ALL POSTS
Locarno Film Festival Releases Gender Stats for the First Time
Last year’s Locarno Film Festival saw the signing of the Programming Pledge for Parity in Inclusion in Cinema Festivals. Supported by the Swiss Women’s Audiovisual Network (SWAN), this...
Trailer Watch: Sasheer Zamata Spends “The Weekend” with Her Ex and His New Girlfriend
Zadie (Sasheer Zamata, “SNL”) is in for a trying weekend. She’s spending it at a bed and breakfast with her ex (Tone Bell, “Disjointed”) and his new girlfriend, Margo...
Apply Now: The 2020-21 AFI Directing Workshop for Women
The AFI Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) is now accepting applications for its 2020-21 program. Open to women and nonbinary directors with at least three years of professional experience, DWW...
Rose McGowan to Make Feature Directorial Debut with “Pomerania”
Rose McGowan may have officially quit screen acting, but that doesn’t mean she’s left the industry. The activist and “Brave” author will turn to the director’s chair...
ESPN’s New Docuseries to Kick Off with “Serena vs. The Umpire”
Tennis fans are in luck. Serena Williams is one of many sports subjects featured in Don Van Natta, Jr.’s new ESPN docuseries, “Backstory.” With the 2019 U.S. Open set to begin later...
Margaret Trudeau and Diana Nyad Join Audible’s Minetta Lane Lineup
Last year’s deal between Audible Inc. and Minetta Lane has proven very advantageous for women-led projects. The partnership, which allows the spoken-word entertainment company to produce live...
Hanaa Edwar Documentary in the Works from Actress Zahraa Ghandour
As we previously reported, the 2019 Locarno Film Festival kicked off last week with Ginevra Elkann’s feature directorial debut “Magari.” This week’s festival screenings include...
Teaser Watch: Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston Take On the News in “The Morning Show”
People “want to trust that the person telling them the truth about the world is an honest person.” At least, that’s what Reese Witherspoon’s “Morning Show”...
Comedian Rose Matafeo Is Getting Her Own HBO Max/BBC Three Show
HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s forthcoming streaming service, has lined up yet another woman-driven project. According to a press release, it has commissioned “Starstruck,” from comedian Rose...
Tavi Gevinson Talks Her Latest Play “Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow”
Since folding “Rookie,” the online magazine she founded, Tavi Gevinson has firmly established herself as an NYC stage actress. She’s currently starring in “Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow...
Weekly Update for August 9: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Kitchen – Written and Directed by Andrea Berloff “The Kitchen” stars Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” “Bridesmaids”), Tiffany...
Trailer Watch: Irene Taylor Brodsky Explores Music and Silence in “Moonlight Sonata”
“Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements” tells the story of a deaf boy growing up with a passion for Beethoven’s famous sonata, written the same year the composer was...
Liselott Forsman Is Nordisk Film & TV Fond’s New CEO
Liselott Forsman has been named the new CEO of Nordisk Film & TV Fond (NFTVF), succeeding Petri Kemppinen, Variety reports. She formerly served as executive producer of international drama at...
Leslie Jones Lines Up Netflix Comedy Special
Leslie Jones has another stand-up special on the way. Netflix has announced the “Saturday Night Live” star will debut a one-hour comedy set on the streamer next year. A comedian, actress,...
Jackie Collins Documentary in the Works from Laura Fairrie
Best-selling English romance novelist Jackie Collins, known for penning “Hollywood Wives,” “Chances,” and the Lucky Santangelo series, is getting her own documentary. Laura...
Trailer Watch: Political Columnist Molly Ivins Speaks Out in Janice Engel’s “Raise Hell”
Magnolia Pictures has dropped a trailer for the upcoming doc “Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins.” Janice Engel’s film honors the political columnist’s legacy and...
Ballet Drama “Tiny Pretty Things” Ordered at Netflix
Netflix has ordered 10 episodes of “Tiny Pretty Things,” based on the book by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, Deadline reports. The drama series’ cast has been confirmed and...
Adaptation of Jenny Lee’s “Anna K” Receives Put Pilot Commitment at HBO Max
A month or so after British producer Expectation announced its TV adaptation of “Anna Karenina,” Deadline confirms another iteration of Leo Tolstoy’s classic is headed for the small...
Michelle Esrick Doc “Cracked Up” to Be Released by Abramorama
Michelle Esrick’s “Cracked Up” is headed to theaters. Abramorama will release the Darrell Hammond documentary in NY on September 13 and in LA on September 20. A press release...
Trailer Watch: Sam Taylor-Johnson Brings James Frey’s “A Million Little Pieces” to the Big Screen
Sam Taylor-Johnson’s latest feature, “A Million Little Pieces,” is set for a U.S. release on December 6. The feature is based on James Frey’s controversial bestselling memoir...
Trailer Watch: Alma Har’el’s “Honey Boy” Details Shia LaBeouf’s Early Life and Adulthood
Award-winning filmmaker Alma Har’el’s debut narrative feature, “Honey Boy,” hits theaters November 8. The biopic won the Special Jury Prize – Dramatic at the 2019...
TIFF 2019 Announces Discovery Titles and Docs, Ellen Page and Barbara Kopple Among Directors
Ellen Page, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Barbara Kopple are just a few of the directors who will be screening films at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. TIFF 2019 has unveiled the...
Women and Hollywood’s Picks of the Week for August 8
Picks of the Week offers Women and Hollywood’s recommendations — women-driven and women-made movies, series, VOD releases, and more — and tells you why they are worth your time and money. One...
FX Reports Encouraging Writing and Directing Stats at TCA
According to Chairman John Landgraf, the writers of FX’s 2019-2020 season are 25 percent white women, 20 percent women of color, and 16 percent men of color, while the directors are 28 percent...
Kay Oyegun Adapting Tomi Adeyemi’s “Children of Blood and Bone” for Lucasfilm
The big-screen adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s bestselling debut novel, “Children of Blood and Bone,” is likely to be Lucasfilm’s first non-“Star Wars,”...
Sarah Gavron’s Latest to Open TIFF’s Platform Program, Lineup Is 40% Women-Directed
The Toronto International Film Festival has announced the lineup for its Platform section, a juried program spotlighting trailblazing directors from around the world. “Rocks,” from...
Monica Lewinsky Producing “American Crime Story’s” Take on Clinton Impeachment
It’s official: after a couple years of fits and starts, “American Crime Story” will indeed tackle the Clinton impeachment trial. Monica Lewinsky is producing Season 3 of Ryan...
Under the Radar: Antonia Grace Glenn Explores American History Through “The Ito Sisters”
In the opening narration for the documentary “The Ito Sisters: An American Story,” director Antonia Grace Glenn states, “My family started recording interviews with my grandmother and her two...
New York Film Festival’s 2019 Main Slate Is 21 Percent Women-Directed
Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) has unveiled the Main Slate for the 57th New York Film Festival (NYFF). Twenty-nine films will screen in the section, and six of them are directed by women, or about 21...
Elizabeth Acevedo Adapting Her Bestseller “With the Fire on High” for the Big Screen
Elizabeth Acevedo is an author, slam poet, and the first woman of color to win the Carnegie Medal children’s book award — and now she’ll be adding “screenwriter” to her...
Anthology Series About Women of the Civil Rights Movement Being Developed at ABC
The women of the civil rights movement will take center stage in a new ABC anthology series. Written by Marissa Jo Cerar (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), the project, tentatively titled...
Release Dates Set for “Sister Aimee” and Patricia Marcoccia’s Jordan Peterson Doc
Samantha Buck and Marie Schlingmann’s Sundance pic “Sister Aimee” and Patricia Marcoccia’s portrait of conservative academic/YouTuber Jordan Peterson have nabbed distribution and...
Emma Watson and Time’s Up UK Announce Workplace Harassment Hotline
Emma Watson has teamed up with Time’s Up UK to create a free legal advice hotline for women in England and Wales experiencing workplace sexual harassment. According to Mashable, this is the...
Quote of the Day: Angelina Jolie Praises “Wicked” Women
“Wicked” — like “bitch,” “slut,” “difficult,” “shrill,” “emotional,” or “nasty” — is a word that is...
“She’s Gotta Have It’s” Radha Blank Making Her Feature Directorial Debut, Lena Waithe Producing
Playwright and “She’s Gotta Have It” writer-producer Radha Blank is making her first film. According to Variety, she is writing, directing, and toplining “The 40-Year-Old...
Anna Paquin’s Dark Comedy “Flack” Gets Season 2 Renewal
Pop TV and UKTV announced that “Flack” will be returning for Season 2, Deadline reports. Set in London’s cutthroat PR world, the dark comedy stars and is executive produced by Anna...
Trailer Watch: “Katy Keene” & Her Friends Pursue Their Dreams in The CW’s “Riverdale” Spinoff
“I feel like I’m ready to be Lacy’s newest personal shopper,” Katy Keene (Lucy Hale) announces in the trailer for her eponymous CW show, a spinoff of hit...
“Fleabag” Dominates TCA Awards
You know that feeling when you’re the only show to take home multiple prizes at the annual TCA Awards? Phoebe Waller-Bridge sure does. Her beloved dark comedy, “Fleabag,” was the...
Trailer Watch: Best Friends Travel to Latin America for Medical Help in Netflix Doc “Léa & I”
In her Netflix documentary “Léa & I,” director Camille Shooshani introduces the audience to her best friend, Léa Moret. “She speaks five languages, cannot stop eating Haribo...
Weekly Update for August 2: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Nightingale – Written and Directed by Jennifer Kent “The Nightingale” is Jennifer Kent’s follow-up to her 2014 horror hit “The Babadook.”...
Guest Post: Why I Cut All of the Sex Scenes from My Film
Guest Post by Zoe Eisenberg Most filmmakers know the pain of finding their favorite scenes on the cutting room floor, but how about the satisfaction of snipping your least favorite scenes? During...
Jenny Lumet Will Co-Showrun CBS All Access’ “The Man Who Fell to Earth” Adaptation
“Rachel Getting Married” writer Jenny Lumet is re-teaming with her “Star Trek: Discovery” collaborator Alex Kurtzman for a new CBS All Access sci-fi show. According to The...
San Sebastian 2019: Official Selection Includes Three Women-Directed Films
Earlier this week, the San Sebastian International Film Festival announced that women directed more than half of its 2019 New Directors lineup. Now the fest has unveiled new additions to its Official...
Musical Hit About Wives of Henry VIII Coming to Broadway
London musical hit “Six” will be making its way to the Broadway stage. It will begin previews February 13 and officially open March 12, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. Written by Lucy...
Trailer Watch: Hannah Pearl Utt Uncovers Family Secrets in Her Comedy “Before You Know It”
In “Before You Know It,” Hannah Pearl Utt stars as stage manager Rachel Gurner, who still lives with her quirky family of artists — aspiring actress sister, playwright father, and...
“Pretty” Comedy from Kaley Cuoco, Lindsey Kraft, and Santina Muha in Dev at CBS
An inclusive new comedy series from Kaley Cuoco’s Yes, Norman Productions is in the works at CBS. Starring Santina Muha (“Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot”) and...
Film as Grassroots Activism: Crowdfunding Picks
Films can have many impacts on their viewers: they can entertain, first and foremost, they can make you feel like you aren’t alone, and they can introduce you to new people or places. But they...
Writers Lab for Women Screenwriters Over 40 Announces 2019 Participants
The Writers Lab for Women Screenwriters Over 40, founded by Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon and produced with New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT), has selected the participants for its...
Helena Coan’s Audrey Hepburn Doc Secures Theatrical Release
Good Deed Entertainment has secured the North American rights to “Audrey,” Helena Coan’s documentary about legendary Hollywood star Audrey Hepburn. Produced by Salon Pictures and...
Natasha Lyonne Lines Up Directing Work on Awkwafina-Led Series, “Shrill,” & “High Fidelity” Reboot
“Russian Doll” co-creator, star, writer, director, and exec producer Natasha Lyonne is keeping busy before she heads into production on the second season of her “Groundhog...
Olivia Wilde to Helm Psychological Thriller “Don’t Worry, Darling”
Olivia Wilde is branching out. After making her feature directorial debut with teen comedy “Booksmart” and signing on to helm an untitled holiday comedy for Universal, she’s set to...