Women Directors
Weekly Update for January 13: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Claire in Motion” Films About Women Opening This Week Claire in Motion — Written and Directed by Annie J. Howell and Lisa Robinson (Also Available on VOD) Three weeks after Claire’s...
Maren Ade and Sandra Hüller Discuss Nudity and Feminism in Oscar Favorite “Toni Erdmann”
“Toni Erdman” is one of the most lauded films of 2016. It was won many critics awards and was named best film of the year by multiple international critics associations, including Sight &...
Kate Mara Iraq War Biopic Helmed by “Blackfish” Director Gets a Release Date
We’re one step closer to seeing Kate Mara in action on the front line. “Megan Leavey” has been acquired by Bleecker Street, Deadline reports. Mara plays a marine corporal in the biopic, which...
Trailer Watch: “The Lure” Makes Mermaids Frightening Again
Mermaids have always been frightening creatures of mythology, and now, Polish director Agnieszka Smoczynska’s “The Lure” brings back the horror lost to Disney princesses, with an added fun,...
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Acquires Heidi Saman’s Award-Winning Debut “Namour”
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY has announced its fifteenth film acquisition. The independent distribution company has snagged “Namour,” Egyptian-American filmmaker Heidi Saman’s first feature. The...
Trailer Watch: Women Will Make You Scream with Horror Anthology “XX”
Horror anthology film “XX” is a breath of fresh air in the male-dominated genre: The feature utilizes an all-female directing team. A new trailer has been released for the project, and the...
“Cameraperson,” “Hooligan Sparrow,” and “Making a Murderer” Win at Cinema Eye
Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson” topped the Cinema Eye Honors last night, taking home three awards: Outstanding Cinematography for Johnson, Outstanding Editing for Nels Bangerter, and...
New York Jewish Film Festival 2017 Lineup is 50 Percent Female-Directed
The Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Jewish Museum kicked off the 26th Annual New York Jewish Film Festival yesterday and half of the lineup is directed by women. The NYJFF is one of the...
Lisa Robinson and Annie J. Howell on Identity, Loss, and Growth in “Claire in Motion”
Lisa Robinson and Annie J. Howell’s s debut feature, “Small, Beautifully Moving Parts,” premiered at SXSW in 2011 and went on to play over thirty festivals. Awards include the Alfred P. Sloan...
Trailer Watch: Gemma Arterton Joins the Movie Biz in Lone Scherfig’s “Their Finest”
The movie business isn’t all glitz and glamour, a fact made painfully clear in a newly released trailer for “An Education” director Lone Scherfig’s latest film, “Their Finest.” In it, we...
How Kristi Zea Pays Tribute to a Genius Painter in “Everybody Knows… Elizabeth Murray”
“Everybody Knows… Elizabeth Murray” is Kristi Zea’s documentary directorial debut. She’s a two-time Oscar-nominated production designer and producer. Her narrative directorial debut,...
Trailer Watch: Riley Keough & Jena Malone are BFFs in So Yong Kim’s “Lovesong”
If and when the line between platonic and romantic gets blurred, it’s unlikely that a friendship will ever be the same. A trailer for So Yong Kim’s “Lovesong” has been released, and it hints...
Athena Film Festival Announces its 2017 Lineup: “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Fits,” & More
The Athena Film Festival has released its seventh annual lineup. The 2017 edition of the fest, which is dedicated to celebrating female leaders in the real life and the fictional world, will feature...
Trailer Watch: Hannah Remains Highly Opinionated in “Girls’” Final Season
“I don’t give a shit about anything, yet I simultaneously have opinions about everything,” Hannah (Lena Dunham) tells her potential employer in a newly released trailer for “Girls’”...
Hope Dickson Leach’s “The Levelling” Acquired By Monterey Media
Hope Dickson Leach’s debut feature film “The Levelling” has been acquired by Monterey Media. The film premiered at TIFF back in September. Set in Somerset, England, “The Levelling” follows...
“Casual” Adds More Female Directors
Hulu’s “Casual” is getting more female directors. According to TVGuide.com, series creator Zander Lehmann said at the Television Critics Association winter TV previews that the show is looking...
Nanfu Wang, Anna Rose Holmer, and Jordana Mollick Receive Spirit Grants
Three grants were awarded to women this past Saturday annual Film Independent’s annual Spirit Awards Nominees Brunch. As The Hollywood Reporter writes, Jordana Mollick received the Piaget...
Nanfu Wang, Anna Rose Holmer, and Jordana Mollick Recieve Spirit Grants
Nanfu Wang’s “Hooligan Sparrow”Three grants were awarded to women this past Saturday annual Film Independent’s annual Spirit Awards Nominees Brunch. As The Hollywood Reporter writes, Jordana...
Hulu’s “Harlots” is Written, Directed, and Produced Entirely by Women
A period drama set in a brothel is bound to raise eyebrows. The subject matter could easily be mishandled, and the resulting series would be nothing more than exploitative and sexist drivel. But...
Teaser Watch: Elisabeth Moss Fights to Survive in “The Handmaid’s Tale”
A haunting teaser has been released for “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Hulu’s upcoming adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s award-winning 1985 novel. Elisabeth Moss (“Mad Men”) toplines the series,...
Trailer Watch: “Amaka’s Kin — The Women Of Nollywood” Celebrates Women Directors in Nigeria
Named in honor of Amaka Igwe, the most successful Nigerian female filmmaker of all-time, “Amaka’s Kin — The Women Of Nollywood” shines a spotlight on women working in a male-dominated...
Weekly Update for January 6: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Underworld: Blood Wars” Films About Women Opening This Week Underworld: Blood Wars — Directed by Anna Foerster The next installment in the blockbuster franchise, “Underworld: Blood...
Disney’s 2017 Slate Lacks Both Women Writers and Directors
Looks like another major studio will be lacking in female representation this year. After Women and Hollywood reported that 20th Century Fox has zero female directors on their slate through 2018,...
2016 Marks Record-Breaking Year at the Box Office, But Where Are the Women Directors?
2016 was a history-making year at the North American box office. Variety reports that ticket sales last year amounted to $11.4 billion — a new record for the industry, surpassing 2015’s...
Theatre du Châtelet in Paris Gets Its First Female Artistic Director Ever
The Theatre du Châtelet in Paris has appointed its first female artistic director, The New York Times reports. Ruth Mackenzie will be taking over for Jean-Luc Choplin, who has served as artistic...
Netflix Acquires Kitty Green’s “Casting JonBenet” Before Sundance Premiere
Streaming giant Netflix has acquired the rights to director Kitty Green’s documentary “Casting JonBenet” before its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this month. “Casting...
Denmark Faces Another Disappointing Year For Female Director Representation
Denmark, home of such lauded female directors as Susanne Bier and Lone Scherfig, is sadly headed for another disappointing year for Danish female directors. Though the country is known for being...
Katra Film Series Finalists Are 63% Female Directed, Written, and/or Produced
The 5th Annual Katra Film Series Grand Finale is toasting a big group of women this year. The finale of the series will take place on January 25 at the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn. The series...
Trailer Watch: Grab Tissues for “Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds”
Losing both Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, a mere 24 hours apart right before the year ended seemed like the cap to a particularly sad year of celebrity deaths. As a fitting way of...
Juliette Binoche to Star in Claire Denis’ Next Film
French powerhouses Juliette Binoche and Claire Denis are teaming up. Binoche will star in Denis’ next project, “Dark Glasses,” The Film Stage reports. Set to shoot in Paris and Guéret this...
“Coin Heist” Writer-Director Emily Hagins on Respecting the Teenage Perspective
Emily Hagins is a 23-year-old writer-director living in Los Angeles. She wrote and directed her first feature film at the age of 12, a zombie movie titled “Pathogen.” This project was the...
20 Most Anticipated Films By and About Women of 2017
“Wonder Woman” By Rachel Montpelier and Kate Gardner As we say goodbye to the festering disappointment that was 2016 — and try to be cautiously optimistic that next year will be a little...
January 2017 Film Preview
“Underworld: Blood Wars” January is good month for fans of female-led action films. Both the “Underworld” and “Resident Evil” franchises are releasing their latest chapters. Even those...
Best of 2016: Another Male Director With Little Experience Given a Big-Budget Project
Women and Hollywood is off this week. Please enjoy one of our top posts of the year. This piece is from June 21, 2016. In today’s dose of “Are you fucking kidding me?” another male director...
Best of 2016: Kathleen Kennedy Doesn’t Think There’s a Woman Director Ready for “Star Wars”
Women and Hollywood is off this week. Please enjoy one of our top posts of the year. This piece is from November 23, 2016. “Star Wars” producer Kathleen Kennedy sounds determined to get a...
Best of 2016: Ava DuVernay Will Be First African-American Woman to Helm $100 Million Film
Women and Hollywood is off this week. Please enjoy one of our top posts of the year. This piece is from August 3, 2016. Yesterday, a list of CA tax credits was announced. On that list was...
A Reflection on 2016 and a Promise for 2017
Friends, Let’s not pretend that 2016 hasn’t been a tough year. But as I wrote after the election, we here at Women and Hollywood are deeply committed to continuing and expanding our work in...
The Best Documentaries By and About Women in 2016
“13th” So many standout documentaries by and about women have been released this year. The films that follow are just some of our many favorites. These award-winning docs explore political...
Women-Directed Films in the Running for Best Picture at the Oscars
Oscar nominations won’t be announced until January 24, but we’re one step closer to knowing which films may score nods. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released a list of...
The Best-Reviewed Women-Directed Films of 2016 According to Rotten Tomatoes
As 2016 winds down, critics associations and outlets are furiously compiling “Best of” lists. This was a really strong year for cinema — so strong, that a record-breaking amount of...
Breaking the Fourth Wall: December’s VOD and Web Series Picks
“Online Heroines” Whether through irony, autobiography, or documentary, this month’s batch of VOD and web series recommendations all chip away at the fourth wall, that barrier that usually...
2016’s Best Web Series By and About Women
The rise of digital content has increased dramatically over the last few years. Web series can serve as a home for topics that aren’t represented within mainstream media: LGBTQ issues, diversity...
Berlinale’s Panorama Program is 55% Women-Directed (So Far)
The Berlin International Film Festival has announced 11 films for its 2017 Panorama program, and six of them are directed or co-directed by women, amounting to about 55 percent of the slate. While...
Trailer Watch: A Pessimistic Doctor Finds Romance in “Everybody Loves Somebody”
“I see it every day: the illusion of love,” says Clara (Karla Souza, “How to Get Away with Murder”), an OB-GYN with a cynical stance on romance, in a newly released trailer for “Everybody...
Athena Film Festival Will Honor Eve Ensler, Patricia Riggen, Regina K. Scully
The Athena Film Festival (AFF) has announced its 2017 awardees, celebrating female leaders in the entertainment industry and those who support them. The festival will honor Tony Award-winning...
Trailer Watch: Hannah and Jessa Come to Blows in “Girls’” Final Season
The sixth and final season of Lena Dunham’s “Girls” is almost upon us. The series won’t return to HBO until February 12, but a newly released promo hints at what’s in store for Hannah...
The Best Women-Directed Films of 2016: “American Honey,” “The Fits,” & More
“American Honey” Women directors may not have made a major impact at the box office this year, but they absolutely helmed some of the year’s finest films. With subjects as varied as a traveling...
Women Directed Ten Percent of 2016’s Top Grossing Films
2016 wasn’t a great year for female filmmakers at the domestic box office. Women directed or co-directed 24 of the top 250 highest grossing films in the U.S. this year, amounting to about ten...
Directors UK Partners with Channel 4 for Emerging Directors Project
If you’re a member of Directors UK, or just an emerging director, here’s a new opportunity for you: Directors UK, the professional association for British screen directors, is partnering with...
Trailer Watch: Alice Lowe Has the Worst Pregnancy Ever in “Prevenge”
Atrailer has landed for “Prevenge,” writer-director-actress Alice Lowe’s deliciously unconventional portrayal of pregnancy. “You’ve got this force of nature now inside you. Baby knows what...
Trailer Watch: Gillian Anderson in Gurinder Chadha’s “Viceroy’s House”
“Bend it Like Beckham” director Gurinder Chadha has teamed up with Gillian Anderson and “Downton Abbey’s” Hugh Bonneville for “Viceroy’s House.” The film “depicts the final few...