News
Trailer Watch: Claire Rewrites History in ‘Outlander’ Season 2
The hotly anticipated second season of Starz’s “Outlander” has a premiere date and a trailer. The time-traveling Claire (Catriona Belle) has quite the burden to bear: she knows too much....
Women Directors Missing From This Year’s Pilot Season
The new TV pilot season brings some good but mostly bad news for women directors. First, the good news: Leslye Headland (“Sleeping With Other People,” “Bachelorette”) and Jennifer Getzinger...
Trailer Watch: Kerry Washington Won’t Keep Silent in Anita Hill HBO Film ‘Confirmation’
“During the fall of 1982, Judge Thomas began to use work situations to discuss sex,” states Anita Hill (Kerry Washington) in a newly released trailer for HBO’s upcoming “Confirmation,” set...
Trailer Watch: A Teacher Works with MI6 in Susanna White’s Spy Thriller ‘Our Kind of Traitor’
A trailer has arrived for British helmer Susanna White’s upcoming “Our Kind of Traitor.” The spot for the spy thriller comes hot off the news that Jessica Chastain will star in White’s next...
Trailer Watch: Tina Fey is In Over Her Head In a War Zone In ‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’
The second trailer for “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” begins with reporter Kim Barker (Tina Fey) declaring, “Everyone needs to shake up their life now and then.” Few would contest Kim’s words of...
Meryl Streep Backs Writers Lab for Women Screenwriters Over 40
Meryl Streep is once again putting her money where her mouth is and supporting women in the film industry. The “Ricki and the Flash” star has signed on for the second time to fund The Writers...
Full Frame to Honor Director/Cinematographer Kirsten Johnson With Award, Retrospective
Filmmaker Kirsten Johnson will be feted at the 2016 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Johnson will receive this year’s Tribute Award and have her 27-year career behind the camera showcased in...
Bring Your Kids to Work Week: Submissions Now Open for a Kid-Friendly Residency for Writers
SPACE on Ryder Farm and The Lilly Awards Foundation have announced year two of their Family Residency Program. What distinguishes this program from so many others is that it’s kid-friendly. As...
Trailer Watch: Tension and Dread Are the Main Courses in Karyn Kusama’s ‘The Invitation’
A man (Logan Marshall-Green) fears that his estranged ex-wife and her new husband have invited him to their home for suspicious reasons in Karyn Kusama’s “The Invitation.” The newly released...
Berlinale 2016 Women Directors: Meet Livia Ungur — ‘Hotel Dallas’
Livia Ungur was born in Communist Romania. She immigrated to America to study art, graduating from the Yale School of Art in 2015. She make films, sculptures, installations and performances. Since...
Apply to Get Your Web Series Made With the Support of Issa Rae and Project Greenlight Digital
Issa Rae and Project Greenlight Digital Studios are partnering up to showcase the visions of underrepresented writers. The New Normal Writing Contest is now accepting pitches for an anthologyweb...
Candice Bergen to Return to TV in ABC’s Cancer Comedy ‘Pearl’
Candice Bergen is the latest ’90s TV icon making a comeback. The “Murphy Brown” star will play the titular character in the ABC comedy “Pearl,” about a matriarch who decides to take...
Producer Reveals the Incredibly Terrible Ways Screenwriters See Female Characters — And Women
Producer Ross Putnam has created a new Twitter account that reveals the myriad ways Hollywood screenwriters devalue female characters and, by extension, women. The mastermind behind...
Trailer Watch: Reproductive Rights Are Under Attack in Sundance-Winning Abortion Doc ‘Trapped’
“Women are going to have abortions — it’s just that they’re not going to be safe and legal.” So begins the terrifying trailer for Dawn Porter’s timely new documentary “Trapped.”...
Taraji P. Henson to Play History-Making Math Genius in New Film ‘Hidden Figures’
After winning a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the irrepressible Cookie on Fox’s “Empire,” Taraji P. Henson has booked a new gig that will see her playing another fearless female. Henson...
Can Nikki Glaser Make Sexpert Comedy a Thing?
Back in the ’90s, “sex-positive” was a really big deal. Anka Radakovich held court over at Details magazine with her pioneering sexpert column; vibrators like “The Rabbit” made it into the...
‘The Killing’ Creator Veena Sud To Pen Remake of German Thriller ‘We Monsters’
Veena Sud is scripting Broad Green Pictures’ remake of German thriller “We Monsters.” The original film premiered at TIFF last year, and tells the blood-curdling story of a young girl who,...
Sofia Coppola to Direct Opera in Rome
Back in December Sofia Coppola made her musical directorial debut with the Netflix special “A Very Murray Christmas.” Now the Oscar winner is taking on another music-centric endeavor: directing...
Starz Plans Sequel to Philippa Gregory Historical Drama ‘The White Queen’
“The White Queen,” Starz’s Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated adaptation of the first in Philippa Gregory’s Cousins’ War book series, is getting a sequel. “The White Princess” is based on...
Charlotte Rampling To Star in Adaptation of Jane Austen’s Unfinished Novel ‘Sanditon’
Charlotte Rampling has booked a new gig. The British actress, who will be competing for the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in “45 Years” later this month, will star in “Sanditon.”...
Film Comment Adds Three New Online Columns By Female Film Critics
Some great news this week from Film Comment: Three columns by critics Farran Smith Nehme, Margaret Barton-Fumo and Violet Lucca have been added to the magazine’s online home. The new additions are...
‘Frozen’ Is Coming to Broadway
2013’s best onscreen love story — which won so many hearts it was that year’s highest-grossing movie worldwide — is headed to Broadway. A stage version of “Frozen” is expected to...
Anne Fontaine’s Sundance Drama About Pregnant Nuns Picked Up By Music Box Films
Music Box Films has acquired all U.S. rights for writer-director Anne Fontaine’s latest offering, “The Innocents.” The drama premiered at Sundance last month under the title “Agnus Dei.”...
Elena Ferrante’s ‘Neapolitan Novels’ Being Made Into TV Series
Good news for the many admirers of Italian author Elena Ferrante’s so-called ‘Neapolitan Novels.’ The four-part book series, which has recently become a hit with U.S. readers, is set to be...
Trailer Watch: A Mother Unlocks Her Mysterious Past in ‘Julieta’
“I’m going to tell you everything I wasn’t able to tell you,” writes the eponymous character of “Julieta” in a letter to Antia, her estranged daughter, in a new trailer for the...
Study: Number of Female Protagonists On Screen Improved in 2015 — But Not By Much
Today sees the release of the It’s A Man’s (Celluloid) World report for 2015, the annual study which examines the portrayal of female characters featured in the top 100 domestic grossing films of...
Maris Curran’s ‘Five Nights in Maine’ Starring Dianne Wiest Gets a Distribution Deal
Worldwide distribution rights for writer-director Maris Curran’s “Five Nights in Maine” have been acquired by FilmRise. The drama stars “Selma” breakout David Oyelowo as a young widower...
Ava DuVernay Circling Sci-Fi Starring Lupita Nyong’o and Jennifer Lee-Scripted ‘A Wrinkle in Time’
Ava DuVernay is in seriously high demand. The “Selma” director is reportedly currently being courted to direct not one but two high-profile features. Deadline reports that DuVernay is expected...
‘Mustang’ Wins Big at France’s Lumiere Awards
“Mustang” took home the top prizes at France’s Lumiere Awards, held Monday night in Paris. Deniz Gamze Erguven’s powerful coming-of-age story was named Best Picture and Best First Feature...
Crosspost: What Launching The Bechdel Test Fest Taught Me
The following has been reposted from The Huffington Post with permission of the author. Our version below includes minor edits. This February, The Bechdel Test Fest celebrates its first birthday....
Trailer Watch: Love Keeps the Darkness at Bay in Alison Eastwood’s ‘Battlecreek’
A trailer has been released for Alison Eastwood’s follow-up to 2007’s “Rails & Ties,” “Battlecreek.” Set in the small town of Battlecreek, the romantic drama is centered on Henry...
2016 WriteHer List Names Best Unproduced TV Pilots from Women Writers
WeForShe have published the 2016 WriteHer List. The women’s advocacy group inaugurated the small-screen equivalent to the Black List last year. The scripts are evaluated based on a variety of...
Fox Orders Female Cop Comedy from Writers Sherry Bilsing-Graham and Ellen Kreamer
Two single mothers who dream of fighting crime end up policing neighborhood code violations instead. “The Enforcers” certainly doesn’t sound like your average buddy cop show — and we have...
Maggie Greenwald’s Interracial Romance ‘Sophie and the Rising Sun’ Secures Representation
Writer-director Maggie Greenwald’s “Sophie and the Rising Sun” will be represented by Entertainment One’s Seville International. The sales agent acquired the exclusive rights to all regions...
Canadian Program Aims to Increase Number of Women Directors in TV
A new initiative launched by Women in View and the Directors Guild of Canada aims to double the number of women directing scripted TV in Canada. Their timeline is ambitious — the hope is to...
National Theatre Commits to Gender Equality
The National Theatre in London has set a target of achieving a 50/50 gender balance among its directors and living writers by 2021. The plans were revealed by the prominent British venue’s current...
‘Pitch Perfect’ Writer’s ‘#Girlboss’ Goes Straight to Series at Netflix
Netflix has ordered a comedy series based on Sophia Amoruso’s best-selling book “#Girlboss.” The streaming service went straight to series with “#Girlboss,” which suggests that they have a...
CBS Orders Military Family Pilot from Writer Becky Mode and Exec Producer Sarah Timberman
CBS has ordered a pilot centered on two influential families in a military community from former “Smash” writer Becky Mode. “Four Stars” is set in Tampa, Florida, where the high-ranking...
Watch: ‘Natural Woman’ Singer Carole King Revisits Her Breakthrough Album in New PBS Doc
Adele is currently lighting up the Billboard charts and setting records, but she’s far from the first songstress to dominate the airwaves. An upcoming episode of PBS’s “American Masters”...
Dawn Porter’s Abortion Doc ‘Trapped’ Gets Distribution Deal
Dawn Porter’s “Trapped” has landed a distribution deal. Trilogy Films, Big Mouth Productions, Cedar Creek Productions and Chicken & Egg Pictures have announced a partnership with Ro*Co...
Trailer Watch: A Single Mom Falls for a Provincial “Hick” in Julie Delpy’s ‘Lolo’
“How can you think I’d be interested in two hot 20-year-old blondes?” asks Violette’s new beau, Jean-René, when she finds him asleep between a pair of them in the trailer for Julie...
The Orchard Acquires Sundance Hit ‘Christine’ Starring Rebecca Hall
The Orchard has secured all North American rights to Antonio Campos’s “Christine.” The film, which stars Rebecca Hall in the titular role, is based on the story of television reporter Christine...
Paul Feig Named As the Recipient of the Inaugural Athena Leading Man Award at Athena Film Fest
Paul Feig has been named the recipient of the inaugural Athena Leading Man Award by the Athena Film Festival, an annual celebration of women and leadership. The “Ghostbusters” helmer is the first...
Samantha Bee Is Poised To Change The World of Late-Night TV with ‘Full Frontal’
When Jon Stewart announced he was stepping down from “The Daily Show,” many prospective successor names were thrown around — one of the most obvious being Samantha Bee, the show’s most...
Punk-Rock Horror and Women Who Just Rock: February 2016’s Crowdfunding Picks
This roundup of women-centric crowdfunding projects has a little something for every kind of movie fan. The horrors of motherhood, grief and repeating the mistakes of the past are explored in...
Trailer Watch: Agyness Deyn Is A Resilient Heroine in Epic Drama ‘Sunset Song’
A new U.S. trailer has been released for Brit auteur Terence Davies’s latest, “Sunset Song,” which puts young heroine Chris (Agyness Deyn, “Clash of the Titans”) front and center. The film...
Listen: Women & Hollywood Podcast #22: ‘What Happened, Miss Simone?’ Director Liz Garbus
Liz Garbus’s “What Happened, Miss Simone?” is the sole woman-helmed documentary in the running for this year’s Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards. The Netflix doc, which features...
Tina Fey’s Production Company Signs First-Look Deal with Universal
Tina Fey’s production company, Little Stranger, has made a first-look deal with Universal. The studio just released “Sisters,” Fey’s most recent film with long-time collaborator Amy Poehler....
Quote of the Day: America Ferrera Says “The Playing Field Isn’t Level and Equal”
America Ferrera is weighing in on Hollywood’s diversity problem(s), and not for the first time. The former “Ugly Betty” star’s bit with Eva Longoria at this year’s Golden Globes was easily...
Ava DuVernay’s Array Acquires Amanda Marsalis’s Romantic Drama ‘Echo Park’
Array — the film collective founded by director Ava DuVernay dedicated to the amplification of films by people of color and women — has announced indie film “Echo Park” as its...
Trailer Watch: Emilia Clarke Finds Unexpected Love in Thea Sharrock’s ‘Me Before You’
“Me Before You” sees Emilia Clarke switching gears from leading armies — and dragon sidekicks — in “Game of Thrones” to taking on the role of caregiver. Clarke plays Louisa, a...