#Diversity
Octavia Spencer Named Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year
The year is off to a great start for Octavia Spencer. The Academy Award winner’s latest film, “Hidden Figures,” has dominated the box office two weekends in a row, and now the actress has been...
Seed&Spark Launches #100DaysOfDiversity Initiative
Today, Inauguration Day, is sad for a lot of us. It’s surreal, like an unfunny comedy sketch gone awry. The good news: It’s also the first day of Seed&Spark’s new #100DaysOfDiversity...
Amanda Kernell’s “Sami Blood” Lands U.S. Distribution
Amanda Kernell’s “Sami Blood” has secured North American distribution prior to its U.S. premiere at Sundance on January 20. Synergetic Distribution snagged the rights to the coming-of-age...
TCA Update: Lifetime and FX Make Strides Towards Gender Equality, Inclusivity
It’s TCA time again, when presidents and CEOs of major networks — who are mostly white men in their fifties or sixties — make bold, sweeping promises about how this is the year when...
Trailer Watch: Love Triumphs in Amma Asante’s “A United Kingdom”
Another trailer has landed for “Belle” director Amma Asante’s new film, “A United Kingdom.” The interracial romance is inspired by a true story, and a newly released spot for the film...
Four White Men Put on UK Channel 4’s Board While Minority Woman Rejected
There has been uproar in the UK over the course of the past week when it was announced that four white men were approved as board members for Channel 4 while a fifth candidate, a minority woman, was...
Quote of the Day: Gabrielle Union on the “Bullshit” She Experiences in Hollywood
Gabrielle Union is calling out the “bullshit” she experiences as a black woman in Hollywood. The “Being Mary Jane” star spoke with Harper’s Bazaar about “that sense of being...
A Renewed Purpose
Yesterday, many like-minded people woke up in shock that this country clearly did not share the values that we believe in. Today, the shock has worn off and the brutal reality has set in. While...
Maggie Greenwald’s Sundance Romance “Sophie and the Rising Sun” Acquired
“Sophie and the Rising Sun” has found a home, Deadline reports. Monterey Media has acquired the U.S. and Canadian rights to the period romance, starring Julianne Nicholson (“August: Osage...
Taraji P. Henson on the Race and Gender Pay Gap: “Insult, Meet Injury”
“I knew the stakes,” Taraji P. Henson writes in her new memoir, “Around the Way.” “No matter how talented, no matter how many accolades my prior work had received, if I pushed for more...
Quote of the Day: Universal Head Donna Langley Talks Inclusion and Diversity
Universal Chairperson Donna Langley spoke about the importance of inclusion and diversity at Fortune’s Most Powerful Woman Summit on Tuesday, but the exec also recognized that Hollywood needs to...
Issa Rae to Exec Produce “Minimum Wage” Anthology Series Written by Women
“Insecure” debuted on HBO less than a month ago to rave reviews, but the comedy’s star, co-creator, and executive producer isn’t just basking in the success of her new series — she’s...
A White Man Is Directing Sony Pictures’ Live-Action “Mulan”
Diversity, inclusion, and sexism continue to feature prominently in conversations, scholarship, and headlines about Hollywood, but here we are with the news that a white man will direct a...
Freeform Orders “Brown Girls” Comedy Pilot from Shilpi Roy and Nastaran Dibai
“Brown Girls” has been given a pilot order from Freeform, the network behind “Pretty Little Liars,” “The Fosters,” and “Switched at Birth,” Deadline reports. The multi-camera comedy...
Producer Effie Brown Named Keynote Speaker at 2016 Film Independent Forum
“Dear White People” producer Effie Brown is slated to deliver the Keynote address at the 12th annual Film Independent Forum, Shadow and Act reports. Film Independent is the the non-profit arts...
TIFF 2016 Women Directors: Meet Amma Asante — “A United Kingdom”
Amma Asante’s previous directing credits include “Belle” and “A Way of Life.” Both films premiered at TIFF. Asante has been named by Variety as one of the Top Ten Directors to Watch, and...
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Acquires Rebecca Johnson’s Debut “Honeytrap”
Ava DuVernay’s distribution company ARRAY has a new acquisition from across the pond. “Honeytrap” marks the feature debut of Brit writer-director Rebecca Johnson. The film was critically...
Cheryl Boone Isaacs Re-Elected For Fourth Term As Academy President
Current President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), Cheryl Boone Isaacs, has been re-elected for a fourth term in office. Boone Isaacs became the first woman of color to...
“Pussy Valley,” “Dirty Girls Social Club,” and “Teresa” Being Developed By Starz
Starz has a number of female-fronted projects in development. The network behind “Outlander” is working on “Pussy Valley,” an hour-long drama centered on five pole dancers in Mississippi;...
Trailer Watch: Nicole Byer Finds Her Voice as a Comedian in “Loosely Exactly Nicole”
A hilarious trailer has been released for “Loosely Exactly Nicole,” a new MTV comedy starring actress and comedian Nicole Byer (“Girl Code”). The clip kicks off with Byer, who is playing a...
Matt Damon Learns His Lesson and Takes Initiative to Increase Diversity
After causing a disastrous diversity scandal on the most recent iteration of his reality show “Project Greenlight,” it seems like Matt Damon has learned his lesson and is taking steps to address...
Introducing Iron Woman
Tony Stark will soon step out of the Iron Man suit, Screen Rant has reported, and much to the delight of diverse comic fans everywhere, his successor is a black woman. Riri Williams is a...
#NominateNYC Launches to Help Academy Reach its Diversity Goals
The Academy took great steps to diversify its membership this week, and now the NYC Office of Media and Entertainment is launching a campaign to help even more. The New York City Mayor’s Office...
Event Invite: Join Us in Australia to Discuss Diversity in Action
Do you want more diversity on-screen and behind-the-scenes? If so, you may be interested in a panel taking place in Ultimo Sydney on July 25. Screen Vixens and Film Fatales are hosting the third...
Sony Pictures TV Kicks Off Diverse Directors Program: Apply Now
Sony Pictures Television is accepting applications for its Diverse Directors Program, now in its third year. The program aims to offer opportunities to directors with diverse backgrounds. Fifteen...
Kering and Cannes Film Festival Will Present Second ‘Women in Motion’ Program
Kering, the high-end French luxury goods holding company, will once again present the “Women in Motion” Program at the Cannes Film Festival this year. The program launched at last year’s...
A Change of Culture Is Necessary for Hollywood Diversity Measures to Succeed
Yesterday, several prominent Asian-American Academy members, including Freida Lee Mock, Ang Lee, Sandra Oh and George Takei, sent a letter to the Academy’s Board of Governors protesting the...
J.J. Abrams Takes the Lead Towards Making Hollywood Less Pale and Male
J.J. Abrams is working to make Hollywood a little less less white and a little less male. Abrams and his writing team added a female character, Rey (Daisy Ridley,) to the center of one of the most...
UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report Demonstrates the Benefits of Inclusive Casting
#OscarsSoWhite is an ugly symptom of an ugly problem that goes deeper than one particular awards show. The third annual Hollywood Diversity Report from the UCLA Bunche Center details just how...
New LA Times Study: Academy Membership Still 91% White, 76% Male
Nine-tenths white, three-quarters male: That’s the current Academy membership, according to a new study by the LA Times. Back in 2012, the Times found that the Academy was 94% white and 77% male,...
Watch: ‘Eclipsed’ Playwright Danai Gurira Argues for the Need for Female Characters of Color
Watch: “Hello, Academy,” Women and Hollywood’s Annual Oscar Video
Welcome to Oscar Week. In anticipation of the big night on Sunday, Women and Hollywood is proud to share its annual Oscar video. As we all know, it’s been another shitty year (when hasn’t it...
Crosspost: What Launching The Bechdel Test Fest Taught Me
The following has been reposted from The Huffington Post with permission of the author. Our version below includes minor edits. This February, The Bechdel Test Fest celebrates its first birthday....
Which Studios Have the Most Women in Decision-Making Roles?
In the midst of ongoing pressure on the film industry to embrace gender and racial inclusion, particularly at the studio level, The Hollywood Reporter has published a “diversity scorecard” for...
DGA President Paris Barclay Responds to #OscarsSoWhite: “Structural Changes Are Needed”
Paris Barclay, the president of the Directors Guild of America, weighed in yesterday on the #OscarsSoWhite movement and the new changes to Academy membership that have resulted thereof. Barclay,...
Kartemquin Films’ Diverse Voices in Docs Program Now Accepting Applications
Kartemquin Films, the award-winning non-profit documentary production collective behind “Life Itself” and “Hoop Dreams,” is now accepting applications for their 2016 Diverse Voices in Docs...
Inaugural DGA Diversity Report: Women Make Up Only 6.4% of Film Directors
The DGA’s inaugural Feature Film Diversity Report confirms what we already knew: the employment numbers for women directors are deplorably low. The DGA crunched the numbers for the 376 features...
6 Actresses of Color Nominated by Golden Globes for TV, 0 for Film
TV proved itself not just a medium for women, but especially one for women of color, with this year’s Golden Globes nominations. Six actresses of color — Queen Latifah, Viola Davis, Taraji...
The All-White THR Actress Roundtable Is a Perfect Example of #HollywoodSoWhite
Yesterday, The Hollywood Reporter postedits annual actress roundtable, and not surprisingly — but certainly disappointingly — all of the eight performers on the cover were white. Steven...
Exploring Internal Lesbian Discrimination in ‘The Same Difference’
Within the lesbian community — especially in communities of color (in the United States but also around the globe) — there are a lot of rules and internal discrimination that take place....
Watch: Adorable Ad Recreates Iconic Movie Scenes With Diverse Action Heroines
George Lucas Pledges Multi-Million Diversity Endowment to USC Students
“Star Wars” helmer George Lucas is taking a big step towards a more inclusive film and television industry. The George Lucas Family Foundation has announced that $10 million dollars of its 2006...
Where Does This Diverse Broadway Season Leave Women of Color?
Viola Davis said in her Emmy speech last month, “The onlything that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You can’twin an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” The...
Women & Hollywood Podcast #17: ‘Suffragette’ Director Sarah Gavron
Women and Hollywood spoke with director Sarah Gavron about her new film “Suffragette,” which we endorse with the utmost enthusiasm and appreciation. Written by Abi Morgan, the historical drama...
‘Project Greenlight’ Exemplifies All That is Wrong With the Film Business
I don’t particularly like reality shows, so I really had no interest in watching HBO’s “Project Greenlight.” But after all the talk about the show’s diversity issues and seeing the title...
Effie Brown on Matt Damon’s Diversity Comments: “This is No Longer OK”
With staggeringly low statistics for women and racial minorities behind and in front of the camera in Hollywood, it’s easy to lose hope that the tables will ever turn. Yet there seems to be a...
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...
Guest Post: Continuing the Push Towards Diversity in the U.K.
Despite “diversity” being everyone’s favorite word in the film and TVindustry these days, we seem to be making little headway moving towards it. Last year’s Sex and Power Report showed us...
How Viola Davis is Using Her Emmy Win to Inspire
Viola Davis’ historic Emmy win as the first African-American woman to clinch the Best Actress in a Drama trophy (in 2015!) became the news out of the awards show. That was in part because of the...
Ava DuVernay to Expand Her Distribution Company Under New Name
Ava DuVernay knows that films by women and minority filmmakers don’t just need to be made, but also seen. To increase distribution for works by under-represented directors, DuVernay is expanding...
Made in NY Fellowship Launched to Support Diversity Among NYC Storytellers and Entrepreneurs
Independent Filmmaker Project’s (IFP) Made in NY Media Center has launched a new fellowship to foster a more diverse media industry. As the center’s website notes, recognizing “different...