Women Directors
Lexi Alexander Returning to Film to Direct Wrestling Biopic “Crossface”
Credit: Aaron Goodwin/Courtesy of Lexi Alexander/NPR Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lexi Alexander has signed on to direct “Crossface,” the story of wrestler Chris Benoit. Alexander will helm the...
Trailer Watch: Talulah Riley’s Wildlife RomCom “Scottish Mussel”
Boy meets girl. Girl is saving mussels from pearl poachers. Boy is a pearl poacher. Hijinks and romance commence with the aid of doofus-y friends, a strapping American rival for the girl’s...
TIFF 2016: Meet Chloé Robichaud — “Boundaries”
Born in Quebec, screenwriter and director Chloé Robichaud lives and works in Montreal. Her first feature film, “Sarah préfère la course,” was selected for the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Her...
No More Excuses, Just Hire More Women
According to the Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative’s latest study, 29 female directors were involved in 800 of the top-grossing films between 2007 and 2015 (excluding 2011). 29 out...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Rachel Lambert — “In the Radiant City”
Rachel Lambert received a BFA from Boston University and also studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. After graduating, she worked for HanWay Films in addition to writing and...
Ana Lily Amirpour’s “The Bad Batch” Acquired By Netflix Out of Venice
Ana Lily Amirpour’s “The Bad Batch” has been acquired by Netflix out of the Venice Film Festival, The Hollywood Reporter writes. The deal is for SVOD rights. Amirpour’s second feature after...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Selma Vilhunen — “Little Wing”
Selma Vilhunen is an Academy Award nominated director and screenwriter based in Helsinki, Finland. She has written and directed both documentaries and fiction films since 1998. Vilhunen’s short...
The Ties That Bond: Crowdfunding Picks
Julia Ngeow, writer and director of “Eudaemonia” Connecting with another person, really bonding with them, can be very difficult as an adult. Whether you’re making a new friend, attempting to...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Amma Asante — “A United Kingdom”
Amma Asante’s previous directing credits include “Belle” and “A Way of Life.” Both films premiered at TIFF. Asante has been named by Variety as one of the Top Ten Directors to Watch, and...
Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon May Join Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time”
Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time” seems like it’s gearing up to being the coolest movie ever. As The Hollywood Reporter writes, Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon may be joining...
“As I Open My Eyes” Writer-Director Leyla Bouzid on Arab Women and Revolution
Interview by Siân Melton Leyla Bouzid is a Tunisian born and raised filmmaker. She studied French literature at the University of Paris and film directing at La Fémis. Her shorts...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Alison Maclean — “The Rehearsal”
Alison Maclean’s credits include “Crush,” “Jesus’s Son,” and “Kitchen Sink.” She was born in Canada and raised in New Zealand. “The Rehearsal” will premiere at the 2016 Toronto...
TIFF 2016 Preview: Women-Directed Films About Athletes, Geniuses, and Cannibals
“A United Kingdom” The Toronto International Film Festival kicks off today, and with nearly 30 percent of the program helmed by women (if you include shorts), there’s lots to look forward to....
Trailer Watch: “My Art” Explores Life as a Female Artist at Age 65
Laurie Simmons might be extra famous for being Lena Dunham’s mom, but for decades she’s had a successful artistic career of her own. Now she’s returning to film in “My Art,” which follows...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Ann Marie Fleming — “Window Horses”
Ann Marie Fleming is an independent Eurasian-Canadian filmmaker, writer, and artist. She has created award-winning work in a variety of genres, and often focuses on the themes of family, history,...
New Research Shows Gender Equality in Hollywood is Stalled
Credit: MDSC Initiative We spend every day at Women and Hollywood educating, advocating, and agitating for gender equality in Hollywood and the global film industry. We know that while there has been...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Anne Émond — “Nelly”
Anne Émond lives and works in Montreal. Between 2005 and 2011, she wrote and directed seven short films, “Naissances” and “Sophie Lavoie” among them, which screened at several international...
“Heathers” Receives a Pilot Order, Leslye Headland to Direct
Beloved 80s cult classic “Heathers” is being made into an anthology series. The project has received a pilot order, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Leslye Headland (“Sleeping With Other...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Petra Epperlein — “Karl Marx City”
Petra Epperlein and her co-director/husband Michael Tucker’s previous films include “The Last Cowboy,” “Gunner Palace,” “The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair,”...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Ralitza Petrova — “Godless”
Ralitza Petrova studied Directing at the National Film and Television School in the UK. Her films have won acclaim at film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, and Locarno. In 2007 she was awarded the...
The Bold Directorial Sisterhood of “Queen Sugar”
“Queen Sugar”: OWN In the television season that concluded last year, show episodes directed by non-white women made up a whopping three percent of the total. White women, meanwhile, were a...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Susan Johnson — “Carrie Pilby”
Susan Johnson is an Independent Spirit Award winning filmmaker. “Carrie Pilby” marks her feature directorial debut. After a successful career as a music video director, Johnson has produced 10...
Trailer Watch: “Below Her Mouth” Benefited From an All-Female Crew
Sometimes kicking the men off set leads to a more authentic performance, and that’s exactly what “Below Her Mouth” was going for, as is revealed in its steamy new trailer. The film was...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Hope Dickson Leach— “The Levelling”
Born in Hong Kong and educated in the UK, Hope Dickson Leach completed her MFA in filmmaking at Columbia University in New York. Her award-winning thesis film, “The Dawn Chorus,” played at...
Take Part in the #DirectedByWomen Worldwide Film Viewing Party
Call September Women’s Cinema History Month. #DirectedByWomen is hosting a month-long Worldwide Film Viewing Party to celebrate and recognize the thousands of films, television shows, web series,...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Maren Ade — “Toni Erdmann”
Maren Ade‘s second feature, “Everyone Else,” won two Silver Bears at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival: the Grand Jury Prize and Best Actress for Birgit Minichmayr. The modern relationship drama...
Watch: Women & Hollywood Founder Melissa Silverstein Talks Gender Equality
Earlier this summer, Women and Hollywood’s Founder and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Silverstein spoke at the Natalie Miller Fellowship event in Melbourne, Australia. The Fellowship, named in honor of...
Weekly Update for September 2: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“White Girl” Films About Women Opening This Week White Girl — Written and Directed by Elizabeth Wood (Opens in NY; Opens in LA September 9 and nationwide September 16) Street-wise college...
Dutch Animated Short Film by Digna van der Put Joins the Oscar Race
Dutch animated short “Parade” by Digna van der Put has been selected by a film committee in The Netherlands for submission into the Best Animated Short Film category for the Academy Awards. Van...
Trailer Watch: Kristen Stewart Teaches Her First Class in “Certain Women”
“It’s so lovely to think that, if I were a man, people would listen and say OK. That’d be so restful,” says Laura Dern in the new trailer for Kelly Reichardt’s “Certain Women.”...
“Pitch Perfect 3” Director Announced
The Barden Bellas have secured a captain to steer them towards box-office glory. A new director for “Pitch Perfect 3” has been named after its original helmer, Elizabeth Banks, pulled out due to...
Watch: Alicia Keys Pens Song for “Queen of Katwe”
Fifteen-time Grammy award-winner Alicia Keys is teaming up with Disney’s “Queen of Katwe.” Keys recorded a new song titled “Back to Life” for Mira Nair’s hotly anticipated underdog story...
BFI London Announces 2016 Fest Lineup: “Queen of Katwe,” “Divines,” and More
The program for the 2016 BFI London Film Festival has been revealed. As previously announced, Amma Asante’s “A United Kingdom” will open the 60th edition of the fest. Based on a a true story,...
Attention, Female Filmmakers: CIR Now Taking Applications for Two Opportunities
The Center for Investigative Reporting is now accepting applications for two new opportunities for women in film — one geared towards filmmakers early in their careers, and the other for more...
“White Girl” Writer-Director Elizabeth Wood on Her Controversial New Film
Interview by Diana Martinez After a few years of making experimental and documentary films, Elizabeth Wood received a screenwriting fellowship to Columbia, where she earned her MFA. One of...
Anthology Film Archive Devotes Series to Women Directors Before 1950
The Anthology Film Archive of New York has scheduled a screening series devoted to the female directors of the early 20th century. The series, called “Woman With a Movie Camera: Female Film...
September 2016 Film Preview
“Queen of Katwe” by Kate Gardner and Rachel Montpelier From tense horror films to powerful documentaries, the diversity of films this September shows that films by and about women span all...
Quote of the Day: Ava DuVernay Explains, “The Onus is Not on the Marginalized to Educate”
Ava DuVernay is about to have a killer fall. Her first television series, “Queen Sugar,” will premiere on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network, and she’s the first woman to open the New York Film...
Screenwriter Anya Kochoff Romano to Make Directorial Debut
Screenwriter Anya Kochoff Romano is set to make her directorial debut, Variety reports. The woman behind the scripts for 2016’s “Mother’s Day” and 2005’s “Monster-in-Law” will take the...
Trailer Watch: Sibling Rivalry Gets Super Awkward in “My Blind Brother”
A trailer has been released for “My Blind Brother,” Sophie Goodhart’s feature debut. The comedy centers on Bill (Nick Kroll, “Burning Love”), a man who is constantly overshadowed by his...
Trailer Watch: Natalie Portman Is a Spiritualist Superstar in “Planetarium”
A gorgeous trailer has landed for “Planetarium,” Rebecca Zlotowski’s upcoming period drama starring Natalie Portman and Lily-Rose Depp (“Yoga Hosers”) as sisters. The young American...
Refinery29 Launches Women-Directed Film Series
Refinery29’s Shatterbox Anthology short film series highlighting female filmmakers has launched. On August 28, the first of 12 short films, a documentary called “Watching You, Watching Me,”...
New “American Girl” Live-Action Special Will Depict The Civil Rights Movement
A new “American Girl” live-action special will be set during the civil rights movement, Deadline reports. “Melody, 1963: Love Has to Win, an American Girl Story” centers on a 10-year-old...
Weekly Update for August 26: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Equal Means Equal” Films About Women Opening This Week Equal Means Equal (Documentary) — Directed by Kamala Lopez; Written by Kamala Lopez and Gini Sikes “Equal Means Equal” offers...
Listen: Podcast with Clea DuVall, Writer, Director, and Star of “The Intervention”
Women and Hollywood spoke with Clea DuVall, writer, director, and star of “The Intervention.” DuVall has been acting on screen for 20 years, with credits including “Veep,” “American Horror...
Exclusive: “My King” Clip Shows Emmanuelle Bercot Falling in Love
What better time to interact with a potential love interest than when you look “like death warmed over”? What begins as good-natured ribbing among friends transforms into something much more in...
Three Women Shortlisted to Direct “Captain Marvel”
Three outstanding female directors are on the short list to direct “Captain Marvel,” the first female-led superhero movie from Marvel Studios. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that those...
“Toni Erdmann” Selected as Germany’s Oscar Pick
It’s official: Germany is entering Maren Ade’s Cannes breakout “Toni Erdmann” into the Oscar race. The film has been submitted for consideration in the best foreign-language film category...
Trailer Watch: Amma Asante’s “A United Kingdom” Looks Award Worthy
“Belle” director Amma Asante’s next film, “A United Kingdom” will make its world premiere September 9 during the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival, then make its way to London...
“Equal Means Equal” Director Kamala Lopez Talks Patricia Arquette and Fair Pay
Kamala Lopez has been named the 2015 Woman of the Year by the LA County’s Board of Supervisors and the Women’s Commission, one of 21 Leaders of the 21st Century by eNews, and the 2011 Woman of...
Helping Hands: August 2016’s Crowdfunding Picks
“Love is Uganda” We all need a helping hand sometimes, and that is the running theme in the second round of crowdfunding picks for August. From women helping each other to the real life...