News
Nikki Finke is Back in the News Business, Joins Mediaite as Senior Columnist
After a three-year hiatus, Nikki Finke has returned to the news business. The journalist, media entrepreneur, and Internet publisher will take on the role of Senior Columnist at Mediaite beginning...
Tig Notaro’s “One Mississippi” Renewed for Second Season on Amazon
“One Mississippi” will return for a second season. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Tig Notaro’s semi-autobiographical series has been renewed by Amazon. The comedian, writer, and actress...
“Hidden Figures” Inspires Scholarship Contest for Women in STEM
In anticipation of the release of the film “Hidden Figures,” which tells the true story of black women who made invaluable contributions to NASA during the 1960s space race, PepsiCo and 21st...
Trailer Watch: Natalie Portman Sets the Record Straight in “Jackie”
“People like to believe in fairy tales,” says Jacqueline Kennedy (Natalie Portman) in a newly released trailer for “Jackie.” “I believe that the characters we read about on the page end up...
Ava DuVernay Announces “A Wrinkle in Time” Release Date
Director Ava DuVernay is fully entrenched in the shoot for her Disney adaptation of “A Wrinkle in Time,” and she and the rest of the cast and crew have just announced the film’s official...
HBO Renews “Insecure,” “Divorce,” and “Westworld” for Second Seasons
“Insecure”: HBO HBO has renewed the Issa Rae comedy “Insecure” and Sarah Jessica Parker-starring “Divorce” for a second season. The drama “Westworld,” which was co-created and is...
Telefilm Canada Announces Half of Financed Movies to be Women-Directed
Great things have been happening in Canada’s film and television industry when it comes to gender equality, and now, as The Hollywood Reporter details, Telefilm Canada, the country’s biggest...
Trailer Watch: “Beauty and the Beast” Tells a Tale as Old as Time
We’ve been given tiny peeks and shimmering glimpses, but now a full trailer for Disney’s live-action adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” has finally been released, and I’ve got...
Join Women & Hollywood in London to Challenge Unconscious Gender Bias
Hey Londoners! You’re invited to join Women & Hollywood founder and publisher Melissa Silverstein, The Hospital Club, and Tonic Theatre for a collaborative discussion on unconscious...
Trailer Watch: Scarlett Johansson Kicks Ass and Seeks Answers in “Ghost in the Shell”
The first trailer for “Ghost in the Shell” has landed. A number of teasers have been released for the hotly anticipated adaptation of the Japanese manga of the same name, but the trailer reveals...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Robin Lung — “Finding Kukan”
Producer-director Robin Lung is a fourth generation Chinese American who was raised in Hawai’i. She has a 16-year history of bringing untold minority and women’s stories to film. A graduate of...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Nicole Opper — “Visitor’s Day”
Nicole Opper is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker who directed and produced the award-winning feature documentary “Off and Running.” The film was nationally broadcast on PBS’ “POV” in 2010....
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Zhao Qing— “Please Remember Me”
Zhao Qing began her career at Shanghai Media Group in 1991, where she directed and produced television documentaries. Qing’s filmography includes “A Water Town — Zhou Zhuang,”...
Hollywood Women (Plus One Guy) React to the Election
A good number of us were shocked into numbness and dismayed by the outcome of Tuesday night’s election. America elected a demagogue instead of our first female president, and it’s devastating....
Rosario Dawson Will Play Activist Donna Hylton in Biopic “A Little Piece of Light”
Rosario Dawson is set to play activist Donna Hylton in a film adaptation of the biography “A Little Piece of Light,” Deadline reports. Dawson has had an extensive film career, but most recently...
Octavia Spencer to Star in Miniseries Based on the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
Oscar winner Octavia Spencer is attached to star in a series adaptation of A’Lelia Bundles’ bestselling biography “On Her Own Ground,” Deadline reports. The book tells the story of...
Jessica Chastain to Star in and Produce “Painkiller Jane” Adaptation
Jessica Chastain is a superhero, and now she’s signed on to play one on the big screen. Variety reports that the outspoken equal rights advocate will produce and star in “Painkiller Jane,” an...
“Blue Crush” TV Series in the Works at NBC with Script by Lizzy Weiss
Take out your surfboard and ride some celebratory waves. “Blue Crush” may be coming to TV. NBC has given a script commitment with penalty to a series based on the 2002 surfing movie starring...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Deirdre Fishel — “Care”
Deirdre Fishel has a 20-year history of directing both documentaries and dramas. Her films have premiered at Sundance and SXSW, and have been broadcast in 25 countries worldwide. Her documentary...
“Good Behavior”: Michelle Dockery From “Downton” to Down on Her Luck
Michelle Dockery in “Good Behavior”: TNT Michelle Dockery’s new role is a far cry from “Downton Abbey.” Within the first few minutes of TNT’s “Good Behavior” pilot, the former Lady...
“Lady Macbeth” Screenwriter Alice Birch Adapting “Love and Capital” for TV
British playwright Alice Birch is writing the television adaptation of Mary Gabriel’s 2011 bestseller “Love and Capital,” Screen Daily reports. James Schamus’ Symbolic Exchange is...
Groundbreaking Film “Desert Hearts” Celebrates 30th Anniversary with MoMA Screenings
“Desert Hearts” is returning to the big screen for its 30th anniversary. New York City’s Museum of Modern Art will will screen Donna Deitch’s influential LGBTQ film from December 2-8. Based...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Laura Paglin — “Unseen”
Based out of Cleveland, Ohio, Laura Paglin is a producer and director who has made a name for herself by bringing the stories of marginalized communities to a worldwide audience. Paglin’s prior...
“Frozen” Writer Kristen Anderson-Lopez Making Broadway Debut with “In Transit”
“Frozen” co-writer Kristen Anderson-Lopez is taking her talent to Broadway. The writer will make her stage debut with “In Transit,” the Great White Way’s first a capella musical. It was...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Jill Campbell— “Mr. Chibbs”
Jill Campbell has worked as a producer, director, and writer on myriad documentaries, including “Dancing Across Borders,” “Bernal’s Picasso: When Art Met Science,” and “Out of Print.”...
Kate Walsh Joining Queen Latifah and Jada-Pinkett Smith for “Girls Trip”
“Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” star Kate Walsh is set to join the R-rated comedy feature “Girls Trip,” Deadline has reported. The film’s cast already includes Regina Hall,...
CBC Launches Breaking Barriers Film Fund for Diverse Directors
Things might be rocky here in the U.S., but Canada is taking strides to achieve more diversity in its entertainment industry. As CBC News reports, the CBC is launching the Breaking Barriers Film...
Elizabeth Banks Developing Family Comedy at CBS
Elizabeth Banks has landed her first major network sale, Variety reports. The actress, producer, and director signed an overall deal with Warner Bros. TV last year that sees her and Max Handelman,...
A Renewed Purpose
Yesterday, many like-minded people woke up in shock that this country clearly did not share the values that we believe in. Today, the shock has worn off and the brutal reality has set in. While...
Joanna Murray-Smith Wins Inaugural Mona Brand Award for Women Writers
Writer Joanna Murray-Smith has been announced as the first ever winner of Australia’s Mona Brand Award for Women Stage and Screen Writers, The AU Review reports. The prize comes with an award...
Rosie O’Donnell Joins the Cast of Frankie Shaw’s Showtime Pilot
Rosie O’Donnell has joined the cast of “SMILF,” Frankie Shaw’s semi-autobiographical Showtime pilot. If the project gets ordered to series, it would mark O’Donnell’s first credit as a...
“The Love Witch” Director Anna Biller Talks Gender Performance and Femme Fatales
Anna Biller’s 35mm cult feature “Viva” and her 16mm art-film shorts have screened at major film festivals and art spaces around the world. She is known for her use of classic and outdated film...
Trans Doc “Mala Mala” Lands International Distribution
The documentary “Mala Mala” follows the story of a number of transgender women living and fighting for rights in Puerto Rico. It premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, but had trouble...
Producer Adrienne Biddle on the Mother-Daughter Relationship in “The Monster”
Guest Post by Adrienne Biddle I’ve thought a lot about why I gravitate towards the projects director Bryan (Bertino) and I work on. I’m not entirely sure either of us consciously went into our...
Dogwoof Picks up Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson” for the UK
Dogwoof has picked up Kirsten Johnson’s documentary “Cameraperson” for distribution in the UK and Ireland. Johnson, a long-time cinematographer, turned the camera on herself and her journeys...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Brittany Huckabee— “After Fire”
Brittany Huckabee is an independent filmmaker whose work focuses on telling stories about the experiences of women. She has more than 15 years of experience directing and producing documentaries....
Madeleine Thien Wins the Giller Prize, Canada’s Most Prominent Fiction Award
Madeleine Thien has been named as the 2016 recipient of Canada’s Giller Prize, the country’s most prominent fiction award, Reuters reports. The author won the $100,000 award — the...
Metrograph Hosting Maggie Cheung Retrospective
The Metrograph, an independent theater in New York City, has announced it will present “Maggie Cheung: Center Stage,” a 20-film retrospective of the actress, all in 35mm. “Maggie Cheung has...
Watch: “Moana” Featurettes Explore Polynesian Culture and Music
Disney’s next animated feature “Moana” will soon hit the big screen. In anticipation of Disney’s next female heroine, some new featurettes have popped up online, highlighting the background,...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Rebbie Ratner — “Borderline”
Rebbie Ratner began her film career when she was seven years old, often running around her house capturing family scenes on tape. In college, she started making formal films, regarding film as a...
FX Developing “Flatlands,” a Series from Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini
Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini’s “Flatlands” has gone into development at FX, Deadline reports. The hour-long serio-comedy comes from the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated collaborators and...
Female Fans Are Taking “Star Wars” Into Their Own Hands
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”: Disney For many years, the Star Wars universe may have been considered a male-dominated fandom, but not only has that never been 100 percent the case, these days...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Madeleine Gavin— “City of Joy”
Madeleine Gavin works in both narrative and documentary film, primarily as an editor. She was nominated for an Emmy for her work on Rebecca Cammisa’s documentary “Which Way Home” and is...
TV Land Orders “American Woman” Starring Alicia Silverstone
“American Woman” has been greenlit by TV Land, Variety reports. Based on the life of “Real Housewives’” Kyle Richards, the ‘70s period dramedy stars Alicia Silverstone (“Clueless”)....
Margot Robbie Adapting Thriller “Beautiful Things” for Warner Bros.
Margot Robbie is adding more projects to her slate via her LuckyChap Entertainment company. As THR reports, Robbie, producer Denise Di Novi, Di Novi Pictures’ Alison Greenspan, and Warner Bros....
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Suki Hawley — “All the Rage”
Filmmaker Suki Hawley recently directed and edited the documentary feature “Who Took Johnny,” which chronicles a mother’s tenacious fight to find out what happened to her son, Johnny Gosch,...
Sharon Horgan’s “Pulling” Heading to NBC
Another British cult hit is heading stateside. As Deadline reports, NBC is developing a U.S. version of BBC series “Pulling.” Original creators Sharon Horgan, who starred in the original, and...
How Amy Adams’ “Arrival” Character Redefines Heroism
Amy Adams is having an amazing year. The five-time Oscar nominee is getting rave reviews and lots of awards buzz for two of her upcoming films, “Arrival” and “Nocturnal Animals.” The former...
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Markie Hancock — “Feral Love”
Markie Hancock is a documentary filmmaker working in New York City. Her works include “Born Again” and “Queers in the Kingdom.” Both docs explore evangelical Christianity and the formation...
Trailer Watch: Female Vets Confront the Aftermath of War in “After Fire”
A trailer has landed for “After Fire,” Brittany Huckabee’s new documentary examining the fastest-growing group of American veterans: women. “In the military, the focus is the mission,”...
Amy Poehler and Lauren Gussis Score Multiple TV Deals This Year
Amy Poehler is on a roll and has sold her third comedy of the season through her company Paper Kite, THR reports. She’ll be teaming with Claudia Lonow for an “Odd Couple”-inspired series...