ALL POSTS
Trailer Watch: Awkwafina Faces a Moral Dilemma in “The Farewell”
“Crazy Rich Asians” breakout Awkwafina takes center stage in Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell.” A trailer just dropped for the critically acclaimed Sundance pic. Based on an...
Weekly Update for May 3: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Tell It to the Bees – Directed by Annabel Jankel; Written by Henrietta Ashworth and Jessica Ashworth (Also Available on VOD) “Tell It to the Bees” Dr. Jean...
Trailer Watch: An Iconic Filmmaker Fights for Māori Stories in ARRAY Doc “Merata”
As the first Māori woman to write and direct a feature film, Merata Mita focused on telling New Zealand’s indigenous peoples’ stories on the screen. But as her son Hepi Mita notes in the...
Lupita Nyong’o to Topline and Produce Sci-Fi Comedy
After breaking audience’s hearts in “12 Years a Slave,” inspiring them in “Black Panther,” and terrifying them in “Us,” it looks like the Lupita Nyong’o is...
Trailer Watch: Gurinder Chadha Pays Homage to Bruce Springsteen in “Blinded by the Light”
“It’s like Bruce knows everything I’ve ever felt, everything I’ve ever wanted,” says Javed (Viveik Kalra) in a new trailer for “Blinded by the Light.” The...
Submit Now: The Athena Film Festival and The Athena List
The Athena Film Festival is gearing up for its 2020 edition. A four-day celebration of stories about fierce and fearless women leaders, the fest will be marking its 10th anniversary next year, and...
Trailer Watch: Toni Morrison Reflects on the Power of Words in “The Pieces I Am”
“My grandfather bragged all the time that he had read the Bible, and it was illegal in his life to read. Ultimately, I knew that words had power,” says Toni Morrison in a new trailer for...
Trailer Watch: Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson Break Barriers in “Late Night”
Mindy Kaling gives Emma Thompson’s comic persona a long overdue makeover in a new trailer for Nisha Ganatra’s “Late Night.” With over 40 Emmy Awards and a long-running...
Trailer Watch: Daisy Ridley Redefines a Character We Think We Know in “Ophelia”
We all know the story: Something is rotten in Denmark. A prince wants to avenge his father’s murder, but can’t quite seem to summon the gumption. A widow marries her late husband’s...
May 2019 Film Preview
May 2019 promises to be an exciting month for new releases by and about women. From star-studded comedies to intimate documentaries, women’s stories are flooding theaters this month. Olivia...
Hot Docs 2019 Women Directors: Meet Claudia Sparrow – “Maxima”
Claudia Sparrow was born and raised in Lima, Peru. Her first feature, “I Remember You,” won best dramatic feature film at the Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles and was released...
Weekly Update for April 26: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Body at Brighton Rock – Written and Directed by Roxanne Benjamin (Also Available on VOD) “Body at Brighton Rock” Wendy (Karina Fontes), a part-time summer...
Tribeca 2019 Women Directors: Meet Cindy Meehl – “The Dog Doc”
Cindy Meehl is a director and executive producer of documentary feature films. Her documentary feature “Buck” premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award...
Tribeca 2019 Women Directors: Meet Tal Granit – “Flawless”
Tal Granit’s credits include “The Farewell Party,” which won the audience award at the Venice Film Festival and was distributed worldwide, “Summer Vacation,” which...
Alfre Woodard-Starrer “Clemency” Gets an Awards-Friendly Release Date
The winner of Sundance 2019’s U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award has a release date. Currently boasting a 100 percent “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, “Clemency” has been...
Tribeca 2019 Women Directors: Meet Bora Kim – “House of Hummingbird”
Bora Kim is a Korean filmmaker with an MFA in film directing from Columbia. Her debut feature, “House of Hummingbird,” won the Grand Prix for Best Feature Film at the 69th Berlin International...
Jillian Bell-Starrer “Brittany Runs a Marathon” Gets a Release Date
You can cheer Jillian Bell on to the finish line when “Brittany Runs a Marathon” hits theaters this summer. Amazon Studios announced that the Sundance breakout will bow August 23. The...
Tribeca 2019 Women Directors: Meet Ani Simon-Kennedy – “The Short History of the Long Road”
Ani Simon-Kennedy is a feature film, documentary, and commercial director. Her first feature, “Days of Gray,” played at top festivals around the world with an original live score by...
Tribeca 2019 Women Directors: Meet Yu Gu – “A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem”
Yu Gu is a filmmaker and visual artist born in Chongqing, China and raised in Vancouver, Canada. Her previous credits include hybrid documentary “A Moth in Spring” and feature documentary...
Emma Thompson Will Topline Environmental Activism Short “Extinction”
Not only is Emma Thompson a supporter of environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion in real life, she’ll be playing one in a satirical short film, too. The two-time Oscar winner is set...
“Saving Face” Writer-Director Alice Wu Sets Lesbian Teen Romance at Netflix
Alice Wu is following up her beloved 2004 romance “Saving Face” with another tale of secrets, Chinese-American culture and expectations, and LGBTQ love. According to Deadline, the...
Hot Docs 2019 Women Directors: Meet Maya Newell – “In My Blood It Runs”
Maya Newell is an award-winning Australian filmmaker with a focus on social impact documentary. Her credits include short docs “Two”and “Growing Up Gayby,” as well as the...
Trailer Watch: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Prepares to “Knock Down the House”
“If I was a rational person, I would have dropped out of this race a long time ago,” says Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a newly released trailer for “Knock Down the House.”...
Weekly Update for April 19: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Little Woods – Written and Directed by Nia DaCosta This Tribeca winner sees Tessa Thompson playing a woman facing a handful of crises in Little Woods, North Dakota....
Four Women-Directed Films Will Screen in Cannes’ Main Competition. That’s Not Good Enough.
The Gender Parity Pledge was launched at Cannes last year with the mission of making film festivals more inclusive and transparent. Behind-the-scenes, the Cannes Film Fest does seem to be improving:...
Eliza Hittman Wraps Production on Latest Film “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”
Eliza Hittman is following up her 2017 Sundance winner “Beach Rats” with another coming-of-age story. Focus Features, Pastel, and BBC Films are joining forces for her next feature,...
“Real Women Have Curves” to Open UCLA Latin American, Latinx, and Iberian Film Fest: Women’s Voices
Women filmmakers will take center stage at the 7th UCLA Latin American, Latinx, and Iberian Film Festival. Subtitled “Women’s Voices” this year, the fest’s 2019 edition will...
Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation” Wins Grand Jury Award at Full Frame 2019
“One Child Nation” has taken home another Grand Jury prize. Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s Sundance winner was presented with the Reva and David Logan Grand Jury Award at Full Frame...
Stacie Passon Directing Miniseries Inspired by Anaïs Nin’s “Little Birds”
Anaïs Nin’s “Little Birds” is the latest book to receive the TV treatment. Cineuropa confirms “Concussion” director Stacie Passon is helming a six-part series based on...
Lost in Transition: April’s VOD and Web Series Picks
Though change is an expected and necessary aspect of life, it can often be difficult to embrace and perhaps even harder to initiate. Transitions in jobs and relationships can stir up insecurities and...
One-Woman Show Based on Maya Angelou’s Life and Writing in the Works
A Broadway show about Maya Angelou’s life and work might be on the way. Deadline confirms one-woman show “Phenomenal Woman: An Evening With Maya Angelou” is being developed with the...
Anna Boden Makes History as “Captain Marvel” Crosses $1 Billion Mark
As if sexist trolls ever stood a chance of taking Carol Danvers down. “Captain Marvel” continues to soar at the box office a month after hitting theaters. The Brie Larson-starrer has...
Keira Knightley Spy Thriller “Official Secrets” Gets Release Date
Keira Knightley’s bringing the story of a spy’s heroic efforts to stop an unjust war to the big screen this summer. IFC Films has set a release date for “Official Secrets.”...
Full Frame 2019 Women Directors: Meet Sahra Mani – “A Thousand Girls Like Me”
Sahra Mani is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, university lecturer, and founder of Afghanistan Documentary House. Her films include “Kaloo School” and “Beyond the Burka.” “A...
Jennifer Kent’s “The Nightingale” Gets a Release Date
We finally know when to expect Jennifer Kent’s follow-up to “The Babadook.” IFC has announced that revenge drama “The Nightingale,” which made its world premiere at the...
Zoe Lister-Jones Is Writing and Directing a “Craft” Remake
Zoe Lister-Jones will introduce the joys of playing “light as a feather, stiff as a board” to a new generation. The “Life in Pieces” star has signed on to write and direct a...
Submit Now: Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase
It’s no secret that Cannes Film Festival would benefit from being more diverse and inclusive. Scheduled to be held May 20, the Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase is dedicated to...
“Women, War & Peace’s” Abigail Disney On Funding Women Filmmakers and Redefining War
Abby Disney is one of the those people who has been at the intersection of feminist work in New York for the last 25 years. She has been the board chair of the New York Women’s Foundation and...
Jennifer Phang to Direct Adaptation of YA Novel “The Naming Girl”
Jennifer Phang is bringing “The Naming Girl” to the screen. Her Good Neighbors Media banner has snagged film and television rights to Todd Mitchell’s upcoming YA novel, Deadline...
Mindy Kaling Semi-Autobiographical Comedy Lands Series Order From Netflix
Mindy Kaling is bringing the story of a first-generation Indian-American teenage girl to Netflix. She’s bringing her story to the streamer. Fans of Kaling’s memoirs, 2011’s...
Ava DuVernay Romantic Anthology “Cherish the Day” Receives Straight-to-Series Order at OWN
Ava DuVernay has another TV project in the works. The “Queen Sugar” creator has lined up her second OWN series. Variety reports that the network has given DuVernay’s romantic...
Director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre Talks About Her New Film “The Mustang”
To achieve a sense of realism in “The Mustang,” Laure de Clermont-Tonnere spent five years researching the U.S. prison system and animal therapy. Her new film focuses on an inmate, played by...
SXSW Audience Award Winners Include “For Sama” & “Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins”
The 2019 edition of the SXSW Film Festival wrapped up over the weekend, and now the fest has announced this year’s Audience Award winners. Taking home the honor in the Documentary Feature...
Women-Directed Docs Dominate PBS’ “POV” This Season
The films comprising the upcoming 32nd season of PBS’ “POV” have been revealed. Of 15 features announced, nine are directed or co-directed by women. A 16th film will be added to the...
Guest Post: How Censorship Made Me a Filmmaker
Guest Post by Shakti Bhagchandani When I was in the seventh grade, my English Literature class was assigned Alexandre Dumas’ “The Count of Monte Cristo.” On our first day of studying...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Brett Story – “The Hottest August”
Brett Story is an award-winning nonfiction filmmaker. Her 2016 feature documentary “The Prison in Twelve Landscapes” won the Special Jury Prize at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary...
Hot Docs Adds “One Child Nation,” “I Love You, Now Die,” & More to Special Presentations Lineup
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival has added more titles to its Special Presentations lineup, described as “a high-profile collection of world and international premieres, award...
Trailer Watch: Steve Bannon Will Do Anything to Win in Alison Klayman’s “The Brink”
According to Steve Bannon, he’s the one responsible for Donald Trump being named the 45th President of the United States. “If I had not come in as CEO of the campaign Trump would not have...
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival to Open with “American Factory”
Sundance winner “American Factory” is slated to open the 22nd annual edition of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. A look inside what happened when a Chinese billionaire opened a...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Hilary Brougher – “South Mountain”
Hilary Brougher is a writer and director. Her credits include “The Sticky Fingers of Time” and “Stephanie Daley.” The latter won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance...
Gurinder Chadha Directing Animated Netflix Pic Based on Feminist Graphic Novel “Pashmina”
2019 is shaping up to be a big year for Gurinder Chadha. Her latest film, “Blinded by the Light,” scored the biggest deal at Sundance and will open August 14, and “Beecham...