ALL POSTS
Lynne Ramsay Is Writing an “Epic” Environmental Horror Feature
It seems we won’t have to wait long for Lynne Ramsay’s next offering. She’s already written over 100 pages of a new screenplay, her follow-up to this year’s awards contender...
Weekly Update for November 30: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Clara’s Ghost – Written and Directed by Bridey Elliott (Opens December 6) (Available on VOD December 7) Set over the course of a single evening in the Reynolds...
Awkwafina Receives Series Order From Comedy Central
Awkwafina’s meteoric rise continues. This year has seen the YouTube sensation star in “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Ocean’s Eight.” She also hosted “Saturday...
Trailer Watch: “The Heiresses” Run Out of Money in Paraguay’s Oscar Submission
A trailer has dropped for “The Heiresses,” Paraguay’s official submission in the foreign-language Oscar race. The award-winning drama tells the stories of Chela (Ana Brun) and Chiquita...
Apply Now: Shondaland and SeriesFest Women Directing Mentorship
Shonda Rhimes is a long-time supporter of women directors. Just look at the credits on her series. “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” “How to Get Away with...
Dr. Ruth Doc Acquired in Advance of Its Sundance Premiere
Hulu has snagged rights to an upcoming doc about one of the world’s most famous sex therapists. The streamer will air “Ask Dr. Ruth” following its premiere at Sundance 2019,...
Under the Radar: Aube Giroux’s “Modified” Is a Personal, Political Exploration of Food Policy
By Antora Majumdar and Keno Katsuda “If you add water to a food product, you must add ‘water’ to the food label. But if you add insecticide [to food] through genetic engineering, you...
Trailer Watch: Katherine Waterston Investigates a Mysterious Death in “State Like Sleep”
“Peel back a layer and no one’s who they seem to be,” Michael Shannon says in the trailer for “State Like Sleep.” That’s what protagonist Katherine (Katherine...
Viola Davis to Topline and Produce Shirley Chisholm Biopic, Maggie Betts Directing
Viola Davis has lined up her first project under her recent Amazon deal. The Oscar winner will portray the titular pioneering politician in “The Fighting Shirley Chisholm,” Deadline...
Women Represent 42 Percent of Sundance 2019 Competition Directors
If you’re planning to attend the Sundance Film Festival in January, there will be plenty of women-directed films to check out. The fest has announced its 2019 feature lineup, and 42 percent of...
Trailer Watch: The Woods Are a Crazy Place in Thriller “Rust Creek”
A college student (Hermione Corfield, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”) has car trouble on her way to a job interview in a trailer for Jen McGowan’s “Rust Creek.” Already the...
Women Make Up Over 50 Percent of Variety’s Annual Directors to Watch List
Women dominate Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch list for 2019. Women represent 60 percent of slots on the annual ranking, which recognizes up-and-coming filmmaking talent. Olivia Wilde...
Domee Shi, First Woman to Direct Pixar Short, Will Helm Feature Debut
Domee Shi made history this year by becoming the first woman to direct a Pixar short, “Bao.” Now she’s set to pivot to feature filmmaking. As Deadline reports, Shi is attached to...
Trailer Watch: Natalie Portman Goes Back in Time and Sings Her Heart Out in “Vox Lux”
Natalie Portman is bringing it “back to where it all began” in a new trailer for “Vox Lux.” The spot takes us along as controversial pop sensation Celeste (Portman) travels...
Nia DaCosta to Direct “Candyman” Sequel
Nia DaCosta is following up modern-day Western “Little Woods” with a horror pic. The writer-director has signed on to helm a “spiritual sequel” to “Candyman,”...
Animated “Spider-Women” Film in the Works at Sony
Sony is bringing another women-driven “Spider-Man” universe story to the screen. Five months after the studio announced a “Silk” movie was in early development comes word of...
Kristen Stewart to Topline Clea DuVall Rom-Com “Happiest Season”
Clea DuVall’s next film has found its star. Kristen Stewart is in talks to join the TriStar Pictures LGBTQ romantic comedy, Deadline reports. “The Happiest Season” marks...
“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” Sequel in Development
Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky’s love story is just beginning. Variety has confirmed that Netflix and Paramount’s Awesomeness Films are in discussions on a sequel for “To All the Boys...
Ava DuVernay Signs $100 Million Overall Deal with Warner Bros. Television
It’s official: Ava DuVernay is now a mogul. The award-winning multi-hyphenate has inked her first studio pact and it’s massive. DuVernay signed a $100 million production and development...
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Releasing Lisa France Documentary “Roll With Me”
ARRAY has lined up its latest film release. Ava DuVernay’s independent distribution company will be screening “Roll With Me,” Lisa France’s doc about recovering addict and...
Starz Gives Series Orders to Katori Hall’s “P-Valley” and Rebecca Cutter’s “Hightown”
Starz is finally moving forward with two long-in-development series from women. Variety reports the cable network has ordered Katori Hall’s strip-club-set “P-Valley” and Rebecca...
Emily Dickinson Comedy “Wild Nights with Emily” Acquired by Greenwich
Molly Shannon-starrer “Wild Nights with Emily” has secured distribution, Deadline confirms. The comedy inspired by Emily Dickinson landed at Greenwich Entertainment with plans for a...
Trailer Watch: A Tragic Romance Unfolds in “If Beale Street Could Talk”
“You trusted love this far. Trust it all the way,” says Regina King in an emotional new trailer for “If Beale Street Could Talk.” Barry Jenkins’ follow-up to...
2018 Gotham Awards: Wins for Chloé Zhao’s “The Rider,” “Killing Eve,” Elsie Fisher, & More
Women were among the big winners at last night’s IFP Gotham Awards. Not only did Chloé Zhao’s Western, “The Rider,” take home the top prize, but women-driven and -created...
UK Trans Drama Miniseries “Butterfly” Heads to CBC
“Butterfly,” a UK miniseries about an 11-year-old trans girl and her family, has found a North American home. According to Deadline, the show will air on Canada’s CBC in late winter...
Viola Davis’ Production Company Inks First-Look Deal with Amazon
Another actress with a burgeoning producing career has joined forces with Amazon Studios. Recent weeks have seen Maya Rudolph, Natasha Lyonne, and Natalie Dormer signing first-look deals with the...
Trailer Watch: Patty Jenkins Digs Into the Black Dahlia Murder in “I Am the Night”
“All my life people have looked at me,” Fauna Hodel (India Eisley, “The Secret Life of the American Teenager”) writes in “I Am the Night.” “I just want to...
“Roma” and “The Favourite” Shine at the Box Office
It appears turkey wasn’t the only thing people were craving over Thanksgiving weekend: a box office report from Deadline suggests that women-driven films with awards buzz were also high in...
Cannes 2019’s Directors’ Fortnight Now Accepting Submissions
Cannes Film Festival sidebar Directors’ Fortnight is now accepting films for its 2019 edition. Organized by the French Directors’ Guild, next year’s Directors’ Fortnight...
Series About London’s First Female Detective in the Works at A+E Networks International
A+E Networks International’s first international, scripted co-production will be the story of a trailblazing woman. Screen Daily reports the company is developing “Miss Scarlet and the...
Trailer Watch: Taraji P. Henson Has Psychic Powers in “What Men Want”
Taraji P. Henson has the hots for her neighbor in a new red band trailer for “What Men Want.” There’s just one problem — “Captain Fucktastic,” as she calls him,...
Weekly Update for November 21: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Favourite – Written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (Opens in NY and LA November 23) Set in the early 18th century, we take a closer look at the reign of Queen...
Reclaiming Our Experiences, Telling Our Stories: Crowdfunding Picks
When you take in the news today, what do you notice? Stories about women experiencing sexual assault, online harassment, body shaming, criticism for being too loud or not enough. Our culture is...
Catherine Hardwicke on “Twilight’s” 10th Anniversary and Breaking Down Stereotypes
It’s been a decade since Bella and Edward’s love story galvanized audiences comprised mostly of women and teen girls. “Twilight’s” box office success helped prove the...
Marsha Mason on Being in the “Prime” of Her Career and Life as a Theater Director
Marsha Mason has had an extraordinary career in film, television, and theater over the past five decades — and she feels like she’s just getting started. She’s received four...
Quote of the Day: Nicole Kidman on Hollywood’s “Long Road” to Equality
Nicole Kidman has kept good on a commitment she made publicly: to work with at least one female director every 18 months. “I’ve actually so far exceeded it,” she tells Variety in a...
Sundance Institute Announces New Inclusive Filmmaking Fellowship, Names Inaugural Class
Sundance is continuing to up its inclusion game ahead of its 2019 festival. As previously reported, the fest has agreed to make its submissions data transparent and is working to ensure a more...
Writer to Watch: “The Little Drummer Girl’s” Claire Wilson
Persistence and playing the long game have been the secrets to UK screenwriter Claire Wilson’s success. The co-writer of new AMC/BBC One miniseries “The Little Drummer Girl” was in...
Gloria Ui Young Kim Filming Feature Debut, Mother-Daughter Drama “Queen of the Morning Calm”
Award-winning director Gloria Ui Young Kim has kicked off filming on her feature debut. A mother-daughter drama, “Queen of the Morning Calm” stars Tina Jung (“Kim’s...
Quote of the Day: Ellen Pompeo Calls Out Lack of Racial Inclusivity During Event
Ellen Pompeo’s fight for fair pay on “Grey’s Anatomy” — and her willingness to talk about the issue both publicly and candidly — has been helping push forward the...
Sundance Unveils New Inclusion and Transparency Efforts Ahead of 2019 Fest
The Sundance Film Festival has received more than 14,200 submissions for its upcoming 2019 edition — a record high. According to a press release, the fest is ramping up its inclusion and...
Jasmin Mozaffari’s “Firecrackers” Goes to Good Deed Entertainment
“Firecrackers” will be set off in U.S. theaters. Jasmin Mozaffari’s feature debut has secured distribution stateside from Good Deed Entertainment, Deadline confirms. The female-led...
Maya Rudolph and Natasha Lyonne Sign First-Look TV Deal with Amazon
Maya Rudolph and Natasha Lyonne’s newly formed production banner just scored a major deal. Animal Pictures is going into business with Amazon Studios, Variety reports. The pact sees the duo...
Trailer Watch: A Family Goes to War Over Drug Money in “Birds of Passage”
“Do you know why I’m respected? Because I’m capable of anything for my family and my clan,” a matriarch (Carmiña Martínez) explains in a new trailer for “Birds of...
Sarah Jessica Parker and Ellen Burstyn Among NYWIFT’s 2018 Muse Award Winners
Sarah Jessica Parker and Ellen Burstyn are headed to the Muse Awards. Both are set to receive honors at the ceremony celebrating women’s contributions in entertainment. Presented by New York...
Janelle Monáe’s Wondaland Pictures Strikes First-Look Deal with Universal
“Hidden Figures” breakout Janelle Monáe has two films on the way with Universal Pictures, and it seems she has plenty more projects on the horizon with the studio. Monáe’s...
“Rafiki” Filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu to Direct “Covers” for Working Title and Universal
Wanuri Kahiu is bringing another romantic tale to the big screen. The “Rafiki” director will helm “Covers,” a love story set in Los Angeles’ music scene, for Working...
Natalie Dormer Inks First-Look Deal with Fremantle
Natalie Dormer is re-teaming with Fremantle and taking her relationship with the production and distribution company to the next level. The “Game of Thrones” alumna has signed a...
Kelly McMahon Is the MPAA’s Next Ratings Chair, Joan Graves Retiring
The MPAA has named a new chair of the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), the group that assigns film ratings. Deadline confirms that Kelly McMahon will succeed Joan Graves, who is...
Judi Dench to Receive Honor at British Independent Film Awards
Judi Dench is following in the footsteps of Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave, and Julie Walters, all previous recipients of the Richard Harris Award for outstanding contribution to British film....
Pamela B. Green’s Alice Guy-Blaché Doc “Be Natural” Secures Distribution
Audiences will soon be able to learn more about Alice Guy-Blaché, the first woman filmmaker. According to Deadline, Pamela B. Green’s documentary “Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice...