ALL POSTS
AmDoc, Pinewood Atlanta Launch Kickstarter Campaigns to Support Rising Filmmakers
American Documentary (AmDoc) and Pinewood Atlanta Studios have both started Kickstarter funds for up and coming filmmakers. Per Variety, AmDoc is teaming up with the Knight Foundation to support...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Shana Feste — “Boundaries”
Shana Feste was nominated for a Humanitas Prize for her first feature, “The Greatest,” which she both wrote and directed. She also wrote and directed Gwyneth Paltrow-starrer...
Under the Radar: “Shakedown” Celebrates Black Lesbian Labor and Desire in Los Angeles
Under the Radar is Women and Hollywood’s newest feature. Published monthly, the post offers a chance for us to highlight works by and/or about women that haven’t received big releases or...
Sarah Drew and Michelle Hurd to Topline “Cagney & Lacey” Reboot, Rosemary Rodriguez Directing
“Grey’s Anatomy” star Sarah Drew and “Blindspot” actress Michelle Hurd are the new Cagney and Lacey. Deadline confirms that the duo have been cast as the leads of the “Cagney &...
Trailer Watch: Elsie Fisher Will Break Your Heart in “Eighth Grade”
A trailer has dropped for Sundance favorite “Eighth Grade,” an exploration of adolescence in the age of social media. Thirteen year-old Kayla (Elsie Fisher) wants more confidence and more...
Mira Nair to Direct BBC Adaptation of “A Suitable Boy”
“Queen of Katwe” helmer Mira Nair is eyeing her next project, another coming-of-age story. She’s “on the verge” of a deal that will see her directing the BBC and Lookout Point TV...
Madonna to Direct Adaptation of Ballerina Michaela Deprince’s Memoir
Madonna is set to return to the director’s chair. The Golden Globe winner will direct an adaptation of Michaela Deprince’s 2016 memoir “Taking Flight” for MGM, a press release has announced....
Netflix Must Lead on Inclusion Issues — Instead, They Are Lagging Behind
It’s been 10 days since Frances McDormand uttered those two words that set Hollywood afire — inclusion rider. And in those 10 days Brie Larson, Michael B. Jordan, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon,...
Biopic About Pippi Longstocking Author “Becoming Astrid” Acquired by Music Box Films
A biopic of Pippi Longstocking’s creator is on the way. Deadline reports that Music Box Films has snagged U.S. rights to “Becoming Astrid,” Pernille Fischer Christensen’s look into the life...
New Review Aggregate of Female Critics Launches at SXSW
According to a 2016 report from The Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film, women comprise just 27 percent of top critics on Rotten Tomatoes and men 73 percent of these individuals....
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Marja-Lewis Ryan — “6 Balloons”
Marja-Lewis Ryan wrote, produced, and starred in the indie feature “The Four-Faced Liar.” In TV, she is slated to create the new “The L Word” series for Showtime, and a one-hour untitled...
Pilot News: Projects for Nina Dobrev and Cazzie David, Directing Gig for Patricia Riggen
“Vampire Diaries” alumna Nina Dobrev, “Eighty Sixed” web series co-creator and star Cazzie David, and “Miracles from Heaven” director Patricia Riggen have all booked pilots. Dobrev is...
Trailer Watch: Tessa Thompson and Melissa Leo Hit the Road in Laurie Collyer’s “Furlough”
“For the next 36 hours I own you,” Tessa Thompson tells Melissa Leo in a new trailer for “Furlough.” The dramedy sees the “Thor: Ragnarok” actress playing a rookie inmate tasked with...
Paul Feig, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck Latest to Adopt Inclusion Rider
Paul Feig, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck are following in Brie Larson and Michael B. Jordan’s footsteps and committing to the inclusion rider. Feig announced that his production company, Feigco...
Nicole Kidman to Star in and Exec Produce HBO Miniseries “The Undoing”
Nicole Kidman’s last collaboration with HBO earned her great ratings, critical acclaim, and two Emmy Awards. It’s no wonder that the “Big Little Lies” star and exec producer is heading back...
Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington’s Adaptation of “Little Fires Everywhere” Goes to Hulu
“Little Fires Everywhere” has found a home just over a week after Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington announced the project. Hulu gave a straight-to-series order for the eight-episode...
Films from Ava DuVernay, Amma Asante, and Julie Dash to Screen at Ebertfest
Three trailblazing directors are set to attend Ebertfest 2018. Ava DuVernay, Amma Asante, and Julie Dash will be screening films at the fest, a press release has announced. Co-founded by and hosted...
Producer Lisa Marie Russo to Run New BFI Doc Society Fund
Lisa Marie Russo is heading to Doc Society (formerly BRITDOC). The “Deep Blue Sea” producer will lead the new BFI Doc Society Fund, a £1M-per-year (about $1.4M USD) endowment supporting...
“Maudie” and “Alias Grace” Win Big at 2018 Canadian Screen Awards
Women dominated Sunday night’s Canadian Screen Awards. Not only did female-led projects “Maudie,” “Alias Grace,” “Anne With an E,” and “Baroness von Sketch Show” sweep the major...
Trailer Watch: A Girl Steps into the Wrestling Ring to Win Her Father Over in “First Match”
“Put her in her place,” a teenage boy is told by a teammate just before facing off against a girl on a wrestling mat. It’s not long before she has her opponent pinned and his sexist...
Lily James-Starrer “Guernsey” and Augustine Frizzell’s “Never Goin’ Back” Get Distribution
Lily James-led period piece “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” and Augustine Frizzell’s coming-of-age pic “Never Goin’ Back” have both found homes. “Guernsey” will...
Alfre Woodard to Play a Prison Warden in “Clemency” From Chinonye Chukwu
Alfre Woodard’s recent roles have seen her playing the President of the United States and a comic book villain, and now she’s set to take on the role of a prison warden. The Emmy and Golden...
Trailer Watch: Rebecca Miller Explores Her Father’s Life and Work in “Arthur Miller: Writer”
An award-winning filmmaker offers a nuanced portrait of one of the most celebrated playwrights of all-time — who also happens to be her father — in “Arthur Miller: Writer.” Directed...
Women and Hollywood Joins WrapWomen’s Inaugural Power Women Summit
Women and Hollywood is joining Time’s Up, Women In Film (WIF), and more in supporting WrapWomen’s first ever Power Women Summit. Taking place November 1 and 2 in Los Angeles, the event will...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jenn Wexler — “The Ranger”
Jenn Wexler is a writer-director and a producer for NYC’s Glass Eye Pix. Her producing credits include “Darling,” “Like Me,” and “Most Beautiful Island.” “The Ranger” is her...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jenny Murray — “¡Las Sandinistas!”
Jenny Murray is the director of two short films and multiple social satire comedy videos. Her most recent short narrative film was selected to screen at Anthology Film Archives in New Filmmakers New...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Sasha Waters Freyer — “Garry Winogrand: All Things Are…
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Sasha Waters Freyer — “Garry Winogrand: All Things Are Photographable” Trained in photography and the documentary tradition, Sasha Waters Freyer fuses...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Stacy Cochran — “Write When You Get Work”
Stacy Cochran made her debut with “My New Gun,” starring Diane Lane; it premiered in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes and earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature....
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Miranda Bailey— “You Can Choose Your Family”
An actor, director, distributor, and producer, Miranda Bailey makes independent films through her company Cold Iron Pictures. Her directing credits include “The Pathological Optimist” and...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Nijla Baseema Mu’min — “Jinn”
Named one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film by “Filmmaker Magazine” in 2017, Nijla Baseema Mu’min’s short films have screened at festivals and venues across the country, including Outfest,...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Nosipho Dumisa— “Number 37”
Nosipho Dumisa has directed and produced award-winning short films and commercials, and has extensive television credits. Dumisa is one of the first black female feature film directors from South...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Lola Arias — “Theater of War”
Lola Arias is a writer, director, visual artist, and performer. Arias’ theater works have been performed at numerous festivals and venues including Théâtre de la Ville, Paris, Parque de la...
The World of #MeToo: Crowdfunding Picks
Originally used by social activist and community organizer Tarana Burke, the term “me too” has become prolific in recent months, following the many exposés of sexual abuse allegations made...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Carol Brandt — “Pet Names”
Carol Brandt’s films have been shown at the New Orleans Film Festival, Milwaukee Short Film Festival, and the Beloit International Film Festival where her feature “Things Found on the Ground”...
Weekly Update for March 9: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“A Wrinkle in Time” Films About Women Opening This Week A Wrinkle in Time — Directed by Ava DuVernay; Written by Jennifer Lee A reimagining of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel that...
#OscarsSoWhite Creator April Reign’s New Database Helps POC Find Work in the Biz
In 2015 April Reign spearheaded the #OscarsSoWhite movement to call out the Academy Awards’ lack of inclusivity among its acting nominees. The hashtag gained even more momentum in 2016, when the...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Laura Collado — “Constructing Albert”
Laura Collado has developed and produced several documentaries such as “La Casa” and “Yorgos.” “Constructing Albert” is her feature directorial debut. “Constructing Albert” will...
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” Co-Creator Aline Brosh McKenna Has a New Project in Development
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” co-creator and showrunner Aline Brosh McKenna has a new female-led comedy in the works. She’s joining forces with two writer-producers from the Rachel Bloom-starrer,...
Sasheer Zamata to Star in Stella Meghie’s Next Film “The Weekend”
Sasheer Zamata and Stella Meghie are teaming up. The “SNL” alumna is set to topline “The Weekend,” a comedy from “Everything, Everything” helmer Meghie, Deadline reports. The pic sees...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Alison Klayman — “Take Your Pills”
Alison Klayman’s debut documentary feature “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it was awarded a U.S. Documentary Special Jury Prize for Spirit of Defiance....
“Half the Picture” Doc About Women Directors Finds a Home
Women accounted for just 11 percent of directors working on the 250 top-grossing films in 2017. “Half the Picture” investigates why women are so often excluded from the director’s chair...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Lynn Shelton — “Outside In”
Lynn Shelton’s feature credits include “Humpday,” “Your Sister’s Sister,” and “Laggies.” Her work has screened at festivals such as TIFF, Sundance, Cannes Directors’ Fortnight,...
Guest Post: What I Learned From Making a Doc About a Refugee
Guest Post by Kate McCaslin Much of what I know about filmmaking I learned this year from a Sudanese refugee named Rebecca Mabior. I admit it’s peculiar given that I’ve worked in the film...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jackie Van Beek and Madeleine Sami — “The Breaker Upperers”
Jackie Van Beek is a writer-director and actor who has made seven award-winning short films that have played at international festivals including Berlin, London, Palm Springs, and Melbourne. Her...
Fandango Study Investigates What Women Want at the Movies
Fandango is celebrating International Women’s Day by setting the record straight about female moviegoers. #TimesUp on the myth that women don’t frequent cinemas and are only interested in weepy...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Suzi Yoonessi — “Unlovable”
Suzi Yoonessi is an award-winning Iranian American filmmaker. Her feature credits include “Dear Lemon Lima,” which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival, and “Daphne and Velma,” based...
Tina Fey and #MeToo Founder Tarana Burke Among Variety’s Power of Women 2018 Honorees
Variety’s annual Power of Women: New York event has announced its 2018 honorees. The five women, whose humanitarian efforts will be celebrated at a luncheon on April 13, are Tina Fey, Emily Blunt,...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Kay Cannon— “Blockers”
Kay Cannon is an Emmy-nominated comedy writer, producer, and director. Her work has been awarded a Peabody and multiple Writers Guild Awards. Her first feature screenplay was the hit “Pitch...
ReFrame Pushes for More Inclusive Hiring in Hollywood with New Handbook
ReFrame, a Hollywood inclusion program that boasts 50 industry leaders among its ranks, has set its sights on updating show business’ current hiring practices — i.e. its habit of employing...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Becca Gleason — “Summer ‘03”
Becca Gleason is the writer and director of three short films which made the rounds on the festival circuit; her directorial debut, “Molly,” won the LACMA Young Directors award, and her second...
Brie Larson and Michael B. Jordan Commit to Inclusion Rider
Frances McDormand’s Oscar speech is proving to be a game-changer in Hollywood. The “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” actress mentioned the words “inclusion rider” while accepting...