Elevate Rocket-Boosts Female Directors in the UK
“Thousands of talented young women have been excluded from careers as film and television directors every year simply because they are not men. I am one of a very small group of lucky ones.”...
Octavia Spencer-Starrer “Are You Sleeping” Gets Series Order from Apple
It’s official: Octavia Spencer is getting her own show. Best known for her many supporting roles, the Oscar winner is finally getting the opportunity to take the lead in “Are You Sleeping,”...
Mary Harron to Helm Salvador Dali Biopic “Dali Land”
Fresh off directing a pic about the Manson Family murders, Mary Harron has lined up her next project. The “American Psycho” director is taking on the life of surrealist artist Salvador Dali in...
Sundance Winner “Night Comes On” Acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films
Jordana Spiro’s feature directorial debut has found a home. Deadline reports that Samuel Goldwyn Films secured North American distribution rights to “Night Comes On.” The drama about sisters...
Trailer Watch: Women Directors Share Their Stories in “Half the Picture”
A new documentary has assembled some of the most prominent women directors, and they’re speaking out about why there are so few of them. There’s plenty of female filmmakers out there, but as a...
Quote of the Day: Cate Blanchett Wants Artists to Be “Fearless” in Fight for Equality
“I feel really positive about the inevitable, positive moves toward equality in the face of a lot of fear and adversity,” two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett told Variety in an in-depth...
Hulu Renews “The Handmaid’s Tale” and Gives Series Order to Mindy Kaling’s “Four Weddings”
Offred is staying put at Hulu and Mindy Kaling is set to return. The streamer has renewed “The Handmaid’s Tale” for a third season and given a series order to Kaling’s latest project, an...
Liz Garbus Directing Docuseries Adaptation of Michelle McNamara’s Golden State Killer Book
Liz Garbus is taking on the Golden State Killer for her next project. Per a press release, the documentarian is helming an HBO docuseries based on Michelle McNamara’s best-selling book “I’ll...
Limited Series About Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’Connor Is in Development
Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be the subject of yet another project — but this time she’ll be joined by fellow trailblazing female Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Variety confirms...
Chastain, Cruz, Nyong’o, Cotillard, and Fan to Star in Spy Thriller “355”
Best known as a two-time Oscar-nominated actress, Jessica Chastain has been steadily building up her producing resume. And she’s got a hell of a project lined up. The “Molly’s Game” star has...
Laura Bispuri’s “Daughter of Mine” Acquired by Strand Releasing
Strand Releasing has snagged North American rights to Laura Bispuri’s “Daughter of Mine” shortly after its U.S. debut at Tribeca Film Festival. The company also distributed Bispuri’s...
Today in #MeToo and #TimesUp: Judd Sues Weinstein, WOC Lead Fight to Stop R. Kelly, & More
The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements aren’t going anywhere. Amid recent reports that disgraced figures such as Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer are staging comebacks, there’s also been news of Ashley...
Lupita Nyong’o to Play Assassin in Remake of “The Killer”
Lupita Nyong’o has booked another action pic. The “Black Panther” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” star is set to topline a remake of “The Killer” for Universal Pictures. Variety reports...
BFI Southbank Will Spotlight Films By and About Women in June
BFI Southbank will be showcasing women-centric and women-made films throughout the month of June. A press release has announced that the four-screen cinema in South Bank, London will be championing...
Trailer Watch: “Jewel’s Catch One” Offers a Look Into America’s Oldest Black-Owned Disco Club
Jewel’s Catch One “offered a place where any and everybody could come,” and now a new doc is exploring how that inclusive environment became the stuff of legend. A trailer had dropped for C....
Women In Film Now Accepting 2018 Finishing Fund Applications
The submission period for Women In Film’s 2018 Film Finishing Fund is open. Now in its 33rd year, the fund awards 10 to 15 grants to films by and about women. Documentary, narrative, animated, and...
Trailer Watch: Fonda, Keaton, Bergen, and Steenburgen Have a Lust for Life in “Book Club”
Sharon (Candice Bergen) announces that she’s done with romance in the trailer for “Book Club.” “We are four smart, successful women,” she declares to her friends (Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton,...
Lily Collins to Star in Hope Dickson Leach’s “The Cradle”
Hope Dickson Leach has another family drama on the way. Deadline reports that Lily Collins (“To the Bone”) and Jack O’Connell (“Unbroken”) will topline the award-winning...
May 2018 Film Preview
“Tully” Plenty of women-helmed, female-fronted flicks are premiering alongside the superhero and sci-fi blockbusters this month. Kicking the month off on May 1 is the Netflix debut of C. Fitz’s...
Rachel Morrison to Receive AFI’s Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal
History-making cinematographer Rachel Morrison is set to receive an honor from the American Film Institute (AFI). The “Black Panther” DP will be awarded the 2018 Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni...
Wanuri Kahiu’s LGBTQ-Themed Cannes Film “Rafiki” Banned in Kenya
“Rafiki” will make history as the first Kenyan feature to premiere at Cannes Film Festival, but the lesbian romance has been banned in Kenya, where homosexuality is illegal. Variety confirms...
Trailer Watch: A Girl and Her Father Return to Civilization in Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace”
Debra Granik’s latest offering has a trailer. This time around, the “Winter’s Bone” co-writer and director is telling the story of a father and daughter whose lives are upended when local...
Cannes Film Fest Teams Up with French Government for Sexual Harassment Hotline
Cannes Film Festival is taking steps to protect women at its 2018 edition with the help of the French government. According to Screen Daily, Cannes is organizing a hotline for survivors and...
S.J. Clarkson to Direct “Star Trek 4”
S.J. Clarkson will boldly go where no woman has gone before. Deadline reports that she’s been tapped to helm “Star Trek 4,” making her the first woman to direct a feature in the “Star...
Limited Series About First Female Israeli PM Golda Meir in the Works
The first project from Denise Di Novi and Nina Tassler’s new company, PatMa Productions, will be a limited series about Israel’s first and only female prime minister, Golda Meir. According to...
Biopic About Game-Changing Journalist Nancy Dickerson in the Works at Showtime
A biopic about Nancy Dickerson is in development at Showtime. The trailblazing reporter made history as the first woman hired as a network correspondent by CBS News. Titled “Hello Nancy,” the...
Lena Waithe to Deliver Keynote at AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women Showcase
In the span of just over a month, Lena Waithe has graced the cover of Vanity Fair and been named by TIME as one of the most influential people of the year. In January her Showtime series, “The...
Naomi Watts to Topline Claire McCarthy’s Mother-Daughter Drama “Burning Season”
Naomi Watts and Claire McCarthy are re-teaming for a new project. Their last venture, a revisionist take on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” told from the perspective of Ophelia, made its world premiere...
Movie in the Works About NYT Reporters Who Broke Weinstein Scandal
The New York Times’ October 5 story chronicling Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual abuse rocked the entertainment industry and its aftermath has seen the rise of #MeToo and #TimesUp. It’s no...
Gretchen Carlson Inks Deal with A+E Originals, First Project Deals with Sexual Harassment
Gretchen Carlson is continuing a conversation she helped start. The former Fox News anchor has signed a deal with A+E Originals that sees her producing documentary specials, and her first project...
Issa Rae’s ColorCreative Teams Up with BET for TV Writing Contest
Issa Rae is joining forces with BET to elevate diverse TV writers. The “Insecure” co-creator and star’s ColorCreative company has launched a contest for emerging writers alongside BET Networks...
Allison Janney Joins Viola Davis in Bert & Bertie’s “Troupe Zero”
More stars from “The Help” are reuniting. Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer have a holiday comedy in the works, and now comes word that Allison Janney is joining the cast of “Troupe...
Tig Notaro Has Netflix Stand-Up Special On the Way
“One Mississippi” is gone but Tig Notaro is staying busy. The comedian is heading to space as a guest star in the second season of “Star Trek: Discovery” on CBS All Access and Netflix just...
Laura Linney, Ellen Page, and Olympia Dukakis Join “Tales of the City” Netflix Revival
Netflix is making its way to 28 Barbary Lane. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that the streaming giant has ordered a 10-episode revival of “Tales of the City.” Based on the book series by...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jessica Leski — “I Used to Be Normal”
Jessica Leski wrote, directed, and co-edited her first full-length documentary, “The Ball.” The film won a Hugo Television Award at the Chicago International Film Festival. Leski’s short films...
Trailer Watch: Gemma Arterton Leaves Her Family Behind in “The Escape”
Gemma Arterton plays a stay-at-home mom pushed to the brink in “The Escape.” When Tara finds herself dealing with depression, she’s told it’s just “a phase” and her self-absorbed husband...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Assia Boundaoui — “The Feeling of Being Watched”
Assia Boundaoui is an Algerian-American journalist and filmmaker based in Chicago. She has reported for BBC, NPR, Al Jazeera, VICE, and CNN and was the recipient of a first place Mark of Excellence...
You’re Invited: Women and Hollywood Is Hosting a Networking Event at Cannes
If you’re attending the Cannes Film Festival this year, definitely mark your calendar for Women and Hollywood’s Networking Event. Hosted by Founder/Publisher Melissa Silverstein in collaboration...
Apply Now: 2018 Fox Directors Lab
The 2018 Fox Directors Lab (FDL) is now accepting applications. Launched to support TV directors with diverse voices, backgrounds, and life experiences, the initiative is highly selective and...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Nia DaCosta — “Little Woods”
Nia DaCosta has written and directed projects for stage, film, and new media platforms. “Little Woods” is her debut feature. “Little Woods” premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival on...
Cannes 2018: Agnès Varda Film to Screen in Classics Program, Cinéfondation Jury Is 60% Female
Cannes has announced another program for its 2018 edition. Featuring iconic movies and works from renowned filmmakers, the Cannes Classics category is a celebration of the history of film. The fest...
Aidy Bryant to Topline and Write Hulu Series Based on Lindy West’s “Shrill”
Aidy Bryant is taking “Shrill” to the small screen. Lindy West’s non-fiction feminist book was optioned by Elizabeth Banks back in December 2016, and now the project has landed at Hulu with...
Trailer Watch: Jessica Chastain Paints Chief Sitting Bull in “Woman Walks Ahead”
Jessica Chastain embarks on an ambitious journey in a new trailer for Susanna White’s “Woman Walks Ahead.” Based on a true story, the drama is set in the 1880s and sees her playing Catherine...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Yolanda Ramke — “Cargo”
Yolanda Ramke is an award-winning screenwriter and director. In 2013, she wrote the short film “Cargo” and co-directed with Ben Howling. It garnered almost 14 million views on YouTube. She...
Trailer Watch: Vera Farmiga Reunites with Her Dad in Shana Feste’s “Boundaries”
A trailer has dropped for “Boundaries,” Shana Feste’s portrait of a complicated relationship between a daughter and father. Laura (Vera Farmiga) doesn’t see her dad (Christopher Plummer) as...
Quote of the Day: Melissa McCarthy Talks Negotiating and Equal Pay
Melissa McCarthy is known for her sense of humor, but her business savvy has also played a major part in landing her among the world’s highest-paid actresses. In a candid conversation with...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Liz Garbus — “The Fourth Estate”
Liz Garbus is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning filmmaker whose film “What Happened, Miss Simone?” opened the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, received a Peabody Award, and was nominated for an...
Ava DuVernay to Be Honored at GLAAD Media Awards
Ava DuVernay is having a remarkable year. She’s been named the NAACP Image Awards’ Entertainer of the Year, received the PGA’s Visionary Award, been brought on to the Cannes Jury, debuted her...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Haifaa Al-Mansour — “Mary Shelley”
Haifaa Al-Mansour is the first female filmmaker in Saudi Arabia, and is regarded as one of its most significant cinematic figures. The success of her 2005 documentary, “Women Without Shadows,”...
Clea DuVall’s Rom-Com “Happiest Season” Acquired by TriStar Pictures
Clea DuVall is set to direct her first studio pic. The “Veep” actress will helm “Happiest Season,” a romantic comedy that’s been acquired by TriStar Pictures. A press release announced...