Women Writers
Crosspost: Tony-Nominated Writer Sarah Ruhl on Plays About Motherhood and Challenging Theater’s Male Domination
The following has been cross-posted with permission from The Interval. “You should know about me arranging playdates for my daughter,” says Sarah Ruhl as she runs into a friend during the course...
Athena Film Festival: Igniting Conversation and Sparking Ideas — What Would You Like to Hear?
As we enter our 5th Year, the Athena Film Festival is proud to have offered a history of unique panels, conversations, and standalone events featuring powerful women leaders. To name a few: In...
Kerry Washington Lands Her First Starring Film Role in More Than a Dozen Years
I first saw Kerry Washington in a 2001 indie called Lift, in which the Scandal star played a put-together young woman with a shoplifiting problem. Written and directed by Boston natives DeMane Davis...
A Woman You Should Know: Margaret Nagle — Developer of the Red Band Society and the Writer of The Good Lie
Margaret Nagle was one of the first women in met in Hollywood who told me really what it was like to be a working woman in Hollywood. She told me about unbelievable (which I totally believed)...
Women Playwrights Make Up Only 33% of the Most-Produced Plays of the Past Decade
American Theatre has released its annual list of the top ten most-produced plays, and while the 2013–2014 season boasted a commendable 50–50 split between male and female writers, a look at the...
Julie Delpy to Start Shooting Her Sixth Film Next Month
Fresh off her Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nod for Before Midnight (along with Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke), Julie Delpy is set to start shooting her sixth feature next month. Delpy will...
Alessandra Stanley or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Marginalize Black Women
I thought about whether or not I wanted to dignify the verbal sludge that is Alessandra Stanley’s article about How To Get Away With Murder (and Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal) showrunner Shonda...
The Stagnation of Opportunities for Women on TV
From my latest Forbes post on how the progress for women writers and especially directors on the small screen has stalled: Women are stuck, and that is even more clearly illustrated in the data...
Caitlin Moran’s Autobiographical Sitcom Gets Season Order
Fans of Caitlin Moran, stories about sisters, economic diversity on TV, and humor in general now have cause to rejoice. Raised by Wolves, written by the author of the best-selling laugh-out-loud...
Viola Davis is Still Waiting to Be Seen
Despite doing work that’s won her two Tony Awards, two Academy Award nominations, two Screen Actor Guild Awards, a Golden Globe nod, and a spot on Time’s 100 Most Influential People list,...
Does Amazon Already Have a Female Creator Problem?
Amazon announced today five new pilots that it plans to debut at the end of the month. Though the two dramas and three comedies have little in common, they do share one similarity — they’re...
Geena Davis Checks Into Grey’s Anatomy
Oscar winner Geena Davis has joined Grey’s Anatomy for its 11th season. Davis’ last series television appearance was as the President in Commander in Chief. Davis will reportedly enjoy a...
John Oliver’s Search for New Voices in Late Night
John Oliver’s HBO show Last Week Tonight isn’t like much else on TV — because it’s better than most things on TV. In the wake of his critical and viral success, Oliver revealed that he...
Only 2 of the 25 Top-Earning Indies This Year Directed by Women
Things are supposed to be easier for female narrative directors in the indie world, but that just often isn’t the case. Peter Knegt published a list of the 25 top-earning indie productions of the...
Portlandia’s Carrie Brownstein to Finish One of Nora Ephron’s Last Scripts
Carrie Brownstein has been tapped to posthumously complete one of Nora Ephron’s last projects, a big-screen adaptation of the British miniseries Lost in Austen. The proposed film, which centers on...
Clear Your Thursday Nights for Shonda Rhimes
Sometime during Scandal’s feverish sophomore season, Shonda Rhimes became more than a brand — she became a powerhouse. Sure, she was already a known commodity from the wildly popular...
Women in Film and Video Seeks DC-Area Screenwriters
When you think of Washington, D.C.,congressional battles and presidential photo-ops are probably what come tomind. Lesser known is the community of diverse screenwriters in the...
Amma Asante Inspires Women Filmmakers at BAFTA Event: “I Want to Do a Studio Film to Show that as a Woman I Can”:
Belle director Amma Asanteoffered encouragement and advice to young women filmmakers at aBAFTA Film Question Time event in London on Monday. Asante was one of four panellists — threeof them...
Quote of the Day: Viola Davis on Her Move to the Small Screen
At this year’s TCA, two-time Oscar nominee Viola Davis confirmed that taking on the lead role in Shonda Rhimes’ How to Get Away With Murder was a response to not being able to find enough...
Trailer Watch: Reese Witherspoon Heals Herself in “Wild”
Call 2014 Reese Witherspoon’s comeback year. The Walk the Line star will play the lead in two movies this Oscar season, The Good Lie (October 3) and Wild (December 5), and co-star in Inherent Vice...
Sarah Jessica Parker Eyes Return to TV in Cop Drama
Now that film romantic comedies have gone the way of the dinosaur, and while TV continues to provide rich, substantial roles to women, Sarah Jessica Parker is eyeing a return to the small screen....
Marion Cotillard to Star in French Auteur Nicole Garcia’s Next Film
Marion Cotillard has signed on to star in French auteur Nicole Garcia’s next film. Mal de Pierres, literally translated to “Evil Stones,” will be a big-screen adaptation of Milena Agus novel...
Shonda Rhimes’ Dartmouth Commencement Speech: “Dreamers Often End Up Living in the Basements of Relatives”
This past Sunday, Shonda Rhimes doled out some tough love — and shared a few great anecdotes — at the commencement ceremony at Dartmouth University, her alma mater. Her overall message...
Jennifer Lawrence to Team Up Again with David O. Russell
After working together on Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, Jennifer Lawrence and director David O. Russell will collaborate again on a film currently titled Joy. The 23-year-old actress...
Guest Post: What We Can Learn About Women in Hollywood from Amma Asante’s Belle
Have you seen the extraordinary new film Belle? Amma Asante’s latest project is not just a great work, but a testament tothe equal ability of women to direct great films. In fact, Belle...
Updated: Lupita Nyong’o Options Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Trans-Atlantic Love Story Americanah
Update: Since this post was published, Lupita Nyong’o was (finally) cast in the next Star Wars movie and Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B, joined D2 Productions. and Potboiler Productions...
Eimear McBride’s First Novel Wins Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction
It took debut novelist Eimear McBride many years to get her first book published after writing it in six months, but since then, it’s been much smoother sailing. Since A Girl is a Half-formed...
Women Writers Fight Against Lupus (Bonus Book Excerpt from Jane Espenson)
Seventeen women writers from TV shows as diverse as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, Game of Thrones, Family Guy, and Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD have grouped together to...
Nia Vardalos Prepping My Big Fat Greek Wedding Sequel
No success story better exemplifies Hollywood’s inability to cater to female tastes than Nia Vardalos’ sleeper hit My Big Fat Wedding, a romantic comedy written by and starring a then-chubby...
Quote of the Day: Shonda Rhimes Says No to Nice
Though she couldn’t attend the 39th annual Gracie Awards, Shonda Rhimes shared her sentiments on why Scandal, honored at the gala for Best Drama, is such a game-changing force. Actress Bellamy...
Why Shonda Rhimes’ Upcoming Fall Drama Is Already a Hit
No network was scrutinized more in this month’s Upfronts than ABC, which, for the past three seasons, has ranked dead last among the big four networks for viewers under 50. The female-skewing ABC...
Guest Post: Directing a Feature Film With Sword in Hand
Myfirst experience in “keiko,” or fight practice in kendo, the Japanese art ofsword play, was over 20 years ago. Confronted with an experienced player’s bamboo sword, I was taken aback by the...
Glenn Close Books a Movie and a Broadway Show
Big news day for Glenn Close, who will be returning to Broadway and the silver screen. Close’s most recent appearance on Broadway was in Sunset Boulevard back in 1994. Her portrayal of Norma...
Women and Hollywood is Looking for a Summer Intern
Women and Hollywood’s amazing current intern, Laura Berger is taking a summer leave. (I hope you have enjoyed her writing on the blog this week.) So we need someone to cover for her beginning in...
Trailer Watch: Tea Leoni Is Madam Secretary
Some sources (i.e. the whole world) have speculated that CBS’s new series Madam Secretary will focus on a character loosely based on — or inspired by — former U.S. Secretary of State...
Trailer Watch: Shonda Rhimes’ How To Get Away With Murder
A full trailer has arrived for How To Get Away With Murder right on the heels of ABC’s upfront presentation. Unsurprisingly, it looks very addictive — the legal thriller is co-created and...
Exclusive Clip from Jocelyn Towne’s I AM I
I AM I is written and directed by Jocelyn Towne and is “story of a young woman, Rachael (Towne), who meets her estranged father Gene (Kevin Tighe) at her mother’s funeral. Eager to get to know...
Leslie Mann Becomes a Movie Star: The Supporting Actress is A Leading Lady in Las Madres
Leslie Mann is finally being given the chance to lead a movie. The talented and funny actress won’t be “The Wife” or “The Friend” in Las Madres, a new comedy from...
Cannes Trailer Watch: Alice Rohrwacher’s Le Meraviglie
The trailer for Alice Rohrwacher’s Le Meraviglie has been released. The film will premiere at Cannes and is in competition for the Palme d’Or. Only one other film directed by a woman will be...
TV: Shonda Rhimes Books Third ABC Show Starring Viola Davis
The female flight from features to TV continues with Viola Davis booking the leading role on the third ABC show from Shonda Rhimes to appear on ABC’s fall schedule. According to the Hollywood...
Andrea Arnold’s New Film American Honey: Her First Picture Set in the U.S.
Academy Award winning British filmmaker Andrea Arnold (she won for her 2003 short) will shoot her fourth feature — her first based in the U.S. — this summer. American Honey will...
Callie Khouri Talks Nashville Season 2 Conclusion (No Spoilers)
I’ve been very lucky to be able to talk with Nashville creator Callie Khouri a bunch of times over the last two seasons. THe show has two more episodes (one airs tonight) and the team is still...
Charlize Theron Options Mental Illness Memoir for Dakota Fanning
Charlize Theron has never been shy about criticizing the film industry’s relative lack of interesting roles for women. Back in 2008, she told The Guardian, “People just aren’t willing to see...
Women Writers Make The New Yorker the Most Feted Publication at National Magazine Awards
The New Yorker won four prizes at the 2014 National Magazine Awards, including individual accolades for TV critic Emily Nussbaum, author Zadie Smith, and journalist and feminist critic Ariel Levy....
Belle Director Amma Asante on Challenging Stereotypes About Black Directors
There’s nothing quite like Belle on the contemporary film scene — a luxurious period film and a sweet, gentle romance that wears its keenly insightful politics on its silk sleeves. Belle is...
Belle Director Amma Asante Explains Why She Wanted Tell a Jane Austen Story With a Black Protagonist
There’s nothing quite like Belle on the contemporary film scene — a luxurious period film and a sweet, gentle romance that wears its keenly insightful politics on its silk sleeves. Belle is...
Meet the New Women and Hollywood Columnists
I am thrilled to introduce you to the new Women and Hollywood columnists who will be taking up their posts beginning next week: Sara Stewart will be handling the weekly TV beat. She also works at...
Cannes Workshop to Focus on Women Directors and Screenwriters
The European Audiovisual Observatory, a EU organization that compiles statistical and analytical data on film and television, will devote its upcoming workshop at Cannes to women in the film...
JK Rowling to Pen Harry Potter Spinoff Trilogy
J.K. Rowling may have two post-Potter novels under her belt, but she isn’t yet done with her most famous creation. Rowling will make her screenwriting debut by adapting Fantastic Beasts and Where...
Madonna to Adapt Novel by Alice Walker’s Daughter
Madonna has announced her third feature-directing project: an adaptation of Rebecca Walker’s debut novel Ade: A Love Story. Published last fall, Ade: A Love Story follows a 19-year-old American...
Meryl Streep to Star in Jonathan Demme Film Written by Diablo Cody
Without a word to anyone, Meryl Streep has begun a one-woman revolution in Hollywood. The 18-time Oscar nominee (and three-time winner) has steadily and tenaciously pursued projects by female...