News
Samantha Bee Hosting an Event Opposite the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
“Full Frontal’s” Samantha Bee is launching the first annual “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” which will take place on Saturday, April 29, at The Willard Hotel in Washington,...
A Tough Feminist Conversation at Sundance
There is a story circulating about a star-studded lunch that took place last week at Sundance in honor of women filmmakers and others attending the fest. The hosts were Glamour’s Cindi Leive and...
NBC Gives Pilot Orders to Projects from Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling
Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling are set to produce more TV magic. NBC has given pilot orders to Fey’s “The Sackett Sisters” and an untitled project from Kaling, Deadline writes. Both are...
Janelle Monaé, Issa Rae Among Essence’s Black Women in Hollywood Honorees
Essence has announced the honorees of its 2017 Black Women in Hollywood Awards. Musician and “Hidden Figures” star Janelle Monaé, “Insecure’s” Issa Rae, “How to Get Away with...
Trailer Watch: Abbie Cornish Fights to Remember Her Past in “Lavender”
Abbie Cornish plays a woman haunted by a past she can’t remember in “Lavender.” “I’m not sure if I’m seeing things, remembering things, or someone’s messing with my head,” Jane...
No Women Directors Included in Walmart’s “Diverse” Oscar Short Films
Today in WTF, Walmart bragged about its involvement in the Oscars this year and boasted about hiring some top tier directors for the gig. Problem is — they are all men. Score one more for the...
Ellen Pompeo to Make Directorial Debut on “Grey’s Anatomy”
Even after 13 seasons, “Grey’s Anatomy” continues to blaze trails. This time, the broken barrier is behind the camera: “Grey’s” headliner Ellen Pompeo is set to make her directorial...
Paula Patton to Star in Upcoming ABC Series
“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” actress Paula Patton is making her way to the small screen. She’ll topline ABC’s “Somewhere Between.” The drama, which is based on a Korean...
Gender-Swapped “What About Bob?” Reboot Gets Pilot Order at NBC
“What About Bob?” is joining the company of “Ocean’s 11” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.” All of these classics are getting female-fronted makeovers. While the latter two are hitting the...
“The Salesman” Star to Boycott Oscars in Protest of Trump’s Visa Ban
Actress Taraneh Alidoosti, Iranian star of “The Salesman,” will not be attending this year’s Oscars. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Alidoosti announced via Twitter that she will boycott...
Quote of the Day: DP Nancy Schreiber on Opening Doors for Other Women
Nancy Schreiber is set to make history. The veteran cinematographer will be the first woman to receive the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Presidents Award, Variety reports. In fact,...
Trailer Watch: Dakota Fanning Takes on a Dangerous Preacher in “Brimstone”
When women are portrayed in Western films, they’re typically relegated to the sidelines. Rarely do they get in on the action. “Brimstone” is an exception. Dakota Fanning’s character, Liz, is...
Watch: Samantha Bee Discusses the Women’s March on “Full Frontal”
“Hey, how was your weekend?” Samantha Bee asked her audience on last night’s episode of “Full Frontal.” “Me, I didn’t do much — just went for a walk with a few friends.” This...
Support Female Cinematographers: Recommendations for 2017 Viewing
Women accounted for just five percent of the cinematographers who worked on the top 250 highest-grossing films of 2016, and a female cinematographer has never been nominated for an Oscar. Because...
Trailer Watch: A Doctor Saves Lives Around the World in “The Resilient Heart”
As Valentine’s Day approaches, heart-shaped paper cutouts and candies are everywhere, as are cards waxing philosophical about love’s impact on the actual heart. We talk so much about the heart...
“Carrie Pilby” Gets a Release Date
If you enjoyed Bel Powley’s performance in Marielle Heller’s “The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” you’ll definitely want to check out “Carrie Pilby,” a coming-of-age story that sees Powley...
Refinery29 & TNT Team Up for Return of Women-Focused Shatterbox Anthology
Refinery29 is partnering up with TNT the return of Shatterbox Anthology, its women-focused short film series. According to a press release, Shatterbox “provides a platform for the next cycle of...
Sundance Sales for Women-Centric “Patti Cake$” and “The Incredible Jessica James”
Sundance Film Festival is a great place to see movies, and it’s also a great place to have your movie seen: the fest is a business hub, with sales being reported on a daily basis. Two deals for...
César Nominations Recognize Existence of Women Directors
Nominations for the 2017 César Awards, France’s national film awards, have been announced. The Césars are considered France’s equivalent to the Oscars. This Academy actually recognized the...
Sundance Deals: Sales for Women-Directed “Landline,” “To the Bone,” & More
This year’s edition of the Sundance Film Festival is shaping up to be a memorable one for women directors. In the past day alone Gillian Robespierre’s “Landline,” Amanda Lipitz’s...
Daisy Ridley to Play a Spy in “A Woman of No Importance”
We’ve seen how well Daisy Ridley can handle a lightsaber, and now we’ll have the chance to see her in action as a spy. The “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” breakout is attached to star in...
Jessie Auritt’s “Supergirl” Acquired by FilmRise
Naomi Kutin is poised to powerlift her way into audience’s hearts. The pre-teen is at the center of Jessie Auritt’s “Supergirl,” a coming-of-age documentary that was just acquired by...
IDA Creates New Fund for Feature-Length Docs
Documentary filmmakers, take note: The International Documentary Association (IDA) is launching a new fund. The Enterprise Documentary Fund, created with significant support from the John D. and...
Laura Nix Honored as the 2017 Sundance Institute and Discovery Impact Fellow
Laura Nix has been named as the 2017 Sundance Institute and Discovery Impact Fellow, Deadline reports. “The Yes Men are Revolting” director is the second recipient of the fellowship, which...
Pilot Updates: Pilot Order for Diablo Cody, Script Commitment for “Witchblade”
Women-centric television projects from Diablo Cody and Caroline Dries are on the horizon. According to reports from The Hollywood Reporter, ABC gave a pilot order to “Raised by Wolves,” written...
Gina Prince-Bythewood to Direct “Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger” Pilot for Freeform
Gina Prince-Bythewood just made the Marvel Cinematic Universe a bit more palatable to women. After reports from Season Zero and Geeks of Color mentioned her involvement in the upcoming Freeform...
Amid Feminist Protests, Roman Polanski Declines César Awards Position
The past few days are excellent examples of the power women have when they organize. Only three days after the Women’s March, Roman Polanski announced he would not serve as President of the César...
Oscar 2017 Nominations: #OscarsSoWhite Gets a Slight Makeover
The 2017 Oscar nominations are in, and the more inclusive group of actors and films to receive nods suggests that the Academy’s decision to invite a diverse new class of members was, as expected,...
Gita Pullapilly and Aron Gaudet to Direct Their Black List Script “Crook County”
“Crook County,” a Black List script from Gita Pullapilly and Aron Gaudet, is officially on its way to the big screen. Deadline writes that the partners and spouses will direct the film, “based...
“Fresh Off the Boat” Team Secures Pilot Order from NBC for Family Comedy
NBC has ordered a pilot for an untitled comedy based on the life of “Fresh Off the Boat” producer Kourtney Kang, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The project marks the first comedy pilot the...
Sofia Vergara to Pursue Latin American Stories with New Mobile Platform Raze
The highest-paid actress on TV is using her clout and business acumen to tell more Latin American stories with Raze, a digital startup. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Modern Family” star...
Sundance Deals: “Novitiate,” “Fun Mom Dinner,” and “The Big Sick” Find Homes
The Sundance Film Festival isn’t even halfway through yet, but there have already been some exciting deals and developments for films by and about women. Maggie Betts’ “Novitiate” and...
Casting News: Anne Hathaway Gets “Nasty,” “UnREAL” Finds Female Suitor
Anne Hathaway has signed on to MGM’s upcoming “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” remake, now titled “Nasty Women.” And speaking of nasty women, two of our favorites from the small screen,...
Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures Launches Distribution and Marketing Op
Megan Ellison is one step closer to taking over Hollywood. Annapurna Pictures is launching a full-service distribution and marketing operation, a press release has announced. The first project...
Roman Polanski’s César Awards Honor Inspires Protest from Feminist Groups
Roman Polanski was named President of the César Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, and women are not accepting the news without a fight. According to stories from The Hollywood Reporter,...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Brea — “Unrest”
Jennifer Brea is a filmmaker, writer, and data wrangler. She earned her AB in Politics from Princeton University, and is a TED Fellow. Prior, she was a freelance journalist in China and East and...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Marti Noxon — “To the Bone”
Marti Noxon is the creator and executive producer of Bravo’s first scripted drama series, “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce,” and the co-creator and executive producer of the acclaimed Lifetime...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Amanda Kernell — “Sami Blood”
Amanda Kernell has directed a number of shorts, including “Stoerre Vaerie,” or, “Northern Great Mountain,” which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and won the Best Swedish Short...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Rory Kennedy— “Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton”
An Academy Award nominated, Primetime Emmy Award winning director and producer, Rory Kennedy’s work deals with some of the world’s most pressing issues — poverty, political corruption,...
CINEMATOGRAPHERS XX Members Make Their Mark on Sundance 2017
Female DPs are making at splash at Sundance 2017. Back in spring of last year, female cinematographers banded together to form a new, supportive group called CINEMATOGRAPHERS XX, which aims to...
ABC in Early Talks for “Black-ish” Spinoff Starring Yara Shahidi
There aren’t many television series focused on young women of color. There are even less that depict college life. The potential “Black-ish” spinoff could be an antidote to both those...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Ramona S. Diaz — “Motherland”
Ramona S. Diaz is an award-winning Asian-American filmmaker. Her film credits include “Spirits Rising,” “Imelda,” “The Learning,” and “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s...
Jane Green’s “The Beach House” to Receive Film Adaptation
Jane Green has written a whopping 18 novels, and 17 of them have been bestsellers. One of her books is finally getting the big screen treatment: Good Deed Entertainment has acquired the rights to...
Octavia Spencer Named Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year
The year is off to a great start for Octavia Spencer. The Academy Award winner’s latest film, “Hidden Figures,” has dominated the box office two weekends in a row, and now the actress has been...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Michelle Latimer— “Rise”
Michelle Latimer is a Métis/Algonquin filmmaker based in Toronto, as well as a programmer, actor, and activist. Her previous directorial efforts include “Choke,” a Sundance Special Jury...
Seed&Spark Launches #100DaysOfDiversity Initiative
Today, Inauguration Day, is sad for a lot of us. It’s surreal, like an unfunny comedy sketch gone awry. The good news: It’s also the first day of Seed&Spark’s new #100DaysOfDiversity...
ABC Releases “Scandal” Web Series Created and Directed by Darby Stanchfield
Prepare to have even more “Scandal” in your life. The Hollywood Reporter writes that ABC surprise-released six webisodes of “Scandal: Gladiator Wanted” on January 19. The web series, an...
Trailer Watch: “Motherland” Welcomes Us to the Busiest Maternity Ward on Earth
“I admit I’m crazy. Why wouldn’t I be?” a patient asks in the new trailer for “Motherland.” “The children come one after another. I don’t have enough love to give all of them. I wish...
Amanda Kernell’s “Sami Blood” Lands U.S. Distribution
Amanda Kernell’s “Sami Blood” has secured North American distribution prior to its U.S. premiere at Sundance on January 20. Synergetic Distribution snagged the rights to the coming-of-age...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Helene Hegemann — “Axolotl Overkill”
Helene Hegemann is a German writer and director. She has written two novels, including the German bestseller “Axolotl Roadkill.” Hegemann has directed award-winning work in film, theater, and...
“American Crime Story” to Tackle Monica Lewinsky Scandal
Prepare to see Monica Lewinsky’s name in the headlines again. Fox 21 TV Studios and FX Productions have optioned the rights to Jeffrey Toobin’s “A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Sex Scandal That...