News
Athena Film Festival Announces its 2017 Lineup: “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Fits,” & More
The Athena Film Festival has released its seventh annual lineup. The 2017 edition of the fest, which is dedicated to celebrating female leaders in the real life and the fictional world, will feature...
Hope Dickson Leach’s “The Levelling” Acquired By Monterey Media
Hope Dickson Leach’s debut feature film “The Levelling” has been acquired by Monterey Media. The film premiered at TIFF back in September. Set in Somerset, England, “The Levelling” follows...
“Casual” Adds More Female Directors
Hulu’s “Casual” is getting more female directors. According to TVGuide.com, series creator Zander Lehmann said at the Television Critics Association winter TV previews that the show is looking...
Nanfu Wang, Anna Rose Holmer, and Jordana Mollick Receive Spirit Grants
Three grants were awarded to women this past Saturday annual Film Independent’s annual Spirit Awards Nominees Brunch. As The Hollywood Reporter writes, Jordana Mollick received the Piaget...
Nanfu Wang, Anna Rose Holmer, and Jordana Mollick Recieve Spirit Grants
Nanfu Wang’s “Hooligan Sparrow”Three grants were awarded to women this past Saturday annual Film Independent’s annual Spirit Awards Nominees Brunch. As The Hollywood Reporter writes, Jordana...
The CW Renews “Jane the Virgin,” “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” and “Supergirl”
This calls for a celebration: “Jane the Virgin,” “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” and “Supergirl” have all received early renewals from The CW, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The three...
“Hidden Figures” Wins Weekend Box Office
The African-American women of “Hidden Figures” ruled the box office this weekend. As The Hollywood Reporter writes, the historical film passed “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” to take the...
Hulu’s “Harlots” is Written, Directed, and Produced Entirely by Women
A period drama set in a brothel is bound to raise eyebrows. The subject matter could easily be mishandled, and the resulting series would be nothing more than exploitative and sexist drivel. But...
Golden Globes 2017 Wrap Up: Queen Meryl Streep, Feminism, and Tuxedos
Last night’s Golden Globe Awards, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, celebrated the best in movies and television of 2016, and there were plenty of moments that stood out for...
Teaser Watch: Elisabeth Moss Fights to Survive in “The Handmaid’s Tale”
A haunting teaser has been released for “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Hulu’s upcoming adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s award-winning 1985 novel. Elisabeth Moss (“Mad Men”) toplines the series,...
Trailer Watch: “Amaka’s Kin — The Women Of Nollywood” Celebrates Women Directors in Nigeria
Named in honor of Amaka Igwe, the most successful Nigerian female filmmaker of all-time, “Amaka’s Kin — The Women Of Nollywood” shines a spotlight on women working in a male-dominated...
Watch: “Being Mary Jane” Clip Teases Season 4 Return and Mystery Man
The fate of BET’s “Being Mary Jane” was up in the air after the series’ star, Gabrielle Union, filed a $3 million lawsuit against the network for breach of contract. The dispute was settled...
Glamour Releases First Issue Produced Entirely by Women
Glamour magazine is trying to put its masthead where its mouth is. “Gender equality is on all of our minds. It’s really important to me that Glamour not just talk the talk about female...
Cher to Star in Lifetime Movie Centered on Flint Water Crisis
Cher has signed on to star in “Flint,” an upcoming Lifetime original movie about the headline-making water-contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan, Deadline reports. The singer and Oscar-winning...
Disney’s 2017 Slate Lacks Both Women Writers and Directors
Looks like another major studio will be lacking in female representation this year. After Women and Hollywood reported that 20th Century Fox has zero female directors on their slate through 2018,...
“Charmed” Reboot in the Works from “Jane the Virgin” Creator Jennie Snyder Urman
The Charmed Ones are back. Kind of. The CW has confirmed that a new version of “Charmed” is in the works, Entertainment Weekly reports. But fans of the original series may be disappointed to...
2016 Marks Record-Breaking Year at the Box Office, But Where Are the Women Directors?
2016 was a history-making year at the North American box office. Variety reports that ticket sales last year amounted to $11.4 billion — a new record for the industry, surpassing 2015’s...
Should Leia Become an Official Disney Princess?
After Carrie Fisher’s tragic death on December 27, fans of the “Star Wars” saga and her character, Princess/General Leia Organa, mourned her loss by showing their devotion the the beloved...
“Harry Potter” and “Dreamgirls” Producer Sonia Friedman Tops The Stage Power List
Producer Sonia Friedman has snagged the top spot on this year’s Stage 100, The BBC reports. Compiled by theater publication The Stage, the list identifies the UK’s most influential powerhouses...
Theatre du Châtelet in Paris Gets Its First Female Artistic Director Ever
The Theatre du Châtelet in Paris has appointed its first female artistic director, The New York Times reports. Ruth Mackenzie will be taking over for Jean-Luc Choplin, who has served as artistic...
Women Made Up 23% of the Protagonists in 2016’s Top 250 Grossing Films
Female-led films scored the top two spots at the domestic box office in 2016. A blue tang fish and a heroic rebel proved to be the most lucrative characters of the year. “Finding Dory,” whose...
Trailer Watch: Glenn Close Can’t Stop “The Girl with All the Gifts”
An intense new trailer has landed for “The Girl with All the Gifts,” a fresh take on a zombie story. Set in the near future, the dystopian film explores what happens after “humanity has been...
Netflix Acquires Kitty Green’s “Casting JonBenet” Before Sundance Premiere
Streaming giant Netflix has acquired the rights to director Kitty Green’s documentary “Casting JonBenet” before its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this month. “Casting...
Denmark Faces Another Disappointing Year For Female Director Representation
Denmark, home of such lauded female directors as Susanne Bier and Lone Scherfig, is sadly headed for another disappointing year for Danish female directors. Though the country is known for being...
Beyoncé Will Be First Female Coachella Headliner in 10 Years
Beyoncé will be the first female headliner at the Coachella music festival in 10 years, Vanity Fair reports. The last, and only, woman to headline the three-day event was Björk in 2007. A...
Meg Ryan Heading to TV, Will Topline Epix Comedy
Meg Ryan is coming to the small screen. The three-time Golden Globe nominee has signed on to topline “Picture Paris,” a half-hour comedy series “being eyed by Epix,”...
Katra Film Series Finalists Are 63% Female Directed, Written, and/or Produced
The 5th Annual Katra Film Series Grand Finale is toasting a big group of women this year. The finale of the series will take place on January 25 at the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn. The series...
Trailer Watch: Grab Tissues for “Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds”
Losing both Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, a mere 24 hours apart right before the year ended seemed like the cap to a particularly sad year of celebrity deaths. As a fitting way of...
Juliette Binoche to Star in Claire Denis’ Next Film
French powerhouses Juliette Binoche and Claire Denis are teaming up. Binoche will star in Denis’ next project, “Dark Glasses,” The Film Stage reports. Set to shoot in Paris and Guéret this...
Sharyn Rothstein Adapting “Hester Street” for the Stage
“Hester Street” is heading to the stage. Playwright Sharyn Rothstein is penning a stage adaptation of the Oscar-nominated 1975 film, The New York Times reports. The film stars Carol Kane...
Trailer Watch: BAFTA-Winning Comedy “Chewing Gum” Returns for Season 2
“Chewing Gum” fans are in for a treat: A trailer for the upcoming second season of the BAFTA-winning series has been released, and it offers a look at the misadventures that await the comedy’s...
20 Most Anticipated Films By and About Women of 2017
“Wonder Woman” By Rachel Montpelier and Kate Gardner As we say goodbye to the festering disappointment that was 2016 — and try to be cautiously optimistic that next year will be a little...
“Mean Girls” Musical to Make its World Premiere this Fall
“Mean Girls” is finally making its way to the stage. The long-awaited musical version of the beloved 2004 teen film is scheduled to make its world premiere this fall at the National Theater in...
January 2017 Film Preview
“Underworld: Blood Wars” January is good month for fans of female-led action films. Both the “Underworld” and “Resident Evil” franchises are releasing their latest chapters. Even those...
Best of 2016: The Dudeocracy of Film Writers
Women and Hollywood is off today. Please enjoy one of our top posts of the year. This piece is from May 5, 2016. Yesterday, Owen Gleiberman was appointed chief film critic at Variety. We...
Best of 2016: Kathleen Kennedy Doesn’t Think There’s a Woman Director Ready for “Star Wars”
Women and Hollywood is off this week. Please enjoy one of our top posts of the year. This piece is from November 23, 2016. “Star Wars” producer Kathleen Kennedy sounds determined to get a...
Best of 2016: Ava DuVernay Will Be First African-American Woman to Helm $100 Million Film
Women and Hollywood is off this week. Please enjoy one of our top posts of the year. This piece is from August 3, 2016. Yesterday, a list of CA tax credits was announced. On that list was...
“Hidden Figures” and Black Girls CODE Create Website for Women in STEM
Inspired by “Hidden Figures,” 20th Century Fox and Black Girls CODE have teamed to create FutureKatherineJohnsons.com. The website will be built by “the next generation of young women poised...
Listen: Podcast with “Hidden Figures” Screenwriter Allison Schroeder
We’ve been counting down the days to “Hidden Figures’” release: We can’t for audiences to be introduced the unsung heroes behind one of NASA’s greatest accomplishments. The film is based...
Television Academy Foundation Appoints Madeline Di Nonno as Chair
The Television Academy Foundation has elected Madeline Di Nonno as as its new chair. The Foundation is the Television Academy’s charitable arm and Di Nonno comes to the job from being chief...
Cast Announced for Female-Driven Hacking Drama “Assassination Nation”
A new female-led film is heading our way. As Shadow and Act reports, Foxtail Entertainment and Phantom Four is making the teen-centric thriller “Assassination Nation.” The film will star Odessa...
Women-Directed Films in the Running for Best Picture at the Oscars
Oscar nominations won’t be announced until January 24, but we’re one step closer to knowing which films may score nods. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released a list of...
“13th,” “Certain Women,” and More Nab Alliance of Women Film Journalist Awards
The women have voted! The Alliance of Women Film Journalists has announced the winners selected for the 2016 AWFJ EDA Awards. The 10th annual awards were announced in 25 categories, divided into...
Steppenwolf Theatre Company to Honor Phylicia Rashad
The Steppenwolf Theatre Company has announced that Tony-winning actress and stage director Phylicia Rashad has been selected as the 2017 honoree of the annual Steppenwolf Salutes Women in the Arts...
Breaking the Fourth Wall: December’s VOD and Web Series Picks
“Online Heroines” Whether through irony, autobiography, or documentary, this month’s batch of VOD and web series recommendations all chip away at the fourth wall, that barrier that usually...
2016’s Best Web Series By and About Women
The rise of digital content has increased dramatically over the last few years. Web series can serve as a home for topics that aren’t represented within mainstream media: LGBTQ issues, diversity...
Trailer Watch: Oprah Reunites with Her South African Academy Grads in “O Girls”
“I wanted to help girls who were like me,” Oprah Winfrey says in the trailer for the doc “O Girls.” Five girls from Oprah Winfrey’s Johannesburg, South Africa school, The Oprah Winfrey...
Human Rights Campaign to Honor Meryl Streep with Ally for Equality Award
The Human Rights Campaign has announced that it will honor Meryl Streep for the organization’s Ally for Equality Award at the 2017 HRC Greater New York Gala, Broadway World reports. The HRC Ally...
Trailer Watch: A Pessimistic Doctor Finds Romance in “Everybody Loves Somebody”
“I see it every day: the illusion of love,” says Clara (Karla Souza, “How to Get Away with Murder”), an OB-GYN with a cynical stance on romance, in a newly released trailer for “Everybody...
Tegan and Sara Set Up LGBTQ Foundation
Musicians Tegan and Sara have set up a new project called the Tegan and Sara Foundation, the LA Times reports. The foundation is devoted to “commitment to feminism and racial, social, and gender...
Nina Simone to Receive the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award
Iconic singer-songwriter and civil rights activist Nina Simone will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy at the 2017 Special Merit Awards, Variety reports....