ALL POSTS
Feminist Theater Collective The Kilroys Announces New Class
The Kilroys, a Los Angeles-based collective of playwrights and producers fighting for gender parity in American theater, is bringing in some new blood. According to a press release, the 14 new...
Berlinale 2019 Competition Section Is Currently 43 Percent Women-Directed
The Berlin International Film Festival’s upcoming 2019 Competition lineup is looking decidedly more female-friendly than the fest’s 2018 edition. As previously announced, Lone...
Pic About Feud Between Actresses Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Duse in the Works
The rivalry between 19th century stage actresses Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Duse could be coming to the big screen. A feature about their feud, described as “‘The Favourite’ meets...
Lake Bell and Liz Meriwether’s “Bless This Mess” Gets Series Order at ABC
Lake Bell and Liz Meriwether’s “Bless This Mess” has nabbed a series order at ABC, Variety reports. A co-production between 20th Century Fox Television and ABC Studios, the...
Issa Rae and Columbia Pictures Join Forces to Support Emerging Diverse Writers
Issa Rae’s latest project will help boost diverse, up-and-coming screenwriters. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the “Insecure” star’s ColorCreative has signed a...
Kathreen Khavari to Co-Write and Star in Refinery29 Pilot “Embrace”
Best known for her roles as Samantha on “Big Little Lies” and Patricia on “Insecure,” Kathreen Khavari is set to topline “Embrace,” a pilot for Refinery29....
Trailer Watch: Sandra Bullock Is Up Against Pure Evil in “Bird Box”
Sandra Bullock proved she was capable of pulling off the heist of the century in this summer’s “Ocean’s Eight,” but the Oscar winner may have found her match in “Bird...
Jennie Snyder Urman and Dev Exec Joanna Klein Team Up for New Production Company
“Jane the Virgin” is winding down but creator Jennie Snyder Urman’s career is revving up. She and Lifetime’s former senior vp of scripted development, Joanna Klein, are...
Claudia Llosa to Direct “Distancia De Rescate” for Netflix
Claudia Llosa to set to make history. Again. She’s been tapped to become the first Peruvian filmmaker to direct a Netflix film, Deadline reports. Best known as the helmer of “The Milk of...
Juliette Binoche Named President of the 2019 Berlinale International Jury
Juliette Binoche will serve as president of the International Jury at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival. A press release announced that the French actress — who won a Berlinale...
Carol Burnett to Receive Special Achievement Award Named in Her Honor at Golden Globes
Not only will Carol Burnett be presented with the Golden Globes’ inaugural television special achievement award, the new prize has been named in her honor. As the Hollywood Foreign Press...
Sally Potter in Production on Her Next Film, Cast Includes Elle Fanning, Salma Hayek, Laura Linney
Sally Potter is re-teaming with Elle Fanning on her next pic. The “Ginger & Rosa” collaborators are in production on an as-yet untitled feature. Currently filming in Spain, the drama...
Constance Wu in Negotiations to Topline a Rom-Com
Constance Wu may be starring in another romantic comedy. The “Crazy Rich Asians” star is in negotiations to topline an untitled pic for Screen Gems, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. Also...
Sight & Sound’s 2018 Critics Poll Includes 10 Women-Directed Pics
The results are in for Sight & Sound’s 2018 Critics Poll. The anticipated poll sees critics, programmers, and academics from around the world voting for their favorite films of the year....
Jodie Foster Will Star in and Direct English-Language Remake of Iceland’s “Woman at War”
Jodie Foster is going to war. Deadline reports the Oscar winner will topline and direct a remake of “Woman at War,” Iceland’s submission for 2019’s Best Foreign Language Film...
Sophia Takal Is the First Woman to Direct a Blumhouse Original
Blumhouse finally managed to locate and hire a female director. Several weeks after Jason Blum’s unfortunate remarks that he’d really like to work with women directors, but there’s...
Exclusive: Roberta Grossman’s WWII Resistance Doc “Who Will Write Our History” Secures Release
“Who Will Write Our History,” Roberta Grossman’s chronicle of a lesser known form of WWII-era resistance, will have a theatrical run, Women and Hollywood has learned exclusively....
Sudabeh Mortezai’s “Joy” Wins Best Film at Marrakech Fest
Sudabeh Mortezai has nabbed another festival prize for her second feature, “Joy.” Less than two months after it took BFI London Film Festival’s top prize, Variety confirms the sex...
Priyanka Chopra-Led Family Drama from Shonali Bose Is in Production
Priyanka Chopra is taking on a true story for her next project. According to Variety, the “Quantico” actress will star in Shonali Bose’s “The Sky Is Pink.” Currently in...
History as Herstory: Crowdfunding Picks
Many of us were told the story of the pilgrims and Native Americans and their shared cooperation, which ultimately led to the holiday tradition of Thanksgiving, only to grow up and find out that the...
Weekly Update for December 7: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Mary Queen of Scots – Directed by Josie Rourke It’s a little crazy to say Mary, Queen of Scots is the perfect role for Saoirse Ronan because I am certain that...
“Doc McStuffins” Creator Chris Nee Signs Overall Deal with Netflix
Peabody, Emmy, and Humanitas Prize-winning children’s television screenwriter and producer Chris Nee has signed an overall deal with Netflix. The pact sees Nee writing and producing new animated...
Faye Dunaway Is Returning to Broadway, Will Play Katharine Hepburn
Faye Dunaway is returning to Broadway after a 35-year-plus hiatus. The iconic Hollywood star is set to play a fellow legend of the silver screen — Katharine Hepburn. The Oscar winner will...
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Rungano Nyoni, & Jameela Jamil Among UK’s WFTV Award Winners
“Fleabag” and “Killing Eve” creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “I Am Not a Witch” filmmaker Rungano Nyoni, activist and “The Good Place” actress Jameela...
“Dumplin'” Director Anne Fletcher on Why She Wants Audiences to Feel “Unique and Special”
Danielle Macdonald, who we were introduced to in “Patticake$,” takes on the lead in “Dumplin’,” a story about a teen girl who enters her mother’s (Jennifer...
Sophie Brooks to Direct Adaptation of “You Me Everything” For Lionsgate
Sophie Brooks is shifting her gaze from Brooklyn to the French countryside. The filmmaker will follow up her feature debut, New York-set “The Boy Downstairs,” with an adaptation...
Kathleen McGill and Mimi Deaton to Be Honored at DGA Awards
Unit production manager Kathleen McGill and associate director Mimi Deaton are set to receive special honors at the upcoming 71st annual DGA Awards. The former will take home the Frank Capra...
BIFA and Tribeca Winner “Adult Life Skills” Gets U.S. Release Date
“Adult Life Skills” is finally hitting theaters stateside. The British comedy is being released by Screen Media in theaters and On Demand in the U.S. January 18, 2019. Written and...
Inaugural Class for NBC’s Alternative Directors Program Is All-Female
NBC has announced the inaugural class for their Alternative Directors Program, and all seven participants are women. The first directing pipeline program for unscripted shows, the initiative...
Amy Sherman-Palladino to Receive PGA’s Norman Lear Achievement Award
The marvelous Amy Sherman-Palladino will soon have another trophy to go with history-making pair of Emmys. According to Variety, the creator of “Gilmore Girls” and “The Marvelous...
Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir” Lands at A24, Tilda Swinton Stars
Announced as part of Sundance 2019’s lineup last week, Tilda Swinton-starrer “The Souvenir” has found a home. A24 snagged North American rights to Joanna Hogg’s romantic drama...
Golden Globes Nominate Zero Women Directors. Again.
It seems another Time’s Up red carpet protest is in order. The Golden Globe nominations have been announced and, even for a Hollywood awards ceremony, they are very male and, in many...
Lone Scherfig Drama “The Kindness of Strangers” to Open 2019 Berlin Film Festival
Lone Scherfig will have the honor of kicking off the 2019 Berlin Film Festival. The award-winning Danish writer-director will open the 69th edition of the fest with the premiere of her latest pic,...
Trailer Watch: A Family Falls Apart in Melissa Miller Costanzo’s “All These Small Moments”
“Relationships are complicated,” a mother tells her son in a new trailer for Melissa Miller Costanzo’s “All These Small Moments.” Carla (Molly Ringwald,...
“Insecure’s” Natasha Rothwell Signs Overall Deal with HBO
Another “Insecure” actress is strengthening her relationship with the network behind the Issa Rae-starrer. Best known for playing Kelli on the Peabody-winning comedy, Natasha Rothwell has...
Trailer Watch: Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie Battle for Power in “Mary Queen of Scots”
“Your beauty, your bravery, your gifts are your downfall,” Margot Robbie warns Saoirse Ronan in a new trailer for “Mary Queen of Scots.” Set in the 16th century, the...
Female Blockbuster Scribes Team Up to Launch Production Company to “Open Doors”
There are finally a handful of films by and about women in the superhero pipeline, and a team of writers are working to ensure that more are on the way. Lindsey Beer (“Chaos Walking”),...
Regina King to Be Honored with Chairman’s Award at Palm Springs Film Fest
Regina King won an Emmy in September and it’s likely she’ll be named in the Best Supporting Actress category when Oscar nominations are announced January 23. But she won’t have to...
Guest Post: Why the History of Women’s Filmmaking Is Important Now
Guest Post by Shelley Stamp “Why haven’t I heard about this history?!” That’s what people ask when I tell them about the “Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers” collection I curated for...
Samantha Bee Announces New Production Company & Signs First-Look Deal with TBS
Samantha Bee is launching a new production company. The Emmy winner’s Swimsuit Competition will create original narrative and documentary television “that it finds amusing and would...
“Jane the Virgin” Spinoff in Development at The CW
Friends, we could be getting more Jane Gloriana Villanueva — or at least more of her writing. According to Variety, a spinoff of “Jane the Virgin” is in the works at The CW. Not...
Sundance 2019: Over 50% of Shorts, Episodic Content, & Special Events Are Women Directed or Created
Sundance 2019 is shaping up to be quite the gender-balanced film festival. Not only do women represent 42 percent of the competition film directors, the fest has just announced the lineups for its...
Trailer Watch: Ellen DeGeneres Returns to Stand-Up in “Relatable”
When Ellen DeGeneres announced her plans to return to stand-up, she expected her friends to welcome her back to the comedy scene with open arms. But some had reservations. “Do you think...
Laura Dern & Issa Rae to Star in HBO Limited Series About Riots Caused by Cabbage Patch Kids
Laura Dern and Issa Rae are taking a real-life “Nightmare Before Christmas” story to the small screen. The respective stars of HBO’s “Big Little Lies” and...
Trailer Watch: Brie Larson Is a Noble Warrior Hero in “Captain Marvel”
Marvel universe fixture Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) provides a helpful primer on the two alien races at war in a new trailer for “Captain Marvel.” “Skrulls are the bad...
“Capernaum” Director Nadine Labaki Discusses the Film’s Chaos and Empathy
Interview by Zoë Elton Lebanese filmmaker-actor Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum” (“Chaos”) represents a bold departure from her earlier work, such as “Caramel,”...
Teaser Watch: Anna Paquin Is a Superstar Publicist in “Flack”
Anna Paquin is channeling Olivia Pope in a teaser trailer for “Flack,” an upcoming Pop drama that sees her managing crisis after crisis. A publicist working in London, Robyn (Anna Paquin)...
December 2018 Film Preview
By Antora Majumdar and Keno Katsuda If you’re hoping to hit the multiplex over the holidays, December’s film releases do not disappoint. With plenty of pics driven by complex female...
Debra Granik on “Leave No Trace” and How “The Script Interrogates You”
Interview by Zoë Elton Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace” traverses the lives of a father and daughter who have been living off the grid for years in the woods outside Portland....
“The Favourite” Nabs Record 10 BIFA Awards, Continues to Reign Over the Box Office
“The Favourite” revolves around the manipulations and betrayals of Queen Anne’s court, but it’s inspiring a lot of love and loyalty from audiences and awards committees. The...
Turin Film Festival Commits to Gender Parity Pledge
Another fest has signed the 5050×2020 charter for gender parity and inclusion. Italy’s Turin Film Festival, also known as Torino Film Festival, is following in the footsteps of Cannes,...