ALL POSTS
Apply Now for the Producers Guild’s Power of Diversity Master Workshop
The deadline for the Producers Guild of America’s (PGA) 14th annual Power of Diversity Master Workshop has been extended, the PGA announced in a press release. Applications will now be accepted...
Jennifer Aniston and Anne Fletcher Team Up for Teen Comedy
Jennifer Aniston played a Prom Queen and Homecoming Queen in “Friends,” and now she’ll take on the role of a former beauty queen. Variety reports that the expert tiara-wearer has joined the...
Women Directors Dominate Nominations for German Film Awards
Maren Ade’s “Toni Erdmann” is the film to beat at the Lolas, Germany’s equivalent to the Academy Awards. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the daughter-father comedy garnered six...
Trailer Watch: Oprah Demands Justice in “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”
“What you don’t understand is, we didn’t know nothin’ about nothin,” Deborah Lacks (Oprah Winfrey, “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”) says in a new trailer for “The Immortal Life of...
Fusion Orders Dawn Porter Doc “Fatherless”
Dawn Porter has a new project on the way. Fusion has commissioned an hour-long documentary from the “Trapped” helmer, Realscreen reports. “Fatherless” will focus on “Grace & Frankie”...
Trailer Watch: Melissa McCarthy’s Old Friends Lie for a Job in TV Land’s “Nobodies”
Melissa McCarthy is not the star of “Nobodies,” but she does appear in a trailer for the upcoming TV Land series. The comedy centers on characters played by significantly less famous...
Ana Asensio’s “Most Beautiful Island” Wins Top Prize at SXSW
Ana Asensio’s “Most Beautiful Island” has been named the winner of SXSW’s Grand Jury Award in the narrative feature competition, The Hollywood Reporter writes. Asensio’s film, which she...
“Somersault” Director Cate Shortland Has a Miniseries in the Works
Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland is returning to the small screen. The “Somersault” and “Lore” director is working on an eight-part miniseries for Matchbox Pictures, The Playlist reports....
Zoe Lister-Jones’ “Band Aid” Gets a Release Date
Dysfunctional bands are usually notorious for their diva antics, exploitation of adoring fans, and drug addictions — not passive-aggressive discussions about personal hygiene and doing the...
Trailer Watch: Kate Mara Fights for Her Combat Dog in Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s “Megan Leavey”
“I just don’t know why you want to do this” is not the reaction you’re hoping to hear when you tell your mom a major life decision, but it’s the one Megan (Kate Mara, “House of Cards”)...
Film About Hillary Clinton During Her 1969 Gap Year Announced
A new film about Hillary Clinton — Hillary Rodham, actually — is on its way. According to TheWrap, Magdalena Zyzak and Zachary Cotler have finished “When I’m a Moth,” about the gap...
Eve Ensler’s “In the Body of the World” Set for Off-Broadway Run, Diane Paulus to Direct
Even if you’ve never seen “The Vagina Monologues” performed live, you’re almost certainly familiar with its title. The groundbreaking episodic play has been staged countless times in over...
Guest Post: When a Woman Called the Shots at the Screen Writers Guild
Guest Post by J.E. Smyth Current debates in the media about women’s employment, representation, and visibility in Hollywood focus — perhaps predictably — on stars’ pay and the...
Sarasota Film Festival to Open and Close with Women-Directed Films
This year’s Sarasota Film Festival will feature women-directed films on Opening and Closing Night. According to a press statement from the festival, Rory Kennedy’s “Take Every Wave: The Life...
Exclusive: Reba McEntire Talks Patsy Cline’s Influence in “Patsy Cline: American Masters” Clip
“She brought a dignity to a woman’s feelings,” actress and singer Beverly D’Angelo says of legendary country star Patsy Cline in our exclusive clip of PBS’ “Patsy Cline: American...
Australia Introduces Two New Initiatives to Support Women Filmmakers
Similar to Canada’s news last week, Australia has unveiled two new initiatives striving for gender parity in filmmaking. Screen Australia introduced Doco180 for documentary filmmakers, and the...
Trailer Watch: It’s the Same Old Selina in the New Season of “Veep”
You can take Selina Meyer out of the White House, but you can’t take the White House out of Selina Meyer. And thank god for that. In the opening moments of the full trailer for “Veep’s” new...
“Margarita with a Straw” Helmer Shonali Bose Signs on to Write & Direct Potential Pilot
Indian filmmaker Shonali Bose may be making her TV directorial debut. The “Margarita with a Straw” co-writer and co-director has signed on to write and direct a potential pilot based on Diksha...
Trailer Watch: Rami Malek Is Split in Two in Sarah Adina Smith’s “Buster’s Mal Heart”
The newly released trailer for Sarah Adina Smith’s “Buster’s Mal Heart” goes to some heady and heavy places, but the spot kicks off with a hilarious interaction between a man and his boss....
Julie Andrews Returns to TV to Teach Kids the Value of Arts Education in “Julie’s Greenroom”
Julie Andrews is coming back to TV to teach kids the value of arts education with Netflix’s “Julie’s Greenroom” set to launch on March 17. The series showcases the impact the arts can have...
Relaunched Quad Cinema to Host Lina Wertmüller Retrospective
Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmüller made history as the first woman to receive an Academy Award for Best Director back in 1977 for “Seven Beauties.” The trailblazer’s prolific career will be...
Trailer Watch: Jane Jacobs Saves the Neighborhood in “Citizen Jane”
If you need reassurance that one person’s voice can make a difference in the world — really, who doesn’t need that right now? — then “Citizen Jane: Battle for the City” probably...
Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival Kicks Off March 23 with “The Drowning”
In LA next week and want to support films by and about women? Rather than checking out a single film at a multiplex, consider attending a female-led film fest. The 13th annual Los Angeles Women’s...
Women in Sports Doc “Tomboy” Premieres on CSN Tonight
There aren’t many mainstream conversations about women in professional sports, especially during non-Olympics years. Luckily, that drought will break tonight thanks to “Tomboy: Elevating the...
Viola Davis’ Production Company Raising Significant Cash
Viola Davis won an Oscar less than a month ago and is showing no signs of slowing down. The “Fences” actress is “embarking on an effort to raise $250,000,000 in a global expansion plan for the...
Enter Your Short Film to the Audience Awards’ Women’s Film Challenge
Attention, female filmmakers: Have you finished a short narrative film or documentary? Or is there a portion of your feature-length film or doc that you’re ready to share? If so, you should enter...
Trailer Watch: “Wonder Woman” Is the Fiercest Amazon Warrior
Want to know how Wonder Woman became Wonder Woman? A new trailer for the Gal Gadot-led superhero film offers some insight into the Amazon warrior’s epic origin story. “You will train her harder...
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Meet Lysa Heslov — “Served Like a Girl”
Lysa Heslov is a director and producer who, along with her husband Grant Heslov, founded Children Mending Hearts, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering disadvantaged youth in the U.S....
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Meet Natalia Leite — “M.F.A.”
Natalia Leite is a writer/director/actress, born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Her feature film debut, “Bare,” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2015, starring Dianna Agron and Paz De La Huerta....
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Meet Noël Wells — “Mr. Roosevelt”
Noël Wells is an actor, writer, and director based in LA. Her acting credits include “Happy Anniversary,” “F*cking People,” and “Master of None.” She is also currently developing a show...
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Meet Ovidie— “Pornocracy”
Ovidie is an author and film director. Her explicitly feminist films like “Pulsion” and “Le baiser” depict an ethical and realistic take on sexuality. Today Ovidie is a journalist, blogger,...
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Meet Anna Koch — “Win by Fall”
Anna Koch studied directing at the German Film & Television Academy Berlin (dffb). Her short film credits include “Sisters” and “Fata Morgana.” “Win by Fall” is her first feature...
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Jessica M. Thompson— “The Light of the Moon”
Jessica M. Thompson is an Emmy-nominated Australian filmmaker who lives in New York City. She’s made several award-winning short films alongside Carlo Velayo, including “Hike,” “Percepio,”...
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Meet Erin Lee Carr — “Mommy Dead and Dearest”
Erin Lee Carr is a New York-based filmmaker and writer. Her debut film, “Thought Crimes,” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and Hot Docs Film Festival in 2015. Variety named her as one of...
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Meet Emma Franz — “Bill Frisell, A Portrait”
Australian filmmaker Emma Franz began her professional creative life as a jazz singer and composer. Her first film, “Intangible Asset Number 82,” won Best Foreign Documentary at the Durban...
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Meet Mónica Álvarez Franco — “The Cloud Forest”
After studying AV Media in Mexico and receiving a Master’s Degree in Creative Documentary in Madrid, Spain, Mónica Álvarez Franco wrote and directed several short documentaries. Her short...
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Meet Ana Asensio — “Most Beautiful Island”
Ana Asensio is an actress, writer, and director from Spain. “Most Beautiful Island” is her feature directorial debut. Asensio has also appeared in “Planta 25” and “Zenith.” “Most...
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Meet Ceylan Özgün Özçelik — “Inflame”
Born in Turkey, Ceylan Özgün Özçelik is a writer, director, producer, and editor. Özçelik produced, wrote, and hosted “En Heyecanlı Yeri,” a TV show about cinema that aired for almost 10...
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Meet Katherine Fairfax Wright — “Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall”
Katherine Fairfax Wright is the director, editor, and cinematographer of “Call Me Kuchu,” the story of the last year in the life of the first openly gay man in Uganda. Wright produced...
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Meet Renée Felice Smith— “The Relationtrip”
A New York native, Renée Felice Smith moved cross country for her role on CBS’ hit, “NCIS: Los Angeles.” Smith starred in and produced “Baby,” a short film that went to SXSW in 2015. She...
What Happened to the Women Directors in Hollywood?
What Happened to the Women Directors in Hollywood? Part 3: A New Generation of Women Behind the Camera, 1966–1983 by Carrie Rickey This five-part Truthdig series by Carrie Rickey is published in...
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Meet Magdalena Zyzak— “A Critically Endangered Species”
Magdalena Zyzak’s first feature film was “Redland,” a wilderness drama which was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. In 2013, she produced a second feature film directed by Asiel...
Guest Post: Candice Thompson on Frizzy Hair, Big Lips, and Navigating a Career in Comedy as a…
Guest Post: Candice Thompson on Frizzy Hair, Big Lips, and Navigating a Career in Comedy as a Biracial Woman Guest Post by Candice Thompson Three things happened when I was eight years old. I...
Trailer Watch: Welcome to the Sanctuary of “Harlots”
Charlotte Wells (Jessica Brown Findlay, “Downton Abbey”) argues that love doesn’t exist for harlots in the trailer for the upcoming Hulu series. Love may be lacking, but sex, betrayal, power,...
Canadian Film Industry Launches Two New Gender Parity Initiatives
Leading by example yet again, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and the National Film Board of Canada both announced new initiatives to support women in the entertainment industry. The...
Weekly Update for March 10: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Personal Shopper” Films About Women Opening This Week Personal Shopper Olivier Assayas, the internationally-acclaimed director of “Clouds of Sils Maria” and “Summer Hours,” returns with...
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Meet Valerie Weiss — “The Archer”
Valerie Weiss is an award-winning filmmaker and scientist. Her directing credits include “A Light Beneath Their Feet,” “Losing Control,” “Chicago Med,” and an upcoming episode of...
Quote of the Day: Brie Larson Talks Women Directors and Representation
“I love that we’re seeing stronger women on the screen — but I don’t think that’s the end of this conversation,” says Brie Larson in a new interview with BBC News. The Oscar-winning...
Trailer Watch: Charlize Theron is a Killer Queen in “Atomic Blonde”
Meet Lorraine Broughton, “an expert in escape and evasion,” and “proficient in intelligence collection and hand-to-hand combat.” But rather than focusing on what we’re told about MI6’s...
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Meet Laura E. Davis and Jessica Kaye — “Inheritance”
Laura E. Davis is a writer, director, and story consultant. Her previous credits include the award-winning feature “Thin Air,” a short film starring Sarita Choudhury (“Homeland”), and a...
Monumental Pictures Developing Movie About Roe v. Wade
With the demagogue-in-chief doing everything in his power to outlaw legal abortion, the public — and the elderly white men who are able to legislatively control women’s bodies — needs...