Women Directors
Ellen Kuras to Direct Hulu’s “Catch-22” Limited Series
Ellen Kuras is taking one of the most influential novels of the 20th century to the small screen. The Oscar nominee and Emmy winner has signed on to helm two episodes of Hulu’s upcoming...
Weekly Update for March 16: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Tomb Raider” Films About Women Opening This Week Tomb Raider — Co-Written by Geneva Robertson-Dworet Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander) is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric...
Dawn Porter to Direct Netflix Docuseries About Bobby Kennedy
Dawn Porter is revisiting Robert F. Kennedy’s tragic presidential run. The award-winning filmmaker will helm a Netflix docuseries about the former Senator from New York, Deadline reports. “Bobby...
Ava DuVernay Is Directing Adaptation of DC Comics’ “The New Gods”
Ava DuVernay has another big budget adaptation on the way. The “Wrinkle in Time” director is taking DC Comics’ “The New Gods” to the big screen, Deadline reports. The pic will mark the...
2018 Full Frame Doc Film Fest’s Main Lineup Is Nearly 50 Percent Women-Directed
The schedule for the 2018 Full Frame Doc Film Fest is in and the subject of its opening night film, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, would be very proud of its representation of women. Women directed or...
Amma Asante Will Helm Cold War Biopic “The Billion Dollar Spy”
2018 Athena Film Festival honoree Amma Asante has booked her next gig. She will direct the big screen adaptation of David E. Hoffman’s true crime thriller “The Billion Dollar Spy” for Walden...
Miranda July Has a New Film On the Way
Miranda July is stepping behind the camera again. The award-winning writer-director is set to kick off production on her third feature, a press release has announced. Currently untitled, the heist...
Trailer Watch: Melissa Benoist Helps Defend the Homefront in Jennifer Morrison’s “Sun Dogs”
In the wake of 9/11 Ned Chipley (Michael Angarano, “The Knick”) wants nothing more than to be a hero. “I put on 15 pounds of muscle mass,” he announces when he tries to join the marines....
AmDoc, Pinewood Atlanta Launch Kickstarter Campaigns to Support Rising Filmmakers
American Documentary (AmDoc) and Pinewood Atlanta Studios have both started Kickstarter funds for up and coming filmmakers. Per Variety, AmDoc is teaming up with the Knight Foundation to support...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Shana Feste — “Boundaries”
Shana Feste was nominated for a Humanitas Prize for her first feature, “The Greatest,” which she both wrote and directed. She also wrote and directed Gwyneth Paltrow-starrer...
Sarah Drew and Michelle Hurd to Topline “Cagney & Lacey” Reboot, Rosemary Rodriguez Directing
“Grey’s Anatomy” star Sarah Drew and “Blindspot” actress Michelle Hurd are the new Cagney and Lacey. Deadline confirms that the duo have been cast as the leads of the “Cagney &...
Mira Nair to Direct BBC Adaptation of “A Suitable Boy”
“Queen of Katwe” helmer Mira Nair is eyeing her next project, another coming-of-age story. She’s “on the verge” of a deal that will see her directing the BBC and Lookout Point TV...
Madonna to Direct Adaptation of Ballerina Michaela Deprince’s Memoir
Madonna is set to return to the director’s chair. The Golden Globe winner will direct an adaptation of Michaela Deprince’s 2016 memoir “Taking Flight” for MGM, a press release has announced....
Biopic About Pippi Longstocking Author “Becoming Astrid” Acquired by Music Box Films
A biopic of Pippi Longstocking’s creator is on the way. Deadline reports that Music Box Films has snagged U.S. rights to “Becoming Astrid,” Pernille Fischer Christensen’s look into the life...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Marja-Lewis Ryan — “6 Balloons”
Marja-Lewis Ryan wrote, produced, and starred in the indie feature “The Four-Faced Liar.” In TV, she is slated to create the new “The L Word” series for Showtime, and a one-hour untitled...
Pilot News: Projects for Nina Dobrev and Cazzie David, Directing Gig for Patricia Riggen
“Vampire Diaries” alumna Nina Dobrev, “Eighty Sixed” web series co-creator and star Cazzie David, and “Miracles from Heaven” director Patricia Riggen have all booked pilots. Dobrev is...
Trailer Watch: Tessa Thompson and Melissa Leo Hit the Road in Laurie Collyer’s “Furlough”
“For the next 36 hours I own you,” Tessa Thompson tells Melissa Leo in a new trailer for “Furlough.” The dramedy sees the “Thor: Ragnarok” actress playing a rookie inmate tasked with...
Films from Ava DuVernay, Amma Asante, and Julie Dash to Screen at Ebertfest
Three trailblazing directors are set to attend Ebertfest 2018. Ava DuVernay, Amma Asante, and Julie Dash will be screening films at the fest, a press release has announced. Co-founded by and hosted...
“Maudie” and “Alias Grace” Win Big at 2018 Canadian Screen Awards
Women dominated Sunday night’s Canadian Screen Awards. Not only did female-led projects “Maudie,” “Alias Grace,” “Anne With an E,” and “Baroness von Sketch Show” sweep the major...
Trailer Watch: A Girl Steps into the Wrestling Ring to Win Her Father Over in “First Match”
“Put her in her place,” a teenage boy is told by a teammate just before facing off against a girl on a wrestling mat. It’s not long before she has her opponent pinned and his sexist...
Lily James-Starrer “Guernsey” and Augustine Frizzell’s “Never Goin’ Back” Get Distribution
Lily James-led period piece “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” and Augustine Frizzell’s coming-of-age pic “Never Goin’ Back” have both found homes. “Guernsey” will...
Alfre Woodard to Play a Prison Warden in “Clemency” From Chinonye Chukwu
Alfre Woodard’s recent roles have seen her playing the President of the United States and a comic book villain, and now she’s set to take on the role of a prison warden. The Emmy and Golden...
Trailer Watch: Rebecca Miller Explores Her Father’s Life and Work in “Arthur Miller: Writer”
An award-winning filmmaker offers a nuanced portrait of one of the most celebrated playwrights of all-time — who also happens to be her father — in “Arthur Miller: Writer.” Directed...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jenn Wexler — “The Ranger”
Jenn Wexler is a writer-director and a producer for NYC’s Glass Eye Pix. Her producing credits include “Darling,” “Like Me,” and “Most Beautiful Island.” “The Ranger” is her...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jenny Murray — “¡Las Sandinistas!”
Jenny Murray is the director of two short films and multiple social satire comedy videos. Her most recent short narrative film was selected to screen at Anthology Film Archives in New Filmmakers New...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Sasha Waters Freyer — “Garry Winogrand: All Things Are…
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Sasha Waters Freyer — “Garry Winogrand: All Things Are Photographable” Trained in photography and the documentary tradition, Sasha Waters Freyer fuses...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Stacy Cochran — “Write When You Get Work”
Stacy Cochran made her debut with “My New Gun,” starring Diane Lane; it premiered in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes and earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature....
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Miranda Bailey— “You Can Choose Your Family”
An actor, director, distributor, and producer, Miranda Bailey makes independent films through her company Cold Iron Pictures. Her directing credits include “The Pathological Optimist” and...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Nijla Baseema Mu’min — “Jinn”
Named one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film by “Filmmaker Magazine” in 2017, Nijla Baseema Mu’min’s short films have screened at festivals and venues across the country, including Outfest,...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Nosipho Dumisa— “Number 37”
Nosipho Dumisa has directed and produced award-winning short films and commercials, and has extensive television credits. Dumisa is one of the first black female feature film directors from South...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Lola Arias — “Theater of War”
Lola Arias is a writer, director, visual artist, and performer. Arias’ theater works have been performed at numerous festivals and venues including Théâtre de la Ville, Paris, Parque de la...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Carol Brandt — “Pet Names”
Carol Brandt’s films have been shown at the New Orleans Film Festival, Milwaukee Short Film Festival, and the Beloit International Film Festival where her feature “Things Found on the Ground”...
Weekly Update for March 9: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“A Wrinkle in Time” Films About Women Opening This Week A Wrinkle in Time — Directed by Ava DuVernay; Written by Jennifer Lee A reimagining of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel that...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Laura Collado — “Constructing Albert”
Laura Collado has developed and produced several documentaries such as “La Casa” and “Yorgos.” “Constructing Albert” is her feature directorial debut. “Constructing Albert” will...
Sasheer Zamata to Star in Stella Meghie’s Next Film “The Weekend”
Sasheer Zamata and Stella Meghie are teaming up. The “SNL” alumna is set to topline “The Weekend,” a comedy from “Everything, Everything” helmer Meghie, Deadline reports. The pic sees...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Alison Klayman — “Take Your Pills”
Alison Klayman’s debut documentary feature “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it was awarded a U.S. Documentary Special Jury Prize for Spirit of Defiance....
“Half the Picture” Doc About Women Directors Finds a Home
Women accounted for just 11 percent of directors working on the 250 top-grossing films in 2017. “Half the Picture” investigates why women are so often excluded from the director’s chair...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Lynn Shelton — “Outside In”
Lynn Shelton’s feature credits include “Humpday,” “Your Sister’s Sister,” and “Laggies.” Her work has screened at festivals such as TIFF, Sundance, Cannes Directors’ Fortnight,...
Guest Post: What I Learned From Making a Doc About a Refugee
Guest Post by Kate McCaslin Much of what I know about filmmaking I learned this year from a Sudanese refugee named Rebecca Mabior. I admit it’s peculiar given that I’ve worked in the film...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jackie Van Beek and Madeleine Sami — “The Breaker Upperers”
Jackie Van Beek is a writer-director and actor who has made seven award-winning short films that have played at international festivals including Berlin, London, Palm Springs, and Melbourne. Her...
Fandango Study Investigates What Women Want at the Movies
Fandango is celebrating International Women’s Day by setting the record straight about female moviegoers. #TimesUp on the myth that women don’t frequent cinemas and are only interested in weepy...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Suzi Yoonessi — “Unlovable”
Suzi Yoonessi is an award-winning Iranian American filmmaker. Her feature credits include “Dear Lemon Lima,” which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival, and “Daphne and Velma,” based...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Kay Cannon— “Blockers”
Kay Cannon is an Emmy-nominated comedy writer, producer, and director. Her work has been awarded a Peabody and multiple Writers Guild Awards. Her first feature screenplay was the hit “Pitch...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Becca Gleason — “Summer ‘03”
Becca Gleason is the writer and director of three short films which made the rounds on the festival circuit; her directorial debut, “Molly,” won the LACMA Young Directors award, and her second...
Trailer Watch: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is a Superhero in Betsy West and Julie Cohen’s “RBG”
As her legendary dissents prove, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg knows how to turn a phrase. Her way with words is one of her trademarks — as is her exercise regimen — and...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Yuqi Kang — “A Little Wisdom”
Born in Inner Mongolia, China, Yuqi Kang was awarded the Paula Rhodes Memorial Award for Exceptional Achievement in Social Documentary Film upon graduating the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her...
Daryl Hannah’s Feature Directorial Debut Scores Distribution Ahead of SXSW Premiere
Daryl Hannah’s feature directorial debut is set to make its world premiere at SXSW in just over a week, and the pic has already found a home. Deadline reports that Netflix has snagged global...
Tribeca 2018 Competition Lineup Is 44 Percent Women-Directed
The Tribeca Film Festival has unveiled its 2018 lineup and women directors are very well represented. As previously reported, Tribeca’s opening film will be Lisa D’Apolito’s Gilda Radner doc...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jayne Loader — “The Atomic Cafe”
Jayne Loader is a film director and writer. Originally released in 1982, “Atomic Cafe” was nominated for a BAFTA Award and selected for preservation in the United States’ National Film...
Ry Russo-Young to Direct Yara Shahidi-Starrer “The Sun Is Also a Star”
Ry Russo-Young is set to adapt another YA novel. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that she’ll follow up “Before I Fall,” released last year, with “The Sun Is Also A Star,” a star-crossed...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Hannah Marks — “Shotgun”
Hannah Marks is an actress, writer, and director known for her roles in the BBC America/ Netflix series “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” and films such as “Anesthesia,”...