Women Directors
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Acquires Rebecca Johnson’s Debut “Honeytrap”
Ava DuVernay’s distribution company ARRAY has a new acquisition from across the pond. “Honeytrap” marks the feature debut of Brit writer-director Rebecca Johnson. The film was critically...
Reese Witherspoon in Talks to Star in Hallie Meyers-Shyer’s “Home Again”
Reese Witherspoon: Peter Souza/ Wikimedia Commons Reese Witherspoon is in talks to star in a new woman-directed feature. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Oscar winner may take the lead in...
Exhibition Celebrating Australian Feminist Films to Open in Sydney
A new exhibition celebrating Australian feminist cinema of the ’90s is set to open at the University of Sydney. The FemFlix exhibition at the University’s Visual Arts faculty, the Sydney College...
Kyra Sedgwick Takes the Lead in ABC’s “Ten Days in the Valley”
2017 is shaping up to be a big year for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” actress Kyra Sedgwick. Not only will her directorial debut “Story of a Girl” debut on Lifetime after making the rounds of the...
TIFF’s Canadian Lineup: Deepa Mehta, Lesbian Romance, Poetic Animation, and More
TIFF 2016 will host the World Premiere of Deepa Mehta’s newest film. The fest has announced its Canadian lineup, of which the former Oscar nominee is a part. Screening in the Masters program,...
The Queer and Not-So-Queer History of Early Hollywood Revealed in New Book “Girls Will Be Boys”
Laura Horak tells of a time when cross-dressed women and lesbians roamed the screen in “Girls Will Be Boys: Cross-Dressed Women, Lesbians, and American Cinema, 1908–1934.” Here, Horak...
Quote of the Day: Locarno Artistic Director Explains How Women Enrich Cinema
Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival 2016 gets underway today. Its Artistic Director had some thoughts to share on the dearth of women filmmakers — and lack of diversity in general — in...
Ava Duvernay Will Be First African American Woman to Helm $100 Million Film
Yesterday a list of CA tax credits was announced. On that list was Disney’s Ava Duvernay-helmed film “A Wrinkle in Time.” Why that is of note is that this marks the first time CA tax...
Kaori Momoi’s “火 Hee” to Open 14th Vladivostok International Film Festival
To call Kaori Momoi accomplished would be an understatement. Both an icon of Japanese cinema and, at times, one of its most influential critics, she has appeared in some 60 films spanning a 35-year...
Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen to Star in Stalker Comedy
Another day in Hollywood, and yet another novice male director gets trusted to bring the latest star vehicle to the screen. Screenwriter Matt Spicer is set to make his feature-length directorial...
Women and Hollywood Goes Down Under
Melissa Silverstein and Rachel Ward Even before Women and Hollywood was a glimmer in my eye, I had an affinity for Australian women directors. I find it very interesting that most of the seminal...
“Queen Sugar” Gets Early Season 2 Renewal
This September, OWN will debut the series premiere of “Queen Sugar,” a new family drama created by Oprah Winfrey and “Selma” director Ava DuVernay. Yesterday OWN announced that it has...
Trailer Watch: “The Love Witch” Casts an Enchanting Spell on Vintage Horror Fans
Fans of retro horror comedies are in for a delightful blast from the past with Anna Biller’s “The Love Witch.” A newly released NSFW trailer for the film introduces Elaine (Samantha Robinson),...
August 2016 Film Preview
“A Tale of Love and Darkness” by Rachel Montpelier and Kate Gardner Whether they are opening up about something personal, sharing a beloved fairy tale, or constructing an elaborate charade, the...
Weekly Update for July 29: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Equity” Films About Women Opening This Week Equity — Directed by Meera Menon; Written by Amy Fox (Opens in NY and LA) “Equity” tells the story of a driven female investment banker...
Tribeca Film Institute Announces Grant Recipients for Doc Fund and AOL Award
Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) has announced the 2016 recipients of the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund and its subsection, the AOL Charitable Foundation Award. Seven projects have been chosen to...
Sian Heder Reveals What Inspired Her New Kidnapping Drama “Tallulah”
Sian Heder writes and produces on “Orange is the New Black,” for which she has received multiple WGA nominations. Her first short film, “Mother,” won top honors at the Cannes Film Festival,...
Trailer Watch: Meg Ryan Reteams with Tom Hanks for Her Directorial Debut “Ithaca”
Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are reuniting on the big-screen, but what makes the collaboration especially exciting is the fact that they are joining forces for Ryan’s directorial debut, “Ithaca.” A...
“Into the Forest” Writer-Director Patricia Rozema on Her Sister-Centric Survival Story
Interview by Freja Dam Patricia Rozema’s first feature, “I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing,” won the Prix de la Jeunesse and was runner-up for the Camera d’Or at the 1987 Cannes Film...
Trailer Watch: “Queen of Katwe” TV Spot Makes Chess Exciting
A fun new TV spot for Mira Nair’s “Queen of Katwe” has hit the web, and it shows that while chess is often thought of as a high-brow pursuit, it can also be fun, competitive, and...
Venice Film Fest 2016 Lineup: Competition Features Only 10 Percent Female Directors
The Venice International Film Festival has announced its 2016 slate, and female filmmakers do not feature prominently. Venice is recognized as the oldest film festival in the world, but the 73rd...
Women Are EVERYWHERE at the Movies This Weekend: Ladies of Wall Street, Wild Moms, and More
Unless you’re a die-hard fan of blockbusters, summer probably isn’t your favorite season to head to the cinema (besides for the air-conditioning, of course). But this weekend is almost an...
Director Ry Russo-Young’s “Before I Fall” Gets Spring 2017 Release Date
The Zoey Deutch’s starrer “Before I Fall” has been given a release date, Variety reports. Open Road Films will premiere the film on April 7, 2017. The movie, directed by Ry Russo-Young and...
“Winter’s Bone” Helmer Debra Granik to Write and Direct New Adventure Drama
Debra Granik, best known for her 2010 indie sensation “Winter’s Bone,” is set to co-write and direct a new adventure drama. The Tracking Board reports that Granik is working on an adaptation...
Australian Government Agency Will No Longer Fund All-Male Productions
Australian state agency Screen New South Wales has announced that all TV drama series must now include women in key creative roles in order to receive financing. It’s a huge step towards gender...
The Top Five Highest Grossing Indie Movies of 2016 Are Women-Centric
It’s a good year for female characters in indie movies. Out of the top ten highest grossing indie films of 2016 so far, according to Indiewire’s list, the top five feature women as...
A Record Number of Women Directors in Consideration for British Doc Awards
With 52 women on the Grierson shortlist, a record number of women are now in consideration for this year’s British Documentary Awards. As the BBC reports, Lorraine Heggessey, the trust’s chair,...
Oscar Winner Barbara Kopple on Her Inspiring New Doc “Miss Sharon Jones!”
Barbara Kopple is a two-time Academy Award winning filmmaker. Her recent credits include “Shelter,” which explores the psychological trauma created by military service, the effects that remain...
Venice Days Lineup Highlights Female Directors
Venice Days, The Venice Film Festival’s independent arm modeled on Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, has unveiled their lineup for the 13th fest, which runs from August 31-September 10...
TIFF Galas and Special Presentations: Mira Nair, Amma Asante, and More
The “Queen of Katwe” is Toronto-bound. The Toronto International Film Festival has announced the first crop of titles for the 41st edition of the fest. A significant number of films selected as...
“Transparent” Creator Jill Soloway Named Keynote Speaker for SXSW 2017
SXSW won’t kick off until March 2017, but organizers have revealed that “Transparent” creator Jill Soloway will be a keynote speaker at the fest, Deadline reports. This is great...
Alice Lowe’s “Prevenge” To Open Venice Critics’ Week
Prepare for “Prevenge.” Alice Lowe’s feature directorial debut will open the Venice International Film Festival’s Critics’ Week. The fest runs from August 31-September 10 in...
Writer-Director Nijla Mu’min Selected for Panavision New Filmmaker Program
Nijla Mu’min is set to receive some valuable support for her feature film debut: the writer-director has been selected for The Panavision New Filmmaker Program. In “Jinn,” Mu’min will tackle...
Weekly Update for July 22: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie” Films About Women Opening This Week Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie — Directed by Mandie Fletcher; Written by Jennifer Saunders The big-screen version of...
Michael Moore’s Film Fest Lineup is Exclusively Women-Directed
Many film festivals talk the talk of gender equality, but when it comes to unveiling their programs, particularly the most high-profile sections, male-directed films continue to dominate. Michael...
New Pilot from “Transparent” Creator Jill Soloway to Hit Amazon in August
Season 3 of “Transparent” won’t debut until sometime this fall, but you can catch a new pilot from Jill Soloway, the show’s creator, on Amazon in August. While “Transparent” was...
Trailer Watch: Natalie Portman’s Directorial Debut “A Tale of Love and Darkness”
Natalie Portman premiered her directorial debut, “A Tale of Love and Darkness” at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where her promise as a director became evident. Now that the film has made its...
Amandla Stenberg to Star in Stella Meghie’s “Everything Everything” Adaptation
Amandla Stenberg, who played Rue in “The Hunger Games,” has signed on to star in the film adaptation the YA book by “Everything Everything” by Nicola Yoon, The Hollywood Reporter writes....
Nanfu Wang on Activism, Sex Work, and Human Rights in “Hooligan Sparrow”
Interview by Diana Martinez Nanfu Wang was born in a remote farming village in Jiangxi Province, China. Wang is a recipient of the Sundance Documentary Fund and the Bertha Britdoc Journalism Fund...
Trailer Watch: Ava DuVernay and Oprah Tackle Love, Loss, and Race in “Queen Sugar”
Ava DuVernay is finally coming to TV, and we have a newly released trailer for “Queen Sugar” to tide us over until the drama premieres on OWN. The emotional spot kicks off with the event that...
Maren Ade’s “Toni Erdmann” a Hit in Germany
Maren Ade’s film “Toni Erdmann” was a fan favorite at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, but it didn’t take home any of the fest’s prizes. It did, however, earn top honors from the...
Catherine Corsini on Pioneering Lesbian Feminists and “Summertime”
In “Summertime,” Catherine Corsini gives us a love story about two women in Paris and the French countryside at the dawn of the feminist movement in the early 1970s. These women are forging a...
AMBI Classics Makes its Debut with Niki Caro’s “Whale Rider”
Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s AMBI Group is forging its way into specialty distribution. AMBI has a library of more than 400 titles from Exclusive Media Group to draw on, and are planning...
Jennifer Morrison to Receive Trailblazer Award at HollyShorts Film Festival
The HollyShorts Film Festival has announced that Jennifer Morrison will be honored with the 2016 HollyShorts Trailblazer Award presented by Women in Film at the 12th incarnation of...
Ava DuVernay’s “The 13th” Will Be First Doc Opener of New York Film Festival
Director Ava DuVernay (“Selma”) has secured the Opening Night spot at this year’s New York Film Festival, which runs from September 30-October 16, for her documentary “The 13th.” It’s...
Women Win Big at Outfest Los Angeles
Female filmmakers took home two out of three Audience Awards at this year’s Outfest, an LA-based LGBTQ film festival. Annalise Ophelian won the U.S. Documentary Audience Award for “Major!” and...
Jane Birkin To Be Honored at Locarno Film Fest
Jane Birkin will be honored at this year’s Locarno Film Fest. The Switzerland-based festival will pay tribute to the the English actress and singer with a career retrospective. Birkin made her...
Watch: Nora Ephron Interview On Gender and Politics Animated by Blank on Blank
In 1975, director, journalist, and writer Nora Ephron sat down with radio host Studs Terkel for a conversation about gender and politics. Ephron had just had her book, “Crazy Salad: Some Things...
Weekly Update for July 15: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Ghostbusters” Films About Women Opening This Week Ghostbusters — Co-Written by Katie Dippold “Ghostbusters” bursts onto the screen with several of our country’s funniest...
Ramona Diaz Honored by Docs In Progress Inspiration Award
The Documentary Inspiration Awards will honor filmmaker Ramona Diaz. Docs in Progress, a D.C. area-based non-profit, will host a special evening to celebrate Diaz and learn from her in an intimate...
Negotiating the Real and the Surreal: Crowdfunding Picks
“The Language of Laughter” This summer, female-directed and written crowdfunding projects are making sense of the real world by telling stories infused with the surreal. By blending common...