#Activism
Ruth Wilson Will Play an AIDS Activist in “The Book of Ruth”
Ruth Wilson is bringing Ruth Coker Burks’ story to the big screen. The “His Dark Materials” actress will topline “The Book of Ruth,” a drama inspired by the life of the...
Greta Thunberg Doc in the Works at Hulu
Hulu is paying tribute to Time’s 2019 Person of the Year. The streamer will premiere an original doc about climate activist Greta Thunberg in 2020, Deadline reports. Tentatively titled...
Biopic About Activist Diane Latiker in the Works
The inspirational story of activist and Kids Off the Block founder Diane Latiker is on its way to the big screen. According to Deadline, feature “The Power of One: The Diane Latiker...
Inside Out 2019 Women Directors: Meet Almerinda Travassos – “Dykes in the Streets”
Almerinda Travassos was born in Portugal and is now based in Canada. Her work primarily explores issues of history, memory, and family within the context of the Portuguese-born, Lesbian identity....
Reed Morano and Kristen Wiig Pull Projects from Georgia in Protest of Abortion Ban
Reed Morano and Kristen Wiig are standing up for every woman’s right to choose. Both women have pulled productions from Georgia to resist the state’s draconian, misogynist...
Judith Light to Receive 2019 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award
Judith Light has been named as the recipient of the 2019 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award. The “Transparent” star is being recognized for her “advocacy to end HIV/AIDS and her support...
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...
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...
Janelle Monáe to Star in Lionsgate Film
The good news: Janelle Monáe is starring in a film. The bad news: exceedingly few details about the project are known. She’s signed on to topline an upcoming Lionsgate movie from activist...
Variety Power of Women: New York to Recognize Taraji P. Henson, Bette Midler, & More
Variety has named the honorees of its sixth Power of Women: New York luncheon. Taraji P. Henson, Bette Midler, country music artist Kacey Musgraves, journalist and anchor Christiane Amanpour, and...
Margaret Atwood and #MeToo Founder Tarana Burke to Be Celebrated at VH1 Trailblazer Honors
Two of the most influential voices in modern feminism are being recognized. VH1 has announced that “Handmaid’s Tale” author Margaret Atwood and #MeToo founder and activist Tarana...
Jessica Barth and Caitlin Dulany Launch Voices in Action to Combat Sexual Misconduct
Jessica Barth and Caitlin Dulany met under strange and difficult circumstances. They and nine other women were being filmed at a coffee shop while discussing personal trauma. All 11 of them had...
Julie Dash to Direct Angela Davis Biopic
One trailblazer is set to bring another’s life story to the big screen. Julie Dash, who made history as the first black female director to helm a feature with a theatrical release with...
Jane Fonda to Be Honored with PGA’s Stanley Kramer Award
Best known for her on-screen work in film and television titles such as “Grace and Frankie” and “9 to 5,” Jane Fonda is also well recognized for her commitment to causes...
Another Rosa Parks Biopic Is in the Works
Back in September it was announced that “Daughters of the Dust” writer-director Julie Dash has a drama about Rosa Parks in the works from Invisible Pictures. Now Deadline is reporting...
Natalie Portman, Lena Waithe, & More Get Political at Variety’s Power of Women Lunch
With the midterm elections fast approaching, He Who Shall Not Be Named in the White House, and an accused sexual abuser being the newest Supreme Court Justice, the stakes are very high in American...
Time’s Up UK Donates £1 Million to Support Sexual Harassment and Abuse Survivors
The Justice and Equality Fund, the UK counterpart to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, has drawn £1 million (about $1.3 million USD) in order to make its first major donations. Only eight...
A Year of Reckoning in Hollywood
I’m not going to say his name because he doesn’t deserve shit. He was one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood, and now he’s one of the most reviled men in the business...
Emma Watson Pens Letter to Woman Who Died Due to Ireland’s Anti-Abortion Law: “Rest in Power”
In 2012 Savita Halappanavar died in Ireland after suffering a septic miscarriage. The 31-year-old Indian-born dentist was under medical supervision for seven days and could have survived had doctors...
Join Today’s National Walkout in Support of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez
In solidarity with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, who have accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, a national walkout has been organized. At 1pm EST...
“Dietland” Star Jen Ponton on Her New Show, Sizeism, and Why She Wants to Play a Superhero
Jen Ponton was already a proponent of feminism and positive body image before she landed the role of Rubi on AMC’s new series, “Dietland,” a dramedy following a woman as she experiences a...
Trailer Watch: A Filmmaker and Activist Is Honored in “Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen”
According to her son Hepi, the late filmmaker Merata Mita once said, “What you see when you look at an archival film are resurrections taking place.” She explained, “A past life...
Sundance Winner “Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.” Scores Distribution
A bonafide hustler continues to make her name. Fans of M.I.A. will be treated to a never-before-seen look into the life and career of the Oscar- and Grammy-nominated musician thanks...
Kamil Oshundara Joins Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Prods. as Cultural Exec
Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions has made an unusual but very valuable hire. According to The Hollywood Reporter, activist and scholar Kamil Oshundara will serve as cultural executive at...
Quotes of the Day: Frances McDormand and Brie Larson on the Importance of Inclusion
“I’m here to take responsibility for my actions and restate a call to action,” said Frances McDormand as she took the stage at Women in Film’s Crystal + Lucy Awards. “I have this...
Quote of the Day: Ava DuVernay Sees Activism as “Inherently Creative”
In these turbulent times the desire to do something can be overwhelming. At the same, time many of us can feel powerless against the actions of Trump, Sessions, and the rest of their brigade of...
Support Women at Cannes Film Festival!
Women and Hollywood is standing with our sisters in France, LE DEUXIEME REGARD, to be a part of the 5050×2020 campaign to push for gender equality in the film industry. LE DEUXIEME REGARD is a...
Ashley Judd to Receive Greenwich Film Fest’s Changemaker Award
Actress, activist, and Silence Breaker Ashley Judd will be celebrated for her international work with women and children at this year’s Greenwich International Film Festival. According to PEOPLE,...
British Actresses Launch Campaign for Equal Representation on Stage and Screen
With two-thirds of screen time going to men, actresses in the UK turned activists this week and launched the Equal Representation for Actresses (ERA) campaign for gender equality in television,...
Time’s Up Planning a “Moment” at Oscars, Has Received 1,700 Help Requests
Time’s Up is becoming more and more powerful. According to Variety, the anti-harassment movement will continue its awards show domination at Sunday’s Academy Awards, and its defense fund has...
Trailer Watch: Pussy Riot Mix Art and Politics in “Act & Punishment”
“Act & Punishment” centers on all-girl Russian punk rock band Pussy Riot, and a new trailer for the documentary doesn’t shy away from some of the controversies surrounding the polarizing...
#MeToo Is Time’s Person of the Year but the Reckoning Still Has a Long Way to Go
Time’s Person of the Year 2017 is not a person at all, but a movement: The women and men of #MeToo, who Time has dubbed “The Silence Breakers.” The activists who came forward with their...
DOC NYC 2017 Women Directors: Meet Julia Bacha — “Naila and the Uprising”
Julia Bacha is a Peabody award-winning filmmaker, media strategist, and the Creative Director at Just Vision. Her credits include “Encounter Point,” “Budrus,” and “My Neighbourhood.”...
Exclusive: Female Activists Unite in “Naila and the Uprising” Trailer
“Naila and the Uprising” “For over a decade, whenever I’ve asked Palestinian grassroots leaders about the models of inspiration that they draw on, they’ve consistently pointed me towards...
Trailer Watch: Queen Latifah Fights for Clean Water in “Flint”
“There’s absolutely nothing to worry about,” a government official assures the public in the new spot for “Flint,” Lifetime’s original movie about the Flint Water Crisis. That lie hangs...
Octavia Spencer Teams with LeBron James for Madam C.J. Walker Series
As we previously reported, Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer is set to star as entrepreneur and social activist Madam C.J. Walker in a limited drama series based on A’Lelia Bundles’...
Trailer Watch: A Feminist Icon Gets Her Due in “Dolores”
“Latina girls need to see statues of you,” we hear Dolores Huerta being told in the trailer for a new documentary about the activist. As the official synopsis for “Dolores” puts it, Dolores...
Bedonna Smith Named Executive Producer of Activism at Anonymous Content
New job title alert: “13 Reasons Why” producer Anonymous Content has created the role of Executive Producer of Activism, and Bedonna Smith has been hired to fill it. Smith most recently served...
Doc About Workers’ Rights Activist Dolores Huerta Acquired by PBS
Dolores Huerta will hopefully soon be a household name. A documentary about the workers’ rights activist, “Dolores,” was acquired by PBS and is set to screen theatrically this fall. According...
Pussy Riot Documentary “Act & Punishment” Gets U.S. Release
“If your vagina lands in prison, then the world is gonna listen,” sings Pussy Riot in “Straight Outta Vagina,” a song released in 2016. The Russian punk rock group is the subject of “Act...
Trailer Watch: Jane Jacobs Saves the Neighborhood in “Citizen Jane”
If you need reassurance that one person’s voice can make a difference in the world — really, who doesn’t need that right now? — then “Citizen Jane: Battle for the City” probably...
Screen Rights to Rachel Lloyd’s “Girls Like Us” Acquired by EveryWhere Studios
Rachel Lloyd’s “Girls Like Us” is coming to the big screen. EveryWhere Studios has acquired the screen rights to the critically acclaimed memoir, Deadline reports. Lloyd’s harrowing account...
Nanfu Wang on Activism, Sex Work, and Human Rights in “Hooligan Sparrow”
Interview by Diana Martinez Nanfu Wang was born in a remote farming village in Jiangxi Province, China. Wang is a recipient of the Sundance Documentary Fund and the Bertha Britdoc Journalism Fund...
Activist Actress Sues Sony for Retaliation
Soap opera actress Victoria Rowell will move forward with her lawsuit against Sony Pictures Television, according to The Hollywood Reporter. A California judge gave her the green light to move to...
Anne Hathaway Becomes Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women
Oscar winner Anne Hathaway has a new role to play: the actress has been named a global goodwill ambassador for UN Women, the UN agency working towards gender equality and female...
Nanfu Wang’s “Hooligan Sparrow” Doc Gets Theatrical Release
Nanfu Wang’s award-winning documentary “Hooligan Sparrow” will be released theatrically in LA and NY this July. The film debuted at Sundance 2016. Wang told Women and Hollywood that...
Emma Watson Taking a Year Off From Acting to Focus On Her Feminist Activism
Emma Watson is taking a hiatus from acting to concentrate on her feminist activism. Watson famously enrolled as an undergraduate student at Brown University in 2009 despite her budding film career....
The 33rd Susan B. Anthony Awards
Last night I was one of four people who received a Susan B. Anthony Award from the NYC chapter of the National Organization for Women. It was a great event. I was really humbled by the other women...
Nicole Kidman Goes All Feminist at Variety Awards
Nicole Kidman was honored at this year’s Variety Power of Women awards for her work with UN Women to advance the rights of women and girls across the world. Variety’s 5th annual Power of Women...
Natalie Portman Teams with Marvel for STEM Mentoring Program for Girls
Natalie Portman has teamed up with Marvel to announce the Ultimate Mentor Adventure, a mentor program/contest that gives girls the opportunities to interview women working in science, technology,...
Pussy Riot’s Nadezhda Tolokonnikova Goes on a Hunger Strike
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, one of the jailed members of the band Pussy Riot, has gone on a hunger strike to protest inhumane conditions in the work camp where she is serving her sentence. She was...