News
Apply Now for the Women in Entertainment Workshop Series at LAFF
This year’s Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF) is turning out to be a very welcoming event for women in Hollywood. The fest’s lineup includes plenty of of women-directed films and now Women in...
Reese Witherspoon to Produce Adaptations of Two New Women-Penned Books
Looks like Reese Witherspoon is just as busy as her “Big Little Lies” character, Madeline Martha Mackenzie. The Oscar-winning multi-hyphenate is producing adaptations of Gail Honeyman’s...
Sally Potter’s “The Party” Gets U.S. Distribution
Three months after making its world premiere at the Berlinale, “The Party” has found a U.S. home. Writer-director Sally Potter’s latest feature has been acquired by Roadside Attractions, The...
Dee Rees Working on a Horror Film About a Lesbian Couple in a Small Town
Dee Rees’ next project will be a horror film exploring domestic life, race, sexuality, and small town America. Originally reported by the New York Times, the Tracking Board and Shadow and Act have...
Frankie Shaw’s “SMILF” Gets Picked Up by Showtime
Showtime has given a series order to Frankie Shaw’s “SMILF,” The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The former “Mr. Robot” actress is wearing many hats on the semi-autobiographical 10-episode...
Trailer Watch: “Jeanette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc” Is a Musical Ode to Martyrdom
Chances are you’ve heard of Joan of Arc — the famous martyr and feminist icon who disguised herself as a man in order to fight in the Hundred Years’ War and was eventually burned at the...
Mimi Plauche Named Artistic Director of Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival will have a new artistic director for its 53rd edition in October. According to the Chicago Tribune, Mimi Plauche has been promoted from program director to...
Bette Gordon Talks Recognizing the Evil Within Ourselves in “The Drowning”
Bette Gordon’s films have been screened theatrically in the U.S. and abroad, as well as in all the major film festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and Sundance. Her films are in the...
Elizabeth Chomko’s Feature Debut Starring Hilary Swank Acquired by Bleecker Street
Elizabeth Chomko’s feature debut has found a home. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Bleecker Street snagged the North American rights to “What They Had,” a family drama toplined by Hilary...
June Diane Raphael Is Writing a Book About Women Running for Office
June Diane Raphael wants more women to run for political office — so she is writing a book encouraging women to do just that. As People reports, the actress-comedian will pen “Represent: The...
Exclusive: The Daughters of Holocaust Survivors Uncover Family History in “Past Life” Clip
“You and I were born to a violent, greedy man,” Nana (Nelly Tagar) tells her younger sister Sephi (Joy Rieger) in our exclusive clip of “Past Life.” Set in 1977 Jerusalem, the drama centers...
Miranda Richardson to Star in New Series from Kay Mellor
Oscar-nominated actress Miranda Richardson will topline “Girlfriends,” a new drama from Kay Mellor (“In the Club”). Per Deadline, Phyllis Logan (aka Mrs. Hughes of “Downton Abbey”) and...
Helen Mirren to Be Honored at Monte Carlo TV Fest
Helen Mirren is set to receive yet another well-deserved award. The Oscar, Tony, and Emmy winner will take home the Monte Carlo Television Festival’s Crystal Nymph at a ceremony to be held June...
Venus Williams to EP & Star in Unscripted Series About Female Entrepreneurs
World champion tennis player Venus Williams will be showcasing her skills as a businesswoman in a new unscripted series. According to Variety, the founder/CEO of interior design company V*STARR...
Maria Schrader Talks Exile and Inner Turmoil in “Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe”
One of Germany’s most acclaimed actresses, Maria Schrader is a two-time winner of the German Film award and two-time winner of the Bavarian Film award. At the 1999 Berlinale she received the...
Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2017 Lineup: 41% Women-Directed
The lineup for the 2017 Human Rights Watch Film Festival has been announced. According to a press release, the selected films will “serve as inspiration and motivation for the audience, from...
Crystal + Lucy Awards to Honor Elizabeth Banks, Tracee Ellis Ross, Mira Nair, & More
Former “Daily Show” correspondent Jessica Williams is set to host the 2017 Crystal + Lucy Awards. Elizabeth Banks, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Mira Nair are among the women being honored at the...
Apply Now for NYWIFT Fund for Women Filmmakers Grants
The New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) Fund for Women Filmmakers is now accepting submissions for its 2017 grants. According to a NYWIFT press release, female filmmakers are welcome to...
Playwright Katori Hall Named Artistic Director of Memphis’ Hattiloo Theater
“The Mountaintop” playwright Katori Hall will be the next artistic director of the Hattiloo Theater, the New York Times reports. Located in Hall’s hometown, Memphis, the Hattiloo is an...
Carol Morley to Direct Patricia Clarkson-Starrer “Out of Blue”
A neo-noir mystery toplined by Patricia Clarkson and helmed by Carol Morley? Count us in. A press release has announced that Clarkson will star in “Out of Blue,” Morley’s follow-up to 2014’s...
Paley Center to Celebrate Women in Media and Honor Carol Burnett
Women will be the main focus of the upcoming Paley Center Honors gala. According to Variety, the Paley Center will celebrate “the achievements of women in media” during its May 17 ceremony. The...
“Westworld” Co-Creator Lisa Joy Renews Overall Deal with Warner Bros. TV
Lisa Joy will continue doing business with Warner Bros. TV. The “Westworld” co-creator/co-showrunner/EP has extended her overall deal with the studio. Joy will stay on as co-showrunner of the...
Diane Lane to Star in Reed Morano’s Next Film
Hot off rave reviews for directing the first three episodes of Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Reed Morano has announced her next project. A press release revealed that the Indie Spirit Award...
Trailer Watch: Kirsten Dunst Loses Touch with Reality in “Woodshock”
“Woodshock” “Remember when we used to play in the woods together? I got lost that one summer. When I turned around, you were gone,” Theresa (Kirsten Dunst) recalls in the newly released...
Jill Soloway Renews Overall Deal with Amazon Studios
Jill Soloway will be sticking with Amazon Studios for the foreseeable future. The “Transparent” creator and showrunner has extended her overall deal with the streaming service for another three...
Trailer Watch: A Rebellion Is Brewing in Season 5 of “Orange Is the New Black”
“The only way out is for us to come together,” says Gloria (Selenis Levya) in a newly released trailer for Season 5 of “Orange Is the New Black.” The action-packed spot returns to this...
Julie Andrews to Be Honored at Hamptons Film Fest
Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is set to honor one of the most beloved actresses of all time. Whether you know her best as Mary Poppins or Maria von Trapp, chances are you’ve been...
Communal Spaces: May’s VOD and Web Series Picks
“Women in Sink” At times (after last week, in particular), the very idea of coexistence feels impossible under the Trump administration. Over the past few months, various groups have been told,...
Doc About “Muriel’s Wedding” Musical in the Works from Nel Minchin
Somebody break out the ABBA records. “Making Muriel,” a documentary following director P.J. Hogan as he adapts his beloved cult film “Muriel’s Wedding” into a musical, is headed our way....
Tina Gharavi and Samantha Harrie Selected for HETV Director Program
Directors UK and Creative Skillset’s High End TV (HETV) Council have announced two directors set to participate in the High End TV Drama Directors Career Development Programme. According to a...
Viola Davis-Produced Web Series About Emerging Artists Released
“You can’t tell yourself no. There’s going to be a lot of people saying no. You can’t be one of those people,” says one of the characters in “Emerging Artist Series,” a new web series...
Chicken & Egg Pictures Announces Participants of Diversity Fellows Initiative
Chicken & Egg Pictures has announced the newest participants of their Diversity Fellows Initiative. Now in its second year, the program supports non-fiction projects directed by women of color....
Spec Script About Underground Abortion Service Acquired by Amazon
Amazon could be bringing the story of underground abortion providers in Chicago to the cinema. Per Deadline, the studio has obtained “This Is Jane,” a spec screenplay by Dan Loflin...
Isabelle Huppert and Chloë Grace Moretz to Topline “The Widow”
Isabelle Huppert and Chloë Grace Moretz are joining forces. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actresses have signed on to star in “The Widow,” a thriller about a young woman (Moretz) who...
Diane Keaton and Jacki Weaver to Star in Zara Hayes’ “Poms”
Diane Keaton and Jacki Weaver are forming a squad. Deadline reports that the pair have signed on to star in “Poms,” a comedy about women in a retirement community who start a cheerleading team....
Jacqueline Goldfinger Wins $10K Yale Drama Series Prize
Jacqueline Goldfinger has been awarded the 2017 Yale Drama Prize for her play “Bottle Fly,” a multi-generational family drama. The honor comes with a stipend of $10,000, and “Bottle Fly”...
DGA Announces Participants of New TV Director Mentorship Program
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has selected the participants for a TV directing mentorship initative, SHOOTonline reports. The program will see “early-career directors (Protégés)”...
“Little Women” Miniseries on the Way From PBS and BBC
It’s been nearly 150 years since “Little Women” was first published and the March sisters remain some of the most beloved characters of all-time — a fact which will be capitalized on by...
Charlize Theron’s “Tully” and Brie Larson’s “The Glass Castle” Receive Release Dates
Mark your calendars: release dates for the Charlize Theron-toplined “Tully” and the Brie Larson-starrer “The Glass Castle” have been announced. Variety writes that “Glass Castle,” an...
Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, and Candice Bergen to Star in “50 Shades”-Inspired “Book Club”
Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, and Candice Bergen are teaming up. The trio will star in “Book Club,” an indie comedy about lifelong friends in their 60s whose worlds are rocked by Anastasia Steele...
Agnès Varda Film Series to Screen at BAMcinématek
Now is your chance to catch up on — or revisit — the works of Agnès Varda. Brooklyn’s BAMcinématek has announced an upcoming six-film series celebrating the acclaimed auteur’s...
Yet Another Woman-Led Action Film Will Be Directed By a Man
“Peppermint” has found a director. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the in-demand female-led action film will be helmed by Pierre Morel (“Taken”). Morel signed on to direct the revenge...
Teaser Watch: Lindsey Stirling Learns to Believe in Herself in “Brave Enough”
“Looking back over my life, I can’t believe everything that has happened to me,” says Lindsey Stirling in a newly released teaser for “Lindsey Stirling: Brave Enough.” The new documentary...
Refinery29 Unveils Its Female-First NewFronts Programming Slate
Rashida Jones (“Angie Tribeca”), Evan Rachel Wood (“Westworld”), Sasheer Zamata (“SNL”), Willow Smith (“True Jackson, VP”), and Zosia Mamet (“Girls”) are among Refinery29's...
“Transparent” Writer Faith Soloway Has a New Show in the Works
“Transparent” writer and producer Faith Soloway has a new show in development. Variety reports that she’s teaming up with UK-based Dancing Ledge Prods. to make its first series, “Super...
Catherine Deneuve-Starrer “The Midwife” Acquired by Music Box Films
Music Box Films has snagged the U.S. rights to “The Midwife,” a French dramedy starring Catherine Frot ( “Marguerite”) and Catherine Deneuve (“Dancer in the Dark”). Variety broke...
Anthology of Trailblazing Women Directors’ Films to Be Released
Time to brush up on your film herstory. Flicker Alley and Blackhawk Films has announced the release of “Early Women Filmmakers: An International Anthology,” a collection of restored films from...
Trailer Watch: Women Rally Against an Extremist Rabbi in “The Women’s Balcony”
A U.S. trailer has arrived for “The Women’s Balcony,” a story of women fighting for justice in their place of worship. The dramedy centers on the aftermath of a bar mitzvah celebration that...
New Princess Diana Doc Coming to HBO
Twenty years ago, the world was rocked by the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales. HBO has acquired the U.S. rights to a new doc about the beloved royal icon produced by Oxford Film and...
“Ab Fab’s” Joanna Lumley to Receive the BAFTA Fellowship
Joanna Lumley is receiving the British Academy’s greatest honor. Variety reports that the “Absolutely Fabulous” star will be honored with the BAFTA Fellowship at the British Academy Television...
Shonda Rhimes Accepts Planned Parenthood Award and Says “Women Should Be Running Things”
“Women should be running things.” Amen, Shonda Rhimes. The mogul took the stage last night to accept the Champion of Change Award from Planned Parenthood, which still exists despite the best...