News
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s” Rachel Bloom to Write a Book
Before she rose to stardom as the co-creator and star of musical dramedy “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” Rachel Bloom launched her career on YouTube. Now the Golden Globe winner is taking on another...
Kelly Marie Tran’s Character Will Be a Major Part of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”
Kelly Marie Tran has joined the Resistance. The actress-comedian “has the biggest new part” — the character Rose — in the highly-anticipated “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,”...
Cross-Post: #WomenDirectorWeek: The Challenge of Watching Only Female-Directed Films for One Week
The following has been reposted from Film Inquiry with the author’s permission. If you pay much attention to events in the film industry, you’ll already know about the incredible dearth of...
Sofia Coppola to Be Honored at Provincetown Film Festival
Sofia Coppola is having a helluva week. The writer-director’s next film, “The Beguiled,” was just announced as part of Canne’s 2017 lineup, and now comes word that the Oscar winner will be...
Trailer Watch: Amanda Lipitz’s Sundance Winner “Step” Will Have You Dancing
Get a Kleenex out and clear some space to bust a move. A trailer has been released for Amanda Lipitz’s “Step,” and it’s equally likely to bring you to tears as it is to inspire some dancing...
Guest Post: How I Made a Movie Based on My Experience as an Egg Donor
Guest Post by Sonja O’Hara “Submit for the Role of a Lifetime. Become an Egg Donor!” I remember how those words stood out next to listings for non-union commercials and Off-Off-Broadway...
Kathleen Robertson to Adapt “The Possibilities” for Fox Searchlight
Writer-actress Kathleen Robertson has scored a promising gig. The former “Boss” star has signed on to adapt “The Possibilities,” Kaui Hart Hemmings’ follow up novel to “The...
Gurinder Chadha Joins UK Initiative Tackling Gender Imbalance in the Film Industry
Based in the UK and want to learn from the best and brightest in the film business? Listen up. Female Film Leaders is an industry forum that “aims to equip up-and-coming female film industry...
Willow Smith to Produce Two Female-Led Fantasy Projects
Willow Smith is working on getting female-driven fantasy stories to TV and the big screen. The multi-hyphenate’s production shingle, MSFTS Production, is teaming up with Cartel Entertainment for...
Principal Photography Kicks Off for Hannah Fidell’s “The Long Dumb Road”
Hannah Fidell is following up “6 Years,” her portrait of dysfunctional young love, with a buddy comedy. Principal photography for “The Long Dumb Road” has begun in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a...
Cannes 2017 Lineup: Women Directors Represent 16% of Main Competition
Naomi Kawase’s “Radiance” A couple of weeks ago, the 70th anniversary poster for the Cannes Film Festival was unveiled. It featured a picture of a giddy, twirling Claudia Cardinale and received...
Laura Poitras’ Julian Assange Doc “Risk” Gets Release Date & Trailer
The Julian Assange documentary “Risk” is receiving a theatrical release. According to a press statement, Showtime Documentary Films and NEON will bring Laura Poitras’ doc to theaters May 5. It...
Melissa McCarthy to Be Honored at Artemis Women in Action Film Fest
Melissa McCarthy’s filmography includes roles such as a ghost-catcher, spy, and cop, so it comes as no surprise that the Oscar-nominated actress will be honored with the Powerhouse award by the...
Nanfu Wang’s “I Am Another You” Secures Distribution
Nanfu Wang’s award-winning new documentary has found a home. FilmRise has acquired North American distribution rights to “I Am Another You,” and PBS’ “Independent Lens” secured U.S...
Cannes 2017: 33% of Shorts and 44% of Cinéfondation Picks Are Women-Directed
Cannes announced its selections for the Short Films Competition and Cinéfondation category today, and 33 percent of the shorts and 44 percent of the Cinéfondation films are directed by women....
“The Raven Cycle” Gets Pilot Order, Catherine Hardwicke to Direct
Fantasy fans, rejoice. Maggie Stiefvater’s best-selling four-book series “The Raven Cycle” is being adapted for TV, and Catherine Hardwicke has signed on to helm the pilot and serve as an...
Amy Adams to Receive American Cinematheque Award
Amy Adams has been named as the 2017 recipient of the American Cinematheque Award, a press release has announced. The honor recognizes “an extraordinary artist in the entertainment industry who is...
Trailer Watch: Everyone Just Wants to Survive the Night in Kathryn Bigelow’s “Detroit”
“Detroit” Throughout her career, Kathryn Bigelow has explored the traditionally masculine subjects of war and violence. “The Hurt Locker” suggested that life-or-death situations can be a...
Alfre Woodard to Star in “Juanita”
Alfre Woodard has signed on to star in “Juanita,” an indie drama based on Sheila Williams’ 2002 novel “Dancing on the Edge of the Roof,” Variety reports. The “Luke Cage” actress is...
“Ghost in the Shell” and a Brief Herstory of Whitewashing
Scarlett Johansson in “Ghost in the Shell” During its opening weekend, the anticipated yet controversial film “Ghost in the Shell” took home a measly $19 million at the domestic box office....
Guest Post: Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Step Out of Your Lane
Guest Post by Rebecca Serle Since I was a child, the only thing I ever wanted to do was to be a writer. When I sold my first book in 2010, a re-telling of “Romeo and Juliet” from Rosaline’s...
Goldie Hawn Retrospective to Screen at the Quad Cinema in NYC
The upcoming mother-daughter comedy “Snatched” marks Goldie Hawn’s first film since 2002’s “The Banger Sisters.” To celebrate the end of Hawn’s 15-year sabbatical, the Quad will hold a...
Trailer Watch: Kathryn Hahn Obsesses Over Kevin Bacon in Jill Soloway’s “I Love Dick”
“Dear Dick, you’re like a Roman god bringing the spirit of sex into our lives,” says Chris (Kathryn Hahn) in a trailer for the memorably-titled upcoming Amazon series “I Love Dick.” Chris...
Lynn Nottage Becomes the First Woman to Win Pulitzer Prize Twice for Drama
Playwright Lynn Nottage has been honored with the Pulitzer Prize for “Sweat,” her play about dissatisfaction, anger, and resentment among the working class. To make the occasion even more...
Quote of the Day: Kirsten Dunst on Filming Sex Scenes with Women Directors
Like most actors, Kirsten Dunst is not a fan of filming sex scenes. “I don’t like it, I don’t like it,” the “Hidden Figures” actress told E! News at CinemaCon while promoting Sofia...
Teaser Watch: “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” with Sam Bee Toasts the Free Press
The fascist-in-chief won’t be attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but “Full Frontal’s” Samantha Bee isn’t passing up the chance to honor the peaceful coexistence of the...
Guest Post: A Summary of the Inaugural Women’s Media Summit
Guest Post by Maria Giese On March 31, 2017, 114 women gathered in Provincetown, Massachusetts for the inaugural Women’s Media Summit, a three-day think-tank forum designed to solve gender...
Listen: Podcast with “Shots Fired” Co-Creator Gina Prince-Bythewood
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s film credits include “Beyond the Lights,” “The Secret Life of Bees,” and “Love & Basketball.” Now the writer-director is re-teaming with Sanaa Lathan, who...
“UnREAL” Co-Creator Sarah Gertrude Shapiro Inks Deal with A+E Studios
Looks like Sarah Gertrude Shapiro will be creating more content for A+E Studios. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the “UnREAL” co-creator has signed a multiyear overall deal with the...
Amy Sherman-Palladino’s “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Gets Two-Season Order
As die-hard “Gilmore Girls” fans would say, “Copper boom!” “Gilmore” creator Amy Sherman-Palladino’s newest series, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” just got a two-season order from...
Shonda Rhimes Teams Up with Dove for Real Beauty Productions
Throughout her career, Shonda Rhimes has been praised for her shows’ inclusivity and diversity. Unlike many other offerings on TV, series like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” do not...
Trailer Watch: Vanessa Gould’s “Obit” Spotlights Those Who Make the Dead Live Again
“It’s counter-intuitive — ironic, even — but obits have next to nothing to do with death, and in fact absolutely everything to do with the life,” an obituary writer observes in a...
Judy Blume to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters
The woman who made puberty a little less terrifying for millions of girls is being honored with a lifetime achievement award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Judy Blume will be given...
Weinstein Co. to Protest MPAA “R” Rating for Transgender Drama “3 Generations”
Gaby Dellal’s “3 Generations” continues to make headlines. This time around, the upcoming transgender drama is in the news because it has been assigned an “R” rating by the MPAA for...
Trailer Watch: Sharon & Rob Duke it Out in “Catastrophe” Season 3
Last season of “Catastrophe” saw everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed couple in a pretty depressing state. Rob’s (Rob Delaney) workplace flirtation took a vicious turn and he ended up losing his...
Female Directors Rejected from BAFTA Elevate Program Launch #BAFTAsLucky225
Credit: The BAFTA Twitter account Talk about making lemons into lemonade. More than two hundred women directors have turned their rejection from a prestigious program into an unofficial organization...
Victoria Woodhull Series Is First Project from Suzanne Blech’s New Production Co.
A television series about suffragette and first female U.S. presidential candidate Victoria Woodhull will be the first project from Suzanne Blech’s just-launched Go Nellie Productions, Deadline...
Hallie Meyers-Shyer’s Reese Witherspoon -Starrer “Home Again” Gets Release Date
“Big Little Lies” concluded Sunday on HBO, and while we’ll miss much about the murder mystery, one of the highlights of the limited series was definitely watching Reese Witherspoon knock it...
Doc About Workers’ Rights Activist Dolores Huerta Acquired by PBS
Dolores Huerta will hopefully soon be a household name. A documentary about the workers’ rights activist, “Dolores,” was acquired by PBS and is set to screen theatrically this fall. According...
Melissa Stack to Make Directorial Debut with Vacation Comedy
“The Other Woman” grossed more than $196 million worldwide on a budget of $40 million, and now the screenwriter behind the 2014 Cameron Diaz infidelity comedy seems to have another hit on her...
Actor Asia Kate Dillon Questions Emmys’ Gender Binary Acting Categories
Asia Kate Dillon, the breakout star of Showtime’s white collar crime drama, “Billions,” is generating serious awards buzz for their portrayal of Taylor Mason. Dillon also identifies as gender...
Pussy Riot Documentary “Act & Punishment” Gets U.S. Release
“If your vagina lands in prison, then the world is gonna listen,” sings Pussy Riot in “Straight Outta Vagina,” a song released in 2016. The Russian punk rock group is the subject of “Act...
Shonda Rhimes’ MasterClass on Writing for Television Is Now Available
“I don’t believe in the phrase ‘aspiring writer.’ To me, it’s just: You’re a writer. Go write.” Consider that Shonda Rhimes’ first lesson on how to write for TV. For the rest of her...
Iliza Shlesinger’s Late-Night Show “Truth & Iliza” Gets Premiere Date
“Confirmed Kills” stand-up Iliza Schlesinger will soon be joining the Late Night Wars. The Tracking Board writes that Schlesinger’s “Truth & Iliza” will debut May 2 on Freeform and its...
“That’s So Raven” Spinoff Ordered to Series
Oh snap! We’re getting a “That’s So Raven” spinoff. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Disney Channel has ordered “Raven’s Home” to series. Raven-Symoné will reprise her role as Raven...
Catherine Hardwicke Set to Direct “Miss Bala” Remake for Sony
Catherine Hardwicke has found her next gig. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the “Twilight” director will helm Sony’s remake of “Miss Bala,” a 2011 Mexican drama from...
Trailer Watch: Niecy Nash is a Badass Salon Owner in “Claws”
If you wish “The Sopranos” had included more women and people of color onscreen — and had doubled down on Carmela’s fierce manicures — your dream has come true. The Niecy...
Bette Midler to Be Honored by Drama League, Keeps Breaking Broadway Records
Bette Midler is killing it. Per Variety, her “Hello, Dolly!” Broadway revival earned the Shubert Theatre its biggest week ever in just seven performances. And the four-time Grammy winner will be...
Trailer Watch: Chelsea Handler Is Back and Brasher than Ever in Season 2 of “Chelsea”
“Not all Jews haggle,” Chelsea Handler tells a vendor in a newly released trailer for the second season of Netflix’s “Chelsea.” The promo makes light of the fact that that Handler defies...
Teaser Watch: Aubrey Plaza Is an Instagram Stalker in “Ingrid Goes West”
If you find yourself rolling your eyes at social media stars, Instagram platitudes, and hashtags being affixed to every other word online, “Ingrid Goes West” may just be the dark comedy for you....
Gurinder Chadha Moves to TV with FremantleMedia-Backed Bend It TV
Gurinder Chadha is branching out into television. The “Bend It Like Beckham” director’s TV production company, Bend It TV, will receive 25 percent backing from FremantleMedia, Variety writes....