ALL POSTS
Jennifer Hudson to Star in Aretha Franklin Biopic
Jennifer Hudson is attached to play Aretha Franklin in an upcoming biopic. The untitled project will focus on the Queen of Soul’s rise to fame during the ’60s, focusing on the iconic singer’s...
Trailer Watch: Emily Blunt Questions Who Are the Real Killers in Mexico in New ‘Sicario’ Trailer
Guest Post: Making Period Films on a Budget and the Importance of Authentic Casting
As a feature-film writer-director, I’ve created a wide range of projects: a Western about awoman who passes as a man, a neo-noir thriller about a bedridden gossip, a musical-dramaabout an...
NYFF 2015’s Main Slate Revealed; 3 of 26 Features Directed by Women
The New York Film Festival, now in its 53rd year, has released the final lineup for its main program. Twenty-six films will be screened, only three (or 12%) directed by women. The disappointment...
Trailer Watch: Alison Brie Learns About Masturbation in Dirty Rom Com ‘Sleeping with Other People’
Lainey (Alison Brie) is a serial cheater and Jake (Jason Sudeikis) is a sex addict. While they aren’t, shall we say, an ideal match, the red-band trailer for writer-director Leslye Headland’s...
Kristen Stewart and the Evolving Politics of Coming Out
To be out or not be out, that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler to come out definitively and suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous publicity or to take arms against the sea of labels and...
Angelina Jolie Pitt to Exec Produce Film Adaptation of Mulan-esque YA Novel ‘The Breadwinner’
Angelina Jolie Pitt will executive produce an animated feature adaptation of Deborah Ellis’s YA novel “The Breadwinner,” about an 11-year-old Afghan girl named Parvana who dresses up as a boy...
Rosario Dawson to Be Menaced by Katherine Heigl in ‘Unforgettable’ Thriller (UPDATED)
Rosario Dawson will take over from Kerry Washington as the lead in Denise Di Novi’s “Unforgettable,” about a newlywed menaced by her husband’s ex-wife (played by Katherine Heigl). Dawson is...
Made in NY Fellowship Launched to Support Diversity Among NYC Storytellers and Entrepreneurs
Independent Filmmaker Project’s (IFP) Made in NY Media Center has launched a new fellowship to foster a more diverse media industry. As the center’s website notes, recognizing “different...
Trailer Watch: ‘Jem and the Holograms’ Offers Female Friendship, Neon Faces
TIFF Announces More Films, Including World Premiere of Barbara Kopple’s ‘Miss Sharon Jones!’
The Toronto International Film Festival has announced more entries in a number of lineups for the 40th installment of the high-profile fest. Of the first batch of films TIFF made public, a mere 14%...
CW’s Many Female Showrunners Discuss Keeping Sexual Assault, Violence Against Women Off Their Series
Eight of the CW’s 12 female showrunners took the stage at this year’s TCAs in a display of the network’s commitment to telling stories for women, by women. Representing series as diverse as...
Patti Smith’s Memoir ‘Just Kids’ to Become Showtime Miniseries
Patti Smith will adapt her 2010 memoir “Just Kids” as a Showtime miniseries. The singer/artist/punk poet laureate will produce and pen the limited series with “Penny Dreadful” showrunner...
Producer Justine Nagan to Head American Documentaries at PBS’s ‘POV’
After a decade at Chicago’s Kartemquin Films, director/producer Justine Nagan will serve as the next executive director of American Documentary, Inc., as well as the executive producer of PBS’s...
‘Little House on the Prairie’ Actress Melissa Gilbert Running for Congress in Michigan
Laura Ingalls Wilder has her sights set far beyond the prairies. Former “Little House on the Prairie” star Melissa Gilbert has announced that she’s running for Congress. Gilbert will be...
The 5 Women We’re Excited to See This August
It’s been a much-better-than-usual summer for women on screen. We’ve had females leading smart comedies (“Spy,” “Trainwreck”), inspiring blockbusters (“Inside Out,” “Mad Max: Fury...
Amy Schumer Gets HBO Special Teaser, Speaks Out for Gun Control at Locarno Film Fest
Another week, another round of Amy Schumer headlines. This time around, the net is abuzz with chatter of Schumer’s upcoming HBO stand-up special, which has a new “announcement teaser.”...
Lena Waithe’s Black Coming-Of-Age Drama Gets Showtime Pilot Order
An untitled coming-of-age drama from “Dear White People” producer Lena Waithe has received a pilot order from Showtime. The Chicago-set series is being described as a relevant, timely and...
Upcoming Sony Releases: Jennifer Lawrence’s ‘Passengers,’ Jodie Foster’s ‘Money Monster’ and More
After a calamitous summer, Sony has nowhere to go but up and forward. And so the studio has revealed the release dates for its slate through 2017. While most of what the studio has in store is...
Reese Witherspoon to Star in and Produce Original Supernatural Thriller ‘Cold’
Reese Witherspoon will be dipping back into the icy waters of the thriller genre in “Cold,” a supernatural thriller. Acquired by Lionsgate, the project was pitched by Witherspoon, her producing...
Riva Marker to Run Jake Gyllenhaal’s New Production Company
Riva Marker will head Jake Gyllenhaal’s unnamed new production company, which reached a first-look deal with Bold Films two days ago. Marker’s producing credits include “The Kids Are All...
‘The Mindy Project’ Season 4 Gets Premiere Date, Will Feature Alt-Reality Episode, Female Friendship
The fourth season of “The Mindy Project” on Hulu will find Mindy Kaling’s self-absorbed but dedicated Dr. Mindy Lahiri pregnant and wondering what would have happened if she’d never met...
‘Louie’ Actress Pamela Adlon to Headline FX’s First Female-Led Comedy Series
After co-starring in nearly every season of FX’s “Louie,” Pamela Adlon has landed her own series. “Better Things” will star Adlon as “a working actor with no filter trying to earn a...
Greta Gerwig Announces First Solo Directorial Project; New ‘Mistress America’ Trailer Released
https://movies.yahoo.com/video/mistress-america-trailer-163000182.html?format=embed
12 Screenwriters Announced for Meryl Streep’s Women Over 40 Writers Lab
Four months ago, Meryl Streep announced that she would fund a script-development program for female screenwriters over 40. The Writers Lab has named its first 12 participants, who will take part in...
Self-Harm, Female DJs and Emily Dickinson: August 2015’s Crowdfunding Picks
There are some important women-centric projects to check out this August, but before these works can come into full fruition, they could do with a little help from some friends — and that’s...
Podcast: Marielle Heller — Writer and Director of ‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl’
I was able to get some time to speak with Marielle Heller on the opening day of “The Diary of a Teenage Girl.” Here’s a short review “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” is an important movie...
Guest Post: On the ‘Diary of a Teenage Girl’, Self-Acceptance, and the Power of Cinema
It’s very rare that a project comes along and saves your life. But that’s what happened to me with “The Diary of a Teenage Girl.” “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” is not just about female...
Weekly Update for August 7: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Week Ricki and the Flash — Written by Diablo Cody Meryl Streep takes on another musical role as aging rocker Ricki Randazzo, who left her family years ago to...
Kate Mara to Star in Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s Female Marine Drama ‘Megan Leavey’
“Fantastic Four” actress Kate Mara will star as another kind of heroine in the upcoming military biopic “Megan Leavey.” Directed by “Blackfish” helmer Gabriela Cowperthwaite, “Megan...
Hannah Minghella Takes Over TriStar at Sony
Staff reorganization among Sony’s brass has led to Hannah Minghella’s appointment as president of the studio’s TriStar division. The new position will offer Minghella “substantial latitude...
‘Empire’ Creator Lee Daniels Developing Drama About Girl Band
Following the mega-success of “Empire,” Fox has bought another series from writer-director Lee Daniels: a drama about the tensions within a cobbled-together girl band. The Atlanta-set...
Trailer Watch: Elle Fanning Stars as Trans Teen in Multi-Generational Family Drama ‘About Ray’
An extended family comes to terms with the gender transition of one of their own in director Gaby Dellal’s drama “About Ray.” Elle Fanning stars as the titular Ray, a high-school student...
Issa Rae’s Long Road: When Are We Finally Going to Stop Wondering if Women of Color Are “Relatable”?
Five years ago, HBO greenlit Lena Dunham’s “Girls,” betting that the romantic misadventures of an educated, upper-middle-class twentysomething white girl and her friends were resonant enough...
Trailer Watch: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Are Gorgeous, Unhappy, Possibly Violent ‘By the Sea’
https://medium.com/media/43bf860f649da4a5d0e2b59d2a052367/href
Eve Ensler Producing Web Series Starring and Written by Trans Woman About Dating
The new web series “Her Story” features playwright Eve Ensler (“The Vagina Monologues”) as a producer and trans activist Jen Richards as its star and co-writer. Richards has penned the...
Julie Klausner’s a Master of the Poison Pen With ‘Difficult People’
Salim and Mara Brock Akil Sign Deal With Warner Bros. TV
Husband-and-wife team Salim and Mara Brock Akil have signed a multi-year deal with Warner Bros. TV. The Akils’ partnership with the studio will take effect in May 2016, upon which Brock Akil will...
Apply for a 10-Day Retreat for Women of Color Directors and Screenwriters
Spotting a woman director of color helming a studio film orshowrunning for a network can be like finding a Puya Raimondi — that rare flower that blooms every 100 years. There are plenty of...
Cecily Strong and Jessica Chastain to Star in April Prosser’s Wing-Woman Comedy ‘Plus One’
Cecily Strong of “SNL” and Jessica Chastain of, well, movie-star fame have been cast in the upcoming comedy “Plus One.” Written by April Prosser, “Plus One” will be one of the first...
Reese Witherspoon Makes Producing Deal with ABC Studios
After optioning several female-driven books for big-screen adaptation, Reese Witherspoon and her producing partner Bruna Papandrea are looking to develop projects for the small screen. Witherspoon...
Study: An Epidemic of Invisibility Afflicts Female, Racially Diverse, LGBT Characters
A new study from USC has found that Hollywood is failing pretty much anyone who isn’t a straight white man. A 700-film, 30,000-character study was undertaken by USC’s Media, Diversity, &...
The Women of Color Heroes We Both Need and Deserve
This summer has been a pretty big one for nerd culture so far. Nerd Christmas came and went with this year’s San Diego Comic-Con”: “Ant-Man” premiered; the trailers for “Superman v....
HBO’s Upcoming Docs: Autism Portrait ‘How to Dance in Ohio,’ Urban Portrait ‘San Francisco 2.0,’ More
“How to Dance in Ohio,” Alexandra Shiva’s chronicle of three autistic girls’ preparations for Prom, and “San Francisco 2.0,” Alexandra Pelosi’s examination of that city’s...
Christina Applegate to Star as Unconventional Psychologist in Family Dramedy by Kathleen Robertson
Christina Applegate is apparently eyeing another return to TV. The “Vacation” actress is currently attached to star in the Lionsgate TV dramedy “Your Time Is Up,” a family saga centered on...
Wolfe Video Donates 100 Lesbian Films to June Mazer Lesbian Archives
Wolfe Video, the largest exclusive distributor of LGBT movies, is celebrating its 30th anniversary by donating its complete library of lesbian films — about 100 or so — to the June L....
Watch: Amy Schumer Takes on Gun Violence (VIDEO)
Amy Schumer has become a star by being one of the funniest people alive about feminism, but recent events have forced her to publicly embrace other politics as well. After a man killed and injured...
UFC Champion Ronda Rousey to Star in Movie Adaptation of Her Autobiography
After knocking out her opponent in an instantly famous 34-second match, UFC star Ronda Rousey became a household name over the weekend. Now Hollywood is calling. Rousey, who has appeared in “The...
Little White Lies Lists 100 Greatest Movies by Women Directors
Last month, the BBC created a list of the 100 greatest American films ever made. Appallingly, only three female co-directors made the cut: Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer on “Grey Gardens” and Maya...
4 of the Top 5 Indies of 2015 (So Far) Feature Female Protagonists
Indiewire has published its annual running list of the year’s highest-grossing independent films. The unsurprising takeaway? Plenty of moviegoers are interested in watching stories about women....
MoMA Film Benefit to Honor Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett will be saluted by the Museum of Modern Art as part of the institution’s annual film benefit. In addition to the Oscar winner’s filmography, MoMA’s film department will...