Women Writers
Focus World Picks up Natalie Portman’s Directorial Debut
The U.S. rights for “A Tale of Love and Darkness,” Natalie Portman’s directorial debut, have been acquired by Focus World, a division of Focus Features. The Oscar winner premiered the drama,...
Longlist Announced for Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction
Literary debuts dominate this year’s longlist for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction. 20 novels appear on the longlist, and 11 of them are by first-time authors, marking a tie for the highest...
Eva Husson’s Teen Sex Drama ‘Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story)’ Gets U.S. Distribution
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights for “Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story),” Eva Husson’s feature directorial debut. The company bought the rights from Films Distribution....
A New International Film Competition Moves Beyond the Bechdel Test
One of the oldest chapters of Women in Film and Video is teaming up with Harvard Square Script Writers to launch Flicks4Chicks, a new international film contest. The two Boston-based non-profits grew...
Black Women in Hollywood Special to Air on OWN
Oprah Winfrey is set to give viewers a peek into Essence’s 9th annual Black Women in Hollywood event. OWN will air a primetime special featuring highlights from the star-studded celebration as well...
Groundbreaking New Research Concludes “Hollywood Still Functions As A Straight, White, Boy’s Club”
With #OscarsSoWhite — and male — just under a week away, USC Annenberg’s Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative has released a groundbreaking new study offering a harsh, ugly...
Shonda Rhimes Explains Her Year of Yes in Inspirational TED Talk
Before writer and showrunner extraordinaire Shonda Rhimes decided to spend a year saying yes to everything, public speaking was not her bag. Luckily for us, her “year of yes” — which became...
Amazon Orders Jill Soloway Pilot ‘I Love Dick’
If you loved Jill Soloway’s forays into academia on “Transparent” (including her on-screen stint as an over-the-top women’s studies lecturer in Season 1), you’re in luck: the...
Universal Buys Gillian Flynn’s Ghost Story ‘The Grownup’
Universal might have yet another female-led hit in its hands. The studio emerged the winner of a four-way bidding war for the rights to Gillian Flynn’s award-winning short story “The Grownup.”...
Meryl Streep Backs Writers Lab for Women Screenwriters Over 40
Meryl Streep is once again putting her money where her mouth is and supporting women in the film industry. The “Ricki and the Flash” star has signed on for the second time to fund The Writers...
Charlotte Rampling To Star in Adaptation of Jane Austen’s Unfinished Novel ‘Sanditon’
Charlotte Rampling has booked a new gig. The British actress, who will be competing for the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in “45 Years” later this month, will star in “Sanditon.”...
Anne Fontaine’s Sundance Drama About Pregnant Nuns Picked Up By Music Box Films
Music Box Films has acquired all U.S. rights for writer-director Anne Fontaine’s latest offering, “The Innocents.” The drama premiered at Sundance last month under the title “Agnus Dei.”...
2016 WriteHer List Names Best Unproduced TV Pilots from Women Writers
WeForShe have published the 2016 WriteHer List. The women’s advocacy group inaugurated the small-screen equivalent to the Black List last year. The scripts are evaluated based on a variety of...
National Theatre Commits to Gender Equality
The National Theatre in London has set a target of achieving a 50/50 gender balance among its directors and living writers by 2021. The plans were revealed by the prominent British venue’s current...
Guest Post: The Screenwriter of ‘Tumbledown’ on The Challenges of Making Women-Centric Movies
My cinematic coming of age happened in Paris on a post-collegiate Rotary fellowship. In the 6th arrondissement, where there are almost as many cinemas as there are impeccably-dressed women wearing...
Debuts From Female Filmmakers Win Three of Sundance 2016’s Top Four Awards
Three of Sundance 2016’s top four awards were bestowed on feature debuts from women directors. Elyse Steinberg and Josh Kriegman’s “Weiner,” a portrait of disgraced politician Anthony...
J.K. Rowling to Receive Free-Speech Award from PEN
J.K. Rowling, the real-life wizard behind the “Harry Potter” franchise, has been named as the 2016 recipient of the PEN/Allen Foundation Literary Service award. PEN (Poets, Essayists and...
Chloe Zhao’s ‘Songs My Brothers Taught Me’ Lands Distribution Deal With Kino Lorber
Writer-director Chloe Zhao’s festival gem “Songs My Brothers Taught Me” has been acquired by Kino Lorber. Made with a largely unprofessional Lakota Native American cast, the drama focuses on...
Guest Post: “Waking The Feminists” Starts A Revolution In Ireland
Next year will mark the centenary of the 1916 Rising, when Ireland fought for and won its independence. 2016 will thus be a momentous year to celebrate and reflect on our past and our future. Front...
20% of 2015 Black List Scripts Written by Women
The 2015 Black List was released yesterday. In total, 16 of the 81 scripts featured, or 20%, are written or co-written by women. The selection process is highly competitive, and the scripts that...
Kathryn Bigelow Developing HBO Drama About Jihadi Recruitment in the U.S.
Kathryn Bigelow has finally announced a substantial project since “Zero Dark Thirty.” The first female filmmaker to win an Oscar for Best Director is currently developing a drama for HBO....
New Female-Centric FX Comedy to Focus on TV Writer Returning Home to Rural PA
“You’re the Worst” writer Alison Bennett and creator Stephen Falk are creating a new comedy for FX. The untitled series is described as “a dirty, female-driven take on the “you can’t go...
Claudia Shear Developing 19th-Century NYC-Set Musical About Show Business for NBC
After finding ratings success in its live stagings of “The Sound of Music,” “Peter Pan” and “The Wiz,” NBC is working on bringing an original musical to its primetime programming....
Jennifer Johnson and Sue Chung Developing Female-Vigilante Drama for The CW
TV writers Jennifer Johnson (“Lost”) and Sue Chung (“Gotham,” “Marvel’s Agent Carter”) are teaming up for a new CW series about a team of female vigilantes. Previously titled...
Barbra Streisand’s First Directorial Project in 20 Years Will Be Catherine the Great Biopic
One of Hollywood’s most prominent women filmmakers is attached to direct a biopic about one of history’s most powerful women rulers. Barbra Streisand has announced that she’ll helm a movie...
Carol Morley Wins 2015 Wellcome Trust Screenwriting Fellowship
Carol Morley has been named the 2015 Wellcome Trust Screenwriting Fellowship recipient. Best known as the writer-director of the 2014 fainting-epidemic drama “The Falling,” Morley also penned...
Mainstreaming the Conversation About Discrimination Against Women Directors
The New York Times has written about Hollywood sexism before. Last year, we saw a three-part series from ManohlaDargis on the institutional discrimination against women directors in the industry. But...
Nominate a Female-Created, Female-Starring TV Pilot Script for the 2016 WriteHer List
TV has a reputation for being a more inviting place for women, but female storytellers are still outnumbered nearly 3 to 1 as writers and creators for the small screen. WeForShe, an advocacy group...
‘Lord of the Rings’ Writer Philippa Boyens to Pen Disney’s ‘Young Merlin’
“Lord of the Rings” screenwriter Philippa Boyens has signed on to pen another wizard’s tale. Best known for her writing and producing duties on the “LOTR” movies, “King Kong” and...
Trailer Watch: ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’ Promises More Fun and Dysfunction
Audiences are finally invited to another big, fat Greek wedding — and we have a preview of what to expect at the fun-filled, boundary-crossing party. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” grossed...
Julie Klausner’s Memoir ‘I Don’t Care About Your Band’ Optioned for Movie Adaptation
Julie Klausner’s 2010 dating memoir “I Don’t Care About Your Band” has been optioned by Broad Green Pictures. She is attached to co-write the script and may star in the film adaptation as...
Shonda Rhimes to Receive PGA’s 2016 Norman Lear Award
Shonda Rhimes has been named the 2016 recipient of the Producers Guild of America’s Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television. Rhimes is, of course, one of the most powerful producers in TV,...
Watch: ‘Suffragette’ Joins Equality Now to Support #HopeforOurDaughters
“Suffragette” is teaming up with Equality Now — and the general public — to raise money towards ensuring a brighter tomorrow for girls and women. What are your hopes and dreams for...
Women and Hollywood is Looking for Interns for 2016
Women and Hollywood is looking for two interns for 2016. The positions will begin in January and end in June. Applicants must be willing to commit to six months, 10–15 hours per week. We are...
Gamechanger Films Announces Next Feature: Sarah Adina Smith’s ‘Buster’s Mal Heart’
Gamechanger Films, the studio devoted to women-directed narrative features, has announced its next project: Sarah Adina Smith’s “Buster’s Mal Heart.” The mystery will feature “Mr....
Sandra Bullock to Head All-Female ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ Reboot
If you’re the betting sort, you’ll probably want to put some money down on the chances that more female-led reboots of franchises will be greenlit in the coming months. A new version of...
Emily Ting’s Romance “Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong” to Be Released by Gravitas Ventures
Writer-director Emily Ting’s neon-lit romance between a Chinese-American woman and an American expat in Hong Kong has found a distribution deal. Gravity Ventures will release “Already Tomorrow...
Listen: Women and Hollywood Podcast #18: Journalist Anne Thompson
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Trailer Watch: Elizabeth Bennet Won’t Give Up Her Saber in ‘Pride & Prejudice & Zombies’
A new, full-length trailer has been released for the big-screen adaptation of the best-selling novel “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.” This gory take on Jane Austen’s 19th-century romance...
Where Does This Diverse Broadway Season Leave Women of Color?
Viola Davis said in her Emmy speech last month, “The onlything that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You can’twin an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” The...
Women & Hollywood Podcast #17: ‘Suffragette’ Director Sarah Gavron
Women and Hollywood spoke with director Sarah Gavron about her new film “Suffragette,” which we endorse with the utmost enthusiasm and appreciation. Written by Abi Morgan, the historical drama...
Fernanda Coppel to Adapt Her Play About Female Sports Agent for Showtime
Showtime is bringing playwright Fernanda Coppel’s “King Liz” from the stage to the screen. Coppel will adapt her off-Broadway play, centered on fictional sports agent Liz Reco, for the premium...
5 Reasons to Watch ‘Suffragette’ This Weekend
The fight for women’s right to the ballot comes alive this weekend with the opening of “Suffragette,” starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Romola Garai, Anne-Marie Duff and Meryl...
BFI Officially Launches Diversity Fund
Expect to find more diversity both on and off camera in upcoming British film projects. The British Film Institute (BFI) will officially launch its Diversity Fund with an initial investment of £1...
‘Room’ Author/Screenwriter Emma Donoghue on Her “Deeply Feminist” Film and Industry Sexism
The release of “Room” will likely spell the beginning of Brie Larson’s career as an A-list star. While Larson won great favor with critics for her heartbreaking portrayal of a group-home...
Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks Wins $300,000 Gish Prize for “Highly Accomplished Artists”
Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks has been awarded the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, which honors “highly accomplished artists… who have pushed the boundaries of their art forms, contributed to...
CBS Greenlights New Murder Mystery from Former ‘Good Wife’ Writer Corinne Brinkerhoff
Corinne Brinkerhoff, formerly a writer/supervising producer on “The Good Wife” and writer/co-EP on “Jane the Virgin,” is getting her own show. CBS made a straight-to-series order for...
Amma Asante’s Royal Interracial Romance ‘A United Kingdom’ Begins Filming
The cameras have begun rolling on “A United Kingdom,” BAFTA-winning director Amma Asante’s follow-up to “Belle.” Starring David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike and set in British-colonized...
‘Suffragette’ Screenwriter Abi Morgan on Feminism and the Challenges of Casting Men for the Women’s Rights Film
“Suffragette” screenwriter Abi Morgan was recently interviewed by Variety and touched on everything from female-driven narratives and the difficulty of casting men in supporting roles to the...
Zoe Saldana and Cynthia Mort’s Nina Simone Biopic Finds Distribution
“Nina,” starring Zoe Saldana as singer, pianist and civil rights activist Nina Simone, will enjoy a December release. That development is the result of a new distribution deal for the biopic,...
Julie Schumacher Wins the 2015 Thurber Prize for American Humor
Julie Schumacher has been named the 2015 winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor. The University of Minnesota instructor was honored for her novel “Dear Committee Members,” a satire...