#Abortion
Trailer Watch: Tracy Droz Tragos Highlights Efforts to Expand Access to Abortion Pills in “Plan C”
“Mobilizing is really hard when you’re scared and you’re censored,” we’re told in a new trailer for “Plan C.” Tracy Droz Tragos’ latest doc sees a...
Trailer Watch: A Cannery Worker Deals with Professional and Personal Crises in “Until Branches Bend”
Now screening at SXSW, Sophie Jarvis’ “Until Branches Bend” tells the story of Robin (Grace Glowicki), a cannery worker who is struggling to get an abortion. She’s also...
Sophie Galibert’s Abortion Dramedy “Cherry” Acquired by Entertainment Squad
Fans of “Unpregnant” and “Obvious Child” ought to put “Cherry” on their radar. Deadline reports that Entertainment Squad has acquired North American rights to...
Groundbreaking Abortion Drama “If These Walls Could Talk” Coming to HBO and HBO Max
“If These Walls Could Talk” is returning to the small screen. HBO will air the groundbreaking, Emmy-nominated abortion drama December 9 at at 8:00 p.m. ET. The film will also be available...
Exclusive: Elizabeth Banks Faces a Life-Threatening Pregnancy in “Call Jane” Clip
Set in 1968 Chicago, “Call Jane” sees Elizabeth Banks playing Joy, a surburban housewife whose ordinary life gets turned upside down when her pregnancy leads to a life-threatening heart...
Pick of the Day: “Battleground”
Take a few seconds to picture an anti-abortionist in your head. Did you envision a man? Probably old, probably white, probably Republican, right? While it’s true that, historically, it has been...
“In the Bones” Director Kelly Duane de la Vega Talks Mississippi and Fighting the Patriarchy
Kelly Duane de la Vega’s award-winning documentaries have screened at film festivals worldwide, opened theatrically, and broadcast nationally on PBS and Netflix. “The Two Killings of Sam...
Under the Radar: The “Mind Your Uterus” Podcast Looks Beyond Stereotypes to Destigmatize Abortion
Abortion is “so much more complicated than the stereotypes.” This sentiment, expressed by 2+ Abortions Worldwide founder Karen Thurston in the first episode of “Mind Your...
Pick of the Day: “Nothing Compares”
It’s not an unusual for docs paying tribute to musical artists to begin with a performance, but I’ve never seen anything quite like the opening scene of “Nothing Compares”...
Trailer Watch: “Battleground” Goes Inside the Anti-Abortion Movement
Described by director Cynthia Lowen as an “urgently timely window into the intersection of abortion and politics in America,” “Battleground” follows three women who lead...
Showrunner Coalition Now in Talks with Studios Re: Abortion Demands, Aiming to Launch Hotline
The coalition of over 400 women and nonbinary showrunners — and the approximately 1,000 directors and male showrunners who are standing with them in solidarity — is continuing its quest...
Quote of the Day: Jennifer Lawrence Reflects on Pregnancy & Motherhood in the Wake of Roe Reversal
“The morning after I gave birth, I felt like my whole life had started over. Like, Now is day one of my life,” Jennifer Lawrence recalls in a new feature for Vogue. “I just stared. I...
Cynthia Lowen’s Abortion Rights Doc “Battleground” to Be Released by Abramorama & ROCO Films
Most Americans support the legal right to abortion, and people from all backgrounds have abortions — so why is it such a polarizing issue? Why do anti-choicers have so much influence and...
Showrunner Coalition Sends Second Letter Issuing Abortion Safety Demands, Requires Studio Response by Labor Day
The coalition of women TV showrunners and creators demanding abortion safety plans from studios is not backing down. Following the non-response/fuck-you companies including Disney, Netflix, AppleTV+,...
Nothing but Empty Words from Studios Re: Female Showrunners’ Abortion Protection Demands
“I shouldn’t be surprised, I am, but I know I shouldn’t be.” This is what a signatory of the July 28 letter from 411 women TV showrunners and creators — in which the collective...
Gina Prince-Bythewood & Karyn Kusama Among 400 Directors Supporting TV Execs’ Abortion Access Demands
Gina Prince-Bythewood, Karyn Kusama, Catherine Hardwicke, Alice Wu, and hundreds of other directors are standing in solidarity with the 411 women showrunners who sent a letter demanding media...
You’re Invited: Special NYC Screening of “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” Benefitting Abortion Funds
Women and Hollywood is partnering with Rooftop Films, NEON, and more for a special screening of Céline Sciamma’s Cannes winner “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” in New York City, with...
WGA Health Plan Adds Amendment Covering Travel & Accommodations for Participants Seeking Abortions
The Writers Guild of America East and West’s health plan has a new amendment that will reimburse travel and accommodation expenses for participants and dependents seeking to cross state lines...
400+ TV Creatives Send Letter Calling on Companies to Protect Pregnant Employees in Anti-Abortion States
Shonda Rhimes, Mindy Kaling, Issa Rae, Ava DuVernay, Natasha Lyonne, and many, many more TV showrunners and creators are demanding media companies take a stand in anti-abortion states. Over 400 TV...
Quote of the Day: “P-Valley” Creator Katori Hall Calls for More Stories About Abortion
On this past Sunday’s episode of “P-Valley,” Katori Hall’s Starz drama about a Mississippi strip club’s performers and patrons, a couple characters decided to travel to...
July 2022 Film Preview
The Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade is a brutal reminder that the rights of freedom and bodily autonomy are never truly won and that the fight for basic human rights remains ongoing....
Join the Girls Club for a Conversation with “The Janes” Directors Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes
“The Janes” directors Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes will be taking part in a virtual conversation event with the Girls Club about their pre-Roe v. Wade era abortion rights doc on Tuesday,...
Tribeca 2022 Women Directors: Meet Cynthia Lowen – “Battleground”
Cynthia Lowen is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and award-winning writer whose work uses the power of story to catalyze meaningful change, confronting timely social issues from bullying to online...
Pick of the Day: “The Janes”
If they were capable of experiencing basic human kindness or compassion, I’d say the six conservative Supreme Court Justices — or any staunch anti-abortion lawmaker — should be...
Metrograph Hosting “It Happens to Us” Film Series About Abortion in America Through May 21
As the constitutional right to abortion in the U.S. lies on the chopping block, New York’s Metrograph is hosting a film series exploring the topic and its role in American life. (Spoiler alert:...
Pick of the Day: “Happening”
Shortly after I watched “Happening,” a French drama about a student trying to obtain an illegal abortion in 1963, a draft Supreme Court decision signaling the overturning of Roe v. Wade...
Watch: rePRO Film Presents Conversation with Audrey Diwan, Director of Abortion Drama “Happening”
As the news this week has made abundantly clear, abortion and reproductive justice are under siege in the United States. Irony of ironies, that means “Happening” — the award-winning...
SXSW 2022 Women Directors: Meet Gretchen Stoeltje – “Shouting Down Midnight”
A Texas-based filmmaker, director Gretchen Stoeltje makes independent documentaries centering on women’s experiences. “Venom in a Jar, a Kiss From the Queen,” explores the role of...
Trailer Watch: A Student Seeks an Abortion in 1963 France in Venice Winner “Happening”
“I’d like a child one day, but not instead of a life,” says Anamaria Vartolomei in a new trailer for “Happening.” From writer-director Audrey Diwan, the award-winning...
Phyllis Nagy’s Sundance Abortion Drama “Call Jane” Acquired by Roadside Attractions
Following its Sundance premiere, Phyllis Nagy’s timely historical drama “Call Jane” has found a home. A press release has announced that Roadside Attractions has acquired U.S....
Sundance 2022 Women Directors: Meet Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes – “The Janes”
Tia Lessin was nominated for an Academy Award for her work as a director and producer of the Hurricane Katrina survival story “Trouble the Water,” winner of the 2008 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and...
Sundance 2022 Women Directors: Meet Audrey Diwan – “Happening”
Audrey Diwan is a filmmaker, author, and screenwriter who has collaborated with Valérie Donzelli, Cédric Jimenez, and Gilles Lellouche among others. She made her feature film directing debut with...
Audrey Diwan’s “Happening” Wins Big at France’s Lumière Awards
“Happening,” Audrey Diwan’s drama about a student seeking an illegal abortion in ’60s France, took home the top prize at Monday’s Lumière Awards, presented by the...
Sundance 2022 Women Directors: Meet Phyllis Nagy – “Call Jane”
Phyllis Nagy earned Oscar and BAFTA nominations and won the NY Film Critics Circle award for “Carol,” her adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s classic novel “The Price of...
Trailer Watch: Chad Enters the Oscar Race with Abortion Drama “Lingui, The Sacred Bonds”
A trailer has dropped for “Lingui, The Sacred Bonds,” Chad’s entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 2022 Oscars. Set on the outskirts of N’djamena, the capital...
W&H, Oscilloscope, Abigail Disney, & More in Industry Sign Open Letter Supporting Abortion Access
Women and Hollywood is joining Oscilloscope Laboratories, Magnolia Pictures, Obscured Pictures, Abigail Disney and Level Forward, The Future of Film is Female, and more in the film industry in...
Tribeca 2021 Women Directors: Meet Maya Cueva and Leah Galant – “On the Divide”
Maya Cueva is a Latina award-winning director and producer with a background in radio and podcast producing. Her short documentary “The Provider” premiered at SXSW and was nominated for...
Tribeca 2021 Preview: Sisters Racing Their Way into History, Nigerians Fighting for LGBTQ+ Rights, & More
Slated to run from June 9-20 with a mix of online screenings and live in-person events at outdoor venues, Tribeca Film Festival is celebrating its 20th edition with a feature lineup that is 60...
Trailer Watch: Irish Women Call for Equality, Abortion Rights, and Personal Autonomy in “The 8th”
In 2018, Ireland voted to repeal the 8th amendment, the 1983 law that granted fetuses the same right to life as their mothers, in a historic referendum. The story behind this huge advancement in...
“Novitiate” Director Maggie Betts Lines Up Two New Films
Maggie Betts is set to portray a reproductive rights activist and a bankrupt funeral home owner with her next directing gigs. The “Novitiate” director is set to helm a dramatic thriller...
Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, & Kate Mara Join Abortion Drama “Call Jane,” Phyllis Nagy Directing
Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, and Kate Mara are set to “Call Jane.” Deadline reports that they have boarded the long-in-the-works drama about the Jane Collective, a real 1960s...
rePRO Film Festival Announces Inaugural Lineup
rePRO Film Festival has unveiled its inaugural lineup. Dedicated to exploring “women’s reproductive healthcare, awareness, advocacy, and bodily integrity in America,” the five-day...
Hot Docs 2020 Women Directors: Meet Andrea Testa – “Mother-Child”
Andrea Testa is an Argentinian-born filmmaker. She made her feature documentary debut with 2016’s “Pibe Chorro.” Her 2016 feature film “The Long Night of Francisco Sanctis,” co-directed...
Trailer Watch: Abortion Rights Activists in Ireland Fight to Repeal “The 8th”
Two years ago, Ireland voted to repeal the 8th amendment, the 1983 law that granted fetuses the same right to life as their mothers, in a historic referendum. Now Maeve O’Boyle, Lucy Kennedy, and...
Hot Docs 2020 Women Directors: Meet Maeve O’Boyle, Lucy Kennedy, and Aideen Kane – “The 8th”
Maeve O’Boyle is an Emmy-award winning editor and producer. She edited HBO’s “The Education of Mohammad Hussein,” which was shortlisted for an Academy Award. She co-produced and...
The Director & Stars of “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” Consider the Film a Classical Hero’s Journey
For her third feature, Eliza Hittman took on the painful, infuriating realities of seeking a legal abortion in the United States. “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” tells the story of Autumn, a...
Pick of the Day: “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”
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. “This is the most magical...
Eliza Hittman On Why Abortion Drama “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” Is Both Personal and Political
Writer-director Eliza Hittman’s latest film, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” is an unflinching story about reproductive rights in the United States. Facing an unplanned pregnancy...
“AKA Jane Roe” Marks FX’s First Feature Doc Acquisition, Premiere Date Set
“AKA Jane Roe,” the story of Roe v. Wade plaintiff and pro-choice turned anti-choice activist Norma McCorvey, is FX Networks’ first feature-length documentary acquisition. Deadline...
Trailer Watch: Berlinale Winner “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” Depicts an Unwanted Pregnancy
“This is the most magical sound you will ever hear,” 17-year-old Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) is told in a new trailer for “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.” Autumn is having a...
Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” Wins Berlinale’s Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize
“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” had a great weekend at home and abroad. Eliza Hittman’s third feature made its NY premiere at the Athena Film Festival and took home the Silver Bear...