News
NBC Snags New Comedy About Siblings Created by Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling’s stacked resume continues to expand, Deadline reports. The creator, executive producer, and star of Hulu’s “The Mindy Project” just scored a put pilot commitment from NBC for a...
Trailer Watch: “The Edge of Seventeen” Captures How Impostor Syndrome Feels
Do you remember growing up? A lot of it sucked, right? Writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig’s film “The Edge of Seventeen” captures that feeling of thinking that everyone around you has it all...
LFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Shahrbanoo Sadat — “Wolf and Sheep”
Shahrbanoo Sadat is an Afghan screenwriter and director. Sadat’s first short fiction film, “Vice Versa One,” was selected at Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 2011. In 2013, she launched her...
“The Killing” Creator Veena Sud Has New Series in the Works at Netflix
“The Killing” creator Veena Sud apparently has a new series in the works at Netflix. As director Gavin O’Connor (“The Americans”) told Collider, the series, called “Seven Seconds,” is...
Gilmore Girls Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel Top Variety’s TV Pay Day List
“Gilmore Girls”: Netflix There’s good news for actresses on TV, according to Variety. Unlike in the film world, where actresses are often saddled with lower pay days than their male...
Trailer Watch: Natalie Portman Embodies “Jackie”
The new teaser for “Jackie,” starring Natalie Portman, begins with a bit of the final number from the 1960s Broadway musical “Camelot,” but is then eerily interrupted by a harsher string...
Watch: “Gilmore Girls” Featurette Revisits the Past and Looks Into the Future
Pour yourself a cup — or five cups — of coffee and prepare to be transported back to Stars Hollow by watching a newly released featurette celebrating the return of “Gilmore Girls.”...
Dolly Parton to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at CMAs
Dolly Parton will soon be adding another well-deserved trophy to her mantle. The music legend will receive the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming Country Music Association...
Athena Film Festival and IRIS Team Up for Screenwriting Lab
Great news, female screenwriters! The Athena Film Festival has announced that it will be partnering with IRIS to present the inaugural Athena IRIS Screenwriting Lab. The unique lab will be offered...
Hope Dickson Leach Wins Inaugural IWC Filmmaker Bursary Award
Hope Dickson Leach has been named the inaugural recipient of the IWC Filmmaker Bursary Award, presented in association with the BFI, ScreenDaily reports. According to the BFI, the £50,000 award...
“Pretty Little Liars” Creator I. Marlene King Lands Huge Warner Bros. Deal
“Pretty Little Liars” creator I. Marlene King has landed a huge deal, Variety reports. King has signed an overall contract with Warner Bros. Television and Warner Horizon Television. The...
Emma Thompson to Star in “The Children Act”
Oscar winner Emma Thompson is set to star in “The Children Act,” an adaptation of the novel by Ian McEwan (“Atonement”), Variety reports. Thompson will play Fiona May, a London judge...
Women Developing Shows for ABC, Amazon, Freeform, and More
A whole slew of women are diving headfirst into television and developing new series for consideration. As Variety reports, ABC and 20th Century Fox are developing “Icon,” an hour-long drama set...
Trailer Watch: BFFs Get in Over Their Heads in Cannes Winner “Divines”
Atrailer has been released for “Divines,” Houda Benyamina’s coming-of-age drama that won the hearts of critics and audiences at Cannes earlier this year. When asked by a teacher what she...
“Inside Out” Screenwriter to Make Directorial Debut with Disney’s “Gigantic”
Meg LeFauve’s profile continues to rise. The in-demand screenwriter has signed on to make her directorial debut. She’ll co-helm Disney Animation’s “Gigantic,” a retelling of “Jack and...
Trailer Watch : Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s Creepy Sci-Fi “Evolution”
Imagine if “The Island of Doctor Moreau” was led by a group of pale, stoic women experimenting on pre-teen boys, and you’d get Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s “Evolution.” And this new trailer...
Women Creators Missing from Adult Swim Programming
Adult Swim is known for offering viewers alternative, unconventional content, but the network famed for cutting-edge programming is seriously behind the times when it comes to hiring women. BuzzFeed...
FX Buys “Meaty” Comedy from Jessi Klein, Samantha Irby, and Abbi Jacobson
FX has ordered another female-centric comedy, Deadline reports. The cable network has bought a comedy based on Samantha Irby’s memoir “Meaty,” which was inspired by her blog, “Bitches Gotta...
Sony Pictures Classics Acquires “Maudie” Starring Sally Hawkins
Sony Pictures Classics has announced the acquisition of Aisling Walsh’s “Maudie,” her biopic of artist Maud Lewis. Written by Sherry White and starring Sally Hawkins (“Happy Go Lucky”),...
A Conversation with BFI London Film Festival Director Clare Stewart
Clare Stewart came to the BFI London Film Festival in 2011 from running the Sydney Film Festival in Australia. She spoke with Women and Hollywood before the 60th edition of the fest kicks off with...
Angelina Jolie in Talks to Play History-Making Military Star
Oscar winner Angelina Jolie is eyeing her return to the big screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she is in early talks to topline “Shoot Like a Girl,” Tristar’s adaptation of an...
Temple University to Honor Tina Fey
Temple University has announced that funny woman Tina Fey will be honored with the Lew Klein Excellence in the Media Award this fall. A Philadelphia-area native, Fey is the 16th recipient of the...
NYC Invests $5 Million Towards Tackling Gender Inequality in Film and TV Industry
New York City is a Mecca of entertainment. The iconic city serves as the setting for countless film, TV, and theater classics. Now the city is tackling a major absence in many of these works: women....
Submissions for the 2017 Bentonville Film Festival Open Soon
The third annual Bentonville Film Festival will soon be accepting submissions. The fest, co-founded by Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis, is scheduled to take place in Bentonville, Arkansas May...
Elizabeth LeCompte Awarded 2016 Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize
Elizabeth LeCompte, founding member and director of experimental theater company The Wooster Group, has been chosen as the recipient of this year’s Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, Broadway...
Rachel Weisz Will Produce and Star in Naomi Alderman’s “Disobedience”
Rachel Weisz is set to star in and produce a film adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s novel “Disobedience,” Variety reports. The story, Variety writes, “follows young woman who returns to her...
Amma Asante’s “A United Kingdom” Acquired by Fox Searchlight
After kicking off negotiations at TIFF earlier in the month, Fox Searchlight Pictures has acquired the North American rights to Amma Asante’s “A United Kingdom,” a press release confirmed. The...
ArcLight Adds Speakers to Second Annual Women in Entertainment Summit
ArcLight Cinemas has announced additional speakers for the second annual ArcLight Presents Women in Entertainment Summit, which is taking place on November 10th. As we previously reported, the...
60th BFI London Film Festival Lines Up Diverse Jury
The jury members for the 60th London BFI Film Festival, which runs from October 5–16 this year, have been revealed. The inclusive juries feature a number of women and people of color. As Screen...
Margot Robbie and Emily Blunt to Host “Saturday Night Live”
Margot Robbie is set to host the 42nd season premiere of “SNL” this coming weekend. Robbie had a huge summer, starring in “The Legend of Tarzan” and the big money-maker “Suicide Squad.”...
Felicity Huffman Signs on to New ABC Series from “Black-ish” Creator
Felicity Huffman is joining forces with the brains behind “Black-ish.” She has signed on to star in a new family comedy from “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris. ABC nabbed the single-camera...
Chicken & Egg Productions Launches 2017 Accelerator Lab
Hey there, first-time female filmmakers, or even those with one in the can. Chicken & Egg Pictures will soon begin accepting applications for the 2017 Accelerator Lab for first and second-time...
Fox 2000 Snags Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson Comedy
Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson are a dream team, and now we’re one step closer to seeing the actresses together on the big screen. Fox 2000 has snagged the rights to an untitled film penned by...
Dawn Porter to Be Honored at DOC NYC Film Fest
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Dawn Porter will be honored at this year’s DOC NYC Film Festival, Realscreen reports. Porter will receive the Robert and Anne Drew Award for Documentary...
Trailer Watch: Revisit 1979’s Feminism with “20th Century Women”
It’s 1979 and President Jimmy Carter is on television giving his “Crisis of Confidence” speech. Meanwhile, in the new trailer for “20th Century Women,” Annette Bening is the only one in...
Making Your Own Way: September Web Series and VOD Picks
“Ladies Room” Too often, stories about women fall into the same tired tropes: the search for a husband, children, and “having it all.” This month’s picks for web series and VOD highlight...
Sarah Ruhl to Receive Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award
Playwright Sarah Ruhl has been named the recipient of this year’s Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award, The New York Times reports. The prize, which “celebrates career excellence in American...
How Ryan Murphy is Fighting Ageism in Hollywood
Ryan Murphy is on a quest. Not only is he helping make the director’s chair more inclusive, he’s also making strides to challenge ageism in Hollywood. Earlier this year, Murphy launched Half, a...
Vivica A. Fox Makes History, Will Play U.S. President in Sci-Fi Film
Vivica A. Fox is stepping into the Oval Office. The “Empire” actress will play the President of the United States in “Crossbreed,” a science fiction film from Jaguar Motion Pictures. The...
Amy Schumer is the First Woman to Make Highest-Paid Comedians List
Amy Schumer is the highest paid female comedian, and the first woman ever to land on Forbes’ list of the top earners in comedy. According to Forbes’ latest rankings, Schumer is the world’s...
“The Daily Show’s” Jessica Williams Takes on First Starring Role
Former “Daily Show” correspondent Jessica Williams has landed her first starring role. She’ll re-team with director Jim Strouse for an untitled feature film, taking on a role that was written...
Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson Team Up for Comedy About a Late-Night Host
Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson are joining forces. The actresses have signed on to star in an untitled movie centered on a late night talk show host, Variety reports. Kaling penned the script and...
Viola Davis Takes the Lead in Gillian Flynn Heist Thriller
Viola Davis is set to star in the heist thriller “Widows,” Variety reports. The script will be written by “Gone Girl” screenwriter and novelist Gillian Flynn along with Steve McQueen (“12...
“Guardians of the Galaxy” Writer Nicole Perlman Signs on to Amazon’s “True Skin”
Nicole Perlman has landed another major gig. The “Guardians of the Galaxy” co-writer will pen “True Skin,” a new sci-fi drama series from Amazon Studios. The project originated as a short...
Jordan Chooses Mai Masri’s “3000 Nights” as its Oscar Pick
The film “3000 Nights” has been selected as Jordan’s candidate for the foreign-language category at the 2017 Oscars, The Hollywood Reporter writes. The drama marks documentarian Mai Masri’s...
Jodie Foster to Receive Britannia Award for Excellence in Film
Jodie Foster is set to be honored with the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film at this year’s Britannia Awards, USA Today reports. The actress and director will be awarded with...
Pam Grier and Jessye Norman to Receive W.E.B. DuBois Award
Actress Pam Grier and opera soprano Jessye Norman will be among the recipients of Harvard University’s 2016 W.E.B. Du Bois medals. Named for the civil rights activist, historian, and sociologist,...
Amandla Stenberg to Star in Jennifer Yuh Nelson’s Live-Action Directorial Debut
“Hunger Games” actress Amandla Stenberg’s star continues to rise. Stenberg has snagged the lead role in “Darkest Minds,” Fox’s adaptation of Alexandra Bracken’s dystopian YA trilogy,...
Trailer Watch: “The Crown” Feels Like It Could Take Place Today
“We have a new sovereign. Young…and a woman!” exclaims a voice in the new trailer for Netflix’s “The Crown.” The series begins in 1952 just as Queen Elizabeth II is taking the throne,...
Actors Can Now Request to Have Their Ages Removed from IMDb
We all know that ageism is an issue in Hollywood. In an effort to combat age discrimination, actors now have the ability to take action if they want their ages removed from IMDb,...
Script Based on Female Soldier in Revolutionary War Acquired by Amy Pascal
A spec script based on the true story of a female solider who fought in the Revolutionary War just scored a major deal. Amy Pascal’s Pascal Pictures has acquired Christopher Cosmos’ “American...