ALL POSTS
2016 DGA Nods for Angela Bassett, Jill Soloway, Amy Schumer, Dee Rees, Sofia Coppola, and More
A handful of familiar names — among them Angela Bassett, Amy Schumer, Jill Soloway and Sofia Coppola — received DGA Awards nominations for their directing work this year. Also nominated...
Netflix Buys Sian Heder’s ‘Tallulah,’ Starring Ellen Page and Allison Janney
Sian Heder’s feature directorial debut "Talluhlah" has found a home prior to its world premiere at Sundance just over a week away. Netflix is reported to have spent somewhere in the...
Alliance of Women Film Journalists’ EDA Winners: ‘Carol,’ ‘Mad Max,’ Kristen Stewart and More
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists has unveiled the winners of the 2015 EDA Awards. As expected, "Carol" won big. The period romance, written by Phyllis Nagy and starring Cate Blanchett...
Athena Film Festival’s 2016 Lineup Released; Dawn Porter’s ‘Trapped’ Will Open Fest
Remember when "Room," "Carol" and "Brooklyn" were in the Oscar conversation?* This award season — like most award seasons — has been another chilly winter...
Trailer Watch: Julia Roberts and George Clooney Take On Wall St. in Jodie Foster’s ‘Money Monster’
A trailer has arrived for Jodie Foster’s much anticipated "Money Monster." The star-studded drama focuses on a TV personality, financial guru Lee Gates (George Clooney), who is taken...
Guest Post: Submitting Like a Man: My Year Resubmitting Scripts As A Dude
This is the first installment of the blog Submitting Like A Man (SLAM), created by writer Mya Kagan. The project examines what happens when Mya resubmits scripts to previously rejected...
Zeitgeist To Release Marcie Begleiter’s Doc About Artist Eva Hesse
Marcie Begleiter’s directorial debut, a documentary about sculptor Eva Hess, has been acquired. Zeitgeist Films will distribute "Eva Hesse." The film chronicles...
Trailer Watch: Elaine May’s PBS Portrait of Director Mike Nichols
One of Mike Nichols’ best-known collaborators has helmed a documentary about the Oscar-winning director and one of his most beloved films. Elaine May has directed an "American...
How Samatha Bee’s New Late Night Show is Tackling Gender Diversity Behind the Scenes
Samantha Bee and her team for her new talk show, "Full Frontal," are putting their money where their mouths are. "The talent is out there, so late-night shows need to stop saying,...
Study: Women Directors’ Ranks Increased in 2015, But Only to 1998 Rates
Female filmmakers enjoyed a slight bump last year in their representation in the film industry, with women directors and those in other key roles (writers, producers, executive producers, editors and...
Susanne Bier’s TV Adaptation of ‘The Night Manager’ Changes the Protagonist From a Male to a Female
"We have to start stealing the men’s roles," urged Helen Mirren back in August 2015. Angelina Jolie’s role in 2010’s "Salt" was originally written for a man, as...
Elite Zexer’s Sundance Competitor “Sand Storm” Acquired by Beta Cinema
Two weeks ahead of its world premiere at Sundance 2016, the Israeli family drama "Sand Storm" has landed a distribution deal. Written and directed by first-timer Elite Zexer, the...
Golden Globes 2016 Wrap-Up: Cheers to Taraji P. Henson and Rachel Bloom, Jeers to Ricky Gervais
The overwhelming majority of the honorees at the 2016 Golden Globes were, as expected, white men. And Ricky Gervais was, as expected, mean-spirited and dreadfully glib as opposed to delightfully...
BAMcinématek Launches 18-Film “Witches’ Brew” Program
The Brooklyn Academy of Music will devote its late February programming to exploring cinema’s witches. The 18-film "Witches’ Brew" series will span decades, genres and...
HBO to Air 17 Docs in Spring 2016; Subjects Include Nora Ephron, Mavis Staples, Gloria Vanderbilt
Writer Nora Ephron, filmmaker Laurie Anderson, singer Mavis Staples, heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, Cuban LGBT activist Mariela Castro (Fidel’s niece) and a 18-year-old Pakistani woman...
Ingrid Escajeda to Write, Exec Produce New Drama About Korean-American Celebrity Chef
Ingrid Escajeda is on board to write and executive produce "On the Line," a one-hour drama in development at Fox inspired by chef Sang Yoon, best known as the chef and proprietor...
Emma Watson Launches Feminist Book Club, See Our Reading Recommendations
Emma Watson has chosen the first selection for her newly launched feminist book club, "Our Shared Shelf." The book club will see the "Noah" star — and fellow readers —...
Weekly Update for January 8: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This WeekThe Forest – Co-Written by Sarah Cornwell When her twin sister disappears in Japan, a young American named Sara (Natalie Dormer) becomes determined to find...
Apply for the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center’s National Directors Fellowship
The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center will accept applications for its 18-month fellowship for early-career theater directors on January 11-15. The National Directors Fellowship is the...
Trailer Watch: Michelle Dockery Leaves ‘Downton Abbey,’ Joins Sexy Thriller ‘Good Behavior’
Bye bye Lady Mary, hello hard-drinking, ex-con Letty Dobesh. TNT has released a preview for "Good Behavior," Michelle Dockery’s follow-up project to "Downton Abbey."...
HBO’s Anita Hill Film ‘Confirmation’ Starring Kerry Washington to Debut in April
Kerry Washington will show us a very different side of D.C. in "Confirmation," her upcoming Anita Hill biopic. Written by Susannah Grant ("Erin Brockovich,"...
2016 BAFTA Noms: Female-Centric Films Well-Represented, Women Directors Sorely Lacking
The BAFTA nominations are in. The good news: A female-centric film, "Carol," is tied for most nominations (with "Bridge of Spies"). The romance about a floundering shop girl...
‘Mustang’ Among Strongest Contenders for France’s Lumieres Awards
"Mustang," France’s 2015 submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, is also racking up nominations across the Atlantic. Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s directorial...
Trailer Watch: In Netflix’s Six-Decades-Spanning ‘The Crown,’ Being Queen Isn’t As Easy As It Looks
Netflix is betting big on Britannia. The streaming site has launched a four-minute trailer for its most expensive production to date, a six-season series about Queen Elizabeth II that spans the...
Jane Fonda Hosting Comedy Event to Support ERA
The Fund for Women’s Equality and the ERA Coalition are teaming up to host the inaugural "A Night of Comedy With Jane Fonda" event on Sunday, February 7 in New York City. Fonda...
Emma Stone in Talks to Star in Cruella de Vil Origin Story
If there’s anyone who can humanize a famous puppy-killer, it’s probably Emma Stone. So it makes a kind of sense that the actress is in talks to star in "Cruella," an...
‘Inside Amy Schumer,’ ‘Broad City,’ ‘Being Mary Jane’ and More Women-Centric Shows Renewed
Breathe a sigh of relief: lots of your favorite women-centric shows are coming back. Comedy Central has renewed "Inside Amy Schumer" for a fifth season, a seriously no-brainer...
Trailer Watch: Toni Braxton Sells Pain, Not Sex in Lifetime’s ‘Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart’
Toni Braxton is getting the biopic treatment. The singer, songwriter and music producer is the subject of Lifetime’s upcoming TV movie "Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart," for which an...
Jennifer Lopez Is Better Than ‘Shades of Blue’
J.Lo’s new character is a tough, complicated detective who slaps down bar pickup lines ("I don’t do witty banter"), can hold her own in a fight — and is as good at taking...
Quote of the Day: ‘American Crime’ Writer Julie Hébert on Why Diversity in the Writers Room Matters
"American Crime Story," the limited series that explores issues of race, class and justice through the lens of one story per season, received 10 Emmy nominations for its debut...
Disney Announces Five Female-Centric Pics for 2016, Only One Directed By Woman
Disney currently has 13 films scheduled for a 2016 release, and at least five of them will feature a female protagonist: "Zootopia," "Alice Through the Looking Glass,"...
Netflix Orders Therapist Thriller ‘Gypsy’ From Creator Lisa Rubin
Netflix has ordered a 10-episode debut season of creator Lisa Rubin’s "Gypsy." Premiering in 2017, the psychological thriller will center on "Jean Holloway, a therapist who...
Jennifer Lawrence on Planned Parenthood Shooting: “It’s an Attack on Women”
With her career-shifting Lenny letter about equal pay, Jennifer Lawrence announced that she’d become one of the biggest feminist voices in Hollywood. The actress has followed...
Can Caitlyn Jenner Help ‘Tangerine’ Star Mya Taylor Get an Oscar Nom?
"Tangerine" star Mya Taylor has a new fan — one who could potentially improve her odds of landing an Academy Award nomination. Caitlyn Jenner has come aboard the trans...
Hollywood Feminist of the Day: Ryan Coogler
Although the issue of Hollywood’s egregious lack of women directors has gone mainstream, we still don’t have very many prominent male filmmakers willing to speak out on behalf of their...
Quote of the Day: Dakota Johnson on Hollywood’s “Brutal and Absurd” Ageism
Dakota Johnson is only 26, but she’s seen enough of the film industry’s ageism — through her mother Melanie Griffith and her grandmother Tippi Hedren — to speak out against...
‘Force Awakens’ Merch Continues Sci-Fi/Superhero Franchises’ Pattern of Erasing Female Characters
The feminist force is strong with the latest "Star Wars" movie, which introduced the 38-year-old franchise’s first female protagonist in orphaned scavenger Rey, played by dynamo...
Tessa Thompson May Join Natalie Portman and Gina Rodriguez in Sci-Fi ‘Annihilation’
Tessa Thompson ("Creed," "Dear White People") has reportedly been approached to join Natalie Portman and Gina Rodriguez ("Jane the Virgin") in...
Watch: A Celebration of the Top-Grossing Women-Directed Films of 2015
Women and Hollywood is proud to unveil an original video celebrating the work of 2015’s highest-grossing women directors. The video captures some of the year’s most memorable moments in...
Guest Post: Gender Parity in Documentary Filmmaking Is A Fiction
Over the holiday break, I read many of the Oscar predictions that litter not just the trades but the various general interest "papers of record" this time of year. But I hardly saw a single...
Directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos on Challenges and Misconceptions About ‘Making a Murderer’
Since its debut on Netflix last month, the ten-part documentary miniseries "Making a Murderer" has dominated the water-cooler conversation. Below, we rerun an interview with directors Laura...
Crosspost: The Difficulties of Juggling Diversity Activism and a Directing Career in Hollywood
The following has been reposted from Lexi Alexander’s blog with permission of the author. Our version below includes minor edits. 2015 was an interesting year for me. After finally getting back...
Julie Delpy’s Romantic Comedy ‘Lolo’ to Be Released By FilmRise
Julie Delpy’s sixth feature will be distributed by FilmRise. The romantic comedy "Lolo" — which Delpy wrote, directed and stars in — will open March 11. The film...
January 2016 Film Preview
Dark and cold January creeps in on us with a number of equally dark tales of young women finding themselves in dangerous situations. In "The Forest," Natalie Dormer of "Game of...
A Thank You From the Women and Hollywood Team
Dear Women and Hollywood readers, Thank you for all your support in 2015. Happy holidays, and have a wonderful new year. We’ll be back on January 4, 2016. – Melissa, Inkoo,...
Weekly Update for December 23 and January 1: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This WeekJoy – Story by Annie Mumolo “Joy” is the story of a family across four generations and the woman (Jennifer Lawrence) who rises to become founder and...
18 Most Anticipated Films By and About Women in 2016
2016 is rushing swiftly upon us, so to kickstart celebrations, here’s a heads-up on 18 of the most exciting female-centric/women-directed films to watch out for in the coming months. Do...
The 11 Most Important Women of Color Moments of 2015
"Harry Potter" Gets More Inclusive: Hermione Will Be Played by a Black Actress The "Harry Potter" franchise — seven best-selling books, eight movies that struck...
Charlize Theron and David Fincher Developing Serial Killer-Catching Drama for Netflix
Charlize Theron will team up with David Fincher on a new crime series called "Mindhunter" for Netflix. Based on the book "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial...
Guest Post: From the Oscars Stage to Directors Jail: This Is What Sex Discrimination Looks Like
The following was originally posted on composer Michael Levine‘s Facebook page. It has been slightly edited below. Recently, I went to a screening of a 30-minute film called...
The 10 Best Female Performances of 2015
2015 has been an especially strong year for women on screen. Just consider how many actresses turned in performances that were deemed Oscar-worthy. We don’t think Hollywood’s leading...