Women Writers
Listen: Podcast with President of HBO Documentary Films Sheila Nevins
Sheila Nevins has won dozens of Emmy Awards. When the powerhouse exec offers insight and advice, you’ll want to listen. We can all benefit from Nevin’s wisdom thanks to the release of her new...
Women to Direct Six of 10 Episodes of Naomi Watts-Led Netflix Series “Gypsy”
Like Ava DuVernay’s “Queen Sugar” and Moira Buffini and Alison Newman’s “Harlots,” Netflix’s upcoming “Gypsy” has dedicated itself to supporting women behind the scenes. According...
All-Female Comedy Series “Baroness von Sketch Show” Is Coming to IFC
Finally, something to fill the “Garfunkel and Oates”-shaped void in our lives. Per The Hollywood Reporter, IFC is adding the all-female “Baroness von Sketch Show” to its lineup. The first...
“Power” Showrunner Courtney Kemp Inks Multi-Year Deal with Starz and Lionsgate
More projects from Courtney Kemp could be coming our way. The “Power” creator and showrunner signed an exclusive multi-year overall deal with Starz and Lionsgate, Variety reports. This new pact...
Infographic: What You Need to Know About Women in Hollywood in 2017
“Arrival” Sometimes when you’re having a conversation — let’s say about how women are treated in Hollywood — it can be hard to come up with anything but generalizations. Even...
Sally Potter’s “The Party” Gets UK Distribution
Sally Potter’s latest film has secured distribution in the UK. ScreenDaily reports that “The Party” has been acquired by Picturehouse Entertainment, with a planned fall release. The...
Tony Awards Stats Special: We Counted, So You Don’t Have To
Written by The Interval. The Tony Award nominations were announced this morning and, for the third year in a row, we did some counting to see how women fared at getting nominated for theater’s...
Petra Volpe’s “The Divine Order” Wins Tribeca Audience Award
A woman-helmed film has won another major Tribeca honor. Just days ago we reported that women directors dominated the fest’s top awards, and now a press release has announced that Petra Volpe’s...
“Roseanne” Revival in the Works
More “Roseanne” could be on the way. A revival of the beloved ABC sitcom toplined by Roseanne Barr is currently being shopped to networks, The Hollywood Reporter writes. Creator/star Barr has...
“Toni Erdmann” Wins Big at German Film Awards
Nearly a year after its world premiere at Cannes, “Toni Erdmann” continues to make its mark around the globe. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Maren Ade’s dark comedy dominated the German...
Weekly Update for April 28: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Below Her Mouth” Films About Women Opening This Week The Circle When Mae (Emma Watson) is hired to work for the world’s largest and most powerful tech and social media company, she sees it...
Cate Blanchett to Star in Stage Production of “All About Eve”
Cate Blanchett is stepping into Bette Davis’ shoes. The two-time Oscar winner will portray Margo Channing in a stage production of “All About Eve,” the New York Times reports. Adapted from...
New “Little Women” Film in the Works from Clare Niederpruem
Jo March would be so pleased. A new adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s coming-of-age classic “Little Women” is in the works and a woman director is at the helm. According to Deadline,...
Lena Khan’s “The Tiger Hunter” Picked Up by Shout! Factory
Lena Khan’s feature directorial debut has secured distribution. Deadline reports that Shout! Factory has acquired all of the North American rights to “The Tiger Hunter,” a timely comedy about...
Bethany Ashton Wolf’s “Forever My Girl” Acquired by Roadside
“Forever My Girl” has found a home. Variety writes that Roadside Attractions has acquired domestic distribution rights to Bethany Ashton Wolf’s romance about high school sweethearts, missed...
May 2017 Film Preview
“Snatched” Women directors are set to dominate screens this May. Everything from luxurious Paris vacations to time travel to narratives about grief and regret are represented in this month’s...
Robin Thede to Host Weekly Late-Night Show on BET
Robin Thede is returning to late-night TV. The former “Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore” head writer and contributor will host and exec produce “The Rundown With Robin Thede” for BET. The...
Mindy Kaling Options Alyssa Mastromonaco’s Political Memoir for TV
Mindy Kaling in “The Mindy Project”: NBCUniversal Mindy Kaling is branching out into politics — political TV comedies, in particular. Deadline reports that the “Mindy Project” creator...
“Lipstick Under My Burkha” Set for Release in India After Censorship Threat
“Lipstick Under My Burkha” will screen in India after all. Per The Hollywood Reporter, India’s Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) overruled the Censor Board’s initial decision to...
Help Us Build Resources
We are working to build some new resources on Women and Hollywood. We’re creating a list of all the databases that are out there for hiring women (The Director List, illuminatrix, etc.) We are...
Research: Women Writers Comprise 29% of Self-Reported Scripts on Black List Website
Elyse Hollander’s Madonna biopic “Blond Ambition” topped the 2016 Black List The lack of opportunities for women in Hollywood is disappointing, but isn’t really a surprise anymore. What may...
Family Comedy from Erica Oyama in Development at Fox
Sarah Gertrude Shapiro and Marti Noxon’s “UnREAL” has earned rave reviews for depicting the disturbing drama and ugliness behind the scenes of a “Bachelor”-esque reality show. But before...
Only NYC Female Theater Critic Linda Winer Resigns
The environment for women theater critics just got even less welcoming. Newsday’s Linda Winer, the only female theater critic in the New York City area, will be leaving her post May 12. Per...
Elyse Hollander’s Madonna Biopic Picked Up by Universal
Get ready to vogue at your local movie theater: a Madonna biopic is coming to the big screen. Universal has picked up “Blond Ambition,” Elyse Hollander’s 2016 Black List-topping script about...
Ingrid Michaelson to Star in Hulu Series from Liz Tigelaar
Singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson is heading to the small screen. The Hollywood Reporter writes that she’ll star in Hulu’s “The Way I Am,” a semi-autobiographical series she co-created...
“The Secret Life of Bees” Being Made into Musical
“The Secret Life of Bees” is coming to the stage — again. The New York Times reports that a musical adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd’s 2001 novel — which was previously adapted into a...
Margot Robbie to Portray Queen Elizabeth I in Josie Rourke’s “Mary Queen of Scots”
Margot Robbie is swapping her Harley Quinn pigtails for Queen Elizabeth I’s crown. The Hollywood Reporter writes that the “Suicide Squad” actress will play Queen Elizabeth in Josie Rourke’s...
Book Excerpt: “Hot Pants in Hollywood: Sex, Secrets & Sitcoms”
The following is excerpted from Susan Silver’s “Hot Pants in Hollywood: Sex, Secrets & Sitcoms,” which will be released April 27. (Author’s Note: Iris Rainer Dart, my then writing...
Weekly Update for April 21: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Unforgettable” Films About Women Opening This Week Unforgettable — Directed by Denise Di Novi; Co-Written by Christina Hodson Katherine Heigl stars as Tessa Connover, who is barely coping...
Watch: Why Are Playwrights Lynn Nottage & Paula Vogel Only Just Making It to Broadway?
Hollywood isn’t the only industry with a woman problem. A new video from women’s theater website The Interval reminds us of this as it spotlights Lynn Nottage and Paula Vogel, the only women...
Trailer Watch: Laurie Simmons Revisits Hollywood’s Past in “My Art”
A trailer has landed for “My Art,” Laurie Simmons’ feature directorial debut. The spot for the drama kicks off with a scene all-too-familiar to those who have chosen to pursue a career in the...
Modern Retelling of “Pride and Prejudice” Acquired by Warner Bros.
The only way Elizabeth Bennet could be more over gender roles and pointless class divisions is if she was somehow forced to participate in a Texas debutante ball. Sadly for Lizzie — but...
Trailer Watch: Bryan Cranston Hides from His Family in Robin Swicord’s “Wakefield”
“Suburban life. So much is the same week after week. Who hasn’t had the impulse to put their life on hold for a moment? Just vanish completely,” says Howard Wakefield (Bryan Cranston) in the...
Trailer Watch: Nicole Kidman Gets an Unwanted Guest in Sofia Coppola’s “The Beguiled”
“You’re a most unwelcome visitor,” Martha Farnsworth (Nicole Kidman) informs the wounded John McBurney (Colin Farrell) in a new trailer for Sofia Coppola’s “The Beguiled.” “And we do...
NYC Women in Film & TV Scriptwriting Competition Announces Winners
The NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema have announced the winners of a citywide screenwriting competition focusing on stories by, for, or...
Bruna Papandrea’s Series “Deadlier Than the Male” Gets Pilot Order from TNT
Bruna Papandrea has lined up yet another project. The “Big Little Lies” exec producer’s drama series, “Deadlier Than the Male,” received a pilot order from TNT. The Hollywood Reporter...
Trailer Watch: Two Women Grieve and Rage in Amber Tamblyn’s “Paint It Black”
In the newly released trailer for Amber Tamblyn’s “Paint It Black,” Josie (Alia Shawkat, “Search Party”) gets the phone call that everyone fears. “Has there been any individual you know...
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck to Direct “Captain Marvel”
We finally know who’s going to helm “Captain Marvel.” After months of speculation and rumors, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have been announced as the directors of the highly anticipated Marvel...
Rosamund Pike Signs on to Play War Reporter Marie Colvin
Rosamund Pike is set to portray another real-life figure. The Oscar-nominated actress will play American war reporter Marie Colvin in an untitled film, Deadline reports. Pike was last seen in Amma...
Tribeca 2017 Women Directors: Meet Liz W. Garcia — “One Percent More Humid”
Liz W. Garcia’s directorial debut, “The Lifeguard,” starring Kristen Bell, premiered in competition at Sundance in 2013. She is currently writing “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 3” for...
Amy Schumer to Star in Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein’s “I Feel Pretty”
It’s less than a month until “Snatched” hits theaters, and now comes word that Amy Schumer has booked another gig. She’ll topline and produce “I Feel Pretty,” a comedy from McG’s...
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s” Rachel Bloom to Write a Book
Before she rose to stardom as the co-creator and star of musical dramedy “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” Rachel Bloom launched her career on YouTube. Now the Golden Globe winner is taking on another...
Weekly Update for April 14: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week “A Quiet Passion” A Quiet Passion (Opens in NY; Opens in LA April 21) Cynthia Nixon delivers a triumphant performance as Emily Dickinson as she personifies...
New Shonda Rhimes Show & Season 2 of “Queen Sugar” Get Premiere Dates
“Still Star Crossed”: ABC Your summer TV watchlist just got longer. Premiere dates have been announced for Shonda Rhimes’ newest show, “Still Star Crossed,” and the second season of Ava...
Four Books from “Big Little Lies” Author Liane Moriarty Headed to the Screen
The “Big Little Lies” finale was less than two weeks ago and fans are clamoring for more time with Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Bonnie, and Renata. There have been rumors of a possible second season...
Trailer Watch: Suki Waterhouse Lives with Cannibals in Ana Lily Amirpour’s “The Bad Batch”
In the parched desert, with vultures circling overhead, a young woman (Suki Waterhouse, “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”) uses her remaining two limbs — one arm, one leg — to push...
Kathleen Robertson to Adapt “The Possibilities” for Fox Searchlight
Writer-actress Kathleen Robertson has scored a promising gig. The former “Boss” star has signed on to adapt “The Possibilities,” Kaui Hart Hemmings’ follow up novel to “The...
Willow Smith to Produce Two Female-Led Fantasy Projects
Willow Smith is working on getting female-driven fantasy stories to TV and the big screen. The multi-hyphenate’s production shingle, MSFTS Production, is teaming up with Cartel Entertainment for...
Principal Photography Kicks Off for Hannah Fidell’s “The Long Dumb Road”
Hannah Fidell is following up “6 Years,” her portrait of dysfunctional young love, with a buddy comedy. Principal photography for “The Long Dumb Road” has begun in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a...
Trailer Watch: Katell Quillévéré’s “Heal the Living” Explores Each Side of a Heart Transplant
“I can’t walk much. I can’t go upstairs,” a woman waiting for a heart transplant explains in the trailer for “Heal the Living.” “I’m not sure I want a dead person’s heart,”...
Guest Post: Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Step Out of Your Lane
Guest Post by Rebecca Serle Since I was a child, the only thing I ever wanted to do was to be a writer. When I sold my first book in 2010, a re-telling of “Romeo and Juliet” from Rosaline’s...