#Feminism
What Happened to the Women Directors in Hollywood? Part 4: 1984–1999
by Carrie Rickey This five-part Truthdig series by Carrie Rickey is published in partnership with Women and Hollywood. The series considers the historic accomplishments of women behind the camera,...
Screen Australia Announces Gender Matters Mentorship Program Recipients
Eight women have been selected for a commercial directing mentorship, Screen Australia announced. As part of the Australian Directors’ Guild’s (ADG) Gender Matters initiative, these eight...
Feminism Paying Off at the Box Office with “Beauty and the Beast”
Between 1980 and 2016 only four women-centric movies topped the U.S. domestic box office: 1997 with “Titanic”; 2013 with “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”; 2015 with “Star Wars: The Force...
Australia Introduces Two New Initiatives to Support Women Filmmakers
Similar to Canada’s news last week, Australia has unveiled two new initiatives striving for gender parity in filmmaking. Screen Australia introduced Doco180 for documentary filmmakers, and the...
Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival Kicks Off March 23 with “The Drowning”
In LA next week and want to support films by and about women? Rather than checking out a single film at a multiplex, consider attending a female-led film fest. The 13th annual Los Angeles Women’s...
Women in Sports Doc “Tomboy” Premieres on CSN Tonight
There aren’t many mainstream conversations about women in professional sports, especially during non-Olympics years. Luckily, that drought will break tonight thanks to “Tomboy: Elevating the...
SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Jessica M. Thompson— “The Light of the Moon”
Jessica M. Thompson is an Emmy-nominated Australian filmmaker who lives in New York City. She’s made several award-winning short films alongside Carlo Velayo, including “Hike,” “Percepio,”...
What Happened to the Women Directors in Hollywood?
What Happened to the Women Directors in Hollywood? Part 3: A New Generation of Women Behind the Camera, 1966–1983 by Carrie Rickey This five-part Truthdig series by Carrie Rickey is published in...
Canadian Film Industry Launches Two New Gender Parity Initiatives
Leading by example yet again, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and the National Film Board of Canada both announced new initiatives to support women in the entertainment industry. The...
Quote of the Day: Brie Larson Talks Women Directors and Representation
“I love that we’re seeing stronger women on the screen — but I don’t think that’s the end of this conversation,” says Brie Larson in a new interview with BBC News. The Oscar-winning...
Guest Post: Five Tips to Break into a Career in Music Supervision
Guest Post by Laura Katz When I was a child, I met a woman sitting in a wheelchair in a hospital elevator with a nurse. The woman thought I looked a little sad (and I was, because I was a child...
Teaser Watch: Elisabeth Moss’ Story Is Our Story in “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Some of the images in the latest “Handmaid’s Tale” teaser are shockingly familiar. Tagged “Her Story is Our Story,” the clip features glimpses of a protest — not unlike the Women’s...
Exclusive: Chicken & Egg Pictures Announces 2017 Accelerator Lab Finalists
Chicken & Egg Pictures has announced the ten women-directed and co-directed projects selected to participate in their 2017 Accelerator Lab, a program designed to support first- and second-time...
We Are on Strike: A Day Without A Woman
Women and Hollywood is a woman-owned business. It is an initiative that supports women. Today we will be striking in solidarity with our sisters across the country and the world. We will not be...
BFI Hosts F-Rated IMDb Hackathon to Highlight Women’s Representation in Film
Now this is a ratings system we can get behind. Originally created by Bath Film Festival director Holly Tarquini, an F-Rating indicates whether a film is directed by a woman, written by a woman, or...
BBC One and HBO to Produce Sally Wainwright’s Anne Lister Series
Netflix made Sally Wainwright’s “Happy Valley” accessible to U.S. audiences, and it looks like HBO will do the same with the writer’s new show, “Shibden Hall.” According to Deadline, the...
What Happened to the Women Directors in Hollywood?
What Happened to the Women Directors in Hollywood? Part 2: The First Females to Crack the Directors Guild by Carrie Rickey This five-part Truthdig series by Carrie Rickey is published in...
Watch: Dr. Stacy Smith Gives TED Talk on Women’s Invisibility in Film
In her talk for TEDWomen 2016, Dr. Stacy L. Smith emphasizes how movies are much more than entertainment. “We can also be transported through storytelling [in film],” she observes....
Quote of the Day: Jessica Chastain Strives to Create More Inclusiveness and Empathy
Jessica Chastain has consistently used her platform to address Hollywood’s lack of inclusivity. Even while onstage accepting awards, the two-time Oscar nominee has spoken out about “the need to...
Trailer Watch: “Grace and Frankie” Navigate the Sex Toy Business in Season 3
Grace Hanson (Jane Fonda) and Frankie Bergstein (Lily Tomlin) have come a long way since the beginning of “Grace and Frankie.” The two began their journey with mutual dislike, forced to spend...
Emma Watson Made Belle More Feminist in Live-Action “Beauty and the Beast”
“I know what [Belle] meant to me as a young girl,” Emma Watson says in the new featurette for the upcoming live-action “Beauty and the Beast.” “When you love something that much, you...
Quote of the Day: Julie Delpy on Why There Is No Female Counterpart to Kubrick
Opportunity is everything, to paraphrase Viola Davis’ 2015 Emmy speech. Based on MovieMaker’s interview with Julie Delpy, we’d say the “Lolo” director agrees. Speaking about her...
Actress Varalaxmi Sarathkumar Speaks Out About the Casting Couch
“Needs to be said,” South Indian actress Varalaxmi Sarathkumar tweeted last week. Her post included a screenshot letter, in which she revealed her experience with sexual harassment in the Indian...
“Big Bang Theory’s” Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch Latest Actresses to Fight for Equal Pay
You would like to think that the most popular comedy series on TV — with a high profile and no shortage of cash — would have make equal pay a priority. But that doesn’t seem to be the...
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Takes Over Twitter in Honor of Women’s History Month
Thanks to Ava DuVernay, March is coming in like a lion — and we mean that in the best possible way. DuVernay’s film distribution collective, ARRAY, is celebrating Women’s History Month...
Dede Gardner Becomes First Female Producer to Win Two Best Picture Oscars
Dede Gardner made history at this year’s Academy Awards. With “Moonlight’s” shocking Best Picture win on Sunday, the Plan B producer became a two-time Best Picture winner. She’s the first...
Rose Garnett Is the New Director of BBC Films
Film4’s Rose Garnett is headed to the British Broadcasting Company. The Hollywood Reporter writes that, per director of BBC content Charlotte Moore’s announcement today, Garnett is the new...
Highlights from Oscar Weekend 2017: Viola Davis, Maren Ade, and More
Now that we’ve caught our breath, we can all agree that the 2017 Oscars are going to go down in history. Wow. And yikes. We’re thrilled with “Moonlight’s” well-deserved win, but are...
Alankrita Shrivastava on the Censorship of Her Film “Lipstick Under My Burkha”
Alankrita Shrivastava’s “Lipstick Under My Burkha” is an award-winning film about women reclaiming their freedom through small acts of resistance. Unfortunately, as Deadline details, India’s...
What Happened to the Women Directors in Hollywood? Part 1: The Founding Mothers of Film
Print advertisement for Lois Weber’s “Too Wise Wives”: The Duluth Herald (Aug. 1921)/Wikimedia Commons by Carrie Rickey This five-part Truthdig series by Carrie Rickey is published in...
Cross-Post: Why Melissa McCarthy Is a Better Return on Investment Than Tom Cruise
Melissa McCarthy in “Spy” The following has been reposted from Wealthsimple with permission of the author. What are the economics of being a woman in Hollywood? We dug into the data and found...
Only One of the 41 Drama Pilots This Season Is Directed By a Woman
So much for television being a haven for women. A report from Deadline finds that “Las Reinas,” starring Sonia Braga, is the only drama project helmed by a woman this pilot season. Liz...
Only One of the 41 Drama Pilots This Season Is Directed By a Woman
We’re just as upset as you, Dr. Bailey (Chandra Wilson, frequent “Grey’s Anatomy” director): ABCSo much for television being a haven for women. A report from Deadline finds that “Las...
Laura Karpman and Gail Collins to Bring the “Battle of the Sexes” to the Opera
Billie Jean King: Lynn Gilbert/Wikimedia Commons When you think about it, the opera is the perfect place to tell “the Battle of the Sexes” story. The historic tennis match between Billie Jean...
Watch: Oscars 2017 Prove That Our Work in Hollywood Isn’t Done
For the last several years Women and Hollywood has used the opportunity of Oscar week to share a video that focuses on the representation of women both in front of and behind the scenes...
52 A-Listers Join Forces to Tackle Hollywood Gender Inequality
Fifty-two Hollywood powerhouses are fed up with the lip service paid to Hollywood’s gender problem, and are determined to enact major, industry-wide change. “Studio and agency insiders,...
Watch: Oscars 2017 Prove That Our Work in Hollywood Isn’t Done
For the last several years Women and Hollywood has used the opportunity of Oscar week to share a video that focuses on the representation of women both in front of and behind the scenes...
Guest Post: The Production Designer Gender Gap
Guest Post by Molly Hughes The Land of Oz. Wayne Manor. The Overlook Hotel. The Bates Motel. Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. These iconic sets have imprinted themselves on our...
Study: Number of Women Protagonists in Top 100 Films Climbed to 29% in 2016
This should brighten up your Tuesday a bit: Women made up 29 percent of the protagonists of the 100 top grossing films in 2016. According to the latest “It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World”...
Women Execs Have Limited Role in Hollywood Greenlight Process
The good news: the process for greenlighting a movie is relatively democratic, with most studios considering multiple perspectives via committee. The bad news: the women on those committees rarely...
“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” Receives Highest Ratings Yet
“We are only one menstrual cycle into this presidency and there is blood in the water.” That one-liner is the perfect distillation of Samantha Bee’s late night show: unapologetically feminist,...
New Directors/New Films Festival Announces 2017 Lineup
The lineup for the 46th annual New Directors/New Films Festival (ND/NF) has been announced. A joint effort of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, ND/NF will...
You’re Invited: Join Women and Hollywood in Ireland at “New Horizons” Event
If you will be in Limerick, Ireland in early March, you should add “New Horizons” to your schedule. The one-day event, providing “an opportunity for contributors to lend their voice to the...
Anna Ziegler Developing Limited Series About Female Scientist for Sundance Channel
“Hidden Figures” has grossed over $132 million at the domestic box office. Hollywood has trouble learning the lesson that female-led projects do well with audiences, but hopefully the film’s...
LA Women’s International Film Festival Announces 2017 Lineup
The 13th Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival has announced its 2017 program. The festival will kick-off four days of features, documentaries, shorts, and panel discussions with a...
Trailer Watch: Women Battle for the Throne in “The White Princess”
Attention “Outlander” and “Game of Thrones” fans: your next obsession will be here soon. A trailer for the Starz limited series “The White Princess” just arrived. A follow-up to “The...
Quote of the Day: Beyoncé Wants a More Inclusive World for Her Kids
Most of the awards ceremonies of 2017 have been overtly political, and the Grammys on Sunday were no exception. Beyoncé used her platform to speak frankly about why inclusivity and representation...
True/False Film Fest Teams Up with Kickstarter for Childcare Initiative
The past week has been a pretty good one childcare advocates. First, Raising Films launched the Family Support Fund. Now True/False Film Fest and Kickstarter are working together on The Cradle, an...
Meryl Streep Vows Never to Return to the “Bad Old Days” in Speech
“All of us have the human right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Meryl Streep took this oft-quoted sentiment and made it feel revolutionary at a recent fundraiser for the Human...
Guest Post: The Case for Gender-Balanced Crews
Guest Post by Tema L. Staig I run Women In Media, a networking group for above and below the line women — and the men who love making movies with them. We host regular networking events and...
Jessica Chastain to Be Named Female Star of the Year at CinemaCon
Two-time Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain is adding yet another honor to her extensive resume. She’s been named the Female Star of the Year by CinemaCon, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The actress...