Women Directors
Trailer Watch: NYT Contends with Trust and Trump in Liz Garbus’ “The Fourth Estate”
Since Donald Trump’s election in November 2016, much of the country has been feeling tense. This sense of dread is front and center in a new trailer for Liz Garbus’ Showtime docuseries “The...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Madeleine Sackler — “O.G.”
Madeleine Sackler is an Emmy-winning director and producer. Her films include 2010’s “The Lottery” and 2013’s “Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus.” “O.G.” will...
Cannes 2018: Directors’ Fortnight Feature Lineup Falls to 25% Women-Directed
Cannes has announced its 2018 Directors’ Fortnight schedule and, unfortunately, the numbers have dipped quite a bit from last year. Five of the 20 features selected to screen in the...
Cathy Yan Eyed to Direct Margot Robbie Harley Quinn Movie
Cathy Yan is poised to make history. Deadline reports that the “Dead Pigs” director has been tapped to direct Warner Bro. and DC Entertainment’s upcoming Harley Quinn pic. Still untitled, the...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Sarah Kerruish — “General Magic”
Sarah Kerruish’s films have been distributed worldwide and won awards including a Peabody, and an Emmy nomination. In 2017, she made a short film about the last few days of the tech team at the...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Stephanie Wang-Breal— “Blowin’ Up”
Stephanie Wang-Breal is an award-winning filmmaker and commercial director. Her Emmy-nominated feature documentary “Wo Ai Ni Mommy (I Love You, Mommy)” was awarded Best US Feature at AFI...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Gabrielle Brady — “Island of the Hungry Ghosts”
Gabrielle Brady is an Australian filmmaker who focuses on documentary and hybrid films. Her short film “The Island” was commissioned as part of the Guardian documentary series and premiered at...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Laura Bispuri — “Daughter of Mine”
Laura Bispuri’s short film “Passing Time” was selected as one of the best international shorts by France’s Académie des César, and her next short, “Biondina,” was awarded Italy’s...
Trailer Watch: Return to Steubenville, Ohio in Disturbing “Roll Red Roll”
“Is this football town putting its daughters at risk by protecting its sons in a situation like this?” asks one of the characters in “Roll Red Roll,” an upcoming documentary exploring the...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Ioana Uricaru — “Lemonade”
Ioana Uricaru was born and raised in Romania, where she studied biology before turning to filmmaking. She is an Alumna of Berlinale Talents, the Cannes Cinefondation Residence Programme, the...
Emma Thompson Co-Writing and Directing “Nanny McPhee” Stage Musical
Emma Thompson is stepping into the director’s chair. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that the Oscar winner will helm and co-write a stage musical adaptation of 2005’s “Nanny McPhee.”...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Keren Ben Rafael — “Virgins”
Keren Ben Rafael is a writer-director based in Israel and France. Her previous credits include shorts “La Plage” and “Northern Lights” and doc “Bite Into Life.” “Virgins” will...
Cannes 2018: Critics’ Week Main Competition Is 57% Women-Directed
Cannes’ 2018 Critics’ Week lineup has been announced. Dedicated to directors’ first and second films, this year’s sidebar is much more female-friendly than the fest’s recently announced...
Trailer Watch: Elle Fanning Finds Her Voice in Haifaa Al-Mansour’s “Mary Shelley”
“I have a fire in my soul. And I will no longer allow you or anyone else to contain it,” says Elle Fanning in a new trailer for “Mary Shelley.” The “20th Century Women” star plays the...
Tribeca 2018 Preview: Women-Directed Films About Cyber Bullying, Police Brutality, Barbie, and More
“Time for Ilhan”: Chris Newberry With timely docs and features about online harassment, investigative journalism in the age of Donald Trump, and surrogates in its program, the 2018 edition of...
Weekly Update for April 13: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami” Films About Women Opening This Week Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami (Documentary) — Directed by Sophie Fiennes (Opens in NY; Opens in LA...
“Broad City” to End With Season 5, Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson Sign First-Look Deal with Viacom
Ilana and Abbi’s New York City adventures are coming to a close. “Broad City’s” previously announced fifth season on Comedy Central will be its last, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. It’s...
You’re Invited: Women and Hollywood is Continuing the Conversation in Cannes
Heading to Cannes 2018 and interested in discussing topics such as securing funding, working collaboratively, and the lack of women-directed films screening in the fest’s Competition? Please join...
Jessica Jones Renewed for a Third Season
We haven’t seen the last of Jessica Jones. The sardonic heroine will be returning for a third run on Netflix. The streaming giant announced the news one month after “Jessica Jones’” second...
Apply Now: Firelight Media Documentary Lab Supporting Underrepresented Communities
A fellowship supporting filmmakers from racially and ethically underrepresented communities has announced a national open call for submissions. Firelight Media’s 18-month Documentary Lab program...
Cannes Competition Numbers Remain Predictably Low For Female Directors
“The world will never be the same again, the Cannes Film Festival will never be the same again,” said Cannes Artistic Director Thierry Fremaux of a post Harvey Weinstein world. The fest just...
Isabel Coixet’s “The Bookshop” Acquired by Greenwich Entertainment, Emily Mortimer Stars
“The Bookshop” is making its way to the United States. Isabel Coixet’s award-winning drama has been acquired by Greenwich Entertainment, Deadline confirms. The Emily Mortimer-starrer screened...
Trailer Watch: Dawn Porter Documents RFK’s Life and Death in “Bobby Kennedy for President”
“What I think is quite clear is, there is division, there’s violence, and disenchantment with our society,” Robert Kennedy asserts, via archival footage, in the trailer for “Bobby Kennedy...
Cannes 2018: 25% of Shorts and 47% of Cinéfondation Films Directed by Women
Cannes Film Festival has unveiled its Short Film and Cinéfondation lineups for 2018. While the Cinéfondation selections are 47 percent women-directed — a slight increase from last year’s...
Gurinder Chadha’s “Blinded By the Light” Begins Filming
Shooting is underway for Gurinder Chadha’s next feature. Deadline reports that hybrid musical “Blinded By the Light” has secured UK and Australian distribution from eOne. Based on Sarfraz...
Paloma Baeza to Direct “The Toymaker’s Secret” for TriStar Pictures
Paloma Baeza is set to make her feature directorial debut. The BAFTA winner will helm fantasy story “The Toymaker’s Secret” for TriStar Pictures. Variety broke the news. A combination of...
“Insecure,” “Handmaid’s Tale,” and More Nominated for Peabody Awards
This is cause for a celebration: nominations for the 77th annual Peabody Awards have been announced and a wide range of projects by and about women are being recognized. Female-driven works such as...
Trailer Watch: Meet the Women Who Should Have Been Space Race Astronauts in “Mercury 13”
“I would’ve liked to walk on the moon,” one of the subjects of “Mercury 13” confesses in a trailer for the documentary. “I could’ve walked on it, I could’ve kicked it out, I...
Leslie Hope to Make Feature Directorial Debut with Rom-Com “The Swearing Jar”
Leslie Hope is stepping behind the camera for “The Swearing Jar.” The “24” alumna will helm the indie romantic comedy, marking her feature directorial debut, The Hollywood Reporter...
Laura Dern Sundance Breakout “The Tale” Gets Premiere Date and Teaser from HBO
“The Tale” made a major mark at Sundance earlier this year, and now Jennifer Fox’s acclaimed narrative debut is prepping for its HBO premiere. The Laura Dern-starrer has received an air date...
Nearly Half of “Luke Cage’s” New Season Is Women-Directed — A Major Change from Season 1
“Luke Cage” has undergone a major behind-the-scenes makeover. According to blackfilm.com, the Netflix superhero series’ sophomore outing will feature six episodes directed by...
Rosemary Rodriguez to Direct “Grandma’s Shoes from Poland”
Rosemary Rodriguez just signed on to direct the pilot of CBS’ “Cagney and Lacey” reboot, and now Deadline reports that she’ll helm “Grandma’s Shoes from Poland,” a new feature. Set in...
Birds’ Eye View Unveils New Project to Grow Audiences for Women-Directed Films
Birds’ Eye View (BEV) has introduced a new initiative to increase the audiences for female-helmed movies: the “Reclaim The Frame” Influencer Project. From April to September BEV will spotlight...
“Mom” Renewed for Season 6. Will The Show Bring on More Female Directors?
We haven’t seen the last of Christy and Bonnie Plunkett. The mother-daughter duo are set to return for a sixth season on “Mom,” The Hollywood reporter confirms. Anna Farris and recent Oscar...
Issa López to Make English-Language Debut with “Three Sundays”
Award-winning Mexican writer-director Issa López is set to make her English-language debut with Paramount Players’ love story “Three Sundays.” The Hollywood Reporter broke the news. Penned...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Alyssa Fedele — “The Rescue List”
Alyssa Fedele is a documentary filmmaker and anthropologist. She produced and edited the short documentary film “The Ride of Their Lives,” which premiered at Sundance. From 2015 to 2017, Fedele...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Anne de Mare — “Capturing the Flag”
Anne de Mare is a documentary filmmaker and playwright with work supported by MacArthur Foundation and Sundance Institute. Her prior film credits include “The Homestretch,” which won a 2015...
Weekly Update for April 6: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“You Were Never Really Here” Films About Women Opening This Week “The Miracle Season”: LD Entertainment The Miracle Season — Co-Written by Elissa Matsueda Based on the inspiring true...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Katie Galloway and Dawn Valadez — “The Pushouts”
Katie Galloway’s credits include “The Return,” “El Poeta,” and “Prison Town, USA.” She’s received numerous honors including the Writer’s Guild of America’s Best Documentary...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Talya Tibbon — “Sky & Ground”
Interview by Kaidia Pickels Talya Tibbon is an award-winning director, producer, and writer. She’s worked in four continents documenting wide-ranging subjects such as street gangs, mass shooters...
Trailer Watch: Lauren Greenfield Explores a Shift in the American Dream in “Generation Wealth”
“I’ve been a photographer for 25 years. With my lens focused on wealth, I noticed that no matter how much people had they still want more,” says Lauren Greenfield in a trailer for...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Alison McAlpine — “Cielo”
Alison McAlpine has worked in theater in Ireland, and in Canada, where she formed a theater company, and wrote and directed plays that were presented at festivals in Canada, Ireland, and France. She...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Laura Nix — “Inventing Tomorrow”
Laura Nix is an award-winning director, writer, and producer whose work has screened at Sundance, TIFF, Berlinale, and Outfest and has aired on HBO, PBS, CBC, and New York Times Op-Docs. Nix was...
Quote of the Day: Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on Why Anger Is Vital for Her Work
Anger is complicated territory for women. Displaying a trace of irritability—nevermind fury — means running the risk of being called imbalanced or irrational. Yet anger is also a useful,...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Celia Peterson— “The Good Struggle”
Celia Peterson is a photographer and documentary filmmaker. Currently based in Dubai, she works predominantly in the Middle East shooting a range of documentary photographic and film...
“Radium Girls” to Make Its World Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival will host the world premiere of “Radium Girls,” a press release has announced. Set in the early 20th century, the drama follows two female employees of the U.S. Radium...
Jennifer Morrison on Exploring the World of an Outsider in Her Feature Debut “Sun Dogs”
Interview by Kelsey Moore Johnson Jennifer Morrison is an actress, producer, and director. Her acting credits include “Once Upon a Time,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “House.” She’s...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Anais Huerta — “David. The Return To Land”
Anais Huerta is the co-creator of Amaina Films production company in Mexico City, where she has produced a range of documentaries. She previously directed “Rehje,” an award-winning feature...
Guest Post: Why We Founded a Feminist Film Festival in Glasgow
Guest Post by Lauren Clarke and Kathi Kamleitner Conversation is how Femspectives started. About a year ago we were talking about women’s film festivals and their space in the wider film festival...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Allison Bohl DeHart — “Bending Lines: The Sculpture of Robert…
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Allison Bohl DeHart — “Bending Lines: The Sculpture of Robert Wiggs” Allison Bohl DeHart is a filmmaker and cinematographer based in Louisiana. Her...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Roopa Gogineni — “I Am Bisha”
Roopa Gogineni is a director and photographer, and has created documentaries for The New York Times, Al Jazeera, and VICE. Her experience producing reality TV in Somalia was chronicled in an episode...