Women Writers
Apply Now for the EWA’s 2018 Scriptwriter Residency Program
Submissions are now being accepted for the European Women’s Audiovisual Network’s (EWA) second annual scriptwriter residency program. The EWA will select one female screenwriter and help her...
Weekly Update for July 7: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Austin Found” Films About Women Opening This Week Austin Found — Written by Brenna Graziano (Also Available on VOD) Leanne Miller (Linda Cardellini, “Freaks and Geeks”) is a...
“Empire” Showrunner Ilene Chaiken Renews Contract with 20th Century Fox
Ilene Chaiken will continue ruling her “Empire” — so to speak. The showrunner of the Lee Daniels-created soap opera has extended her contract with 20th Century Fox Television. According to...
Lena Headey to Star in and Produce Adaptation of “H Is for Hawk” with Plan B
“Game of Thrones” returns for its seventh and penultimate season in just over a week, but Lena Headey isn’t content just to bask in the mega hit’s success. The actress is already hard at...
Felicity Jones to Topline Film Adaptation of “Swan Lake”
Felicity Jones is saying goodbye to the Death Star and hello to life as a princess. The “Rogue One” actress has signed on to star in an untitled pitch inspired by “Swan Lake,” Variety...
Ava DuVernay Adapting Story of Central Park Five for Netflix Miniseries
Ava DuVernay is re-teaming with Netflix. Her first collaboration with the streaming giant led to Oscar-nominated doc “13th,” an investigation of the connection between slavery and...
Trailer Watch: Toni Collette and Molly Shannon Have an Epic “Fun Mom Dinner”
“Never have I ever had real mom friends,” says Kate (Toni Collette) in a new trailer for “Fun Mom Dinner.” She’s playing a drinking game with three new mom pals: Jamie (Molly Shannon),...
Book Excerpt: “Off the Cliff: How the Making of Thelma & Louise Drove Hollywood to the Edge”
The following is excerpted from Becky Aikman’s “Off the Cliff: How the Making of Thelma & Louise Drove Hollywood to the Edge,” which is available now. Less than two years earlier, Callie...
Unconventional Portraits: July’s VOD and Web Series Picks
“Girl on Girl” Historically, summer is a season of convention. We may expect the same sunny weather, celebratory barbecue, and the (usually male-led) poorly written summer blockbuster. However,...
Apply Now for a Fellowship with WritersForWriters
The lack of mentorship is one the largest barriers to entry women and people of color face in Hollywood. Breaking into the industry is hard, and it’s damn near impossible if you don’t have...
Trailer Watch: True Crime Podcasters Get in Over Their Heads in “Women Who Kill”
Who’s the hottest female serial killer ever? This question is posed by Morgan (Ingrid Jungermann) and her ex-girlfriend Jean (Ann Carr) during their true crime podcast in a new trailer for...
Weekly Update for June 30: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“The Little Hours” Films About Women Opening This Week The Little Hours (Opens in NY and LA) Medieval nuns Alessandra (Alison Brie), Fernanda (Aubrey Plaza), and Ginevra (Kate Micucci) lead a...
“Flip the Script” Web Series Turns the Table on Workplace Sexism
Would you say that to a guy? Would you do that in front of a guy? That’s the basic sexism litmus test, and it was definitely a major influence on the Women in Film (WIF) web series “Flip...
Trailer Watch: Andrea Savage Is a Funny Mom in “I’m Sorry”
“Sorry. I forgot moms aren’t supposed to be funny,” Andrea Savage tells her TV husband in a new trailer for “I’m Sorry.” Created by Savage, the TruTV series sees the “Veep” alumna...
Trailer Watch: Issa Embraces Single Life in Season 2 of “Insecure”
Issa and Molly are back for Season 2 of “Insecure,” and a new trailer makes it seem like the BFFs are closer than ever after overcoming some drama last season. Issa’s breakup with long-term...
Trailer Watch: Four Indian Women Challenge Sexual Norms in “Lipstick Under My Burkha”
A trailer has landed for Alankrita Shrivastava’s “Lipstick Under My Burkha,” and the film is not shying away from the controversies that have followed it. Instead, the marketing team for the...
Maggie Betts to Co-Write and Direct Political Drama for Focus Features
“Novitiate” writer-director Maggie Betts has booked her follow-up to the coming-of-age nun drama. Deadline reports that she’s sold an untitled original pitch to Focus Features. Little is known...
July 2017 Film Preview
“Girls Trip” As “Wonder Woman” becomes the highest-grossing live action film directed by a woman, July promises to bring even more interesting, powerful women to the big...
Olivia Cooke to Topline “Vanity Fair” TV Adaptation
“Bates Motel” alumna Olivia Cooke is following in Reese Witherspoon’s footsteps: she’ll take on the role of Becky Sharp in an upcoming Amazon Studios and ITV adaptation of William Makepeace...
Veteran TV Director Gail Mancuso to Helm Her First Feature Film
Gail Mancuso’s name probably sounds familiar to you — chances are you’ve seen at least a couple episodes she’s helmed during her 25-year career as a television director. Now, as Deadline...
Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner May Write “Toni Erdmann” Remake
“Girls” collaborators Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner are in “early talks” to write Paramount’s English-language remake of the Oscar-nominated German dark comedy “Toni Erdmann,”...
Trailer Watch: Lake Bell Explores Whether Love Is Sustainable in “I Do… Until I Don’t”
“My new project will propose that love is not sustainable,” a filmmaker (Dolly Wells, “Doll & Em”) tells an audience in the first trailer for “I Do… Until I Don’t.” “Will you...
Sarah Jessica Parker Acquires First Book for Her Imprint
Sarah Jessica Parker is making her mark on the literary world. The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress has a new job title: she’s the editorial director of SJP for Hogarth, her own book imprint....
Eileen Myers Signs Overall Deal With Sony TV, Sells Female-Led Drama to Showtime
TV producer and scribe Eileen Myers has inked an overall deal with Sony Pictures TV. Myers has penned episodes of series such as “Big Love,” “Hung,” and “Masters of Sex.” Deadline...
Cross-Post: A Collective Call Against Critical Bias
Paula Vogel’s “Indecent”: NewYorkTheater/YouTube This piece, “A Collective Call Against Critical Bias,” was originally published on HowlRound, a knowledge commons by and for the theatre...
Teaser Watch: Jessica Williams Enters the NYC Dating World in “The Incredible Jessica James”
Jessica Williams won’t suffer fools gladly in the first teaser for “The Incredible Jessica James.” The spot sees the “Daily Show” alumna cutting a bad Tinder date short (“I’m going to...
The Kilroys Publishes List Spotlighting Women Playwrights of Color
The Kilroys, an independent collective in Los Angeles, has released its annual list of “new plays by women deemed worthy of production,” The New York Times reports. This year’s installment...
Petra Volpe’s Tribeca Winner “The Divine Order” Acquired by Kino Lorber and Zeitgeist Films
We’re currently in desperate need of stories about resistance. Given the current political climate in the U.S., the need is especially great for female-led stories of resistance. Fortunately Kino...
Trailer Watch: The Bellas Are Ready to “Aca-Finish This” in “Pitch Perfect 3”
The Barden Bellas have finally graduated and it turns out the real world isn’t as fun as collegiate a cappella competitions. Beca (Anna Kendrick) just quit her job. Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) is doing...
Guest Post: How — and Why — I Made a Movie That Tackles Mental Health
Guest Post by Angela Cohen Why do we go to the movies? Maybe it’s to escape, to relate, live vicariously, feel less alone, or get inspired. Why do I make movies? I want people to love, laugh,...
Weekly Update for June 23: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“The Beguiled” Films About Women Opening This Week The Beguiled — Written and Directed by Sofia Coppola (Opens in Limited Release; Opens Wider on June 30) “The Beguiled” is an...
Jennifer Lopez to Topline and Produce Rom-Com “Second Act”
Jennifer Lopez is returning to romantic comedies. The “Shades of Blue” actress and multi-hyphenate has signed on to star in and produce STXfilms’ “Second Act,” a rom-com about a woman over...
Trailer Watch: Marion Cotillard Longs for Her Lover in Nicole Garcia’s “From the Land of the Moon”
“All I do is wait,” Marion Cotillard writes to her lover in a new trailer for “From the Land of the Moon.” “I need you to talk to me,” she begs. The trailer suggests that many of her...
Gillian Jacobs, Vanessa Bayer, and Phoebe Robinson to Star in Clubbing Comedy “Ibiza”
Gillian Jacobs is going to Spain with “SNL” alumna Vanessa Bayer and “2 Dope Queens” podcast co-host Phoebe Robinson. The three will star in the Netflix comedy film “Ibiza,” per The...
Gaming Company Ubisoft Launches Fellowship for Female Screenwriters
Are you a female gamer with filmmaking ambitions? If so, gaming company Ubisoft has introduced the perfect fellowship for you. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Ubisoft’s film division will...
Ana Asensio’s SXSW Winner “Most Beautiful Island” Acquired By Orion and Samuel Goldwyn
Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films have snagged the North American rights to SXSW winner “Most Beautiful Island,” Deadline reports. Directed, written, produced by, and starring Ana Asensio,...
Patty Jenkins Working on Treatment for Next “Wonder Woman” Film
“Wonder Woman” has grossed over $578 million worldwide — so far — so it comes as no surprise that a sequel is being developed for the Gal Gadot-led blockbuster. But earlier this...
Cross-Post: Lillian Hellman’s Regina Giddens: The Theatre’s Original “Nasty Woman”
By Sarah Rebell The following has been reposted from The Interval with the author’s permission. When I set out to write a piece on “The Little Foxes,” I headed right to the Drama Book Shop in...
Trailer Watch: Lily Collins Battles Anorexia in Marti Noxon’s “To the Bone”
A young woman battles her body and her nihilism in the first trailer for Marti Noxon’s “To the Bone.” “I just don’t see the point,” Ellen (Lily Collins, “Rules Don’t Apply”) tells...
“One Day at a Time” Co-Showrunner Gloria Calderon Kellett Signs Deal with Sony TV
If “this is it” for “One Day at a Time” co-showrunner Gloria Calderon Kellett, then she must be having a ball. The co-creator and EP of the updated Norman Lear series has inked an overall...
Mireille Enos-Starrer “Never Here” Acquired by Vertical Entertainment
Vertical Entertainment has snagged the U.S. rights to the Mireille Enos thriller “Never Here,” Deadline reports. The film, which made its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June...
Teaser Watch: The Bellas Are on Tour in Behind-the-Scenes Look at “Pitch Perfect 3”
“Pitch Perfect 3” doesn’t hit theaters for another six months, but the comedy’s new teaser promises it’ll be well worth the wait. The spot features behind-the-scenes footage from the third...
Penelope Bagieu’s Feminist Graphic Novel “Brazen” Headed to TV
A feminist, women-created animated series is on the way. “Brazen,” Penelope Bagieu’s graphic novel about rebellious, independent women throughout history, will be adapted for TV, Variety...
Weekly Update for June 16: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Rough Night” Films About Women Opening This Week Rough Night — Co-Written and Directed by Lucia Aniello In this edgy R-rated comedy, five best friends from college (played by Scarlett...
Teaser Watch: Maura Experiments with Edibles in Season 4 of “Transparent”
The Idyllwild Wimmin’s Music Festival. Various iterations of gender, sexuality, intersectionality, and feminism. Sia. Maura Pfefferman (Jeffrey Tambor) has experienced a bunch of new things since...
Trailer Watch: Reese Witherspoon Forms a Family with Friends in Hallie Meyers-Shyer’s “Home Again”
“Let’s just do our best not to cramp each other’s style,” says Alice (Reese Witherspoon) in a new trailer for Hallie Meyers-Shyer’s “Home Again.” She’s talking to the three young men...
Fiction Is a Fine Line: Crowdfunding Picks
“Split” We’ve all heard that art is an imitation of life. Painters, writers, and filmmakers alike transpose what they see and feel onto their medium of choice. Personal experiences and...
Sophie Brooks’ Zosia Mamet-Starrer “The Boy Downstairs” Acquired by FilmRise
Sophie Brooks’ debut feature has found a home. FilmRise has acquired exclusive North American distribution rights to “The Boy Downstairs,” a press release has announced. “Girls’” Zosia...
Jane Austen-Centric Musical Lab “Austen’s Pride” to Be Held in NYC
Everyone knows Jane Austen is a master of wit, but as a new musical suggests, she also has serious vocal chops. BroadwayWorld reports that an invitation-only musical lab called “Austen’s...
Lynn Nottage’s “Sweat” and Paula Vogel’s “Indecent” to Close on Broadway
In just a few short weeks, Lynn Nottage’s “Sweat” and Paula Vogel’s “Indecent” will close on Broadway. This is sad news for theater fans — and especially ones invested in women’s...
Tracy K. Smith Named U.S. Poet Laureate
Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy K. Smith has earned another prestigious honor: She’s been named the 22nd Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry of the United States, NPR reports. The Library of Congress...