News
Ellen Burstyn Having Trouble Getting Her Directorial Debut Off the Ground
Ellen Burstyn is in the midst of getting her first directing project off the ground, but is running into a few issues that she says epitomize how the industry has changed over the years. The...
Trailer Watch: Rural Indian Women Rebel in Leena Yadav’s “Parched”
A trailer has arrived for Indian writer-director Leena Yadav’s “Parched.” The award-winning drama made its World Premiere at TIFF last year. “Parched” centers on three women living in...
Trailer Watch: “Wiener-Dog” Brings Everyone Together
Dawn Wiener is back…sort of. “Welcome to the Dollhouse,” which starred Heather Matarazzo as a character named Dawn Wiener, won the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize in 1995, and...
HBO Confirms Fall Debuts for Sarah Jessica Parker’s “Divorce” and Issa Rae’s “Insecure”
HBO has confirmed fall debuts for some upcoming female-centric shows. Though specific premiere dates have not been released, the powerhouse network has revealed that the following shows will hit the...
Taraji P. Henson, Natalie Dormer, Lesli Linka Glatter, and More Win WIF LA Crystal + Lucy Awards
Women In Film, Los Angeles has announced the honorees for the 2016 Crystal + Lucy Awards, which include actresses Taraji P. Henson (“Empire”) and Natalie Dormer (“Game of Thrones”), as well...
Samantha Morton, Jessica Brown Findlay, Lesley Manville Set for Hulu’s “Harlots”
Samantha Morton (“The Last Panthers”), Jessica Brown Findlay (“Downton Abbey”), and Lesley Manville (“Maleficent”) are set to star in “Harlots,” a co-production between Hulu and ITV,...
Sheila Nevins to Be Honored at Sheffield Doc/Fest
Powerhouse exec Sheila Nevins will be honored at this year’s Sheffield Doc/Fest. Nevins is the president of HBO Documentary Films. She first joined the premium cable network in 1979 as Director of...
Women and Hollywood’s #WFW Partners With Women in Film and The Director List for #AskHerFilm
We are incredibly excited to announce that, starting next week, we will be joining forces with Women In Film and The Director List for our #WFW feature. We absolutely love what Women in Film and...
Tangerine Fellowship for Outstanding Female Screenwriter Now Accepting Applications
Stowe Story Labs and Tangerine Entertainment have announced that the application period for the second annual Tangerine Fellowship for an Outstanding Female Screenwriter is now open. The goal of the...
Barbara Kopple’s “Miss Sharon Jones!” Acquired By Starz Digital
Starz Digital has announced the acquisition of all North American distribution rights to Barbara Kopple’s “Miss Sharon Jones!” Kopple (“Harlan County U.S.A.”, “Shut Up & Sing”) is...
Danica McKellar Appears on PBS NOVA Series “The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers”
“The Wonder Years” star and expert mathematician Danica McKellar has joined PBS NOVA’s “The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers” for an episode of its fifth season. McKellar, though...
Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson” Acquired by Janus Films
Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson” has been acquired by Janus Films after a successful run on the festival circuit. The distributor picked up all North American rights to the documentary, which...
Correcting the Record on Wonder Woman Comment
Last week at the Cannes Film Festival on a Women in Motion panel, I said that Patty Jenkins, the director of the upcoming “Wonder Woman” film, is the first female director to have a $100 million...
Activism and the Abstract: Crowdfunding Picks
“Cave Small Cave Big” This month’s crowdfunding picks delve into the wondrous world of the childlike imagination, tackle intense topics like living with breast cancer, and consider women’s...
Quote of the Day: Kate Beckinsale Talks Pay Inequality in Hollywood
Kate Beckinsale recently sat down for an interview on “Larry King Now” to promote “Love & Marriage,” a period comedy in theaters now, and to tease the upcoming fifth installment of...
“Beauty and the Beast” Teaser Breaks “Star Wars” Record
The first teaser for Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast” is now a record breaker, besting the trailers of many films marketed to boys. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the teaser...
Why Sony Needs to Stop Freaking Out About the Trolls Attacking“Ghostbusters”
The New York Times published a piece yesterday detailing how Sony was excited that the “Ghostbusters” cast was going to be on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” this week to promote the film, which...
The Orchard Acquires Julia Hart’s Directorial Debut “Miss Stevens”
The Orchard has acquired all North American rights to Julia Hart’s (screenwriter, “The Keeping Room”) directorial debut, “Miss Stevens,” Variety has reported. The film stars Lily Rabe...
Whoopi Goldberg to Produce Transgender Model Series for Oxygen
Whoopi Goldberg will executive produce the new series “Strut” for Oxygen, Variety has reported. The show will follow transgender models who are breaking into the industry and trying to become...
Whitney Cummings Making Directorial Debut with “The Female Brain”
Comedian Whitney Cummings is going to be stepping behind the camera and making her directorial debut with the relationship comedy “The Female Brain.” Based on the book by Louann Brizendine, the...
“Pitch Perfect’s” Rebel Wilson To Star in Rom Com
Consummate sidekick Rebel Wilson is finally set to top-line a high-profile film. Variety is reporting that the “Pitch Perfect” franchise breakout will star in an as-yet untitled romantic comedy...
Fans Want Gillian Anderson As the Next James Bond
Anderson. Gillian Anderson. That’s who Twitter wants to be the next James Bond. In light of the news that Daniel Craig, who’s starred in the last three Bond films, is done with the franchise,...
Hedgebrook Screenwriters Lab Now Accepting Applications
Get your applications ready, women screenwriters! The application period for Hedgebrook’s 2nd annual Screenwriters Lab is now open. Hedgebrook’s Screenwriters Lab is one of multiple programs...
Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time” Will Feature Diverse Cast
Ava DuVernay, who directed 2014’s critically acclaimed “Selma,” is taking inclusivity in film into her own hands. According to NOLA.com, DuVernay is looking to diversify the cast of her...
Men Intentionally Sabotage Reviews Of Entertainment Aimed at Women
It didn’t come as a surprise that a particular subset of men online set out to sabotage the upcoming all-female “Ghostbusters” remake. But surely that kind of intentional, misogynist scheme...
Rebecca Miller Launches Production Company
“Maggie’s Plan” writer-director Rebecca Miller has founded a production company with Damon Cardasis, one of the romantic comedy’s producers, Deadline has reported. “Maggie’s Plan” is...
Teaser Watch: Emma Watson Enters a Magical World in “Beauty and the Beast”
Harry Potter alum Emma Watson is stepping into another enchanted world, and now we have a sneak peak into what to expect from her next blockbuster. A trailer has landed for the Watson-fronted...
Nia Vardalos to Adapt and Star in Cheryl Strayed’s “Tiny Beautiful Things”
Nia Vardalos will return to theater next season, starring in “Tiny Beautiful Things,” a play adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s book, said The Hollywood Reporter. The play will run from Nov. 15...
Laughing to Keep From Crying: May 2016’s VOD and Web Series Picks
“Bad Mother” Women are constantly taking risks to make their voices heard through alternative platforms. The web series and VOD picks this month demonstrate just how bold women media makers are,...
DGA Report: Women Directed 17% of TV in 2015–16 Season
Women and ethnic minorities are making advancements in the world of episodic directing — but a sneak peak of the Director’s Guild of America’s annual report concedes that the figures for...
Trailer Watch: Anna Gunn Demands “Equity”
Anna Gunn starred as Skyler White on the hit AMC series “Breaking Bad” for the show’s entire run and was on the receiving end of a lot of sexist criticism for the role. The barrage of death...
“Broadchurch’s” Phoebe Waller-Bridge to Write and Star in Amazon Comedy Series
“Broadchurch” co-stars Olivia Colman (“The Night Manager”) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge are reuniting: the actresses are teaming up for an Amazon Prime Video series written by Waller-Bridge....
Marielle Heller, Crystal Mozelle, and More Chosen for Sundance’s FilmTwo Initiative
“The Diary of a Teenage Girl” The Sundance Institute has announced an expansion of its artist development programs to include support for second-time feature filmmakers. The new FilmTwo...
“The Good Wife” Spinoff Confirmed with Christine Baranski and Cush Jumbo
Good news for fans of “The Good Wife” who weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to the long-running legal drama when the series finale aired earlier this month. CBS has confirmed that a spinoff...
Oscilloscope Acquires Anna Biller’s “The Love Witch”
Oscilloscope Laboratories has announced the acquisition of worldwide rights to “The Love Witch,” the latest film written, produced, and directed by Anna Biller. The film’s official synopsis...
Kate Winslet’s Dark Comedy “The Dressmaker” Heading to Amazon
Jocelyn Moorhouse’s “The Dressmaker” has found an American home at Amazon Studios, reports Variety. The revenge comedy-drama stars Oscar-winner Kate Winslet as a sophisticated couturier who...
Chloë Sevigny Was Sexually Harassed During Auditions
It seems no woman is immune from sexual harassment, especially in the film industry. At the Cannes Film Festival this week, Chloë Sevigny, who is at the fest with a short film she directed called...
UK Female-Centric Film Finance Initiative Launched at Cannes
A new film finance initiative aimed directly at female-centric films has just been launched at the Cannes Film Festival. As ScreenDaily reported, Boudica, which is supported by Women in Film &...
Trailer Watch: McCarthy, Wiig, and Co. Go to War in “Ghostbusters”
A second trailer has dropped for Paul Feig’s eagerly-awaited reboot of “Ghostbusters,” starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon. As paranormal researcher Abby...
All Female “Taming of the Shrew” Coming to Shakespeare in the Park
An all-female Shakespeare production is coming to Shakespeare in the Park, and what’s a better choice for such an event than the Bard’s battle-of-the-sexes comedy “The Taming of...
Female Villain Scrapped From “Iron Man 3” Because of Stupid Toys
Consider this your daily dose of “Are you fucking kidding me?!” In an interview with Uproxx, “Iron Man 3” director Shane Black revealed a surprising truth about why Rebecca Hall’s...
Robin Wright Demanded Equal Pay for “House of Cards”
Robin Wright is a force to be reckoned with on “House of Cards” — and she’s a force to be reckoned with off-screen as well. While speaking at a Rockefeller Foundation event, Wright...
Courtney Love and Joey King to Star in Deborah Chow’s “The Possibility of Fireflies”
More Cannes news comes pouring in every day. It’s been announced that Courtney Love, lead singer of the band Hole and actress in “The People Vs. Larry Flint,” and Joey King (“Ramona and...
“Alien: Covenant” Will Include Two Female Directors
Ridley Scott’s upcoming “Alien: Covenant” will have an interesting addition to its credits: two female directors. According to Indiewire, it was announced by Screen Australia and the...
Amandla Stenberg to Star in New Amma Asante WWII-Set Film
“Hunger Games” vet Amandla Stenberg continues to add to her stacked resume. According to Variety, the teen will star in “Belle” helmer Amma Asante’s next feature, a romance set against the...
Sophie Hyde to Direct Adaptation of Cult Fave “Animals”
Australian director Sophie Hyde has announced her follow-up project to Sundance-winner “52 Tuesdays.” She’ll helm an adaptation of Emma Jane Unsworth’s 2014 novel “Animals,” a cult...
“The Great Gilly Hopkins” Gets a U.S. Release from Lionsgate
Those saddened by the recent news that CBS decided against picking up “Drew,” their Nancy Drew pilot, may be heartened to know that they’ll be able to catch an adaptation of another beloved...
Margot Robbie Will Star in Harley Quinn Spin-Off
Fans of DC comics and the character of Harley Quinn are anticipating whether or not actress Margot Robbie’s portrayal of the character in the upcoming film “Suicide Squad” will live up to...
We Do It Together Announces First Project with Robin Wright, Catherine Hardwicke, and Freida Pinto
We Do It Together has announced its first feature film, the aptly titled “Together Now.” The non-profit production company launched in February this year with the promise to finance and produce...
Nancy Drew Dropped from CBS for Being “Too Female” and More Pilot News
Next week’s “upfront” presentations in New York are where TV networks will hype their upcoming schedules to advertisers. As a result, a lot of big television decisions are being made. Many...
Cannes Deals: Helen Mirren, Ellen Page, Elisabeth Moss, and More
The Cannes Film Festival kicked off on May 11, and each day brings word of new projects and acquisitions. Cannes isn’t just a forum to screen prestigious films — it’s an industry hub where...