ALL POSTS
AFI DOCS’ 2019 Slate Includes “Ruth – Justice Ginsburg In Her Own Words,” “American Factory,” & More
AFI DOCS has announced its 2019 slate. The festival will host 72 films from 17 countries, 48 percent of which are directed by women, according to a press release. This year’s Centerpiece...
Cannes 2019 Women Directors: Meet Danielle Lessovitz – “Port Authority”
Danielle Lessovitz is a New York-based writer and director in film and advertising. Her most recent screenwriting effort, “Mobile Homes,” which she co-wrote with Vladimir de Fontenay,...
Trailer Watch: Zendaya Is a Recovering Addict in HBO’s “Euphoria”
“If I could be a different person, I would,” says Zendaya in a new trailer for “Euphoria.” The upcoming HBO series sees the “Spider-Man: Homecoming” actress...
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck to Direct First Two Eps of Cate Blanchett-Starrer “Mrs. America”
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck made box office history with Marvel’s first female-led superhero pic, and now the “Captain Marvel” directors are set to tell a very different story with a...
Cannes 2019 Women Directors: Meet Melina León – “Song Without a Name”
Melina León is a Peruvian director based in Lima and New York. Her short film “El paraíso de Lili,” translated as “Lili’s Paradise,” premiered at the New York Film...
Touring Julia Reichert Film Retrospective Will Kick Off at MoMA
Julia Reichert’s almost 50-year career is getting a retrospective. A press release confirms the Wexner Center for the Arts has organized “Julia Reichert: 50 Years in Film,” a...
Apply Now: AFI Cinematography Intensive for Women
The American Film Institute (AFI) is now accepting applications for its second annual Cinematography Intensive for Women. The tuition-free program will take place June 28-July 1, 2019 at the AFI...
Cannes Releases Gender Stats for 2019 Festival, in Accordance With Parity Pledge
Representation-wise, Cannes 2019 has been a significant — albeit not unexpected — disappointment for women directors. Just a handful of women-helmed films have been selected for...
Cannes 2019: Lana Condor & Brianna Hildebrand to Star in Marianna Palka Comedy “Girls Night”
The latest news from Cannes involves a new movie from Marianna Palka. The “Good Dick” writer-director will helm women-driven buddy comedy “Girls Night,” starring “To All the...
Hannah Gadsby’s New Stand-Up Special “Douglas” Heading to Netflix
If you love Hannah Gadsby’s work but haven’t been able to catch her on tour, we have some good news for you. The “Nanette” comedian’s last stand-up set,...
Teaser Watch: “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” Is No Fairy Tale
Maleficent is back and as acerbic as ever. A teaser trailer has dropped for “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” a sequel to 2014’s “Sleeping Beauty” reimagining,...
Mirrah Foulkes’ Mia Wasikowska-Starrer “Judy & Punch” Acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films
Mirrah Foulkes’ self-proclaimed “bat-shit crazy origin story about the Punch and Judy puppet show” has found a home. Samuel Goldwyn Films snagged North American rights to...
Trailer Watch: “After Maria,” Three Puerto Rican Women Are Stuck Between Home & Homelessness
After the devastation Puerto Rico endured during Hurricane Maria, FEMA provided “transitional shelter assistance” to displaced people, and put them up in hotel rooms. Nadia...
Trailer Watch: Waad Al-Kateab Shares a Story of Family, Love, and War in “For Sama”
Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts’s “For Sama” sees Kateab shooting footage of the Syrian revolution and war while speaking directly to her young daughter, Sama, via narration....
Cannes 2019: Gong Li to Receive Women In Motion Award
Gong Li has been named as the recipient of Cannes’ 2019 Women In Motion Award. “Her name will be forever linked to the Festival de Cannes, especially for her unforgettable performances in...
Trailer Watch: Renée Zellweger Makes an Indecent Proposal in “What/If”
“True success comes at any cost,” says Renée Zellweger in a new trailer for “What/If.” Described as a “neo-noir social thriller,” the upcoming Netflix series sees...
Swedish Film Institute CEO Anna Serner to Be Honored at Mill Valley Film Fest
The Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF) is set to celebrate Anna Serner’s commitment to gender parity in the biz. According to a press release, Serner, CEO of the Swedish Film Institute, will...
Trailer Watch: Meryl Streep Wants Answers in “Big Little Lies” Season 2
The so-called “Monterey Five” have a secret — and it’s eroding every single one of them. A new trailer has dropped for Season 2 of HBO’s “Big Little Lies,”...
Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Audible Announce Original Slate
It came as no surprise when noted bookworm Reese Witherspoon went into business with Audible last year. The pact kicked off with a book club led by the Oscar winner and her female-focused media...
Weekly Update for May 10: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Poms – Directed by Zara Hayes It is always nice to see women over 40 on-screen, as central characters. “Poms” takes us into a retirement community where...
Report: Top Studios and Talent Agencies’ Leadership Lagging in Inclusion
Throughout the past year or so, the film industry has seen several gains in terms of inclusivity. Sixteen black directors worked on top-grossing movies in 2018, a 12-year high. Last year also marked...
Alma Har’el’s “Honey Boy” Gets a Release Date
“Honey Boy” just got an awards-friendly release date. Amazon Studios will release the Alma Har’el-directed drama November 8. Deadline confirmed the news. Written by Disney Channel alum...
Exclusive: Taissa Farmiga Keeps the Wickedness at Bay in “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” Clip
“I know wickedness is coming. I feel it,” says Taissa Farmiga in our exclusive clip from “We Have Always Lived in the Castle.” Stacie Passon’s adaptation of Shirley...
Trailer Watch: Cate Blanchett Launches Her Second Act in “Where’d You Go, Bernadette”
Considered “the most exciting thing in the world of architecture” 20 years ago, Bernadette Fox (Cate Blanchett) has long since lost her mojo — or buried it. A trailer for...
Set Designer Laura Jellinek on “Oklahoma!” and Her Tony Nomination
If you take a look at Laura Jellinek’s current list of projects, you’ll wonder how she does it all. The Tony Award and Drama Desk nominee recently designed the sets for Broadway’s...
Nantucket Film Festival Announces All-Female Lineup for 2019 Screenwriters Tribute
The Nantucket Film Festival (NFF) is celebrating women scribes. The fest announced an all-female slate of honorees and focus for the 2019 Screenwriters Tribute, one of NFF’s tentpole...
Trailer Watch: Nola Darling Commits to Opal and Her Art in “She’s Gotta Have It” Season 2
“This love shit is a motherfucker,” Nola Darling laments in the trailer for Season 2 of Netflix’s “She’s Gotta Have It.” After a season of juggling three male...
Melina Matsoukas to Receive AFI’s Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal
Two-time Grammy winner, frequent Beyoncé collaborator, and “Insecure” director and exec producer Melina Matsoukas has been named as the 2019 recipient of the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni...
Trailer Watch: Hilary Swank and Rose Byrne Face Off in Netflix Sci-Fi “I Am Mother”
A little girl grows up under the watchful eyes of a robo-mama in a new trailer for “I Am Mother.” “This facility was designed to give humanity a second chance. One that began with...
Dawn Porter Directing Doc About Congressman & Civil Rights Leader John Lewis for CNN Films
Dawn Porter will reunite with Congressman John Lewis for her next project. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the “Trapped” filmmaker is directing a documentary about Lewis’ most recent...
Phoebe Robinson Signs Multi-Year Overall Deal with ABC Studios
Maybe everything’s not trash, after all. According to Deadline, comedian, writer, and podcaster Phoebe Robinson has inked a multi-year overall deal with ABC Studios. Under the agreement, the...
Hilary Swank Is Heading to Mars in Jessica Goldberg Netflix Drama “Away”
Another Oscar-winning actress is embarking on a mission to space. A trailer for Natalie Portman-led astronaut drama “Lucy in the Sky” launched in March, and now word comes that Hilary...
Trailer Watch: Ellen Page Falls for Kate Mara in “My Days of Mercy”
Ellen Page and Kate Mara find common ground despite their political differences in a new trailer for “My Days of Mercy.” Tali Shalom-Ezer’s drama sees Lucy (Page), a dedicated...
Embracing the Surreal: Crowdfunding Picks
Surrealism allows the mundane and the exotic to coexist, woven together in a way that creates a new reality unbound by the limitations of our world. It represents a potent force for creativity and...
Sheila Nevins Is Launching MTV’s Documentary Films Unit
MTV has pulled off a major coup: the company landed Sheila Nevins to launch their Documentary Films banner. Variety confirmed the news. The HBO alumna is set to “lead the charge on developing...
Rachel Ward’s “Palm Beach” Will Open 2019 Sydney Film Festival
Rachel Ward’s latest will kick things off at this year’s Sydney Film Festival. The Sydney Morning Herald confirms “Palm Beach,” an ensemble comedy about a group of friends...
Ana Lily Amirpour to Direct Female-Led “Cliffhanger” Reboot
Ana Lily Amirpour is kicking off principal photography on “Blood Moon” next month. The fantasy tells the story of a girl with strange and dangerous abilities. Now word comes that...
Cathy Yan Is Bringing Jenny Zhang’s “Sour Hearts” to the Big Screen
Cathy Yan is currently on post-production on “Suicide Squad” spinoff “Birds of Prey,” but the writer-director has already signed on to her next project. She’ll follow up...
Cannes: Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s Stacy L. Smith Partners with Women in Motion
Annenberg Inclusion Initiative founder and director Stacy L. Smith is joining forces with Women in Motion, Kering and the Cannes Film Festival’s program spotlighting women in film. According...
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez & Rachel Lears May Reunite for Green New Deal Doc
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her “Knock Down the House” director, Rachel Lears, may be teaming up on another timely documentary. According to Axios, the pair are “in...
“Batwoman,” “Katy Keene,” and “Nancy Drew” Score Series Orders at The CW
The CW has ordered three women-driven series for its 2019-2020 season. Variety confirms the network picked up the Ruby Rose-led “Batwoman,” “Riverdale” spinoff “Katy Keene,” and...
Writer to Watch: Katie Silberman of “Booksmart” and “Set It Up”
Katie Silberman has an affinity for romantic comedies. She penned 2018’s Netflix hit “Set It Up,” a story about two assistants falling in love while plotting to get their terrible...
Submit Now: Firelight’s Documentary Lab for Filmmakers of Color
Jacqueline Olive’s exploration of lynching in the U.S., “Always in Season,” took home a U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Moral Urgency at Sundance in January. The director...
Trailer Watch: A Warrior Stays True to Herself in Cannes’ “Joan of Arc”
Lyanna Mormont fans, take note. Cannes will see the arrival of another strong-willed, self-assured, pint-sized female warrior. A trailer has arrived for “Joan of Arc,” in which a...
Claudia Myers’ Supernatural Pic “Above the Shadows” Acquired by Gravitas Ventures
“Above the Shadows” won’t be disappearing anytime soon. Gravitas Ventures scooped up North American rights to Claudia Myers’ latest, a supernatural story about an invisible...
Trailer Watch: Awkwafina Faces a Moral Dilemma in “The Farewell”
“Crazy Rich Asians” breakout Awkwafina takes center stage in Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell.” A trailer just dropped for the critically acclaimed Sundance pic. Based on an...
Jane Campion Lines Up Her Next Feature, Elisabeth Moss to Co-Star
“Top of the Lake” collaborators Elisabeth Moss and Jane Campion are teaming up on another project. The former will star in the latter’s next film, “The Power of the...
Lynn Shelton’s “Sword of Trust” Gets a Release Date
Lynn Shelton’s eighth feature has received a release date. Improv-based comedy “Sword of Trust” will open in New York July 12 and LA July 19, a press release announced. Penned by...
Trailer Watch: A Teen Finds a Job and a New Way of Looking at the World in “Ladies in Black”
A holiday gig makes a lasting impact in “Ladies in Black.” A trailer for adaptation of Madeleine St John’s bestselling novel of the same name has dropped, and it sees a 16-year-old...
Trailer Watch: Sienna Miller’s Daughter Goes Missing in “American Woman”
“This is a mother’s worst nightmare,” says Sienna Miller in a trailer for “American Woman.” The drama sees the Golden Globe nominee playing Deb, a woman whose life falls...
IFC Hosts Sneak Peak of “Charlie Says” and Mary Harron Retrospective
Mary Harron’s latest tells the story of another American psycho. The Charles Manson-inspired pic hits theaters May 10, and IFC hosted a retrospective of the director to coincide with its...