News
Guest Post: How a Radical Idea from 1994 Finds Itself Right on Time in 2017
Guest Post by Audrey Evans They say timing is everything, but I never dreamed the timing of my lesbian sci-fi dramedy “Genesis: The Future of Mankind is Women” could be so dead-on and accurate...
WIFT Germany Announces Berlinale Event with Lone Scherfig
If you find yourself in Berlin this coming Saturday, you should consider attending “How to Attract Audiences in a Changing Cinema Landscape – Fresh Ideas for Storytelling and Outreach.” The...
Slamdance Winner Christina Choe to Make Directorial Debut with “Nancy”
Award-winning filmmaker Christina Choe is set to make her feature directorial debut. She’ll helm “Nancy,” a psychological drama starring “Bloodline’s” Andrea Riseborough,...
Chicken & Egg Pictures Receives Multi-Year MacArthur Grant
Chicken & Egg Pictures is “now officially part of the MacArthur Foundation legacy.” According to a press release, the organization supporting women non-fiction filmmakers is set to receive a...
Annette Bening to Star in “Katrina: American Crime Story”
Annette Bening is headed to the small screen. The four-time Oscar nominee has joined the cast of the next installment of FX’s “American Crime Story,” Deadline reports. This time around, the...
Octavia Spencer Formally Announces Her Future as a Producer
“I’m really drawn to stories that haven’t really been told,” Octavia Spencer said in a sit-down with Gloria Steinem at the annual Makers Conference. The actress believes movies should...
Trailer Watch: Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn Rise to the Occasion in “Snatched”
Getting caught mugging mid-selfie is bad enough, but when the person interrupting your photo shoot looks like he belongs on the cover of a romance novel, it adds to the awkwardness. At least...
Berlinale 2017 Women Directors: Meet Laura Schroeder — “Barrage”
Laura Schroeder was born in Luxembourg. Her works have screened at festivals worldwide. After several self-produced films, she wrote and directed the short films “Senteurs” and “Double...
Guest Post: Hollywood’s Changing Attitudes Towards Latina Actresses
Guest Post by Marlene Forte Not sure when I became the old broad on set, but here I am, in 2017, recurring on four TV shows as the mama to female leads who all happen to be Latinas! Twenty-five...
Trailer Watch: Kristen Stewart Is Waiting for a Sign in “Personal Shopper”
The latest trailer for “Personal Shopper” is here and sees protagonist Maureen (Kristen Stewart) buying haute couture and running errands for her boss, Kyra. “Kyra’s very high-profile,”...
Kristin Scott Thomas to Make Directorial Debut with “The Sea Change”
Kristin Scott Thomas is stepping behind the camera for the first time. The Oscar-nominated British actress is making her directorial debut with “The Sea Change,” a romantic comedy based on...
Quote of the Day: Megan Ellison Urges Hollywood to Spread the Wealth
Accepting the Visionary Award at the Producers Guild of America Awards, Annapurna Pictures’ founder Megan Ellison referred to herself as an outsider, albeit one who has received a lot of support...
Zoe Lister-Jones’ “Band Aid” Acquired by IFC Films and Sony Pictures Worldwide
“Band Aid” just got its big break. IFC Films and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions obtained the rights to the comedy from writer-director Zoe Lister-Jones, IndieWire reports. IFC Films...
Sarah Paulson to Topline “Lost Girls” Adaptation Directed by Liz Garbus
Sarah Paulson is tackling another famous crime story. “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” star will topline “Lost Girls,” an Amazon Studios thriller inspired by the so-called...
Trailer Watch: Emma Roberts Faces Evil Forces in “The Blackcoat’s Daughter”
When a trailer begins with a decapitated head being mentioned, you know that a whole lot of unpleasantness is guaranteed to follow. A bloody, atmospheric spot for “The Blackcoat’s Daughter”...
Protesting Pressure: February VOD and Web Series Picks
“The Watermelon Woman” Whether they’re romantic comedies, suspenseful thrillers, or spoofs, each one of this month’s VOD and web series picks gives us a look at how women handle societal...
Essence and the Paley Center Announce Exhibit Celebrating Black Women in Hollywood
If you find yourself in Beverly Hills this month, you may just get the chance to admire Olivia Pope’s famous attire in person. Essence and the Paley Center for Media are teaming up to launch...
Producer Cathy Schulman Launches Welle Entertainment
Women in Film President Cathy Schulman is working on yet another project. According to TheWrap, Schulman just launched Welle Entertainment, a production and finance company. Schulman, who stepped...
Emmy Winner Lili Fini Zanuck to Direct Documentary about Eric Clapton
A documentary about the legendary Eric Clapton is on its way and we couldn’t be happier — because it will be directed by Lili Fini Zanuck. Variety reports that Zanuck, who won an Oscar for...
Carol Burnett’s New Show Gets Pilot Order from ABC
We may be welcoming Carol Burnett back to the small screen. Her new comedy project, “Household Name,” has snagged a formal pilot pickup from ABC, Variety reports. Burnett toplines the potential...
Mimi Leder to Direct Ruth Bader Ginsburg Biopic Starring Natalie Portman
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Steve Petteway/ Wikimedia Commons/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States Finally, some good news about the Supreme Court. The long-gestating Ruth Bader Ginsburg...
Trailer Watch: Jessica Brown Findlay Enchants in “This Beautiful Fantastic”
“Downton Abbey’s” Jessica Brown Findlay takes on the role of a reclusive aspiring author in “This Beautiful Fantastic,” for which a trailer has just been released. Findlay plays Bella...
Katherine Waterston Acquires the Film Rights to “A Separation,” Will Star
Katie Kitamura’s “A Separation” hasn’t hit shelves yet, but the novel has already found a fan in Katherine Waterston. The “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” actress has acquired...
Athena Film Festival Announces IRIS Screenwriting Lab Participants
The Athena Film Festival has announced the participants for its inaugural Athena IRIS Screenwriting Lab. The Athena IRIS Lab, “whose goal is to develop feature-length narrative scripts with bold...
Oxygen to Rebrand as TV’s Crime Destination for Women
Oxygen is committing to the crime genre. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the women-focused network is pivoting to become “a crime destination network geared toward women.” The rebrand is...
New Dramatists to Honor Producer Daryl Roth and Playwright Paula Vogel
Good news for any feminist theater fanatics out there. Daryl Roth and Paula Vogel will both receive New Dramatists’ Distinguished Achievement Award, BroadwayWorld writes. New Dramatists, the...
Lifetime Named Official Sponsor of the National Women’s Soccer League
In a “historic partnership” the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is teaming up with A+E Networks. The A+E Networks channel Lifetime “will become an official sponsor and broadcast...
Representation Matters: Girls Dressed as “Hidden Figures” Characters Will Melt Your Heart
Is it too early to start getting excited about Halloween? Last year we got to see thousands of girls dressed up as the women of “Ghostbusters,” and now we have “Hidden Figures” costumes to...
Gina Rodriguez to Exec Produce Hulu Bullying Drama
Well, that was fast! Gina Rodriguez is already putting her deal with CBS to good use. According to Deadline, a project from Rodriguez and her I Can and I Will Productions is on its way to Hulu. The...
Women’s Media Summit to Develop “Actionable Strategies” for Hollywood’s Gender Problem
While the underrepresentation of women in key positions behind the scenes in the film and TV industry is getting more attention now than ever, the numbers don’t seem to be shifting as...
Screen Rights to Rachel Lloyd’s “Girls Like Us” Acquired by EveryWhere Studios
Rachel Lloyd’s “Girls Like Us” is coming to the big screen. EveryWhere Studios has acquired the screen rights to the critically acclaimed memoir, Deadline reports. Lloyd’s harrowing account...
Jennifer Brea’s Sundance Winner “Unrest” Acquired by PBS
Jennifer Brea’s award-winning directorial debut has found a home. PBS has bought the U.S. broadcast rights to “Unrest,” Indiewire reports. The documentary centers on a medical mystery:...
Meryl Streep Supports The Writers Lab for Women Screenwriters Over 40 (Again)
Once again, three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep is putting her money where her mouth is. For the third year in a row, the actress is supporting The Writers Lab, a program for women screenwriters...
Saoirse Ronan to Play a Refugee in “Sweetness in the Belly” Adaptation
Last year Saoirse Ronan earned an Oscar nomination for playing a young Irish immigrant who moves to New York in “Brooklyn,” and now the actress has signed on to portray another protagonist who...
Playwright Leah Purcell Wins Australia’s Top Literary Prize
Leah Purcell, an Indigenous Australian playwright and actress, won Australia’s top literary honor. The Guardian reports that Purcell was awarded $100,000 and “the Victorian prize for literature...
Teaser Watch: Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith Go on a “Girls Trip”
Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith are reuniting for a wild “Girls Trip.” A teaser has been released for the female-led comedy, which sees the pair back onscreen together for the first time...
Find Out Why We Are Still Protesting At Meeting During Berlinale
Dortmund Cologne International Women’s Film Festival (IWFF) just said what we’ve all been thinking: “I cannot believe we are still protesting!” According to a press release from the...
Irish Film Board Awards 75% of Production Loans to Women Directors
The Irish Film Board (IFB) has made good on its pledge to “commit to gender parity in its funded projects,” Screen Daily writes. In fact, three of its four latest production loans were given to...
CBS Orders Pilot from Katie Couric and Jenny Lumet
We all know Katie Couric as a respected veteran TV journalist and producer. And now we’ll know her as a TV drama series executive producer. According to The Hollywood Reporter, CBS has ordered a...
Elizabeth Heldens’ Vampire Drama “The Passage” Gets Pilot Pickup at Fox
The vampire craze isn’t over just yet. There’s still a demand for shows and films about the undead, and Fox is looking to satiate bloodthirsty viewers. The network has ordered a pilot for “The...
Oprah Winfrey Joins “60 Minutes” Team
Oprah Winfrey is adding yet another job to her otherworldly resume. The hugely influential media mogul is set to join CBS’ “60 Minutes,” The Hollywood Reporter confirms. Unfortunately, we’re...
Gina Rodriguez Inks Multi-Year Deal with CBS
Looks like “Jane the Virgin” is just the beginning. Gina Rodriguez has signed a multi-year overall deal with CBS, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. With this deal, Rodriguez is set to “develop...
Viola Davis and Julia Roberts to Star in “Small Great Things”
Viola Davis and Julia Roberts are teaming up for “Small Great Things.” The A-listers are set to star in Amblin Partners’ adaptation of Jodi Picoult’s 2016 best-selling novel of the same...
Trailer Watch: Belle’s Inner Beauty Shines in Final “Beauty and the Beast” Spot
The final U.S. trailer for Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast” is live, and the spot offers more insight into Belle’s relationship with her father, the Beast, and the enchanted...
Women Represent Only 20% of Non-Acting Oscar Nominations
Our sentiments exactly. “Toni Erdmann” Today in news that makes us want to scream, women make up only 20 percent of this year’s non-acting Academy Award nominations, according to research from...
Marielle Heller’s Next Movie Begins Filming, Melissa McCarthy Stars
Like many, we fell in love with Marielle Heller’s award-winning directorial debut, “The Diary of a Teenage Girl.” The writer-director’s next project, Fox Searchlight’s “Can You Ever...
Trailer Watch: Sandra Oh and Anne Heche Face Off in “Catfight”
Sandra Oh and Anne Heche trade epic barbs and blows in a newly released trailer for “Catfight.” The dark comedy sees the two playing old college friends who reunite at a party. Struggling artist...
“Waitress” Broadway Musical Recoups $12 Million
This calls for a celebratory pie. “Waitress” has recouped its “$12 million capitalization costs, according to producers, less than 10 months after the show began previews in March,” Variety...
Dee Rees’ “Mudbound” and Eliza Hittman’s “Beach Rats” Score Sundance Deals
The biggest deal of Sundance 2017 was for a woman-directed movie. Netflix shelled out $12.5 million for Dee Rees’ “Mudbound,” Deadline reports. Writer-director Eliza Hittman also secured a...
SAG Awards: A Night of Inclusivity, Empathy, and Women Taking a Stand
As politically bleak as the last 10 days have been, one thing is for sure: Hollywood is rising to the occasion. Last night’s Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards ceremony was less about who won what...
Sundance 2017 Awards: Women Win Big During a Political Ceremony
Now, that’s more like it. The 2017 Sundance Film Festival held its closing awards ceremony last night and the winners reflect the actual world we live in: women won eight of the 16 filmmaking...