News
You’re Invited: Virtual VIP Screening of Rayka Zehtabchi & Shaandiin Tome’s “Long Line of Ladies”
“Long Line of Ladies,” a short documentary that just premiered at Sundance, is hosting a virtual VIP screening and Q&A, and the Women and Hollywood community is invited.* The story of...
Doc About WNBA Star Sue Bird in the Works from Sarah Dowland
One of the greatest players in WNBA history is getting the doc treatment. Now underway, “Sue Bird: In the Clutch” follows “the final chapter” of the Seattle Storm...
Collective of POC-Centered Documentary Orgs Launches, Set to Award $1.35M in Funding
Color Congress, a new collective dedicated to supporting people of color in documentary filmmaking, has arrived. Described by a press release as “a national collective of organizations led and...
Sundance Doc “Calendar Girls” Sells to Juno Films
“Calendar Girls” has secured North American distribution ahead of its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival later this month. Juno Films landed rights to the film, which is screening...
ARRAY Releasing Acquires Agam Darshi’s “Donkeyhead” and Sujata Day’s “Definition Please”
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Releasing has acquired distribution rights for two films from emerging South Asian multi-hyphenates: Agam Darshi’s “Donkeyhead” and Sujata Day’s...
Roxane Gay to Host and Produce New Podcast on Luminary
Another podcast from Roxane Gay is on the way. The “Hear to Slay” co-host and “Bad Feminist” writer is launching “The Roxane Gay Agenda” on subscription podcast...
Anna Nicole Smith Doc in the Works at Netflix, Ursula Macfarlane Directing
Ursula Macfarlane is expanding her diverse filmography. With titles such as “Untouchable,” an investigation into Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct, and “The Life and Loss...
Happy Holidays from Women and Hollywood
Happy holidays. Thanks so much for your continued support of Women and Hollywood. We’re going on break, and will return to our desks in the new year. – Melissa, Laura, Rachel, and Mariana
Waad Al-Kateab & Kelley Kali Named 2021 Recipients of Academy Gold Fellowship for Women
Filmmakers Waad Al-Kateab and Kelley Kali are the recipients of the 2021 Academy Gold Fellowship for Women. According to Screen Daily, the respective “For Sama” and “I’m Fine...
Eva Longoria Will Lead CNN+’s “Searching for Mexico”
Meet your new, multi-talented tour guide: Eva Longoria. The “Desperate Housewives” alumna and “Black-ish” director is set to headline “Eva Longoria: Searching for...
“The Watermelon Woman” & “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” Among Titles Added to National Film Registry
The Library of Congress has announced its annual selection of 25 titles to be inducted into the National Film Registry. “Selected for their cultural, historic, or aesthetic importance to...
Black List 2021: Lily Hollander’s “See How They Run” Receives Second-Most Votes
The 2021 Black List has arrived. Featuring 73 screenplays and 71 writers/writing teams, the 17th annual list was decided by votes from more than 375 film execs and highlights the best-liked...
“America ReFramed” to Launch 10th Season with World Premiere of “Fannie Lou Hamer’s America”
A portrait of a Mississippi sharecropper-turned-human rights activist will kick off the 10th season of “America ReFramed.” The award-winning documentary series from WORLD Channel and...
Apply Now: Season 2 of Lena Waithe and Indeed’s Rising Voices Filmmaking Program
Lena Waithe and her Hillman Grad Productions shingle have, along with employment site Indeed, renewed Rising Voices for a second go-round. According to a press release, applications are now being...
CineFAM Is Launching a Women of Color Content Creator Database
CineFAM is introducing a new initiative: a Women of Color (WOC) Content Creator Database. Set to launch soon on the Canadian not for profit company’s website, the goal of the database will be...
Following in Predecessor’s Footsteps, “The Souvenir Part II” Tops Sight and Sound’s Annual Best Films List
“The Souvenir Part II” is partying like it’s 2019. Two years after “The Souvenir,” Joanna Hogg’s autobiographical tale of a film student’s toxic relationship...
A Musical Adaptation of “Real Women Have Curves” Is in the Works
Ana García is heading to Broadway. A musical adaptation of “Real Women Have Curves,” the 2002 coming-of-age pic about a Mexican-American teen, is in the works from “Waitress”...
Halle Berry Inks Multi-Picture Netflix Deal as “Bruised” Tops the Charts
Halle Berry’s comeback story continues to pack a punch. “Bruised,” the Oscar-winning actress’ directorial debut, is a major hit. The story of a disgraced MMA fighter searching...
EbonyLife Media CEO Mo Abudu Inks Development Deal with BBC Studios, Sets Heist Series “Reclaim”
EbonyLife Media founder and CEO Mosunmola “Mo” Abudu is bringing an adventure story about colonialism, history, and cultural repatriation to BBC Studios as part of a new development deal....
Apply Now: Reel Sisters Microbudget Film Fellowship for Women of Color
Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series is offering women of color a chance to win $5,000 to produce a web series pilot or short film. Applications for the Reel Sisters...
Apply Now: The Inaugural WIF x Google Shorts Program
Women In Film, Los Angeles (WIF) will fund three shorts from up-and-coming women and nonbinary filmmakers, with support from Google. Applications are now being accepted for the inaugural WIF Shorts...
“Gentefied” Co-Creator Linda Yvette Chávez Inks Overall Deal with 20th Television
Linda Yvette Chávez is set to “create her own as well as supervise other writers’ dramas and comedies for all platforms” at 20th Television. Deadline reports the...
Julie Bowen Signs On to Topline & EP NBC Comedy, Inks First-Look Deal with Universal Television
Julie Bowen is eyeing her return to the small screen. The Emmy-winning “Modern Family” alumna has signed a first-look deal with Universal Television for her production company, Bowen...
Lena Waithe Signs Overall Deal with Warner Bros. TV, First Project Will Be “Hoop Dreams” Series
Lena Waithe is heading to Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG). The mogul-in-the-making has inked “a big exclusive overall deal” with the studio, Deadline reports, which will see her and...
Apply Now: Women and Hollywood Editorial Fellowship
Women and Hollywood is looking for two editorial fellows for the first half of 2022. The position will begin on January 3 and end June 30. Applicants must be willing to commit to 10-15 hours per week...
Join the Girls Club for a Talk About Film Financing with Jennifer Esposito and Christine Crokos
Jennifer Esposito and Christine Crokos will join the Girls Club to discuss the future of film financing on Tuesday, November 9, at 4 p.m. EST. The virtual chat will be open to the public, but be sure...
Disability Representation Non-Profit Inevitable Foundation Selects Fall 2021 Screenwriting Fellows
Inevitable Foundation has selected its second round of screenwriting fellows. The non-profit, which aims to close the disability gap in TV and film, is presenting Shaina Ghuraya and writing partners...
W&H, Oscilloscope, Abigail Disney, & More in Industry Sign Open Letter Supporting Abortion Access
Women and Hollywood is joining Oscilloscope Laboratories, Magnolia Pictures, Obscured Pictures, Abigail Disney and Level Forward, The Future of Film is Female, and more in the film industry in...
Eight Artists Selected for 2021 Women at Sundance Adobe Fellowship
Sundance Institute has selected eight artists for the second annual Women at Sundance Adobe Fellowship. Variety confirms that Deborah Esquenazi (“Southwest of Salem”), McKenzie Chinn...
Audra McDonald Returning to Broadway with a New Play by Adrienne Kennedy
Audra McDonald is Broadway bound. The six-time Tony winner is returning to The Great Bright Way with “Ohio State Murders,” a new play by Adrienne Kennedy, per Variety. An exploration of the...
AFI Establishes Halyna Hutchins Memorial Scholarship Fund, Donations Now Being Accepted
The American Film Institute (AFI) is pledging “to see that Halyna Hutchins will live on in the spirit of all who strive to see their dreams realized in stories well told.” The nonprofit...
Women Make Up Majority of Sundance Institute’s Inaugural Producers Intensive Participants
Sundance Institute has announced the 10 fellows taking part in its inaugural Producers Intensive this month. The two-day program, which kicked off October 21, was designed as “a means of...
Sundance Institute Introduces Intensive for Trans Artists of Color
Sundance Institute has selected six artists for its inaugural Trans Possibilities Intensive. Ava Davis, StormMiguel Florez, River Gallo, Carol Grant, Mitchell (MiSha) Owens, and Savannah Ward are...
Field of Vision Introduces Doc Crew Apprenticeship Program for Underrepresented & Emerging Talent
Field of Vision is turning its attention to below-the-line inclusion in documentary filmmaking. The nonfiction unit behind projects such as “American Factory” and “On the...
BBC Revamps On-Set Bullying and Sexual Harassment Guidelines
The BBC has updated its on-set bullying and sexual harassment policy, presenting new guidelines on sex scenes, access to support resources, and safeguarding contacts. According to Deadline, BBC CCO...
Phenomenal’s Meena Harris & More to Appear in Women in STEM Short Doc from Reese Witherspoon
A new short documentary about women trailblazers in STEM is on the way. Set to stream on-demand in January, “In Her Element” focuses on “female pioneers using technology to advance...
Megan Mylan’s Doc Portrait of Syrian Families, “Simple as Water,” Acquired by HBO
Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Megan Mylan has a new film on the way. HBO Documentary Films landed worldwide and streaming rights to “Simple as Water,” an exploration of the bonds...
HBO Max & WarnerMedia Access Launch Animated Shorts Program for Underrepresented Talent
Driven by the goal to “discover and nurture new and distinct voices in adult animation,” HBO is launching a new initiative. The HBO Max X WarnerMedia Access Animated Shorts Program will...
Halsey Album-Film “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power” Heading to HBO Max
Halsey’s getting the best reviews of their career for their latest album, “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power,” and now the chart-topper is set to take on another medium. HBO...
Submit Now: Athena Film Festival’s Women in Science Development Fund
Athena Film Festival (AFF) has launched its newest initiative: the Women in Science Development Fund. Sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Fund will provide two women or nonbinary...
Julia Ducournau’s “Titane” Lands Biggest U.S. Box Office Opening by a Palme d’Or Winner Since 2004
Julia Ducournau is making history yet again. The first woman director to take home Cannes’ most prestigious prize, the Palme d’Or, since Jane Campion in 1993, Ducournau is making a major...
Bullying & Harassment Reporting App Launches in U.K. Film Industry with Plans to Expand to Hollywood
It just got a little bit easier to call out toxic work environments — and for workplace harassers and bullies to be held accountable — across the pond. A new anonymous reporting app,...
Lysa Heslov True Crime Docuseries in Development at Epix
Lysa Heslov is following up “Served Like a Girl,” her 2017 portrait of American women transitioning from active duty to civilian life after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, with a true...
Gina Atwater Signs Overall Deal with Netflix and Sets First Project
Gina Atwater has signed a multi-year overall deal with Netflix. The “Westworld” scribe will be creating, producing, and writing new series and projects for the streamer, “focusing...
Women-Driven Podcast Platform Fictionz Launching in October, Features Voices of Judy Greer & More
A new platform dedicated to women’s voices, literal and creative, is coming to the podcast landscape. Featuring the talents of Judy Greer (“Halloween” franchise), Jeanine Mason...
Saweetie Will Host a Netflix Special Focused on Sex Positivity
Saweetie can’t stop, won’t stop offering helpful sex ed. The “Icy Grl” rapper made headlines last year when she said that “safe sex is great sex,” and now she’s...
Lynne Sachs Film Series Coming to Criterion Channel, “Film About a Father Who” to Make Streaming Premiere
Following career retrospectives at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2020 and the Museum of the Moving Image in 2021, Lynne Sachs is being paid tribute to by the Criterion Channel. A press release announced that...
Lesli Linka Glatter Elected President of the Directors Guild
“Love and Death” isn’t the only exciting project on Lesli Linka Glatter’s horizon. Besides directing the upcoming Elizabeth Olsen-starrer for HBO Max, the Oscar- and...
Submit Now: Wavelength’s WAVE Grant for First-Time Female or Non-Binary Filmmakers of Color
Submissions for the WAVE grant are now open. From Wavelength Films, the production studio behind titles such as Isabel Bethencourt and Parker Hill’s “Cusp” and Ekwa Msangi’s...
Join the Girls Club for a Conversation with “My Name Is Pauli Murray” Directors Betsy West & Julie Cohen
The Girls Club will welcome directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen for a discussion about their new documentary, “My Name Is Pauli Murray.” The virtual chat will take place Monday,...
Join the Girls Club for a Conversation with “Impeachment: American Crime Story” Showrunner Sarah Burgess
Please note that this event has been cancelled. Sarah Burgess, the showrunner, head writer, and executive producer of “Impeachment: American Crime Story,” will discuss the buzzy FX...