Women Directors
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Pamela French — “Becoming More Visible”
Pamela French is a New York-based independent producer/director who specializes in fly-on-the-wall films. French began her career making independent avant-garde shorts with New York artists....
DOC NYC 2016 Women Directors: Meet Markie Hancock — “Feral Love”
Markie Hancock is a documentary filmmaker working in New York City. Her works include “Born Again” and “Queers in the Kingdom.” Both docs explore evangelical Christianity and the formation...
Trailer Watch: Female Vets Confront the Aftermath of War in “After Fire”
A trailer has landed for “After Fire,” Brittany Huckabee’s new documentary examining the fastest-growing group of American veterans: women. “In the military, the focus is the mission,”...
Teaser Watch: Carrie Heads to NYC in “Homeland” Season 6
Carrie Mathison is back. Showtime has released a teaser trailer for the new season of “Homeland,” and if the new footage is any indication, Carrie (Claire Danes) is as brave, defiant, and...
“Toni Erdmann” Leads Nominations for European Film Awards
The European Film Awards have announced their 2016 nominees, and Maren Ade’s “Toni Erdmann” leads the pack with six nods. Other women up for honors include “Room” screenwriter Emma...
Quote of the Day: Jessica Chastain’s Goal is to Work with a Female Director Every Year
Jessica Chastain is among the most vocal Hollywood A-Listers championing inclusivity in the industry, both onscreen and behind the scenes. In 2015, she published an essay via The Hollywood Reporter...
Women in the Director’s Chair Announces 8 Directors for Mentorship Program
Canada’s Women in the Director’s Chair (WIDC) has selected this year’s group of eight female directors who will participate in WIDC: Story & Leadership, its mentoring program. The eight...
Weekly Update for November 4: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Operator” Films About Women Opening This Week My Dead Boyfriend (Also Available on VOD) Mary’s (Heather Graham) life has been defined by a string of temp jobs and a half-hearted attempt to...
Critics’ Choice Doc Award Winners: “13th,” “Weiner,” and “Southwest of Salem”
Ava DuVernay won big at the inaugural Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, held Thursday night in New York. Her Netflix doc, “13th,” won a number of major honors at the ceremony. “13th”...
A Legacy of Their Own: Crowdfunding Picks
“Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers” It’s probably fair to say that most artists want their work to remain relevant after they’re gone; for people to remember them because their art is...
Karen Gillan to Make Feature Directorial Debut with “Tupperware Party”
Actress Karen Gillan is set to make her feature directorial debut with the female-driven “Tupperware Party.” The news was announced along with the launch of Mt. Hollywood Films, a development...
Oscars 2017 Foreign Language Contenders: Meet Maria Schrader — “Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe”
One of Germany’s most acclaimed actresses, Maria Schrader is a two-time winner of the German Film award and two-time winner of the Bavarian Film award. In 1999, at the Berlinale, she received the...
Paul Feig May Direct Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson Comedy
“Ghostbusters” helmer Paul Feig is in “serious talks” to direct Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson in an untitled comedy that’s been described as “The Devil Wears Prada” meets “Broadway...
Voice of a Woman Film Festival Hits NYC
The Voice of A Woman Film Festival, which features the works of women in film, television, arts, and technology, kicks off in New York City this weekend. As the offical info details, the goal of the...
Vanessa Gould’s “Obit.” Acquired by Kino Lorber
After a successful run on the festival circuit, Vanessa Gould’s “Obit.” has secured a theatrical release. A press release announced that Kino Lorber has acquired all U.S. rights to the...
Trailer Watch: Maria Sole Tognazzi’s Romantic Comedy “Me, Myself and Her”
A trailer has been released for “Me, Myself and Her,” a humorous look at a couple going through a difficult time. According to a press release for the Maria Sole Tognazzi-directed film, “Me,...
Sofia Coppola Begins Production on “The Beguiled”
Production has begun on writer-director Sofia Coppola’s next project, “The Beguiled.” The Louisiana production kicked off yesterday. Coppola adapted the screenplay from Thomas Cullinan’s...
Niki Caro to Direct Film About DNA Scientist Rosalind Franklin
Writer-director Niki Caro has added yet another project to her packed slate. She’s inked a deal to develop and direct “Exposure,” a film centered on Rosalind Franklin, a trailblazing scientist...
Mélanie Laurent to Make English Language Directorial Debut with “Galveston”
Mélanie Laurent is set to make her English language directorial debut, Variety reports. The French actress and director will helm “Galveston,” starring Elle Fanning and Ben Foster. Based on...
Joelle Charbonneau’s “Need” Movie Gets All-Female Writing-Directing Team
Joelle Charbonneau’s young adult thriller novel “Need” is getting the big screen adaptation treatment, and thankfully those in power have secured a female writing-directing team for...
Women Dominate Warner Bros. Emerging Film Directors Workshop
Warner Bros. has announced the first five participants in the newly launched Emerging Film Directors Workshop and four of them are women. We’re so used to having to lament the fact that women are...
The Orchard Acquires Susan Johnson’s “Carrie Pilby,” Starring Bel Powley
If you loved Marielle Heller’s “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” and gravitate towards films with sassy, precocious female leads, you’re in luck. The Orchard has acquired the North American...
Ava DuVernay and Amma Asante Begin Their Next Films
Ava DuVernay and Amma Asante just wrapped up two high-profile films and premiered them at festivals, but they’re both jumping into new projects right away. Women get stuff done. DuVernay...
Trailer Watch: Katie Holmes Plays a Struggling Single Mom in “All We Had”
A trailer has dropped for “All We Had,” Katie Holmes’ feature directorial debut. The spot kicks off with 15-year-old Ruthie (Stefania Owen, “Chance”) asking her young mother Rita (Holmes),...
IDA Doc Award Nominations: “13th,” “Weiner,” and More
The nominations for the International Documentary Association’s 2016 IDA Documentary Awards have been announced. Three of the six films competing for the Best Feature Award are directed or...
Women Directed 30% of Documentaries Submitted for Oscar Consideration
145 documentary feature films have been submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for consideration for the 89th Academy Awards, and according to our calculations, 44 of them are...
November 2016 Film Preview
“Moana” As the holidays begin to kick into high gear, so does award season. This month is packed with performances by actresses who are considered likely to receive Oscar nods.. If you’re not...
BIFA Nominations: “American Honey,” “Adult Life Skills,” and More
The 2016 British Independent Film Awards have been announced, and Andrea Arnold’s “American Honey” and Rachel Tunnard’s “Adult Life Skills” each scored an impressive six...
Christina Herrera’s “No Dress Code Required” Acquired by Outsider Pictures
Outsider Pictures’ specialty label Todo Cine Latino has acquired the North American distribution rights to Christina Herrera’s “Etiqueta No Rigurosa” (“No Dress Code Required”). The deal...
S.J. Clarkson to Direct Netflix’s “The Defenders”
S.J. Clarkson is returning to the Marvel universe. Clarkson, who directed the first two episodes of “Jessica Jones,” has signed on to helm Episodes 1 and 2 of Netflix’s upcoming original...
A.V. Rockwell Wins Tribeca’s 2nd Through Her Lens Women’s Filmmaker Program
Tribeca Enterprises partnered with Chanel for the second iteration of Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program and the winning project and recipient have been announced: A.V....
Weekly Update for October 28: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“The Eagle Huntress” Films About Women Opening This Week The Eagle Huntress (Documentary) (Opens November 2 in NY and LA) Narrated by Daisy Ridley, “The Eagle Huntress” follows Aisholpan, a...
First New Play Written By a Woman Announced for Current Broadway Season
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel is set to make her Broadway debut, The New York Times reports. “Indecent,” Vogel’s newest play, will be staged on Broadway next spring. Rebecca...
Nancy Buirski on Paying Tribute to a Legend in “By Sidney Lumet”
Nancy Buirski’s 2013 documentary “Afternoon of a Faun” had its World Premiere at the 51st New York Film Festival and International Premiere at the 64th Berlinale. She is the director,...
Chanya Button on “Burn Burn Burn,” Her Love Letter to Friendship
Chanya Button made her start in the industry at an early age, working as an Assistant Director on the “Harry Potter” franchise. Button has since worked extensively across both the theater and...
Sarah Adina Smith’s “Buster’s Mal Heart” Acquired by Well Go USA
“Buster’s Mal Heart” has secured a theatrical release. Deadline reports that Well Go USA has acquired rights in North America, as well as some other territories, for the surreal psychological...
Amber Fares’ “Speed Sisters” Sets Release Date
“Speed Sisters” is racing into New York. First Run Features has announced that Amber Fares’ doc about the first all-women race car driving team in the Middle East will make its U.S. theatrical...
Cynthia Mort to Write and Direct “Jane Millen,” Starring Olga Kurylenko
“Nina” helmer Cynthia Mort has booked her next gig. She’ll write and direct “Jane Millen,” a crime thriller starring Olga Kurylenko (“Oblivion,” “Quantum of Solace”), The Hollywood...
Decision 2016: October’s VOD and Web Series Picks
“The Young Hillary Diaries”: Lifetime Decisions are at the core of most narratives. The emphasis on personal decisions are at the heart of our VOD and web series picks this month. The women...
Biopic of German Singer Nico in the Works
A biopic focusing on German singer Nico is in the works, Variety reports. The late singer was a 1960s icon who played with The Velvet Underground and became a muse of Andy Warhol. Italian director...
Julia Ducournau’s “Raw” Gets Release Date
The breakout horror hit of this year’s festival circuit has a release date. Julia Ducournau’s “Raw” will hit theaters March 10, 2017 and digital platforms in the summer, Birth.Movies.Death....
Lifetime’s Broad Focus Partners with Chicken & Egg for Short Film Series
Lifetime’s Broad Focus initiative and Chicken & Egg Pictures have partnered up for a project that elevates women’s voices. The duo is producing “Shorts on Time,” a series of short films...
“The Night Manager” Director Susanne Bier to Deliver Keynote at Screen Film Summit
Writer-director Susanne Bier will deliver the keynote speech at Screen Film Summit 2016, Screen International reports. Just over a month ago the prolific Danish filmmaker picked up an Emmy for...
Trailer Watch: Rory and Lorelai’s Banter is Back in “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life”
Rory and Lorelai Gilmore are back, and the twosome’s famous repartee is thankfully still intact. A newly released trailer for Netflix’s “Gilmore Girls” reboot has been released, and the...
“The Lady and the Panda” Ruth Harkness Biopic in the Works
A biopic about Ruth Harkness is in the works. Variety reports that filming on “The Lady and the Panda” is set to begin next month in China at the foot of the Himalayas. Vicki Croke’s book...
Kadri Kõusaar on Directing “Mother,” Estonia’s Oscar Submission
Kadri Kõusaar is an Estonian writer and director. Her first feature, “Magnus,” premiered in 2007, and was the the first Estonian film ever to be selected for Cannes Film Festival, screening in...
Bird’s Eye View Releasing Jane Linfoot’s “The Incident”
Birds Eye View, an organization that ran an international film festival from 2002–2014 and currently runs year-round filmmaker training programs, is now getting into distribution. According to...
Every Episode of “Jessica Jones” Season 2 Will Be Directed by Women
Your favorite superhero is adding some amazing allies to her team. “Marvel’s Jessica Jones” executive producer and showrunner Melissa Rosenberg has revealed that Season 2 of the hit Netflix...
Guest Post: How I Went from Editor to Director
Guest Post by Melissa Kent I have edited more than 20 features and TV movies with credits that include “The Virgin Suicides,” “Four Christmases,” “The Age of Adaline,” and “American...
Tribeca Announces Second Through Her Lens Women’s Filmmaker Program
Tribeca Enterprises has partnered with Chanel and announced the second iteration of Through Her Lense: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program. The program “balances industry support,...
Weekly Update for October 21: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“It Had to Be You” Films About Women Opening This Week It Had to Be You — Written and Directed by Sasha Gordon Sonia (Cristin Milioti) is a quirky, neurotic jingle writer who has always...