ALL POSTS
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Bridgette Auger – “We Are Not Princesses”
Bridgette Auger has covered the Arab Spring in Egypt and Libya, as well as the refugee crisis as a result of the war in Syria, through photography and video. She was a 2016 National MediaMaker Fellow...
Ita O’Brien Is Transforming the Way Film, TV, and Theater Handle Sex Scenes
One of the many conversations #MeToo and Time’s Up have inspired has to do with the nature of creative arts professions. If you work in film, television, theater, or a related field, chances...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Ofra Bloch – “Afterward”
Ofra Bloch is a filmmaker and psychoanalyst. She grew up in Israel, where her deep interest in the short and long-term effects of trauma originated. She has volunteered with Doctors of the World,...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Emily Harrold – “While I Breathe, I Hope”
Emily Harrold has directed documentaries including “Checkers in the Afternoon.” Her films have screened at Tribeca Film Festival, the Melbourne International Film Festival, and the...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Tracy Droz Tragos – “The Smartest Kids in the World”
Tracy Droz Tragos is a documentary filmmaker whose credits include the HBO film “Abortion: Stories Women Tell,” about personal stories of unplanned pregnancies, which premiered at the 2016...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Ruth Leitman – “Lady Parts Justice in the New World Order”
Ruth Leitman has directed six feature length documentary films including “Alma,” which won the Documentary Feature Jury Prize at the Hamptons Film Festival. Her other credits include “Lipstick...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Melody Gilbert – “Silicone Soul”
Melody Gilbert has been making feature-length independent documentaries for 15 years. Her film topics range from children who can’t feel pain (“A Life Without Pain”) to people who want...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Maxine Trump – “To Kid Or Not To Kid”
Maxine Trump directed the 2012 feature “Musicwood,” which was a New York Times Critics’ Pick. She’s directed short documentaries for TNT, Sundance Channel, BBC, and TLC. Her...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Deschamps – “Inside Lehman Brothers”
In 2005, Jennifer Deschamps directed “Is God in Rwanda?,” which focused on people who lost their faith after the Rwandan Genocide. As an editor of documentaries since 2015, Deschamps is...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Alexandra Stergiou and Lexi Henigman – “The Candidates”
Alexandra Stergiou’s work has been recognized by the Wasserman Awards, National Board of Review, and British Council. Her commercial credits as a director and cinematographer include John Frieda,...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Joy E. Reed – “Little Miss Westie”
Joy E. Reed brings over a decade of experience in documentary filmmaking as an associate editor and animator. She has been on the creative team of a number of films that have premiered at Sundance,...
Jocelyn Bioh on “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play” & Its Exploration of Colorism
If you haven’t heard of Off-Broadway’s “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play,” by Jocelyn Bioh, it is only a matter of time before you do. The play, directed by Tony...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Havana Marking – “The Kleptocrats”
Havana Marking is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker known for filming in dangerous locations and getting on the inside of criminal or subculture groups. She wrote and directed “Smash...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Laura Green and Anna Moot-Levin – “The Providers”
Interview by Beandrea July Laura Green’s shorts have played at numerous festivals, including Palm Springs Shortfest, Aspen Shortsfest, Sarasota Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival,...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Alyssa Bolsey – “Beyond the Bolex”
Alyssa Bolsey began and writing short films as a kid. While still in high school, she directed a short documentary entitled “Wild Horses.” This work was screened at various art galleries...
DOC NYC 2018 Preview: Immigration, Trans Rights, Ursula K. Le Guin, and More
DOC NYC kicks off on Thursday, and will have tons of women-centric and women-directed offerings. We’ve put together a few of the titles that have piqued our interest — just a few. This...
1972 Aretha Franklin Doc Will Finally Receive Theatrical Release
The Queen of Soul’s “most transcendent” gospel performance will be making its way to theaters. Shot in 1972, the Aretha Franklin documentary “Amazing Grace” will receive...
Guest Post: How I Branched Out from “Ethnic Friend” to Leading Lady in “Unlovable”
Guest Post by Charlene deGuzman Growing up Filipino-American in the ‘80s and ‘90s, I never saw any movie stars that looked like me. I rarely saw anyone Filipino on-screen, and if I did, they...
Prize Recognizing Books Without Gendered Violence Announces 2018 Shortlist
Launched by writer Bridget Lawless earlier this year, the Staunch Book Prize celebrates thrillers where women are not beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped, or murdered. Now six titles have...
Weekly Update for November 2: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING A Private War (Opens in NY and LA; Opens Nationwide November 16) In this world where journalism is under constant assault, watching “A Private...
November 2018 Film Preview
As the weather gets cooler, it’s the perfect time to spend an evening indoors with a great flick. And November promises a wide selection of women-centric and women-made films for just that...
Cate Blanchett to Play Conservative Activist Opposed to Equal Rights in FX’s “Mrs. America”
In real life, Cate Blanchett is an outspoken feminist who famously called out Hollywood’s lack of female-led stories while accepting an Oscar. Her next role will be a major departure. The...
Anya Taylor-Joy to Topline “Emma,” Autumn De Wilde Directing
First published in 1815, “Emma” continues to resonate. Jane Austen’s novel about a meddlesome matchmaker is once again being adapted for the screen. Deadline reports that...
Viola Davis Gets Candid About Stifling Her Voice, Time’s Up, and What’s Missing from Cinema
“I always say that one thing missing in cinema is that regular black woman,” observes Viola Davis in a new interview with The Guardian. “Not anyone didactic, or whose sole purpose in the...
IFP Gotham Award Nominations Include “The Rider,” “Skate Kitchen,” and “The Tale”
Nominations for the 28th IFP Gotham Awards have been announced. Five films are up for Best Feature at the 2018 edition of the ceremony, and two are helmed by women: Josephine Decker’s...
Weekly Update for October 12: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Kindergarten Teacher – Written and Directed by Sara Colangelo (Also Available on Netflix) Unfulfilled with her work in the classroom and her home life with...
Trailer Watch: Margarethe von Trotta Pays Tribute in “Searching for Ingmar Bergman”
“Bergman’s films have been my constant companions. This is where it all began for me,” says Margarethe von Trotta in a new trailer for “Searching for Ingmar Bergman.”...
Martha Plimpton on How Non-Profit A is For Goes to Bat for Reproductive Rights
Six years ago, Emmy-winning and Tony-nominated actress Martha Plimpton co-founded A is For, a non-profit dedicated to advancing women’s reproductive rights and ending the stigma against abortion...
Trailer Watch: A New Lawyer Tries to Free Steven Avery in “Making a Murderer” Part 2
Part 1 of “Making a Murderer” presented the conviction, exoneration, and second conviction of Steven Avery — as well as the conviction of his nephew, Brendan Dassey — for the...
Foreign Language Oscar Submissions Are 23 Percent Women-Directed
Eighty-seven countries have submitted films for consideration for the upcoming 91st edition of the Oscars, and according to our count, 20 titles in the running, or 23 percent, are women-directed or...
Trailer Watch: Florence Pugh Is a Double Agent in “The Little Drummer Girl”
Florence Pugh (“Lady Macbeth”) is an aspiring actress who lands the role of a lifetime in upcoming miniseries “The Little Drummer Girl”: double agent. As the show’s new...
Soska Sisters to Pen New Black Widow Comic Book Series
A standalone Black Widow film is finally in the works — and with a woman at the helm — but there’s more great news for fans of the former Russian spy. Jen and Sylvia Soska have...
Trailer Watch: Bridey Elliott’s Family Is Haunted in “Clara’s Ghost”
Bridey Elliott’s debut feature is a family affair. “Clara’s Ghost” sees the writer-director casting her own family to tell the unusual story of the Reynolds clan. A new trailer...
Tig Notaro Has a Dramedy in the Works at ABC
“One Mississippi” was cancelled earlier this year, but the Amazon series’ co-creator and star has kept a high profile since. Tig Notaro released a new Netflix special in May, lined...
Trailer Watch: “House of Cards” Season 6 Sees Mutiny in Claire Underwood’s Administration
Being the first woman president of the United States was never going to be easy. But, as Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) can attest in the trailer for “House of Cards'” sixth and final...
Abby Mueller of Broadway’s “Beautiful” Talks Playing a Rock Star Who Lives on Her Own Terms
Abby Mueller is currently inhabiting the world of Carole King in the Broadway musical “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.” The role is clearly a familiar one to the actress, who was the...
A Year of Reckoning in Hollywood
I’m not going to say his name because he doesn’t deserve shit. He was one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood, and now he’s one of the most reviled men in the business...
Upcoming Docuseries “Ink & Paint” Will Spotlight Unrecognized Women of Disney Animation
The New York Times has been writing better-late-than-never obits for some of history’s most notable, yet previously ignored, women. Now Deadline reports that Disney is set to give its...
Niki Schwartz-Wright Comedy Series “Exes in Law” in Development at NBC
“Speechless” writer-producer Niki Schwartz-Wright has a new project in development at NBC. She’s penning the half-hour comedy, titled “Exes in Law,” and is among its...
Emma Watson Pens Letter to Woman Who Died Due to Ireland’s Anti-Abortion Law: “Rest in Power”
In 2012 Savita Halappanavar died in Ireland after suffering a septic miscarriage. The 31-year-old Indian-born dentist was under medical supervision for seven days and could have survived had doctors...
October 2018 Film Preview
Halloween is nearing, so it comes as no surprise that some of this month’s films aim to deliver terrifying thrills and get audiences in the mood for the holiday. And many of the exciting new...
Weekly Update for September 28: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
WOMEN AND HOLLYWOOD WANTS YOUR INPUT Women and Hollywood strives to provide resources that are helpful to our readers and our community. We would be grateful if you took a few moments to participate...
Guest Post: How I Sought to Improve Black Representation with My First Feature “Solace”
Guest Post by Tchaiko Omawale Being a Black female filmmaker, I carry the privilege and responsibility of creating the things I wish I had seen when I was growing up. My two favorite movie genres...
Annie Ward and Lara Prescott’s Upcoming Novels Land Adaptation Deals
It’s a good day to be a female author, especially if you’re Annie Ward or Lara Prescott. Each writer has received respective adaptation deals for novels that have yet to hit the shelves....
Trailer Watch: Desiree Akhavan Proves Bisexuality Isn’t a Myth in “The Bisexual”
“Sometimes I think if a guy had swept me off my feet, I would have gone the path of least resistance,” says Leila (Desiree Akhavan) in the new trailer for Channel 4’s upcoming...
Bonnie Milligan Talks Representation & Female Empowerment in Broadway’s “Head Over Heels”
In “Head Over Heels,” a new musical featuring the songs of The Go-Go’s, Bonnie Milligan is making her Broadway debut, and her reviews have been nothing short of stellar. The Hollywood Reporter...
Weekly Update for September 21: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
WOMEN AND HOLLYWOOD WANTS YOUR INPUT Women and Hollywood strives to provide resources that are helpful to our readers and our community. We would be grateful if you took a few moments to participate...
Kenya Temporarily Lifts Ban on “Rafiki,” Making the Lesbian Love Story Eligible for Oscars
Audiences in Kenya are finally allowed to watch “Rafiki” — for now, at least. A Kenyan judge has temporarily lifted the country’s ban on Wanuri Kahiu’s lesbian romance,...
Trailer Watch: Jodie Whittaker Takes Charge in “Doctor Who”
A new trailer for the upcoming season of “Doctor Who” is a helpful primer for those who have never seen the cult sci-fi series. “When people need help, I never refuse,” the...
Trailer Watch: Brie Larson Is a Renegade Soldier in “Captain Marvel”
“War is a universal language, and I know a renegade solider when I see one,” says Marvel universe fixture Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in the first trailer for “Captain...
Weekly Update for September 14: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Where Hands Touch – Written and Directed by Amma Asante “Where Hands Touch” is a coming of age story set in the most brutal of times: Germany, 1944. Leyna (Amandla...