News
BAMcinématek Launches 18-Film “Witches’ Brew” Program
The Brooklyn Academy of Music will devote its late February programming to exploring cinema’s witches. The 18-film "Witches’ Brew" series will span decades, genres and...
HBO to Air 17 Docs in Spring 2016; Subjects Include Nora Ephron, Mavis Staples, Gloria Vanderbilt
Writer Nora Ephron, filmmaker Laurie Anderson, singer Mavis Staples, heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, Cuban LGBT activist Mariela Castro (Fidel’s niece) and a 18-year-old Pakistani woman...
Ingrid Escajeda to Write, Exec Produce New Drama About Korean-American Celebrity Chef
Ingrid Escajeda is on board to write and executive produce "On the Line," a one-hour drama in development at Fox inspired by chef Sang Yoon, best known as the chef and proprietor...
Emma Watson Launches Feminist Book Club, See Our Reading Recommendations
Emma Watson has chosen the first selection for her newly launched feminist book club, "Our Shared Shelf." The book club will see the "Noah" star — and fellow readers —...
Trailer Watch: Michelle Dockery Leaves ‘Downton Abbey,’ Joins Sexy Thriller ‘Good Behavior’
Bye bye Lady Mary, hello hard-drinking, ex-con Letty Dobesh. TNT has released a preview for "Good Behavior," Michelle Dockery’s follow-up project to "Downton Abbey."...
HBO’s Anita Hill Film ‘Confirmation’ Starring Kerry Washington to Debut in April
Kerry Washington will show us a very different side of D.C. in "Confirmation," her upcoming Anita Hill biopic. Written by Susannah Grant ("Erin Brockovich,"...
Trailer Watch: In Netflix’s Six-Decades-Spanning ‘The Crown,’ Being Queen Isn’t As Easy As It Looks
Netflix is betting big on Britannia. The streaming site has launched a four-minute trailer for its most expensive production to date, a six-season series about Queen Elizabeth II that spans the...
Jane Fonda Hosting Comedy Event to Support ERA
The Fund for Women’s Equality and the ERA Coalition are teaming up to host the inaugural "A Night of Comedy With Jane Fonda" event on Sunday, February 7 in New York City. Fonda...
Emma Stone in Talks to Star in Cruella de Vil Origin Story
If there’s anyone who can humanize a famous puppy-killer, it’s probably Emma Stone. So it makes a kind of sense that the actress is in talks to star in "Cruella," an...
‘Inside Amy Schumer,’ ‘Broad City,’ ‘Being Mary Jane’ and More Women-Centric Shows Renewed
Breathe a sigh of relief: lots of your favorite women-centric shows are coming back. Comedy Central has renewed "Inside Amy Schumer" for a fifth season, a seriously no-brainer...
Trailer Watch: Toni Braxton Sells Pain, Not Sex in Lifetime’s ‘Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart’
Toni Braxton is getting the biopic treatment. The singer, songwriter and music producer is the subject of Lifetime’s upcoming TV movie "Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart," for which an...
Disney Announces Five Female-Centric Pics for 2016, Only One Directed By Woman
Disney currently has 13 films scheduled for a 2016 release, and at least five of them will feature a female protagonist: "Zootopia," "Alice Through the Looking Glass,"...
Netflix Orders Therapist Thriller ‘Gypsy’ From Creator Lisa Rubin
Netflix has ordered a 10-episode debut season of creator Lisa Rubin’s "Gypsy." Premiering in 2017, the psychological thriller will center on "Jean Holloway, a therapist who...
Jennifer Lawrence on Planned Parenthood Shooting: “It’s an Attack on Women”
With her career-shifting Lenny letter about equal pay, Jennifer Lawrence announced that she’d become one of the biggest feminist voices in Hollywood. The actress has followed...
Can Caitlyn Jenner Help ‘Tangerine’ Star Mya Taylor Get an Oscar Nom?
"Tangerine" star Mya Taylor has a new fan — one who could potentially improve her odds of landing an Academy Award nomination. Caitlyn Jenner has come aboard the trans...
‘Force Awakens’ Merch Continues Sci-Fi/Superhero Franchises’ Pattern of Erasing Female Characters
The feminist force is strong with the latest "Star Wars" movie, which introduced the 38-year-old franchise’s first female protagonist in orphaned scavenger Rey, played by dynamo...
Tessa Thompson May Join Natalie Portman and Gina Rodriguez in Sci-Fi ‘Annihilation’
Tessa Thompson ("Creed," "Dear White People") has reportedly been approached to join Natalie Portman and Gina Rodriguez ("Jane the Virgin") in...
Watch: A Celebration of the Top-Grossing Women-Directed Films of 2015
Women and Hollywood is proud to unveil an original video celebrating the work of 2015’s highest-grossing women directors. The video captures some of the year’s most memorable moments in...
Julie Delpy’s Romantic Comedy ‘Lolo’ to Be Released By FilmRise
Julie Delpy’s sixth feature will be distributed by FilmRise. The romantic comedy "Lolo" — which Delpy wrote, directed and stars in — will open March 11. The film...
A Thank You From the Women and Hollywood Team
Dear Women and Hollywood readers, Thank you for all your support in 2015. Happy holidays, and have a wonderful new year. We’ll be back on January 4, 2016. – Melissa, Inkoo,...
Charlize Theron and David Fincher Developing Serial Killer-Catching Drama for Netflix
Charlize Theron will team up with David Fincher on a new crime series called "Mindhunter" for Netflix. Based on the book "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial...
Reese Witherspoon Continues to Push into TV With ABC Divorce Drama
With the pace of filmmaking so slow, it’s no wonder that Reese Witherspoon, a self-described "Type A," is moving into the faster world of television. Witherspoon and her...
Hey Netflix, Where’s ‘Jessica Jones’s’ Season 2 Renewal?
"Marvel’s Jessica Jones" has appeared on numerous best-of-TV lists (including ours) and is being pirated like crazy, according to a new podcast interview with showrunner Melissa...
Charlotte Rampling to Receive Eight-Film Retrospective at NYC’s IFC Center
Charlotte Rampling, whose transfixing performance in the marriage drama “45 Years” has made her a staple in the best-actress conversations this awards season, is about to show the film world...
Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Masculinity Comedy ‘Chevalier’ to Be Released by Strand
Athina Rachel Tsangari’s latest film, "Chevalier," will be released in the U.S. next spring. That announcement comes from Strand Releasing, the masculinity comedy’s...
Amazon Orders Three New Female-Centric Shows
Amazon has ordered to series a trio of shows about women: a semi-autobiographical dark comedy starring comedian Tig Notaro, a Zelda Fitzgerald bio-series with Christina Ricci in the lead and a...
Eurimages Launches Woman Director Prize
Eurimages is introducing a new award to recognize superlative female filmmakers. Valued at 30,000 euros (over $32,000), the prize will launch at an upcoming film festival yet to be announced. The...
Two New Nicole Byer Comedies Coming to MTV
MTV is ordering a double dose of Nicole Byer: the network has greenlit an untitled scripted series starring the actress, as well as a hidden-camera prank show called “Ladylike” that she’ll...
Scarlett Johansson in Talks to Star in Black List Comedy Penned by ‘Broad City’ Writers
After proving she can do drama (“Lost in Translation”), sci-fi (“Under the Skin”), action (“Lucy”) and steal a movie with just her voice (“Her”), Scarlett Johansson is setting out to...
‘The Hunting Ground’ to Receive PGA’s Social Issues Award
“The Hunting Ground,” Kirby Dick’s harrowing exposé of campus sexual assault and rousing portrait of a group of young women battling rape-accepting university administrations across the...
Trailer Watch: Tina Fey Wants to Blow Things Up in War-Journalism Comedy ‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’
Only 3 Women Composers Among 112 Original Scores in 2016 Oscar Race
Of the 112 original scores eligible for an Oscar this award season, only three, or 2.7%, were composed or co-composed by women. Those three female composers are Miriam Cutler for the campus-rape...
Trailer Watch: Po Reunites with His Long-Lost Father in Jennifer Yuh’s ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’
The world’s clumsiest kung fu master is back. “Kung Fu Panda 3,” co-directed by Jennifer Yuh, is almost here, and a new trailer has been released in anticipation of the animated flick’s...
Rebecca Thomas in Talks to Helm Live-Action ‘Little Mermaid’ Movie Starring Chloe Grace Moretz
Rebecca Thomas (“Electrick Children”) is in early talks to direct the upcoming live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid,” starring Chloe Grace Moretz (“If I Stay,” “The Clouds of...
Kartemquin Films’ Diverse Voices in Docs Program Now Accepting Applications
Kartemquin Films, the award-winning non-profit documentary production collective behind “Life Itself” and “Hoop Dreams,” is now accepting applications for their 2016 Diverse Voices in Docs...
The 10 Best Feminist TV Shows of 2015
Guest Post: “Waking The Feminists” Starts A Revolution In Ireland
Next year will mark the centenary of the 1916 Rising, when Ireland fought for and won its independence. 2016 will thus be a momentous year to celebrate and reflect on our past and our future. Front...
Former ‘Veep’ Producer Stephanie Laing Launches Online Network for Women-Driven Comedy
Former “Veep” producer and director Stephanie Laing is building a new forum for female-centric comedy. The online network PYPO will debut on January 4, 2016, with sketches, animation,...
Seeking Our Story: An Animated Life: Director Vicky Jenson
Vicky Jenson was bornin Los Angeles to a highly talented family that was led by her mother Ana, animmigrant from Costa Rica who encouraged her children to explore the arts. Vicky’s sister became a...
Nancy Meyers Named Filmmaker of the Year by American Cinema Editors
The American Cinema Editors board has named Nancy Meyers the recipient of its ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award. Steve Martin, who has starred in a number of films written and directed by...
Mira Nair to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at 2016 Athena Film Festival
Director Mira Nair will receive the 2016 Laura Ziskin Lifetime Achievement Award at the sixth annual Athena Film Festival next year. The cast and crew of “Suffragette” will be recognized with...
The Most Epic Feminist Moments of 2015
2015 marked a gender quake in the film and TV worlds. The conversation surrounding women in Hollywood — both those working onscreen and behind the scenes — is in a very different place...
Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton Comedy ‘Divanation’ Acquired by Netflix
Netflix’s star wattage continues to impress. The streaming service has acquired “Divanation,” a comedy that will star three of Hollywood’s funniest leading ladies : Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn...
Two Female-Centric, Women-Directed Features Receive Most Goya Nominations This Year
A pair of films by and about women dominate this year’s Goya nominations. Also known as Spain’s Oscars, the Goyas have recognized Paula Ortiz’s Lorca adaptation “The Bride” with the most...
20% of 2015 Black List Scripts Written by Women
The 2015 Black List was released yesterday. In total, 16 of the 81 scripts featured, or 20%, are written or co-written by women. The selection process is highly competitive, and the scripts that...
Margaret Cho to Star in Amazon Comedy About a Dysfunctional Family With a Pot Business
Twenty freaking years after her last show went off the air, Margaret Cho finally has another one on the way. The Korean-American comedian will star in Amazon’s “Highland,” an hour-long...
Sam Taylor-Johnson in Talks to Helm Black List Script ‘Chappaquiddick’ About Ted Kennedy
“Fifty Shades of Grey” director Sam Taylor-Johnson appears close to booking her next project. Taylor-Johnson will be ditching Christian Grey’s red room in favor of Martha’s Vineyard with...
Guest Post: Closing the Confidence Gap One Female Hero at a Time
Last year, while working on the edit of my film “Bleeding Heart,” I heard the phrase “the confidence gap” for the first time. The confidence gap seemingly explains why women haven’t broken...
Kathryn Bigelow Developing HBO Drama About Jihadi Recruitment in the U.S.
Kathryn Bigelow has finally announced a substantial project since “Zero Dark Thirty.” The first female filmmaker to win an Oscar for Best Director is currently developing a drama for HBO....
Tony-Winning Broadway Musical ‘Fun Home’ Recoups
“Fun Home,” the Broadway musical based on Alison Bechdel’s bestselling and beloved graphic memoir, has recouped the $5.25 million investment behind the production. Earlier this year, the...
The 12 Best Films About Girls and Women of 2015
2015 has been a remarkable year for female-led films. The Women and Hollywood team struggled to compile this list because there were just so many worthy candidates this year — a problem we’re...