ALL POSTS
Jessica Swale’s “Summerland” Goes to IFC Films, Gemma Arterton and Gugu Mbatha-Raw Star
Jessica Swale’s feature directorial debut has secured distribution. IFC Films snagged U.S. rights to “Summerland,” a period drama led by Gemma Arterton and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, The...
Petra Costa Is Making a Doc About Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Petra Costa will follow up “The Edge of Democracy,” her Oscar-nominated documentary exploring the evolving political landscape of Brazil, with a project focused on life during the...
“Unorthodox” Director Maria Schrader Talks Portraying Satmar Judaism and Berlin’s Complex History
Maria Schrader’s latest project is “Unorthodox,” the critically acclaimed Netflix miniseries based on Deborah Feldman’s memoir of the same name. The German multi-hyphenate...
Trailer Watch: Drew Dixon Goes “On the Record” to Accuse Russell Simmons of Sexual Misconduct
“I’ve been a victim for 22 years. I’m tired of being a victim,” says Drew Dixon in a new trailer for “On the Record.” The upcoming HBO Max documentary hails from...
“Circus of Books” Director Rachel Mason on Making a Doc About Her Parents’ Iconic LGBTQ Bookstore
Rachel Mason is a Los Angeles-based artist and director. Working across mediums as a songwriter, performer, sculptor, and multi-media artist, Mason’s work has appeared in shows at museums and...
Natasha Rothwell, Abbi Jacobson, & Ilana Glazer Team Up for Animated Comedy Central Pilot “Malltown”
An “Insecure” actress and writer is joining forces with “Broad City’s” stars and creators on an animated project. Natasha Rothwell, who plays Kelly on HBO’s...
Paula Vogel and Daryl Roth Launch New Play Commission at Vineyard Theatre
Frequent collaborators Paula Vogel and Daryl Roth are teaming up yet again — this time to support established playwrights. The respective Pulitzer Prize-winning “How I Learned To Drive”...
Dakota Fanning-Starrer “Sweetness in the Belly” Goes to Gravitas Ventures
Dakota Fanning’s latest has secured distribution. Gravitas Ventures landed U.S. rights to Fanning-starrer “Sweetness in the Belly,” an adaptation of Camilla Gibb’s 2005 novel...
Trailer Watch: Nancy Kelly’s Feminist Western “Thousand Pieces of Gold” Gets a 4K Restoration
In honor of its new 4K restoration, “Thousand Pieces of Gold,” Nancy Kelly’s 1990 feminist Western, is coming to virtual theaters. According to a press release, the Rosalind...
SeriesFest Announces Women Writing Comp Winner, Second Shondaland Women Directing Mentorship, & More
The sixth edition of SeriesFest, a non-profit org and festival championing episodic storytelling, has confirmed several programs dedicated to gender parity and inclusivity. In addition to announcing...
Trailer Watch: Nicole Maines Sinks Her Teeth into LA in “Bit”
“You know those teen vampire movies that feel like the horny soap opera fever dreams of an eighth grade diary? Here’s how mine began,” says Nicole Maines in a new trailer for...
Remaking Hollywood – Conversation with Lisa Cortés, Anne Carey, & Mary Jane Skalski
The Girls Club’s latest Remaking Hollywood: How to Build a Better, More Inclusive Future conversation will center producers Lisa Cortés, Anne Carey, and Mary Jane Skalski — how they are...
Trailer Watch: Ruth Bradley Solves a Mystery in “Agatha and the Truth of Murder”
“I’m a writer, not a detective,” says Agatha Christie (Ruth Bradley) in a new trailer for “Agatha and the Truth of Murder.” Enlisted by a fan to help solve a murder, the...
Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s Julia Child Doc Acquired by Sony Pictures Classics
Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s Julia Child documentary has found a home. The worldwide rights to “Julia” (working title), excluding domestic television, have been acquired by Sony...
Weekly Update for April 17: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films You Can Watch from Home
Due to the coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent restrictions, Women and Hollywood is shifting its focus to online content. We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. (Please keep in mind that...
Trailer Watch: Women of Color Are Pushing American Politics Forward in “And She Could Be Next”
“People aspiring to be leaders in this country, they need to go through women of color because we’re making our voices known,” a character in “And She Could Be Next”...
Kasi Lemmons Will Write and Direct Adaptation of Maaza Mengiste’s “The Shadow King”
Kasi Lemmons will follow up “Harriet,” her biopic of abolitionist and civil rights activist Harriet Tubman, by paying tribute to other brave and rebellious women. She’s signed on to...
Reed Morano in Talks to Direct Jennifer Lopez Drug Lord Pic “The Godmother”
Jennifer Lopez is teaming up with another female director. The multi-hyphenate scored her biggest live-action opening of all-time and career-best reviews in Lorene Scafaria’s...
Halina Dyrschka Gives a Brilliant Unknown Artist Her Due with “Beyond the Visible – Hilma af Klint”
Halina Dyrschka is a director and producer. After studying acting, classical singing, and film production, she founded the company Ambrosia Film. The first film she directed, the short...
Pick of the Day: “Selah and The Spades”
Women and Hollywood has temporarily suspended our recommendations newsletter. We’ll be sharing some of the week’s highlights in TV, VOD, and streaming via blog posts. Meet your new favorite...
Trailer Watch: Cyntoia Brown Fights for Justice and Freedom in Netflix Doc “Murder to Mercy”
In 2004, 16-year-old Cyntoia Brown was sentenced to life in prison for murder. In self-defense, she shot a 43-year-old man who solicited her for sex, and was tried as an adult. It was clearly a major...
Trailer Watch: Felicity Huffman Gets Bad News in “Tammy’s Always Dying”
Felicity Huffman plays a self-destructive woman forced to confront her own mortality in a new trailer for “Tammy’s Always Dying.” Amy Jo Johnson’s dark comedy sees Tammy...
Trailer Watch: Alicia Silverstone and Jessica Rothe Revisit “Valley Girl”
After being forced to re-live her brutal death day after day in “Happy Death Day” and “Happy Death Day 2U,” Jessica Rothe is once again traveling back in time in “Valley...
Trailer Watch: Mindy Kaling Takes on High School in “Never Have I Ever”
“High school’s a dick,” says Devi Vishwakumar (newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) in a new trailer for “Never Have I Ever.” Created by Mindy Kaling and based on the...
Editor to Watch: Carla Gutierrez of “RBG” and “Chavela”
Film editing is a behemoth of a task, especially when it comes to documentaries. Sifting through decades of archival footage, juxtaposing them with recent interviews in a way that makes an impact,...
Sam Taylor-Johnson to Direct TV Adaptation of Pulitzer-Winning Novel “Middlesex”
Jeffrey Eugenides’ Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about immigration, the American Dream, family, genetics, and gender identity may finally be coming to the screen. According to Variety, Paramount...
Lorena Bobbitt to Tell Her Story in “Ripped from the Headlines” Lifetime Feature
With its next “Ripped from the Headlines” feature, Lifetime is giving Lorena Bobbitt the opportunity to tell her own story. On Memorial Day, May 25, the network is airing TV movie...
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend” Interactive Special Gets a Release Date
Kimmy Schmidt is coming back, and her return couldn’t be better timed. The eternal optimist promises to bring some much-needed light and laughter during the COVID-19 pandemic. Netflix announced...
“Miss Juneteenth” Lands at Vertical Entertainment
“Miss Juneteenth” has secured distribution. Vertical Entertainment scored North American rights to Channing Godfrey Peoples’ award-winning feature directorial debut, Deadline...
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Introduces $250K Grant Initiative for Arts Orgs Dedicated to Women & POC
Ava DuVernay’s non-profit foundation ARRAY Alliance, part of her media company and arts collective ARRAY, has set up a $250,000 funding initiative for arts organizations and individuals...
Tribeca 2020 Preview: Hurricane Maria, Hereditary Trauma, and More
This year’s Tribeca Film Festival has been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Of 114 features that were set to screen, 44 were directed or co-directed by a woman, amounting to about...
Going Behind the Scenes of “Unorthodox” with Co-Creator and Exec Producer Anna Winger
Anna Winger is a Berlin-based American writer-producer whose new miniseries, “Unorthodox,” recently made its debut on Netflix. The show, in English and Yiddish, sees a young woman bravely leaving...
Trailer Watch: High School Seniors Look Onward and Outward in “Pahokee”
A portrait of life in an impoverished, rural village in Florida, Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan’s “Pahokee” turns the camera on four high school seniors taking major steps toward...
Hot Docs Announces 2020 Program, 51 Percent of Directors Are Women
Originally slated to take place April 30-May 10 in Toronto, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fest is still looking for ways to...
Viola Davis, Halle Berry, Taraji P. Henson, & Other Veteran Black Actresses Talk Representation
“I’m really proud to be a part of our industry now because we’re finally understanding that we’re stronger together and it doesn’t have to be one of us,” says...
Robin Hauser Explores How Hidden Biases Affect Workplaces, Relationships, & Technology in “Bias” Doc
Robin Hauser is an award-winning director of documentary films at Finish Line Features. Her exploration into implicit gender and racial bias in artificial intelligence led her to introduce the...
Trailer Watch: “Circus of Books” Explores the Legacy of an Iconic Gay Porn Shop
Growing up, filmmaker Rachel Mason and her siblings told friends, school teachers, and everyone else that their parents ran a bookstore. They never specified what kind of store it was, and contrary...
Annabel Oakes Will Write and Exec Produce HBO Max’s “Grease” Spinoff
“Transparent” alumna Annabel Oakes will offer a fresh spin on the “Summer Nights” of yore. She’s been tapped to write the pilot for “Grease: Rydell High,”...
Submit Now: The Corona Short Film Festival
A new opportunity has arisen “for film professionals and film enthusiasts who have already rewatched all the favorite series and movies, read all the books on the shelf, and played online games...
Hannah Gadsby’s Next Stand-Up Special, “Douglas,” Gets a Release Date
After rewriting the rules of comedy with “Nanette,” Hannah Gadsby will reckon with her breakout success in “Douglas.” The Australian comedian’s 11th stand-up show just...
Remaking Hollywood: How to Build a Better, More Inclusive Future – Conversation with Sarah Mosses
The next conversation in Girls Club’s Remaking Hollywood series will be this Thursday, April 16, at 2 p.m. EST. Girls Club member Sarah Mosses, CEO and founder of Together Films, will join us....
Katia Lewkowicz’s “Ballsy Girl” Heading to Amazon Prime in France
Amazon Prime Video has acquired its first French film. Per Cineuropa, the streaming platform has picked up Katia Lewkowicz’s “Ballsy Girl,” a comedy that was originally supposed to...
Weekly Update for April 10: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films You Can Watch from Home
Due to the coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent restrictions, Women and Hollywood is shifting its focus to online content. We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. (Please keep in mind that...
Sonejuhi Sinha on Telling a Story About Outsiders in America in “Stray Dolls”
Sonejuhi Sinha has worked as a director and editor on acclaimed feature films, documentaries, and commercials. Her first narrative short, “Love Comes Later,” premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film...
Teaser Watch: Christina Applegate & Linda Cardellini Are Partners in Crime in “Dead to Me” Season 2
“We are not in ‘Snow White.’ We are in fucking ‘Scarface!'” says Christina Applegate in a new teaser for “Dead to Me.” The dark comedy’s second season...
These Projects Have Been Affected by Coronavirus. Here’s How You Can Help. (Volume IV)
It seems like every day brings more cancellations, closings, and upsetting news. The coronavirus is affecting the whole world, not least of all the artists and creators who are trying to bring their...
Nun Thriller “Mercy House” in the Works at CBS Access from Corinne Brinkerhoff & Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer is working on a thriller. The Peabody and Emmy-winning stand-up, actress, screenwriter, director, and producer has boarded a project about renegade nuns. She’s signed on to exec...
Elizabeth Chomko Will Helm “Nobody Will Tell You This But Me,” Story of Four Generations of Women
Elizabeth Chomko will follow up her 2018 feature directorial debut “What They Had” with another intergenerational story. She’s locked in to helm an adaptation of Bess Kalb’s...
Sally Potter Discusses “The Roads Not Taken” at the Inaugural Girls Club Event
Sally Potter is one of the world’s most interesting filmmakers. She’s made films with shoestring budgets, and some bigger movies as well — no matter their size, they are always intriguing....
Pick of the Day: “Killing Eve”
Women and Hollywood has temporarily suspended our recommendations newsletter. We’ll be sharing some of the week’s highlights in TV, VOD, and streaming via blog posts. I love a lot about...
Debra Eisenstadt on Tackling Motherhood, Identity, and Addiction in “Blush”
Debra Eisenstadt works as a writer, director, producer, and editor. She began her career as an actress, most notably starring in the theater and film versions of David Mamet’s “Oleanna.”...