News
Oscars 2016: 20 Shorts Move Forward, and Only 2 of Them Are Directed by Women
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the 10 live action shorts and 10 animated shorts that will advance on the road to the Oscars. Zero women directors made the cut for live...
Trailer Watch: Dorothy’s Not in Kansas Anymore in NBC’s “Emerald City”
There’s no doubt that HBO’s hit series “Game of Thrones” has had a big influence on television and created an interest in more fantastical fare. The latest new series to seemingly take the...
“Southwest of Salem” Helps Exonerate Four Wrongfully Convicted Women
Nearly 20 years after being wrongfully convicted for a crime they didn’t commit, the San Antonio Four have been declared innocent. Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna...
Anne Rice is Bringing “The Vampire Chronicles” to TV
Before “Buffy,” “Twilight,” and “The Vampire Diaries,” there was “The Vampire Chronicles,” Anne Rice’s book series that included “Interview with the Vampire,” the source...
Michelle Yeoh Joins the “Star Trek: Discovery” Crew
The new and upcoming Star Trek series, “Star Trek: Discovery,” has added a new cast member, and we couldn’t be more excited about this addition to the cast. As THR reports, Michelle Yeoh will...
Inner Lives: November 2016’s VOD and Web Series Picks
“Bwitches” It’s no secret that women lead rich, inner lives. From keeping their true selves secret from the public eye, to private struggles with illness, this month’s choices on VOD and the...
Ellen DeGeneres, Cicely Tyson, and Diana Ross Among Medal of Freedom Winners
Comedian Ellen DeGeneres, actress Cicely Tyson, and singer Diana Ross were among the 21 recipients honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday. As Variety describes, the “prestigious...
Maria Turtschaninoff’s Feminist Fantasy Novel “Maresi” Being Developed into Film
“Maresi” is headed to the big screen, Variety reports. The film rights to the feminist fantasy novel have been optioned by Film4, the London-based company behind Andrea Arnold’s “American...
Biopic Celebrating Apartheid Activist and Singer Miriam Makeba in the Works
The life of South African singer and activist Miriam Makeba is headed to the big screen, Variety reports. The film will be a combined effort between the Miriam Makeba Estate, Miriam Makeba...
Nicole Larson’s “Love In The Time Of Dick Pics” Script Acquired by Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures has acquired the rights to Nicole Larson’s memorably-titled debut feature film screenplay, “Love in the Time Of Dick Pics.” Deadline writes that the plot is being described as...
Kathleen Kennedy Doesn’t Think There’s a Woman Director Ready for “Star Wars”
“Star Wars” producer Kathleen Kennedy sounds determined to get a female director on board for a movie in the “Star Wars” franchise, but she seems to be going about it the wrong way. Rather...
“New Girl” Creator Liz Meriwether Has a New Comedy Pilot in the Works at Fox
“New Girl” creator Liz Meriwether has a new pilot in the works at Fox, the home of her long-running Zooey Deschanel-led sitcom. Variety reports that the network has made a pilot production...
“Call the Midwife” Renewed for Three More Seasons
The BBC has announced that the much-beloved series “Call the Midwife” has been renewed for three more seasons, keeping the female-centric show on the air through 2020. Three Christmas specials...
Kesha to Receive Billboard’s Women in Music Trailblazer Award
Singer and musician Kesha is going to be honored with Billboard’s Women in Music Trailblazer Award at this year’s Billboard Music Awards, THR reports. The event will take place on December 9 in...
Independent Spirit Award Nominations: “American Honey” Dominates
The nominees for the 32nd annual Independent Spirit Awards have been announced. Taking a look at the nominees, it’s seems that the indie world is feeling appreciative of female-driven and directed...
Project for Women Directors Sabotaged By a One Man’s Complaint
The news coming out of North Carolina’s theater scene is slightly confusing, but what it sounds like is a classic case of sexist sabotage. As IndyWeek reports, on Tuesday of last week, Jerome...
Read Sarah Ruhl’s Inspiring Speech on the Election and Being a Female Writer
Playwright Sarah Ruhl was awarded with the 2016 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award last week. The prize, which “celebrates career excellence in American theater,” comes with $200,000. An...
Trailer Watch: Vanessa Hope’s “All Eyes and Ears” Highlights U.S.-China Relations
A trailer has landed for “All Eyes and Ears,” Vanessa Hope’s documentary feature debut. Hope told Women and Hollywood that she hopes the film “will stand the test of time as one of the more...
Win a Trip to the Sundance Film Festival Through The Horizon Award
Heads up, female filmmakers! The Creative Mind Group is now accepting submissions for the 2017 Horizon Award, which gives the opportunity to aspiring female directors to win a free trip to the...
Shonda Rhimes Honored with International Emmy Founders Award
Who runs the world? Shonda Rhimes. The TV mogul, creator, and producer will be receiving a special honor at the International Emmy Awards Gala this coming Monday, The Seattle Times reports. Tony...
Reese Witherspoon is Starting a New Female-Driven Company
Reese Witherspoon has started a new company, Deadline reports. She’s teamed up with Otter Media to start Hello Sunshine, a company that will focus on telling female-driven stories across all...
Rachel Goldenberg to Direct MGM’s “Valley Girl” Musical Adaptation
“Valley Girl” is coming back to the big screen. MGM is remaking the 1983 cult classic romantic comedy as a musical, and Deadline reports that Rachel Goldenberg (“The Mindy Project,” “A...
Elle Fanning in Talks to Star in Adaptation of Teresa Toten’s “Beware That Girl”
Elle Fanning is in talks to star in Awesomeness Films’ adaptation of “Beware That Girl,” Teresa Toten’s critically acclaimed YA novel, Deadline reports. The psychological thriller has earned...
Mary Louise Parker, Martha Plimpton, and More Honored at NYWIFT Muse Awards
New York Women in Film and Television will hold its 37th annual Muse Awards Gala on December 8, and has announced the recipients of this year’s awards. The Muse Awards recognize and celebrate the...
Desiree Akhavan to Write and Direct Chloe Grace Moretz LGBTQ Drama
“Appropriate Behavior” writer-director Desiree Akhavan is stepping behind the camera again. The “Girls” and “Flowers” actress has signed on to co-write and direct “The Miseducation of...
Women and Hollywood is Looking for Interns for 2017
Women and Hollywood is looking for two interns for the first half of 2017. The positions will begin on January 2, 2017 and end on June 30, 2017. Applicants must be willing to commit to six months...
Introducing the 2017 Women at Sundance Fellows
The Sundance Institute has announced the women directors chosen for its fifth iteration of Women at Sundance Fellows. The six diverse filmmakers work as producers and directors in the documentary...
Universal’s 2017 Slate Has Only One Female Director
Universal Pictures has solidified their 2017 slate of movies, and there are some high-profile, tentpole projects included, but there’s one huge problem: of the 15 movies Universal will release in...
Tom Ford Used Google to Hunt for an Older Actress
“A Single Man” writer-director Tom Ford used unconventional methods to cast his latest film, “Nocturnal Animals.” His hunt for an actress to play Amy Adams’ character’s mother led him to...
Holly Hunter to Star in HBO Family Drama
Holly Hunter is headed to HBO. The Oscar winner has signed on to star in an untitled family drama from Alan Ball, creator of “Six Feet Under” and “True Blood,” THR reports. The premium cable...
Moore College of Art and Design Now Accepting Submissions for Animation Fest
Heads-up women animators: Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia is now accepting animated short film submissions for its 2017 “Moore Women Artists Film Festival: Women in Animation.”...
Trailer Watch: Zoey Deutch Repeats Her Past in Ry Russo-Young’s “Before I Fall”
Take “Groundhog Day,” change the main character from a grumpy middle-aged man to a teenage girl, and make it a little darker and creepier, and you’ve got Ry Russo-Young’s “Before I...
Theater Director Leigh Silverman Inspires Artists in a Trump World
The 16th annual 24 Hour Plays on Broadway took place on November 14. This year’s event honored theater director Leigh Silverman and her inspiring thank you speech is available to read now. The 24...
Screen NSW Makes Amazing Strides Toward Gender Equality
Screen NSW (New South Wales) announced its 50:50 by 2020 Gender Target for female writers, producers, and directors one year ago. The industry has since undergone a dramatic change, and is now “on...
Debora L. Spar Named the First Female President of the Lincoln Center
Debora L. Spar is taking the reins of Lincoln Center, the largest performing arts center in the U.S. The president of Barnard College will serve as the arts complex’s 10th president beginning in...
Zadie Smith’s “Swing Time” Set for Television Adaptation at the BBC
Author Zadie Smith’s novel “Swing Time” has been picked up by the BBC for a television adaptation, ScreenDaily reports. Smith will adapt the book herself, along with her husband, writer Nick...
Trailer Watch: Jessica Chastain Joins the Resistance in “The Zookeeper’s Wife”
The shoot for Niki Caro’s “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” starring Jessica Chastain, was an anomaly in how inclusive it was for women on set. Now the film’s first trailer has hit, detailing the...
Liu Xiaoqing to Star in and Co-Produce “Empress” U.S. TV Series
Liu Xiaoqing is introducing U.S. audiences to Empress Consort Wu. The Chinese actress will star in and co-produce “Empress,” a TV series centered on the seventh and eighth century empress Wu...
Samantha Bee’s “Full Frontal” Renewed for a Second Season, Thank God
One of the few late-night voices doing any kind of serious critical work during this election season was that of Samantha Bee’s on her TBS show “Full Frontal.” Thankfully, the show has been...
“The Killing Season” Warms Up a Cold Case
“The Killing Season”: A&E The new docuseries “The Killing Season,” on A&E, will feel familiar to anyone passingly acquainted with true-crime shows. Its ominous music, abrupt...
Lifetime Announces Winners of “Broad Focus” Short Film Competition
Back in July, Lifetime’s “Broad Focus” initiative in partnership with Women in Film & TV UK, kicked off with a short film competition celebrating women behind the camera, and the winners...
BBC America Orders New Series from “Fleabag” Creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge
It’s uncertain whether “Fleabag” will be getting a second season, but BBC America has ordered a new drama from the critically acclaimed dark comedy’s creator and star, Phoebe...
Musical Adaptation of “Amelie” Heading to Broadway Starring Phillipa Soo
A musical adaptation of the French film “Amelie” will hit Broadway in April, 2017 with “Hamilton’s” Phillipa Soo in the lead role, Variety reports. The musical will open at the Walter...
Trailer for Live-Action “Beauty and the Beast” Sets Another Record
Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast” won’t hit theaters until next year, but the film is already making history. Variety reports that the newly released trailer for the Emma...
Ana Nogueira to Pen Big Screen Adaptation of “Dan and Sam” for Amblin
Actress and writer Ana Nogueira is set to pen the screenplay for the big-screen adaptation of the graphic novel “Dan and Sam,” THR reports. Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment has acquired...
Trailer Watch: Rooney Mara Unlocks “The Secret Scripture”
An international trailer has dropped for two-time Oscar nominee Rooney Mara’s latest film, “The Secret Scripture.” The Ireland-set drama sees Mara and Vanessa Redgrave playing the same...
Scarlett Johansson to Star in “Tangerine” Adaptation
Scarlett Johansson will star in an adaptation of “Tangerine,” Christine Mangan’s debut novel. Deadline reports that Imperative Entertainment won an auction for the mystery-thriller novel,...
Trailer Watch: “Hidden Figures” Heads Full Force Into Awards Season
On the heels of announcing that 20th Century Fox was teaming up with PepsiCo to fund a scholarship for young women in STEM inspired by “Hidden Figures,” the studio has just released a new...
“Silent Women: Pioneers of Cinema” Explores Film’s Female Trailblazers
Book excerpt from the introduction of “Silent Women: Pioneers of Cinema” by Cheryl Robson “Silent Women: Pioneers of Cinema” (Supernova Books, 2016) is not just a book about women working...
illuminatrix Launches Database of Female Cinematographers in the UK
Looking to hire a female cinematographer? A helpful new resource will make that task easier: illuminatrix, the UK’s first all-female collective of cinematographers, has launched a database...
Whistler Film Festival Highlights Women Directors
The Whistler Film Festival in Canada, which runs from Novermber 30-December 4 this year, is proudly presenting a number of female-focused films, talent, events, and awards. The festival will feature...