#Documentary
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...
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...
Family Legacies: Crowdfunding Picks
Family can come with a lot of baggage, good and bad. Our latest crowdfunding picks examine all the complications of our familial relationships — the ones we choose and the ones we don’t...
Trailer Watch: A Hollywood Icon’s Life & Death Are Revisited in “Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind”
Natalie Wood drowned during a weekend boat trip in 1981, when she was 43. The iconic actress’ death has always been shrouded in mystery: How did she end up overboard? Were the yacht’s...
“The American Nurse” Doc Is Now Streaming for Free to Honor Nurses Battling the COVID-19 Pandemic
Kino Lorber is paying tribute to nurses on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis. The distribution company has announced that it is offering a free streaming re-release of Carolyn Jones’...
Submit Now: 2020 IFP Week Project Forum
The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is now taking submissions for select categories of the 2020 IFP Week Project Forum. According to a press release, the org is accepting submissions to the...
Weekly Update for April 3: 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...
Television Academy Announces 2020 Honorees: “Unbelievable,” “Queen Sugar,” & More
Another industry event has been “postponed indefinitely” on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. Variety reports that the 13th annual Television Academy Honors awards ceremony won’t go...
These Projects Have Been Affected by Coronavirus. Here’s How You Can Help. (Volume III)
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...
Pick of the Day: “How to Fix a Drug Scandal”
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. Erin Lee Carr is tackling...
Alyssa Milano Exec Producing “Surge,” Doc About Women Candidates in 2018 Midterms
The longer the coronavirus crisis rages on, the more obvious it is that we need new, better people in office. You know, ones who aren’t science deniers. Luckily, there is a documentary that...
Full Frame Documentary Film Fest Announces 2020 Lineup: Julia Reichert, Ramona S. Diaz, & More
The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival has announced the official feature and short film selections for the festival’s 23rd edition, which has been cancelled amid COVID-19 health and safety...
Weekly Update for March 27: 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’ll be enjoying media from the comfort of our homes and encourage you...
Pick of the Day: “There’s Something in the Water”
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. Ellen Page has been known...
These Projects Have Been Affected by Coronavirus. Here’s How You Can Help. (Volume II)
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...
Trailer Watch: “Bias” Doc Explores the Impact of Unconscious Bias
A new trailer for “Bias” kicks off with a discussion of implicit, or unconscious, bias. The doc’s director, Robin Hauser, and other characters reflect on many biases that influence...
Pick of the Day: “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution”
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 wanted to be part...
“American Masters'” Women’s History Month Programming: Holly Near, Maggie Lena Walker, & More
The coronavirus has — rightfully — dominated the news this month, so much so that it’s easy to forget that March is also Women’s History Month. Luckily, PBS has some options...
Women-Directed Films Win Big with SXSW Feature Film Grand Jury Awards
The 27th SXSW Film Festival was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns, but the Austin-based fest has opted to announce the recipients of its juried and special awards in an attempt to bring visibility...
Watch: NYT Premieres SXSW Short Doc “Hysterical Girl,” Directed by Kate Novack
“Hysterical Girl,” a short documentary from Kate Novack (“The Gospel According to André”), didn’t get to premiere at SXSW this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic....
Field of Vision Announces Virtual Mentorship and Consultation Service for the Doc Community
Field of Vision has announced a new initiative dedicated to bolstering the documentary community in the midst of COVID-19. Described as a “filmmaker-driven documentary unit that commissions and...
Trailer Watch: “How to Fix a Drug Scandal” Explores the Effects of a Drug Lab Chemist’s Addiction
Erin Lee Carr is tackling another scandal. The documentary filmmaker has explored everything from rampant sexual abuse and the culture that enabled it in “At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA...
SXSW 2020 Preview: Striking Secretaries, an Inclusive Musical, and More
After murmurs of speculation, word came last week that SXSW 2020 had officially been cancelled. Coronavirus put the brakes on the 27th edition of the Austin-based fest, which was set to include a...
Trailer Watch: A Summer Camp for Teens with Disabilities Sparks a Revolution in “Crip Camp”
“I wanted to be part of the world, but I didn’t see anyone like me in it,” one of the characters featured in “Crip Camp” says in a new trailer for the documentary....
Women and Hollywood’s Picks of the Week for March 12
Picks of the Week offers Women and Hollywood’s top recommendations — women-driven and women-made movies, series, VOD releases, and more — and tells you why they are worth your time and...
Film Independent Selects All Women Filmmakers for the 2020 Documentary Lab
Film Independent has lined up quite the class for its 2020 Documentary Lab — this year’s participants are all women. Eight projects from 11 filmmakers were selected for the program, which...
Julia Bacha, Michelle Latimer, and More Receive Grants from Abigail Disney’s Fork Films
Abigail Disney’s production company, Fork Films, has announced its latest round of grant recipients: $400,000 will be presented to 10 documentaries, nine of which are directed by women. The...
Trailer Watch: Reese Witherspoon Offers a New Take on the Animal Kingdom in “Fierce Queens”
“Why do they call it the animal kingdom when it’s clearly run by queens?” asks Reese Witherspoon in a new trailer for Quibi’s “Fierce Queens.” Set to Nelly...
Exclusive: Chicken & Egg Pictures Announces 2020 (Egg)celerator Lab Grantees
Chicken & Egg Pictures has announced the 10 grant recipients of its 2020 (Egg)celerator Lab, Women and Hollywood can report exclusively. The program awards a total of $400,000 to women or...
Exclusive: “American Experience” Explores the History Behind Women and the Ballot Box in “The Vote”
“The fact that a woman will put her body on the line to be a citizen is considered shocking,” says one of the characters featured in “American Experience’s” “The...
Disney+ Docuseries “Parenting Without Borders” on the Way from Jessica Alba and Kathryn O’Kane
Jessica Alba is set to explore approaches to parenting from around the world. The “L.A.’s Finest” actress will star in and exec produce Disney+ documentary series “Parenting...
“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...
Dolly Parton Doc “The Library That Dolly Built” Will Screen Throughout the Country on April 2
Dolly Parton’s advocacy for reading will soon be hitting the big screen. A press release has announced that Dollywood and Abramorama, in association with The Dollywood Foundation, have...
Tribeca Film Festival’s 2020 Feature Program Is 39 Percent Women-Directed
Tribeca Film Festival has announced its 2020 slate. Of 114 features set to screen, 44 are directed or co-directed by a woman, amounting to about 39 percent of the slate. The fest’s 18th edition...
“Saudi Runaway” Lands at Nat Geo Documentary Films
National Geographic Documentary Films has acquired the rights to “Saudi Runaway” following its world premiere at last month’s Sundance Film Festival, Deadline confirms. Susanne...
Garrett Bradley’s Sundance Winner “Time” Acquired by Amazon
The winner of Sundance 2020’s Directing Award: U.S. Documentary is heading to Amazon. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon Studios acquired Garrett Bradley’s “Time” for...
Trailer Watch: Ellen Page Exposes Environmental Racism in “There’s Something in the Water”
A new trailer for “There’s Something in the Water” sees Oscar-nominated actress Ellen Page, who was born and raised in Nova Scotia, reflecting on the Canadian province’s...
Mary Wharton’s “Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President” Will Open Tribeca Film Festival
The 19th edition of Tribeca Film Festival will kick off with a tribute to a presidential hopeful who harnessed the power of music on his road to the White House. Deadline reports that Mary...
Trailer Watch: Cindy Meehl Turns the Camera on a Polarizing “Dog Doc”
Dismissed as a “charlatan” and “snake oil salesman” by some and celebrated as a “maverick” and “miracle worker” by others, Dr. Marty Goldstein is a...
New MAKERS Doc About Feminist Changemakers to Premiere on PBS this Summer
We’ve made gains on the road towards gender equality, but the work is far from over. MAKERS, a media brand dedicated to “accelerating the women’s movement,” has announced a...
Ava DuVernay to Direct Nipsey Hussle Documentary for Netflix
Ava DuVernay’s next film will honor late rapper and activist Nipsey Hussle. She’s set to direct a feature-length documentary about him for Netflix, Deadline confirms. “A...
Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick’s “On the Record” Lands at HBO Max Following Sundance Premiere
After much controversy, Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick’s “On the Record” has found a new home. The film made headlines weeks ahead of its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival when...
Sundance: Women Sweep Major Directing Awards
The 2020 edition of Sundance Film Festival has come to a close. An awards ceremony was held Saturday in Park City, and “of the 28 prizes awarded … to 25 films – comprising the work of...
Sundance 2020 Women Directors: Meet Susanne Regina Meures – “Saudi Runaway”
Susanne Regina Meures is a Swiss-German filmmaker. Her debut film, “Raving Iran,” premiered in 2016 and has been shown at over 130 film festivals worldwide, including Hot Docs and Visions...
Weekly Update for January 31: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Rhythm Section – Directed by Reed Morano Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively) is an ordinary woman on a path of self-destruction after her family is tragically killed...
Sundance 2020 Women Directors: Meet Ramona S. Diaz – “A Thousand Cuts”
Ramona S. Diaz’s award-winning films include “Imelda,” “The Learning,” “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey,” and...
Sundance: ACLU Doc “The Fight” Goes to Magnolia Pictures, Elyse Steinberg Co-Directs
Another woman-directed film has secured distribution out of Sundance. “The Fight,” from Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman, and Eli Despres, has been acquired by Magnolia Pictures in “a...
Women and Hollywood’s Picks of the Week for January 30
Picks of the Week offers Women and Hollywood’s top recommendations — women-driven and women-made movies, series, VOD releases, and more — and tells you why they are worth your time and...
Sundance 2020 Women Directors: Meet Cristina Costantini – “Mucho Mucho Amor”
Cristina Costantini’s first feature documentary, “Science Fair,” won audience awards at both the Sundance and SXSW Film Festivals in 2018, as well as an Emmy and Critics’ Choice...