News
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Acquires Rebecca Johnson’s Debut “Honeytrap”
Ava DuVernay’s distribution company ARRAY has a new acquisition from across the pond. “Honeytrap” marks the feature debut of Brit writer-director Rebecca Johnson. The film was critically...
Reese Witherspoon in Talks to Star in Hallie Meyers-Shyer’s “Home Again”
Reese Witherspoon: Peter Souza/ Wikimedia Commons Reese Witherspoon is in talks to star in a new woman-directed feature. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Oscar winner may take the lead in...
Exhibition Celebrating Australian Feminist Films to Open in Sydney
A new exhibition celebrating Australian feminist cinema of the ’90s is set to open at the University of Sydney. The FemFlix exhibition at the University’s Visual Arts faculty, the Sydney College...
Natalie Portman and Marta Kauffman Team Up for HBO Miniseries
Natalie Portman has signed on for her first major TV role. The Oscar winner is teaming up with “Friends” co-creator Marta Kauffman for a miniseries at HBO. Deadline reports that Portman will...
Kyra Sedgwick Takes the Lead in ABC’s “Ten Days in the Valley”
2017 is shaping up to be a big year for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” actress Kyra Sedgwick. Not only will her directorial debut “Story of a Girl” debut on Lifetime after making the rounds of the...
Apply for the Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award for Composers
The Ziegfeld Club, one of the first not-for-profit organizations in the Broadway community, has announced the second Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award for female composers. Named in honor of late actress...
Lily Tomlin Wins SAG Life Achievement Award
Lily Tomlin is adding another honor to her esteemed career. The actress has been named the 53rd recipient of the SAG Life Achievement Award, which recognizes those who embody the “finest ideals of...
Creative England Announces Initiatives Aimed at Emerging Producers
Welcome news for up-and-coming producers based in England and Scotland: the UK’s creative industries agency, Creative England, has launched two new initiatives aimed at helping you kick-start...
The Team Behind “Gossip Girl” and “The O.C.” To Write YA Murder Mystery Film for Netflix
The team behind “Gossip Girl” and “The O.C.” have signed on to another teen-centric project. Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz will pen an adaptation of “13 Minutes,” a British YA novel...
“Ghostbusters” and the Specter of Double Standards
“Ghostbusters” It seems as though the positive critical consensus is not enough to bust the ghosts haunting Paul Feig’s “Ghostbusters.” The latest haunting is the specter of double...
“Girl on the Train” Writer Erin Cressida Wilson to Pen Adaptation of “Eileen”
Erin Cressida Wilson continues her hot streak. The in-demand screenwriter has been tapped to adapt “Eileen,” Ottessa Moshfegh’s award-winning debut novel, for Fox Searchlight and producer...
Cheryl Boone Isaacs Re-Elected For Fourth Term As Academy President
Current President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), Cheryl Boone Isaacs, has been re-elected for a fourth term in office. Boone Isaacs became the first woman of color to...
Ava Duvernay Will Be First African American Woman to Helm $100 Million Film
Yesterday a list of CA tax credits was announced. On that list was Disney’s Ava Duvernay-helmed film “A Wrinkle in Time.” Why that is of note is that this marks the first time CA tax...
Kaori Momoi’s “火 Hee” to Open 14th Vladivostok International Film Festival
To call Kaori Momoi accomplished would be an understatement. Both an icon of Japanese cinema and, at times, one of its most influential critics, she has appeared in some 60 films spanning a 35-year...
“Pussy Valley,” “Dirty Girls Social Club,” and “Teresa” Being Developed By Starz
Starz has a number of female-fronted projects in development. The network behind “Outlander” is working on “Pussy Valley,” an hour-long drama centered on five pole dancers in Mississippi;...
Teaser Watch: Issa Rae Hits the Town and Gets Rejected in “Insecure”
HBO has unveiled a teaser trailer for “Insecure,” the premium cable network’s eagerly awaited new half-hour comedy series from Issa Rae. The “Awkward Black Girl” YouTube breakout created...
Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen to Star in Stalker Comedy
Another day in Hollywood, and yet another novice male director gets trusted to bring the latest star vehicle to the screen. Screenwriter Matt Spicer is set to make his feature-length directorial...
Trailer Watch: Cannes Hit “The Handmaiden” is a Sexy and Stylish Revenge Thriller
A trailer has arrived for “The Handmaiden,” a stylish new revenge thriller from Korean director Park Chan-wook (“Stoker,” “Oldboy”). While the film is based on Sarah Waters’ 2002 crime...
Rose McGowan and SeriesFest Launch Script Competition For Women-Centric Content
Rose McGowan wants to see more episodic content “about, for, and featuring women.” That’s why the actress and director’s production company, Damage Inc. Productions, has teamed up with...
“Queen Sugar” Gets Early Season 2 Renewal
This September, OWN will debut the series premiere of “Queen Sugar,” a new family drama created by Oprah Winfrey and “Selma” director Ava DuVernay. Yesterday OWN announced that it has...
Katie Couric to Investigate the “Gender Revolution” in New Documentary
“Everything you wanted to know about gender but were afraid to ask.” That’s how Katie Couric is describing her latest documentary project, which was announced by National Geographic Channel...
Women Film Journalists Celebrate “Wonder Women,” Cinema’s Best Female Characters
“Wonder Woman” doesn’t hit theaters until next summer, but if you’re on the hunt for films that feature complex, inspiring female characters, look no further: the Alliance of Women Film...
Nahnatchka Khan Lands Her Own Production Deal at 20th Century Fox TV
“Fresh Off the Boat” creator Nahnatchka Khan has secured her own production deal at 20th Century Fox TV, Variety reports. The multiyear deal will see Khan creating, writing, developing, and...
Trailer Watch: Nicole Byer Finds Her Voice as a Comedian in “Loosely Exactly Nicole”
A hilarious trailer has been released for “Loosely Exactly Nicole,” a new MTV comedy starring actress and comedian Nicole Byer (“Girl Code”). The clip kicks off with Byer, who is playing a...
August 2016 Film Preview
“A Tale of Love and Darkness” by Rachel Montpelier and Kate Gardner Whether they are opening up about something personal, sharing a beloved fairy tale, or constructing an elaborate charade, the...
Trailer Watch: Léa Seydoux’s “Beauty and the Beast” Goes Back to French Roots
French actress Léa Seydoux wowed American audiences with her emotional performance in the Cannes-winning film “Blue is the Warmest Color.” Disney’s live action remake of “Beauty and the...
Sandra Oh, Emma Donoghue, and More Canadian Women to be Honored at TIFF
Twelve Canadian female directors, screenwriters, and actors making their mark in cinema will be celebrated at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Telefilm Canada, a federal cultural...
Tribeca Film Institute Announces Grant Recipients for Doc Fund and AOL Award
Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) has announced the 2016 recipients of the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund and its subsection, the AOL Charitable Foundation Award. Seven projects have been chosen to...
Trailer Watch: Get Olympic Fever with “Kerri Walsh Jennings: Gold Within”
The 2016 Summer Olympic Games kick off in Rio on August 5 and beach volleyball player Kerry Walsh Jennings will be competing for the fourth time. In anticipation of Walsh Jennings attempting to win...
Matt Damon Learns His Lesson and Takes Initiative to Increase Diversity
After causing a disastrous diversity scandal on the most recent iteration of his reality show “Project Greenlight,” it seems like Matt Damon has learned his lesson and is taking steps to address...
Anna Faris to Write a Memoir
“Mom” star Anna Faris is set to release a memoir titled “Unqualified,” which will take inspiration from the actress’ cheekily titled podcast “Anna Faris Is Unqualified,” where...
“Beaches” Remake Starring Idina Menzel Coming to Lifetime
Broadway powerhouse and star of Disney’s “Frozen” Idina Menzel has signed on to headline a Lifetime TV movie, a contemporary remake of the 1988 Gary Marshall-directed movie “Beaches,”...
Sian Heder Reveals What Inspired Her New Kidnapping Drama “Tallulah”
Sian Heder writes and produces on “Orange is the New Black,” for which she has received multiple WGA nominations. Her first short film, “Mother,” won top honors at the Cannes Film Festival,...
New Mermaid Drama Headed to Freeform
Rebecca Thomas’ live-action version of “The Little Mermaid” starring Chloë Grace Moretz is currently in pre-production, but it looks like we’ll soon be seeing mer-folk on-screen in another...
Netflix Renews “Chelsea” and “Lady Dynamite” for Second Seasons
Netflix has renewed two of our favorite funny women. As Deadline reports from the TCA’s, Chelsea Handler’s talk show “Chelsea” and Maria Bamford’s comedy “Lady Dynamite” have both been...
Annette Bening at Center Stage of New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival, which takes place from September 30-October 16 this fall, has just announced that “20th Century Women” starring Annette Bening will be the Centerpiece...
Trailer Watch: Meg Ryan Reteams with Tom Hanks for Her Directorial Debut “Ithaca”
Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are reuniting on the big-screen, but what makes the collaboration especially exciting is the fact that they are joining forces for Ryan’s directorial debut, “Ithaca.” A...
Sequel to Disney’s “The Rocketeer” Will Feature a Black Female Protagonist
Fire up your proton packs, ladies…uh, we mean rocket packs! Following in the footsteps of the all-female “Ghostbusters,” another hero is being re-imagined as a woman. A sequel-reboot of...
“Into the Forest” Writer-Director Patricia Rozema on Her Sister-Centric Survival Story
Interview by Freja Dam Patricia Rozema’s first feature, “I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing,” won the Prix de la Jeunesse and was runner-up for the Camera d’Or at the 1987 Cannes Film...
Trailer Watch: “Queen of Katwe” TV Spot Makes Chess Exciting
A fun new TV spot for Mira Nair’s “Queen of Katwe” has hit the web, and it shows that while chess is often thought of as a high-brow pursuit, it can also be fun, competitive, and...
Trailer Watch: “Gilmore Girls” Returns Bringing Gossip and Pop Tarts
“Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life” “Gilmore Girls,” the much-beloved series telling the story of a mother-daughter duo in quaint Stars Hollow, Connecticut, is coming back and has a new...
Director Ry Russo-Young’s “Before I Fall” Gets Spring 2017 Release Date
The Zoey Deutch’s starrer “Before I Fall” has been given a release date, Variety reports. Open Road Films will premiere the film on April 7, 2017. The movie, directed by Ry Russo-Young and...
“Winter’s Bone” Helmer Debra Granik to Write and Direct New Adventure Drama
Debra Granik, best known for her 2010 indie sensation “Winter’s Bone,” is set to co-write and direct a new adventure drama. The Tracking Board reports that Granik is working on an adaptation...
Australian Government Agency Will No Longer Fund All-Male Productions
Australian state agency Screen New South Wales has announced that all TV drama series must now include women in key creative roles in order to receive financing. It’s a huge step towards gender...
The Top Five Highest Grossing Indie Movies of 2016 Are Women-Centric
It’s a good year for female characters in indie movies. Out of the top ten highest grossing indie films of 2016 so far, according to Indiewire’s list, the top five feature women as...
A Record Number of Women Directors in Consideration for British Doc Awards
With 52 women on the Grierson shortlist, a record number of women are now in consideration for this year’s British Documentary Awards. As the BBC reports, Lorraine Heggessey, the trust’s chair,...
Oprah Winfrey Joining Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time”
Oprah Winfrey is joining the cast of Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” Variety has reported. The media mogul is in final negotiations to appear in the Disney adaptation of Madeleine...
“Hamilton’s” Renée Elise Goldsberry to Play Title Role in HBO’s “The Immortal Life of Henrietta…
“Hamilton’s” Renée Elise Goldsberry to Play Title Role in HBO’s “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” “Hamilton” star and Tony winner Renée Elise Goldsberry has been cast as the...
Venice Days Lineup Highlights Female Directors
Venice Days, The Venice Film Festival’s independent arm modeled on Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, has unveiled their lineup for the 13th fest, which runs from August 31-September 10...
Alicia Silverstone Heads to TV for a New Comedy
“Clueless” actress Alicia Silverstone is heading to TV. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Silverstone will star in the TV Land pilot “American Woman,” a comedy inspired by the childhood...
“Fresh Off the Boat” Creator Nahnatchka Khan Sells “Hair Wars” Script to Fox 2000
“Fresh off the Boat” creator and showrunner Nahnatchka Khan just sold a script to Fox 2000. The studio has landed the rights to “Hair Wars” after an intense bidding war, The Hollywood...