Women Directors
Nicole Kidman Will Produce, Possibly Star in “The Expatriates” TV Series
Looks like Nicole Kidman is making herself at home in the TV landscape. The star of HBO’s upcoming “Big Little Lies” and the next season of “Top of the Lake” has signed on to produce...
Netflix Updates: Kate McKinnon, “Anne of Green Gables,” and “Casting JonBenét” News
Kate McKinnon in “Ghostbusters”: Sony Pictures Netflix continues its world domination. With so many projects forthcoming, the streaming giant is releasing news on a steady basis. Thanks to a...
“I Am Jane Doe” Director Mary Mazzio on the Terrifying Scope of Child Sex Trafficking
Mary Mazzio is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, Olympic athlete, and former law firm partner. She is the Founder and CEO of 50 Eggs, Inc., an independent film production company. Her credits...
“Out of Africa” TV Series in the Works, Susanne Bier to Direct
“Out of Africa” may be headed to to the small screen. A series adaptation of Karen Blixen’s memoir — the inspiration behind the 1985 Meryl Streep-Robert Redford romance — is being...
Trailer Watch: A Soldier Collides with “Vengeful Bitches” in Sofia Coppola’s “The Beguiled”
You know that badass scene in “Gone with the Wind” when Scarlett O’Hara kills the creepy soldier for trespassing on her beloved Tara and threatening to assault her? It appears that Sofia...
Berlinale 2017 Women Directors: Meet Ildikó Enyedi— “On Body and Soul”
Ildikó Enyedi began her career as a concept and media artist as part of the art group Indigo and the Balázs Béla Studio. Her first film, “My Twentieth Century,” won the Cannes Camera d’Or...
Eva Green and Gemma Arterton to Star in Chanya Button’s Virginia Woolf Romance
Eva Green and Gemma Arterton have signed on to bring Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West’s epic romance to the big screen, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The pair will star in “Vita &...
Paul Feig Named Distinguished Artist by AFI Directing Workshop for Women
Today’s bit of good news: Paul Feig will continue bolstering women filmmakers. The “Ghostbusters” director is the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women’s (DWW) 2017 Distinguished...
Kristen Wiig and Jack Nicholson to Star in English “Toni Erdmann” Remake
“Toni Erdmann” has been dazzling critics and collecting accolades since it made its world premiere at Cannes last year. We’ve known for some time that an English-language version of the German...
Berlinale 2017 Women Directors: Meet Daniela Thomas — “Vazante”
Daniela Thomas writes and directs films and plays, creates opera and theater sets, designs exhibitions, and creates installations. She is based in São Paulo but her work has been seen, exhibited,...
Guest Post: How a Radical Idea from 1994 Finds Itself Right on Time in 2017
Guest Post by Audrey Evans They say timing is everything, but I never dreamed the timing of my lesbian sci-fi dramedy “Genesis: The Future of Mankind is Women” could be so dead-on and accurate...
WIFT Germany Announces Berlinale Event with Lone Scherfig
If you find yourself in Berlin this coming Saturday, you should consider attending “How to Attract Audiences in a Changing Cinema Landscape – Fresh Ideas for Storytelling and Outreach.” The...
Slamdance Winner Christina Choe to Make Directorial Debut with “Nancy”
Award-winning filmmaker Christina Choe is set to make her feature directorial debut. She’ll helm “Nancy,” a psychological drama starring “Bloodline’s” Andrea Riseborough,...
Chicken & Egg Pictures Receives Multi-Year MacArthur Grant
Chicken & Egg Pictures is “now officially part of the MacArthur Foundation legacy.” According to a press release, the organization supporting women non-fiction filmmakers is set to receive a...
Quote of the Day: David Oyelowo on the Oscars’ Long Path to Equality, Inclusivity
David Oyelowo is impressed with this year’s slate of Oscar nominations, but doesn’t think the Academy should pat itself on the back just yet. While promoting his new film, “A United...
Berlinale 2017 Women Directors: Meet Laura Schroeder — “Barrage”
Laura Schroeder was born in Luxembourg. Her works have screened at festivals worldwide. After several self-produced films, she wrote and directed the short films “Senteurs” and “Double...
Trailer Watch: Kristen Stewart Is Waiting for a Sign in “Personal Shopper”
The latest trailer for “Personal Shopper” is here and sees protagonist Maureen (Kristen Stewart) buying haute couture and running errands for her boss, Kyra. “Kyra’s very high-profile,”...
Kristin Scott Thomas to Make Directorial Debut with “The Sea Change”
Kristin Scott Thomas is stepping behind the camera for the first time. The Oscar-nominated British actress is making her directorial debut with “The Sea Change,” a romantic comedy based on...
Zoe Lister-Jones’ “Band Aid” Acquired by IFC Films and Sony Pictures Worldwide
“Band Aid” just got its big break. IFC Films and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions obtained the rights to the comedy from writer-director Zoe Lister-Jones, IndieWire reports. IFC Films...
Sarah Paulson to Topline “Lost Girls” Adaptation Directed by Liz Garbus
Sarah Paulson is tackling another famous crime story. “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” star will topline “Lost Girls,” an Amazon Studios thriller inspired by the so-called...
Protesting Pressure: February VOD and Web Series Picks
“The Watermelon Woman” Whether they’re romantic comedies, suspenseful thrillers, or spoofs, each one of this month’s VOD and web series picks gives us a look at how women handle societal...
Weekly Update for February 3: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous” Films About Women Opening This Week This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous (Documentary) — Directed by Barbara Kopple (Opens in NY and LA; Available on...
Emmy Winner Lili Fini Zanuck to Direct Documentary about Eric Clapton
A documentary about the legendary Eric Clapton is on its way and we couldn’t be happier — because it will be directed by Lili Fini Zanuck. Variety reports that Zanuck, who won an Oscar for...
Mimi Leder to Direct Ruth Bader Ginsburg Biopic Starring Natalie Portman
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Steve Petteway/ Wikimedia Commons/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States Finally, some good news about the Supreme Court. The long-gestating Ruth Bader Ginsburg...
Guest Post: Striving for Inclusivity as a Producer One Choice at a Time
Guest Post by Jennica Schwartzman The theater goes black. I’m watching the credits at the end of my latest film. It’s a private debut screening, and my first time watching “Parker’s...
Watch: Patricia Clarkson is a Party Pooper in First Clip of Sally Potter’s “The Party”
Sally Potter’s newest film, “The Party,” is set to make its world premiere at Berlinale this month, where it’s screening in competition. Fortunately for those of us who can’t make it to...
Women’s Media Summit to Develop “Actionable Strategies” for Hollywood’s Gender Problem
While the underrepresentation of women in key positions behind the scenes in the film and TV industry is getting more attention now than ever, the numbers don’t seem to be shifting as...
Jennifer Brea’s Sundance Winner “Unrest” Acquired by PBS
Jennifer Brea’s award-winning directorial debut has found a home. PBS has bought the U.S. broadcast rights to “Unrest,” Indiewire reports. The documentary centers on a medical mystery:...
New Research Shows Number of Women Directors Hasn’t Changed Over the Last Decade
Our sentiments exactly, Ava DuVernay: Democracy Now!/YouTube A new study from USC Annenberg’s Media, Diversity, & Social Change (MDSC) Initiative found that the past 10 years have seen little...
Irish Film Board Awards 75% of Production Loans to Women Directors
The Irish Film Board (IFB) has made good on its pledge to “commit to gender parity in its funded projects,” Screen Daily writes. In fact, three of its four latest production loans were given to...
Marielle Heller’s Next Movie Begins Filming, Melissa McCarthy Stars
Like many, we fell in love with Marielle Heller’s award-winning directorial debut, “The Diary of a Teenage Girl.” The writer-director’s next project, Fox Searchlight’s “Can You Ever...
“Waitress” Broadway Musical Recoups $12 Million
This calls for a celebratory pie. “Waitress” has recouped its “$12 million capitalization costs, according to producers, less than 10 months after the show began previews in March,” Variety...
Dee Rees’ “Mudbound” and Eliza Hittman’s “Beach Rats” Score Sundance Deals
The biggest deal of Sundance 2017 was for a woman-directed movie. Netflix shelled out $12.5 million for Dee Rees’ “Mudbound,” Deadline reports. Writer-director Eliza Hittman also secured a...
Sundance 2017 Awards: Women Win Big During a Political Ceremony
Now, that’s more like it. The 2017 Sundance Film Festival held its closing awards ceremony last night and the winners reflect the actual world we live in: women won eight of the 16 filmmaking...
February 2017 Film Preview
“A United Kingdom” There may or may not be love in the air this February, but one thing is certain: there is an abundance of female-led horror on the screen. There are, of course, some lighter...
Weekly Update for January 27: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Films About Women Opening This Week Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Picking up immediately after the events of “Resident Evil: Retribution,” Alice (Milla...
No Women Directors Included in Walmart’s “Diverse” Oscar Short Films
Today in WTF, Walmart bragged about its involvement in the Oscars this year and boasted about hiring some top tier directors for the gig. Problem is — they are all men. Score one more for the...
Ellen Pompeo to Make Directorial Debut on “Grey’s Anatomy”
Even after 13 seasons, “Grey’s Anatomy” continues to blaze trails. This time, the broken barrier is behind the camera: “Grey’s” headliner Ellen Pompeo is set to make her directorial...
Trailer Watch: A Doctor Saves Lives Around the World in “The Resilient Heart”
As Valentine’s Day approaches, heart-shaped paper cutouts and candies are everywhere, as are cards waxing philosophical about love’s impact on the actual heart. We talk so much about the heart...
“Carrie Pilby” Gets a Release Date
If you enjoyed Bel Powley’s performance in Marielle Heller’s “The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” you’ll definitely want to check out “Carrie Pilby,” a coming-of-age story that sees Powley...
Refinery29 & TNT Team Up for Return of Women-Focused Shatterbox Anthology
Refinery29 is partnering up with TNT the return of Shatterbox Anthology, its women-focused short film series. According to a press release, Shatterbox “provides a platform for the next cycle of...
César Nominations Recognize Existence of Women Directors
Nominations for the 2017 César Awards, France’s national film awards, have been announced. The Césars are considered France’s equivalent to the Oscars. This Academy actually recognized the...
Sundance Deals: Sales for Women-Directed “Landline,” “To the Bone,” & More
This year’s edition of the Sundance Film Festival is shaping up to be a memorable one for women directors. In the past day alone Gillian Robespierre’s “Landline,” Amanda Lipitz’s...
Jessie Auritt’s “Supergirl” Acquired by FilmRise
Naomi Kutin is poised to powerlift her way into audience’s hearts. The pre-teen is at the center of Jessie Auritt’s “Supergirl,” a coming-of-age documentary that was just acquired by...
Laura Nix Honored as the 2017 Sundance Institute and Discovery Impact Fellow
Laura Nix has been named as the 2017 Sundance Institute and Discovery Impact Fellow, Deadline reports. “The Yes Men are Revolting” director is the second recipient of the fellowship, which...
Gina Prince-Bythewood to Direct “Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger” Pilot for Freeform
Gina Prince-Bythewood just made the Marvel Cinematic Universe a bit more palatable to women. After reports from Season Zero and Geeks of Color mentioned her involvement in the upcoming Freeform...
Trailer Watch: Jewish Comedians Get “The Last Laugh”
“It’s much more fun to laugh than not to laugh,” Carl Reiner explains in the new trailer for “The Last Laugh.” As fun as it is, laughter is also key to cultural and literal survival in...
Oscar 2017 Nominations: #OscarsSoWhite Gets a Slight Makeover
The 2017 Oscar nominations are in, and the more inclusive group of actors and films to receive nods suggests that the Academy’s decision to invite a diverse new class of members was, as expected,...
Gita Pullapilly and Aron Gaudet to Direct Their Black List Script “Crook County”
“Crook County,” a Black List script from Gita Pullapilly and Aron Gaudet, is officially on its way to the big screen. Deadline writes that the partners and spouses will direct the film, “based...
Sundance 2017 Women Directors: Meet Zoe Lister-Jones — “Band Aid”
Zoe Lister-Jones is an actor, director, writer, and producer who is currently starring in CBS’ “Life in Pieces.” She recently co-starred in “Confirmation” for HBO. As a...
Sundance Deals: “Novitiate,” “Fun Mom Dinner,” and “The Big Sick” Find Homes
The Sundance Film Festival isn’t even halfway through yet, but there have already been some exciting deals and developments for films by and about women. Maggie Betts’ “Novitiate” and...