Women Directors
Sally Potter’s “The Party” to Star Patricia Clarkson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Cherry Jones
Patricia Clarkson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Cherry Jones, and Emily Mortimer are set to star in Sally Potter’s “The Party,” Variety has reported. That means that three-quarters of the female...
CBC Takes Steps to Hire 50% Female Directors for Scripted Dramas
Canadian public broadcaster CBC announced that at least half of the episodes of some of its most popular scripted programs will be directed by women. The move reflects the ongoing discussion about...
Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson” Takes Home Top Honors at Sheffield Doc/Fest
Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson” has been named the grand prize winner of Sheffield Doc/Fest. The documentary is a curated collection of extraordinary footage that Johnson has assembled over...
Trailer Watch: “Yarn” Explores a Forgotten Art Form
Knitting might not seem like a modern day art, but a new documentary is out to prove that assumption incorrect. Una Lorenzen’s “Yarn” explores a quirky art form often ignored by the mainstream...
Akosua Adoma Owusu Will Adapt Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “On Monday of Last Week”
Writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who last year granted Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”) the film rights to her novel “Americanah,” will now see another of her works adapted for the...
Nicole Kidman Joins “Top of the Lake” Season 2 with Elisabeth Moss and Gwendoline Christie
Oz’s biggest movie star is joining our favorite Australia-set series. Deadline reports that Nicole Kidman has signed on to Season 2 of Jane Campion’s feminist mystery series “Top of the...
Exclusive: Hilarious Video from “Adult Life Skills” Director Rachel Tunnard Nails Industry Sexism
One of the things we love about Rachel Tunnard’s “Adult Life Skills” is how it rejects the notion of a “strong female character” in favor of an interesting one that is allowed to mess up,...
Claire Carré’s “Embers” Will Be First Narrative Released By Slamdance Presents
Claire Carré’s directorial debut “Embers,” which closed this year’s Slamdance Film Festival, will be the first narrative feature released by the new Slamdance Presents label, Variety has...
Weekly Update for June 10: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week Diary of a Chambermaid — Co-Written by Hélène Zimmer “Diary of a Chambermaid” is set during the beginning of the 20th century in provincial France....
LA Film Fest Winners: “HEIS (chronicles),” “Political Animals,” “Paint it Black” All Honored
The LA Film Festival, produced by Film Independent, has announced the winners of the 2016 fest. The festival, which ran from June 1–9 this year, handed out juried awards in the categories of:...
Ingrid Veninger’s “He Hated Pigeons” to Open Female Eye Film Festival
Ingrid Veninger’s “He Hated Pigeons” will open the 14th annual Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto. The fest is an international showcase of female directors, and runs from June 14–19 this...
Sexist Comment of the Day: Studio Ghibli Producer Explains Why They Don’t Hire Women to Direct
Perpetuating stereotypes is never a good thing — but especially in the context of an interview with one of the world’s most prominent publications. The Guardian asked Studio Ghibli producer...
Elizabeth Banks and Directing While Mothering
First things first, I am not a mom. Nor am I a director. But I have spoken with many moms who are directors and many directors who aren't moms. Second, this discussion is inherently sexist...
How Finding a Filmmaking Partner Changed My Career
Guest Post by Siobhan Devine Making an independent film takes a village, and that’s pretty much the only part that everyone likes to talk about; that two days or three weeks of crazy madness and...
Netflix Snags Cannes Hit “Divines”
“Divines” is headed from Cannes to your living room. Variety reports that Netflix has acquired Houda Benyamina’s directorial debut, the winner of this year’s Camera d’Or. Benyamina...
Trailer Watch: Atheist Doctor Teams Up with Nuns in Anne Fontaine’s “The Innocents”
A newly released trailer for European writer-director Anne Fontaine’s latest offering, “The Innocents,” has been released. The drama centers on a young, atheist French Red Cross doctor (Lou de...
Ava DuVernay Honored at LAFF, Promotes Diversity in Film
Last week at the Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF), director Ava DuVernay was recognized with the Spirit of Independence honor. DuVernay, who directed “Selma,” and became the first...
Trailer Watch: “When the Bough Breaks” Doc Captures Postpartum Depression
Brooke Shields’ struggle with postpartum depression was documented in her 2005 memoir “Down Came the Rain.” Now, to continue her quest to raise awareness for the cause, she has executive...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Dorie Barton — “Girl Flu.”
Writer-director Dorie Barton makes her feature film debut with “Girl Flu.” She has spent many years as a story consultant with filmmakers, from up-and-coming writers, to industry veterans. As a...
Submissions for Warner Bros. Pictures Emerging Directors Workshop Now Open
Attention filmmakers: the application process for the inaugural Warner Bros. Emerging Film Directors Workshop is now open. The nine-month intensive will guide participants through the film...
Weekly Update for June 3: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Dear followers: Welcome to the Women and Hollywood Weekly Update. Each week we will be sharing with you films by and about women that are opening around the U.S. We’ll also include information...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Melissa Finell — “Sensitivity Training”
Melissa Finell is an award-winning director and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. “Sensitivity Training” is her first feature film. Her script for the film won an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Melissa Finell — “Sensivity Training”
“Sensitivity Training”Melissa Finell is an award-winning director and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. “Sensitivity Training” is her first feature film. Her script for the film won an...
Anna Rose Holmer on Hysteria and Collaboration in Her Genre-Blending Dance Film “The Fits”
Anna Rose Holmer was listed as one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film 2015.” She recently produced Jody Lee Lipes’ “Ballet 422” and Mike Plunkett’s “Salero.”...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Eve Marson — “Dr. Feelgood”
Eve Marson is a Harvard graduate, born and raised in New York City. She was the lead producer on the feature documentary “Fed Up,” an exposé of the food industry with journalist Katie Couric...
Alicia Slimmer on Bad Dog Actors and Her Kick-Ass Retro Soundtrack in “Creedmoria”
Alicia Slimmer has worked on many independent films as an actor, assistant director, set dresser, and producer. “Creedmoria” is her debut feature film. It took home the juried prize of Best...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Tracy Wares — “Political Animals”
Tracy Wares has made documentaries on five continents. She’s worked on projects such as “Bomb It,” “Gay Republicans,” and “Smokin’ Fish.” Wares’ work has aired on ABC, PBS,...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Alexi Pappas — “Tracktown”
Alexi Pappas completed her thesis in poetry at Dartmouth College where she graduated magna cum laude before running off to compete in the 2012 Olympic Track & Field Trials. Alexi then joined the...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Heidi Saman — “Namour”
Heidi Saman was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces to Watch in 2014. Her short film, “The Maid (Il Shaghala),” premiered as an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival in...
June 2016 Film Preview
“The Fits” by Eboni Boykin and Diana Martinez The women-centric, directed, and written films hitting theaters this month will make you laugh, cry, and cringe. There is plenty to choose from,...
Inside Out 2016 Women Directors Meet Chanya Button — “Burn Burn Burn”
Chanya Button made her start in the industry at an early age, working as an Assistant Director on the “Harry Potter” feature-film franchise. Button has since worked extensively across both the...
Susanne Bier May Be James Bond’s First Female Director
Well this would be a first. According to The Guardian, “The Night Manager” director Susanne Bier is on a shortlist of directors being eyed for the next James Bond film. The Guardian nabbed the...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Maria Govan — “Play the Devil”
Maria Govan is a self-taught filmmaker from the island of New Providence in the Bahamas. After working on sets in Hollywood, she returned home and began making small guerilla-style local...
“Babadook” Director Jennifer Kent Reveals Info About Her Next Films
Writer-director Jennifer Kent has offered a taste of what audiences can expect next from her emerging talent. Her feature directorial debut, “The Babadook,” won rave reviews from critics, and...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Leila Djansi — “Like Cotton Twines”
Leila Djansi began her directing career while still studying at the ArtCenter College of Art and Design. Her directorial debut “I Sing of a Well” netted an unprecedented 11 nominations at the...
“Me Before You” Director Thea Sharrock on Choosing Emilia Clarke and Her Film Debut
“Me Before You” is Thea Sharrock’s film directorial debut. Plucked from the London theater scene, she was brought in to direct one of the most popular novels in the world; one that has spent...
Melissa McCarthy to Star in Dark Comedy Directed By Marielle Heller
Melissa McCarthy and “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” helmer Marielle Heller are joining forces for “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”, a dark comedy based on Lee Israel’s memoir of the...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Amber Sealey — “No Light and No Land Anywhere”
Amber Sealey is an LA-based award-winning filmmaker and performer. Her films include “A Plus D” (2008), and “How to Cheat” (2011), which won the Best Performance Award at the Los Angeles...
Ellen Burstyn Having Trouble Getting Her Directorial Debut Off the Ground
Ellen Burstyn is in the midst of getting her first directing project off the ground, but is running into a few issues that she says epitomize how the industry has changed over the years. The...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Jac Gares — “FREE CeCe!”
Jac Gares is a New York-based filmmaker and freelance television producer. From 2009 to 2012, she served as series producer for “In The Life” on public television. During her tenure, the series...
LA Film Fest 2016 Women Directors: Meet Anisia Uzeyman — “Dreamstates”
Film director and actress Anisia Uzeyman was born in Rwanda and studied drama at the Superior School of Theater in France. She has written and directed four plays, and recently starred in the award...
Trailer Watch: Rural Indian Women Rebel in Leena Yadav’s “Parched”
A trailer has arrived for Indian writer-director Leena Yadav’s “Parched.” The award-winning drama made its World Premiere at TIFF last year. “Parched” centers on three women living in...
Weekly Update for May 27: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Alice Through the Looking Glass” Films About Women Opening This Week Alice Through the Looking Glass — Written by Linda Woolverton In Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” an...
Sundance London 2016 Women Directors: Meet Elyse Steinberg — “Weiner”
Elyse Steinberg wrote, produced, and directed the acclaimed feature documentary “The Trial of Saddam Hussein” (PBS), an explosive exposé on what really happened at the former dictator’s...
Sundance London 2016 Women Directors: Meet Clea DuVall — “The Intervention”
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Clea DuVall began working as an actor at 18 and quickly became a fixture in television and film. Some of her credits include the Academy Award–winning film...
Inside Out 2016 Women Directors: Meet Maura Anderson — “Heartland”
Maura Anderson has worked in independent film production since 2006. She production managed Academy Award-nominated “Winter’s Bone,” as well as “On the Ice” and “Ceremony,” among...
Inside Out 2016 Women Directors: Meet Shaleece Haas — “Real Boy”
Shaleece Haas is co-producer of the 2013 documentary “The Genius of Marian,” director of the documentary short “Old People Driving,” and producer of several short films including “City...
Barbara Kopple’s “Miss Sharon Jones!” Acquired By Starz Digital
Starz Digital has announced the acquisition of all North American distribution rights to Barbara Kopple’s “Miss Sharon Jones!” Kopple (“Harlan County U.S.A.”, “Shut Up & Sing”) is...
Inside Out 2016 Women Directors: Meet Carly Usdin — “Suicide Kale”
Carly Usdin spent several years with Viacom Media Networks. During that time she created award-winning promo campaigns for shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and produced an on-air music series...
Nanfu Wang’s “Hooligan Sparrow” Doc Gets Theatrical Release
Nanfu Wang’s award-winning documentary “Hooligan Sparrow” will be released theatrically in LA and NY this July. The film debuted at Sundance 2016. Wang told Women and Hollywood that...
Inside Out 2016 Women Directors: Meet Nneka Onuorah — “The Same Difference”
Nneka Onuorah started her career at Viacom by being dubbed the “Super-Intern” at BET Networks by The New York Times in an article titled “Dancer at Heart, an Executive in the Making.” After...