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DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Erika Frankel — ‘King Georges’
Erika Frankel most recently produced “The Home Team” (SXSW, AFI DOCS 2014), “Annie: It’s the Hard Knock Life” (PBS 2013) and “Frontrunners” (SXSW, Oscilloscope 2008; Sundance Channel...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Juliet Jordan — ‘Miriam: Home Delivery’
Juliet Jordan is a British documentary filmmaker, currently based in New York City. She graduated from The National Film and Television School, Beaconsfield, Britain. She won the Royal...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Nicole Groton — ‘The Melting Family’
Nicole Groton started her career as Creative Executive at Intuition Productions, where she developed and produced new projects and served as field producer. Groton has worked for the president at...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Hillevi Loven — ‘Deep Run’
Hillevi Loven is a filmmaker, producer and still photographer based in Brooklyn. She is making her feature-film-directing debut with “Deep Run.” In collaboration with NYU anthropologist Natasha...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Redfearn — ‘Tocando la Luz (Touch the Light)’
Jennifer Redfearn is an Academy Award-nominated director and producer. She directed and produced “Sun Come Up,” nominated for an Academy Award and the IDA’s Pare Lorentz Award. Redfearn has...
Women-Directed Films on More Screens in Theaters Than Ever Before This Weekend?
Women directors are taking over multiplex screens — or, at the very least, playing on many more of them than usual. There’s actually a good chance, in fact, that there are more theater...
That’s “General Leia” To You: ‘Star Wars’ Welcomes Back Carrie Fisher With a Kick-Ass Promotion
Die-hard fans were more than excited to hear that Carrie Fisher, well known for her portrayal of the kick-ass and quick-witted Leia Organa, will be back for the next installment of the “Star...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Meghan L. O’Hara — ‘The C Word’
As a producer, Meghan L. O’Hara’s credits include the award-winning features “Sicko,” “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Bowling For Columbine.” She began her career directing, writing and...
Stephenie Meyer Has New Series in the Works at Hulu, Annie Mumolo at HBO
Two women writers who have made a big mark in the film world are taking their talents to the small screen. “Bridesmaids” co-writer Annie Mumolo has a drama in development at HBO, while Stephenie...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Molly Bernstein — ‘An Art That Nature Makes: The Work of Rosamond Purcell’
Molly Bernstein was the director, producer and editor of “Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay,” about the great magician, actor and “scholar of the unusual.” She has...
Cast Your Vote for Amazon’s ‘Good Girls Revolt’
‘Song of Lahore’ Co-Directer Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on Pakistan’s Rich Music Scene and Culture
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the Oscar-winning co-director of 2012’s “Saving Face,” once again finds inspiration in her birth country, Pakistan, in “Song of Lahore.” This time around,...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Sharon Shattuck — ‘From This Day Forward’
Sharon Shattuck is a filmmaker and animator. She is the co-creator of the New York Times Op-Docs series “Animated Life,” which illustrates historical moments of scientific discovery using...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Darcy Dennett — ‘The Champions’
Darcy Dennett has worked in photography, film and television for nearly twenty years. “The Champions” is her first documentary. In 2013, Dennett produced a segment in Nigeria for Oprah...
Trailer Watch: ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’ Promises More Fun and Dysfunction
Audiences are finally invited to another big, fat Greek wedding — and we have a preview of what to expect at the fun-filled, boundary-crossing party. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” grossed...
Documenting Women’s Stories: November 2015’s Crowdfunding Picks
This month’s first crowdfunding picks focus on the strength of women in the powerful medium of documentary film. Unintentionally — yet joyously — our top crowdfunding projects this...
Trailer Watch: Jennifer Garner’s Prayers Are Answered in Patricia Riggen’s ‘Miracles from Heaven’
A trailer has arrived for Patricia Riggen’s upcoming Christian drama “Miracles from Heaven,” starring Jennifer Garner. Despite being told by doctors that there was no cure for her young...
Kim Longinotto on Her Long Career and the Role of (Lack of) Confidence in Her Filmmaking
For over thirty years, Kim Longinotto has made acclaimed documentaries that have won awards from BAFTA, the Sundance Film Festival and the San Francisco International Film Festival, among others....
DOC NYC 2015 Preview: Race-Car Drivers, Rock Gods and AIDS Activists
38% of the features screening at DOC NYC this year are directed or co-directed by women — 39 films of the 104 screening. The good and bad news is that there are simply too many films by female...
Systemic Change in Hollywood: So What Do We Do Now?
Earlierthis week, Reese Witherspoon spoke at the Glamour Women of the Year event, and in her fantastic, passionate, feminist speech, she talked about whyshe started Pacific Standard, her production...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Emily Abt — ‘Daddy Don’t Go’
Filmmaker Emily Abt was one of Variety Magazine’s “Top 10 Directors to Watch” and has produced and directed documentaries for PBS, OWN, MTV, Showtime and the Sundance Channel. Abt earned her...
‘Carol’ Screenwriter Phyllis Nagy to Adapt Melanie Raabe’s Murder Mystery ‘The Trap’
Playwright and “Carol” screenwriter Phyllis Nagy has lined up her next film project: an adaptation of Melanie Raabe’s “The Trap.” Raabe’s debut novel centers on a reclusive,...
Blythe Danner, Gabourey Sidibe, Patricia Clarkson Among Muse Awards Honorees
Actresses Blythe Danner, Gabourey Sidibe, Patricia Clarkson, BBC America exec Sarah Barnett and Marvel Studios EP Victoria Alonso have been named the 2015 recipients of NY Women in Film and...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos — ‘Making a Murderer’
Laura Ricciardi is a filmmaker with a special interest in social justice. She earned a JD from New York Law School and an MFA in film from Columbia University School of the Arts. Her thesis film was...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Sara Fishko — ‘The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith’
Sara Fishko makes her directorial debut with “The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith.” Fishko is an Emmy Award-winning film editor and public radio broadcaster/podcaster whose explorations...
Guest Post: South African Filmmaker Sara Blecher on Her Afro-Hipster Coming-of-Age Tale ‘Ayanda’
a I’ve always wanted to make feature films. I feel that makingdocumentaries and TV dramas was a valuable way of learning to do this, as was beinga mother. Some people do make features without...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet June Cross — ‘Wilhemina’s War’
June Cross is a writer and documentary producer who covers the intersection of poverty, race and politics in the United States. She has been a Professor of Journalism at Columbia University’s...
The Many, Many Reasons Behind the Exclusion of Women in TV’s Directing Ranks
In the 2014–2015 TV season, white women directed 13% of episodes and women of color directed 3%. Put another way, “Women are more than half of the American population, but they’re getting less...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Janelle Gueits — ’13 Million Voices’
Janelle Gueits is an artist, filmmaker and change-maker. Her career has spanned across artistic and social pursuits across the U.S. and worldwide as a feature film director, network television...
5 Takeaways From the ACLU’s Melissa Goodman on the Gender-Discrimination Investigation
Melissa Goodman, the director of the LGBTQ, Gender & Reproductive Justice Project at the ACLU of Southern California, recently spoke with Variety about the dearth of opportunities for women...
Fabienne Berthaud’s ‘Sky,’ Starring Diane Kruger, Acquired By IFC
French writer-director Fabienne Berthaud’s “Sky” has been acquired by IFC for North American distribution two months after the drama’s world premiere at TIFF. Diane Kruger (“The...
DOC NYC 2015 Women Directors: Meet Alex Hammond — ‘Lucha Mexico’
Alex Hammond has worked in film and TV in New York City for over ten years. Her feature debut, “Strange Things,” premiered at MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight Film Festival and was featured on...
Susan Sarandon to Exec-Produce Doc About Inventor and Actress Hedy Lamarr
Hedy Lamarr is getting the doc treatment from executive producer Susan Sarandon and director Alexandra Dean, and it’s no wonder given Lamarr’s legendary careers — yes, plural — as...
Rachel Weisz Legal Drama and Sarah Jessica Parker Rom-Com Get Releases
It feels like a while since we’ve seen either Rachel Weisz or Sarah Jessica Parker headlining a movie, but fortunately it won’t be long until new vehicles starring the actresses make it to...
Jada Pinkett Smith and Olivia Munn Sell Dramas to ABC and The CW
Actresses Jada Pinkett Smith and Olivia Munn (“The Newsroom”) have promising new TV gigs behind the scenes, with both serving as executive producers on upcoming shows. Pinkett Smith will...
Trailer Watch: Jennifer Lopez Is a Morally Ambiguous Cop in a Jam in ‘Shades of Blue’
Jennifer Lopez is coming back to TV as a series regular after a two-decade-plus hiatus in NBC’s new cop drama “Shades of Blue.” Lopez shared a preview for the show on her Facebook page Sunday,...
Two Female Playwrights Win Philip Seymour Hoffman Award
Clare Barron and Sarah DeLappe have been named the winners of the inaugural Relentless Award, a play-writing prize founded in actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s memory. Barron’s “Dance Nation”...
Infographic: Hollywood Sexism On Screen, Behind the Camera, in Paychecks
Chantal Akerman’s Final Film ‘No Home Movie’ to Be Released by Icarus
Chantal Akerman’s last film, “No Home Movie,” has found a North American distribution deal and a U.S. release date. Shot almost entirely in her mother’s apartment and focused on the...
Amy Pascal Producing Two Women-Centric Films About GamerGate, the Goddess Athena
Having just wrapped production on the “Ghostbusters” reboot starring Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, Amy Pascal has announced two more female-centric films: a journey of self-discovery...
#FavWomanFilmmaker Campaign Invites Audiences to Share Their Love of Films Made by Women
Some of myearliest memories are related to moving images and to feminism. As athree-year-old, I was annoyed by the fact that in Spanish, my native tongue, werefer to a group of women and men by...
‘Hunger Games’ Star Amandla Stenberg Debuts Kickass New Female-Centric Comic
Amandla Stenberg cleared our tear ducts as Rue in “The Hunger Games,” and she’s won our hearts by using her platform from the multi-billion dollar franchise — including nearly 500,000...
Women at Sundance Fellows Announced: Jennifer Phang, Lyric R. Cabral and More
The Sundance Institute has announced its six 2015–2016 Women at Sundance Fellows, a group of directors and producers culled from both the doc and narrative fields who will receive support to...
New ‘Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ Movie in Early Development
Lisbeth Salander may be returning to the screen, but she won’t be portrayed by Rooney Mara. The then-little-known-actress nabbed an Oscar nod for her performance in “The Girl With the Dragon...
Julie Klausner’s Memoir ‘I Don’t Care About Your Band’ Optioned for Movie Adaptation
Julie Klausner’s 2010 dating memoir “I Don’t Care About Your Band” has been optioned by Broad Green Pictures. She is attached to co-write the script and may star in the film adaptation as...
Disney’s 4 Years: The Women Centric, Directed and Written Films to Await
Disney has announced its slate for the next four years, so we now know what to expect from the dream manufacturer in the near future. Something you probably shouldn’t hold your breath for? A...
Rashida Jones’ ‘Angie Tribeca’ Renewed Before Series Debut; Season 1 to Open With 25-Hour Marathon
Rashida Jones is getting a huge show of support from her new network. Jones’ upcoming cop comedy, “Angie Tribeca,” has been renewed for a second season two months before its series premiere....
Noomi Rapace in Talks to Star in Amy Winehouse Biopic Written/Directed by Kirsten Sheridan
Actress Noomi Rapace (“Prometheus,” the Swedish “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” trilogy) is in negotiations to play soul singer Amy Winehouse in a new biopic. To be written and directed by...
Shonda Rhimes to Receive PGA’s 2016 Norman Lear Award
Shonda Rhimes has been named the 2016 recipient of the Producers Guild of America’s Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television. Rhimes is, of course, one of the most powerful producers in TV,...
IDA Documentary Awards Nominations Announced; Liz Garbus Up for Best Feature Award
The nominations for the 31st IDA Documentary Awards have been revealed, and disappointingly, only one of the six docs competing for the Best Feature Award is helmed by a woman: Liz Garbus’s...
Starz’s “Flesh and Bone” Starts Out “Breaking Ballet,” Ends Up “Showbuns”