ALL POSTS
Ava DuVernay: For Women and People of Color, Hollywood is “A Whole Bunch of Locked Doors”
Ava DuVernay was her usual candid self in a fantastic new interview with NBC News, in which she described Hollywood as “a whole bunch of locked doors,” revealed what she plans on doing as an...
Ashley Judd Calls Out Studio Mogul for Sexual Harassment
Ashley Judd is making headlines for describing how she was sexually harassed by one of the industry’s “most famous, admired-slash-reviled bosses” as a young actress. The actress and...
LFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Sarah Gavron — ‘Suffragette’
Sarah Gavron’s feature film debut was “Brick Lane,” which earned her a BAFTA nomination, a BIFA nomination and The Alfred Dunhill Talent Award at the BFI London Film Festival. Prior to this,...
LFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Lyric R. Cabral — ‘(T)ERROR’
Lyric R. Cabral is a photojournalist and documentary filmmaker committed to reporting stories seldom seen in mainstream media. Her documentary work has been supported by artist grants from the BBC,...
LFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Sara Blecher — ‘Ayanda’
Sara Blecher is a co-founder of CINGA, a South African-based production company that has made a number of award-winning features, documentaries and drama series. An honors graduate of NYU, Blecher...
LFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Karyn Kusama — ‘The Invitation’
Karyn Kusama wrote and directed her first feature film, “Girlfight,” in 1999. The film won the Director’s Prize and shared the Grand Jury Prize at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. It went on...
Study: “Female Directors Face a Fiscal Cliff in Their Careers Soon After Making a Short Film”
“Making a short film might be both the launch and the pinnacle of [many female filmmakers’] careers,” concludes a comprehensive new study that looks at how often women start on unequal terrain...
LFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Mor Loushy — ‘Censored Voices’
Mor Loushy graduated from the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in 2007 and has been working as a freelancer ever since. Her debut film, “Israel Ltd.,” world-premiered at International...
TCM’s ‘Trailblazing Women:’ A Q&A with Host Illeana Douglas
As the host of TCM’s new series “Trailblazing Women,” a month-long series highlighting women’s achievements in the film industry, Illeana Douglas brings a widely varied experience to the...
LFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Ondi Timoner — ‘BRAND: A Second Coming’
Director and producer Ondi Timoner won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance twice — for “Dig!” (2004), about the collision of art and commerce through the story of two bands, and “We Live in...
Bette Midler and Lorraine Touissant to Star in Trudie Styler’s YA LGBT Film ‘Freak Show’
The film adaptation of the Lambda-nominated YA novel “Freak Show” has found a director in Trudie Styler. Styler will make her narrative directing debut adapting author James St. James’...
Women & Hollywood’s Recommended Reads: Week of October 2
Lupita Nyong’o Shines a Light on Africa (NY Times) Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald on New ‘Malala’ Doc, Feminist Barbie and a Revived ‘Men in Black’ (Sans Will Smith) (THR) Patricia...
TIFF to Honor Indian-Canadian Director Deepa Mehta With 10-Film Retrospective
Deepa Mehta, the director of “Fire,” “Earth,” “Water” and the screen adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s “Midnight’s Children,” will be honored by the Toronto International Film...
‘Addicted to Fresno’ Director Jamie Babbit on Hiding Pregnancies and Embracing Diversity
There’s been a lot of talk lately about Judy Greer’s summer of tiny, thankless roles, in which she plays characters designed to be instantly forgettable in “Tomorrowland,” “Entourage,”...
‘The Second Mother’ Director Anna Muylaert Speaks Out About Film-Festival Sexism
“Men think it’s lovely if a woman makes a lovely film that nobody sees.” That’s the scathing highlight of the interview writer-director Anna Muylaert gave to Women and Hollywood when her...
October 2015 Film Preview
October sees the release of a number of women-centric films. The highly anticipated release of “Suffragette,” directed by Sarah Gavron and written by Abi Morgan — a partnership that first...
Melissa Rosenberg Expands Her Producing Empire
Melissa Rosenberg, best known as the screenwriter behind “Twilight” and a head writer for Showtime’s “Dexter,” is making her Tall Girls Productions a busy place. Rosenberg has recently...
What I Learned From Finding My Lead Actress Through ‘Women and Hollywood’
In January 2013, I wrote a guest post forWomen and Hollywood about my difficulties casting a curvier woman for my low-budget indie film. I had decided to Kickstart my first feature, “Bread and...
Amy Heckerling Advises How NOT to Lose Your Virginity in ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’
The following is excerpted from Tara Ison’s book “Reeling Through Life: How I Learned to Live, Love, and Die at theMovies.” I’m a child of the movies, a movie freak, a film junkie; movies...
Elizabeth Banks On Directing, Playing the Hero in ‘Love & Mercy’ and Concluding ‘The Hunger Games’
Elizabeth Banks is everywhere. Producing, directing and acting. She just completed a stint on the jury at the Venice Film Festival and has been doing a round of press for “Love and Mercy,” the...
Jeannie Gaffigan on Injecting Her Voice into ‘The Jim Gaffigan Show’
Fifteen years ago, my work withJim Gaffigan began as a “side thing” to my own career. I was a writing partner,acting coach and album producer for a rising star in comedy clubs. I understoodhis...
Kim Cattrall, Female Celebrities and the Mothering Box
What Kim Cattrall said about parenting this week should not have been headline news. It should have been a sentiment that society was already deeply familiar with and considered both ordinary and...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Julie Delpy — ‘Lolo’
Julie Deply was born in Paris. She is an accomplished actor, having appeared in such films as “Before Sunrise,” “Broken Flowers” and “Waking Life.” She has previously written, directed...
Frances McDormand to Play Mother Battling Racist Police After Her Child’s Murder
Frances McDormand has a promising new gig. The Oscar winner will star in an upcoming film dealing with murder, racial tension and police brutality that’s provisionally titled “Three Billboards...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors — Meet Fabienne Berthaud — ‘Sky’
Fabienne Berthaud was born in Gap, France, and is an actor, photographer, novelist and filmmaker. She co-directed the short “Noël en famille.” Her debut feature, “Frankie,” played at TIFF...
Natalie Portman Criticizes Stereotypical Female Characters at TIFF
“Black Swan” star Natalie Portman criticized the lazy tropes Hollywood screenwriters use to define female characters during a candid interview at a TIFF fundraising gala last week. The...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Peedom — ‘Sherpa’
Jennifer Peedom is an Australian documentary filmmaker based in Sydney. Her television credits include high-altitude direction and cinematography on the Discovery Channel’s “Everest: Beyond the...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Sue Brooks — ‘Looking For Grace’
Sue Brooks is an Australian independent filmmaker. She directed and co-produced “Japanese Story,” which won the International Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI award, as well as 29...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Anne Sewitsky — ‘Homesick’
Anne Sewitsky studied at the Norwegian Film School and has directed episodes of the series “Himmelbla,” “Norwegian Cozy” and “Helt perfekt.” Her debut feature, “Happy, Happy,”...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Katherine Monk — ‘Rock the Box’
Katherine Monk is a film critic and writer based in Vancouver, Canada. Formally the national movie critic for Postmedia News, Monk is a regular contributor to CBC Radio, Global Television and Corus...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Jocelyn Moorhouse — ‘The Dressmaker’
Jocelyn Moorhouse was born in Melbourne, Australia, and graduated from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. She has previously directed the features “Proof,” “How to Make an...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Danae Elon — ‘P.S. Jerusalem’
Upon graduating from high school, Danae Elon spent two years in compulsory military service as a non-commissioned officer to the United Nation forces in the area. At age 21, Elon left Israel to...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Lorene Scafaria — ‘The Meddler’
Lorene Scafaria was born in New Jersey. She is a writer, actor, director and recording artist. She wrote the screenplay for “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” directed episodes of “New...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Catherine Corsini — ‘Summertime’
Catherine Corsini grew up in Seineet-Marne, France. She moved to Paris to pursue acting before becoming a filmmaker. Her numerous features as writer-director include “Poker,” “Les Amoureux,”...
‘The Mindy Project’ Returns!
Lately I’ve had this lingering sense of something missing in my life. Anticipating the end of summer, perhaps? Nope: It was the lack of Mindy Kaling, soon to be doubly remedied with the premiere...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Hermon Hailay — ‘Price of Love’
Hermon Hailay is an independent filmmaker. She was born in Mekele, Ethiopia, and is now based in Addis Ababa. Her credits include the features “Balaguru,” “Yaltasebew” and “Price of...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Alexandra-Therese Keining — ‘Girls Lost’
Alexandra-Therese Keining was born in Lomma, Sweden, and is based in Stockholm. A writer, director and novelist, her feature films are “Hot Dog” and “Kiss Me,” which was a Breakthrough...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Mai Masri — ‘3000 Nights’
Mai Masri is a Palestinian director who studied film at University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco State University. Her features include “Under the Rubble” and “Wild Flowers: Women...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Catherine Hardwicke — ‘Miss You Already’
Catherine Hardwicke was born in McAllen, Texas. She worked as a production designer on numerous films, including “Tank Girl,” “Three Kings” and “Laurel Canyon.” Her previous directing...
TIFF 2015 Preview: Under the Radar Films By and About Women You Shouldn’t Miss
This year’s edition of the Toronto International Film Festival is filled with bona fide stars of the screen and filmmaking worlds. With performances by Julianne Moore (“Freeheld,”...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Sanna Lenken — ‘My Skinny Sister’
Sanna Lenken was born in Gothenberg, Sweden, and studied directing at the Dramatiska Institutet in Stockholm. She has directed two seasons of the series “Double Life” and the short film...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Patricia Rozema — ‘Into the Forest’
Canadian filmmaker Patricia Rozema’s first feature, “I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing,” won the Prix de la Jeunesse and was runner-up for the Camera d’Or at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival....
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Mina Shum — ‘Ninth Floor’
Born in Hong Kong and raised in Canada, Mina Shum is an independent filmmaker and artist. “Ninth Floor” is her first feature documentary. Her first feature, “Double Happiness” (1994),...
TIFF’s Cameron Bailey and Kerri Craddock Discuss Female Filmmakers and Best Bets at the Fest
As Women and Hollywood gets ready to hit the ground in Toronto to watch movies, attend parties and participate on panels, we asked TIFF Artistic Director Cameron Bailey, and Director of Festival...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Eva Husson — ‘Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story)’
Eva Husson was born and raised in France, where she received her M.A. in English literature from the Sorbonne before pursuing a M.F.A. at the American Film Institute. She directed the short “Hope...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Caroline Monnet — ‘Mobilize’
Caroline Monnet is a multidisciplinary artist who has exhibited in Canada and internationally at venues such as the Palais de Tokyo (Paris), Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin), the Museum of...
TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Deniz Gamze Ergüven — ‘Mustang’
Deniz Gamze Ergüven was born in Ankara, Turkey, and studied literature and African history in Johannesburg and directing at La Fémis in Paris. She has directed the shorts “Mon trajet...
Venice Film Fest 2015 Women Directors: Meet Esther May Campbell — ‘Light Years’
Self-taught photographer and filmmaker Esther May Campbell has directed low-fi music vids, sex-education films, corporates for and about randy sailors, as well as Channel 4 dramas and the BBC’s...
The Resonance and Relevance of ‘Suffragette’
Each September brings severe disappointment for those of us interested in seeing women taken seriously in the Oscar race. And by that, I mean women on screen and behind the scenes. It seems that the...
Venice Film Fest 2015 Women Directors: Meet Pietra Brettkelly — ‘A Flickering Truth’
Pietra Brettkelly is a multi-award-winning director and producer. Her 2008 film “The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins” won the World Cinema Documentary Editing Award at the Sundance Film Festival...
The 10 Most Significant (For Better or Worse) Portrayals of Trans Women in Film
It’s no secret that transgender women are having a long overdue moment in pop culture. When even the venerable Time magazine acknowledges we’ve reached a “Transgender Tipping Point,” society...