Women Directors
Slovenia Chooses Hanna Antonina Wojcik Slak’s “Miner” as Foreign-Language Oscar Pick
Another woman-directed film based on a true story has been added to the foreign-language Oscar race. On Monday Cambodia selected Angelina Jolie’s “First They Killed My Father” as its pick for...
Watch: This Honest Trailer Spotlights Why We Love “Wonder Woman”
Screen Junkies’ new Honest Trailer for “Wonder Woman” breaks down the charm of the much-loved film with one line: “Patty Jenkins bravely asks the question, ‘What if a female-led superhero...
Newly Launched BFI Filmography Reveals Stark Gender Disparity in UK Film
Today the BFI introduced the BFI Filmography, a complete, living record of all the 10,000-and-counting UK films released since 1911. While the resource is, as the BFI describes, “a treasure trove...
Trailer Watch: Melissa McCarthy Plays to Win in “Cook Off!”
Contestants from all over the nation assemble to compete in the Rookle Farms Cooking Contest in a new trailer for “Cook Off!” The Melissa McCarthy-starrer sees a motley crew of...
Fall 2017 TV Preview: New Shows By and About Women to Check Out
“Star Trek: Discovery”: CBS ENTERTAINMENT We are officially in the throes of the fall television season — and the next couple of months will be an especially good time for women on the...
Watch: A Runaway Bride Weighs Her Options in Exclusive “Different Flowers” Clip
“You don’t leave a man at the altar then grovel at his feet. Woman up,” Emma (Hope Lauren, “Supergirl”) urges older sister Millie (Emma Bell, “The Walking Dead”) in our exclusive clip...
Elisabeth Moss to Topline Film About Underground Abortion Network
Elisabeth Moss is pivoting from one women’s rights narrative to another. The star of the feminist dystopian drama “The Handmaid’s Tale” has signed on to topline Simon Curtis’ (“My Week...
Angelina Jolie’s “First They Killed My Father” Chosen to Represent Cambodia at Oscars
Angelina Jolie’s “First They Killed My Father” is officially an Oscar contender. The drama has been chosen to represent Cambodia at the 2018 Academy Awards in the foreign-language category,...
Emmys 2017: “Big Little Lies,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and Lena Waithe Win Big
The 2017 Emmy Awards were a great night for women in television. Not only did the two biggest awards go to women-centric series — “The Handmaid’s Tale” took home the best drama series...
Acclaimed Women-Directed Films Were One of the Major Narratives of TIFF 2017
There are always multiple narratives that come out of a festival as big as TIFF. This year, one of the through lines was the amazing films that had female directors. TIFF consistently includes lots...
Julie Delpy to Receive Award from European Film Academy
Julie Delpy will be honored at the upcoming European Film Awards, The Hollywood Reporter writes. She’ll receive the European Achievement in World Cinema award in Berlin on December 9. Best known...
TIFF 2017 Deal: Ingrid Veninger’s “Porcupine Lake” Goes to Breaking Glass Pictures
“Porcupine Lake” has secured U.S. distribution. While several companies expressed interest in the project, it was Breaking Glass Pictures that snagged the rights to Ingrid Veninger’s...
Over Half of Filmmaker’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film Are Women
Filmmaker Magazine has published its annual 25 New Faces of Independent Film feature and over half of the individuals profiled are female. Fifteen women—including 12 solo filmmakers and three...
Weekly Update for September 15: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“First They Killed My Father” Films About Women Opening This Week First They Killed My Father — Directed by Angelina Jolie; Written by Angelina Jolie and Loung Ung (Available on...
Quote of the Day: Lesli Linka Glatter Says the Pool of Female Directors Is “Wide and Deep”
“There aren’t enough qualified female directors.” This excuse is all too common in conversations about the lack of films and series directed by women, and suggests that the problem isn’t...
Guest Post: Directing “Red Trees” and Discovering My Own Identity
Guest Post by Marina Willer The title of my film, “Red Trees,” refers to the moment when my father discovered that he was color blind as a child, drawing trees with red leaves. It makes...
Trailer Watch: A Grieving Family Searches for Answers in Lucy Cohen’s “Kingdom of Us”
“Kingdom of Us” One of the subjects of Lucy Cohen’s doc “Kingdom of Us” recalls an interaction she had with her father the morning before he killed himself. “He told me he had nobody...
Tatiana Huezo’s “Tempestad” Is Mexico’s Foreign-Language Oscar Pick
Another film from a female director has been selected to compete for a best foreign-language film nomination at the 2018 Academy Awards. “Tempestad,” a documentary about the human trafficking...
Pamela Adlon on Being Inspired by Lena Dunham and Saying Goodbye to Over-Pleasing
Pamela Adlon has added even more to her plate on “Better Things” this season. The comedy’s sophomore run debuts on FX tonight, and the series’ co-creator, star, showrunner, writer, and...
Trailer Watch: A Buddhist Priest Helps People Find the Will to Live in Lana Wilson’s “The…
Trailer Watch: A Buddhist Priest Helps People Find the Will to Live in Lana Wilson’s “The Departure” A Japanese punk-rocker-turned-Buddhist-priest provides much-needed hope to suicidal people...
You’re Invited: Women and Hollywood’s 10th Anniversary Celebration in LA
Women and Hollywood will be hosting one of its 10th anniversary celebrations in Los Angeles on October 25. As we honor a decade of educating, advocating, and agitating for greater gender diversity...
Angela Robinson to Co-Adapt “Strangers in Paradise” with Its Creator
Angela Robinson’s “Professor Marston and the Wonder Women” made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival less than a week ago, and the writer-director has already...
Girl Seeking Girl: September’s VOD and Web Series Picks
“Fear of Water” We need better representation of the LGBT community in TV and film — especially when it comes to lesbians. The women behind this month’s VOD and web series picks have...
Agnieszka Holland & Kasia Adamik to Direct Netflix’s First Original Polish-Language Series
It’s been quite a week for Agnieszka Holland and Kasia Adamik. Just days ago Poland announced their collaboration “Spoor” as the country’s pick in the foreign-language Oscar race, and now...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Bornila Chatterjee — “The Hungry”
Bornila Chatterjee is a writer and filmmaker. Her feature film “Let’s Be Out, The Sun Is Shining” premiered at the 2012 New York Indian Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. Previous...
Quote of the Day: Swedish Film Institute CEO Anna Serner on the Bias Against Women Directors
Anna Serner has heard plenty of bullshit excuses defending the lack of women directors hired to direct high-profile, big-budget projects. This fact was made abundantly clear at a recent event at the...
Trailer Watch: “Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart” Celebrates Playwright & Activist Lorraine Hansberry
“It really doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about the oppressed or the oppressor — an oppressive society will dehumanize and degenerate everyone involved,” says Lorraine Hansberry...
Women to Direct Royal Shakespeare Company’s Entire Summer 2018 Season
On the heels of the announcement of London’s new, all-female acting company, Dangerous Space, and the Royal Court’s majority female season, we have some more positive theater news from the UK....
Trailer Watch: Sonia Lowman’s “Teach Us All” Investigates De-Segregation in Schools
“It’s not a story of progress. It’s a story of total inequality of schooling,” says one of the characters in Sonia Lowman’s “Teach Us All.” The upcoming documentary explores...
Patty Jenkins Signs On to Direct “Wonder Woman” Sequel, Becomes Highest-Paid Female Filmmaker Ever
“Wonder Woman” helmer Patty Jenkins has made herstory yet again. Back in June she earned a place in the record books when the Gal Gadot-led superheroine film became the top-grossing live-action...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Tali Shalom-Ezer — “My Days of Mercy”
Tali Shalom-Ezer is a screenwriter and director whose previous works include “Princess” and “Surrogate.” Her films have garnered critical acclaim and won her the Grand Prix at the 2015 Kiev...
Women-Helmed Films Set to Open and Close Busan International Film Fest
Female-directed films will open and close this year’s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). ScreenDaily confirms that Shin Suwon’s “Glass Garden” will kick off the fest October 15, while...
Poland Chooses Agnieszka Holland’s “Spoor” as Foreign-Language Oscar Pick
Agnieszka Holland’s “Spoor” has been chosen as Poland’s candidate for best foreign-language film at the 2018 Oscars, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. Holland’s “In Darkness” received a...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Kamila Andini — “The Seen and Unseen”
Kamila Andini made her feature debut with “The Mirror Never Lies,” which portrays the life of a sea wanderer in the Indonesian ocean. Previous short films include “Following Diana” and...
Eva Green to Star in Alice Winocour Astronaut Drama
Eva Green is heading to space. The “Penny Dreadful” alumna has signed on to star in Alice Winocour’s next feature, a bilingual action-drama that centers on an astronaut. According to The...
Brie Larson on Embracing Uniqueness, Directing Herself, and “Captain Marvel”
Brie Larson is an actress who has given standout performances in films such as “Short Term 12” and “Trainwreck.” In 2016 she won an Oscar for her turn as a young mother willing to do...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Mila Turajlic — “The Other Side of Everything”
Mila Turajlic is a documentary filmmaker from Belgrade, Serbia. Her 2010 directorial debut, “Cinema Komunisto,” premiered at the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam and the Tribeca...
Laverne Cox to Star in Elizabeth Banks-Produced Psychic Drama Pilot for ABC
The woman behind “Orange Is the New Black’s” Sophia Burset has signed on to portray another — albeit very different — reformed criminal. Laverne Cox will star in “Spirited,” a...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Joan Chemla — “If You Saw His Heart”
Joan Chemla is a director who decided to dedicate herself to filmmaking after an initial stint in law. She has helmed three short films: “Mauvaise Route,” “Dr Nazi,” and “The Man with the...
Trailer Watch: A Young Drifter Rejects Society’s Rules in Nanfu Wang’s “I Am Another You”
A trailer has arrived for “I Am Another You,” Nanfu Wang’s award-winning follow-up to “Hooligan Sparrow.” The atmospheric spot clocks in at over two minutes but we don’t hear a single...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Mouly Surya — “Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts”
Mouly Surya was born in Jakarta, where she currently lives. She is considered one of the most promising filmmakers in Indonesia. Her debut film, “Fiksi.” won numerous awards including Best...
Alice Lowe to Write and Direct Metaphysical Rom-Com “Timestalker”
Alice Lowe is taking on another genre project. A press release has announced that the British writer-director-actress is following up “Prevenge,” a dark comedy about a mom-to-be on a killing...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Ainsley Gardiner — “Waru”
Ainsley Gardiner is of Ngāti Awa, Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Ngāti Pikiao, and Whakatōhea descent. Gardiner previously produced the short films “Two Cars, One Night” and “Tama Tu,” written...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Lisa Langseth — “Euphoria”
Lisa Langseth is a playwright and filmmaker from Stockholm. Her film credits include “Pure” and “Hotell,” both of which are toplined by “Euphoria” star Alicia Vikander. “Euphoria”...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Erika Cohn — “The Judge”
Erika Cohn is a director who has received numerous accolades for her work, including a Director’s Guild of America award for her film, “When the Voices Fade,” a narrative profile of the...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Brie Larson — “Unicorn Store”
Brie Larson is an Academy Award-winning actress whose credits include “Short Term 12,” “Room,” “The Glass Castle,” and the upcoming “Captain Marvel.” Her short film “The Arm” won...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Elizaveta Stishova — “Suleiman Mountain”
Elizaveta Stishova is a Russian writer and director. Her previous short films include “Arta,” “The Hen,” “Watering,” and “The Seagull.” In 2014, Stishova participated in Berlinale...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Rachel Grady — “One of Us”
Rachel Grady is a filmmaker and co-owns New York’s Loki Films with Heidi Ewing. She and Ewing have have directed six feature-length films, including “Jesus Camp,” “The Boys of Baraka,”...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Anahí Berneri — “Alanis”
Anahí Berneri is an Argentinian film and theater director and scriptwriter. Previous feature films include “Un Año Sin Amor,” “Encarnación,” and “Por Tu Culpa.” She has been...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Violeta Ayala — “Cocaine Prison”
Violeta Ayala is an award-winning Indigenous filmmaker and writer from Bolivia. Her other credits include “The Flight,” “The Bolivian Case,” and “Stolen,” which has won numerous awards...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Ingrid Veninger — “Porcupine Lake”
Ingrid Veninger is a writer, producer, and director whose work has premiered at numerous festivals around the world. Previous feature films include “He Hated Pigeons,” “I am a Good Person/I am...