#Films
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Danielle Kummer & Lucy Harvey – “Alien On Stage”
Danielle Kummer is a director, producer, and editor from London who studied film and media at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Producer and director Lucy Harvey spent 17 years as a stylist...
Chloé Zhao and Jessica Bruder Win USC Libraries Scripter Award for “Nomadland”
“Nomadland” is continuing its hot streak. The USC Libraries Scripter Awards were held in an online ceremony on Saturday and the writers behind the drama, Chloé Zhao and Jessica Bruder,...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Alba Sotorra Clua – “The Return: Life After ISIS”
Alba Sotorra Clua has worked in Syria, Afghanistan, Korea, Bosnia, Cuba, the US, Guatemala, England, Iran, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, and Qatar, and has lived long periods in the Middle East. Her films...
Jasmila Žbanić on Revisiting the Srebrenica Massacre in International Feature Oscar Nominee “Quo Vadis, Aida?”
Jasmila Žbanić is a Bosnian writer, director, and producer. Her feature debut “Grbavica” won the 2006 Berlinale Golden Bear. She followed it up with 2010’s “On the...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Emily & Sarah Kunstler – “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America”
Sisters Emily and Sarah Kunstler are the founders of Off Center Media, a documentary production company dedicated to racial justice and social change. Shortlisted for the Best Documentary Academy...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Hannaleena Hauru – “Fucking with Nobody”
Hannaleena Hauru is a Finnish screenwriter and director. Her debut feature, “Thick Lashes of Lauri Mäntyvaara” (2016), was developed at Torino Film Lab and Cannes Cinéfondation...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Paola Calvo – “Luchadoras”
Paola Calvo is a Venezuelan director and cinematographer. In 2012, Calvo directed “A Tale of two Islands,” a two-channel video installation that was shown at Berlinale Forum Expanded. Wanting to...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Andrea Nevins – “Hysterical”
Andrea Blaugrund Nevins is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-winning director, producer, and writer. Her credits include “Still Kicking,” “The Other F Word,” “Play It...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Stacey Gregg – “Here Before”
Stacey Gregg is a Belfast and London based writer, director, and performer working across film, TV, and theater. She is currently developing several original television drama series including...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Yngvild Sve Flikke – “Ninjababy”
Yngvild Sve Flikke wrote and directed dramas and documentaries for the Norwegian National Broadcasting (NRK) for 17 years before making her feature film debut with “Women in Oversized Men’s...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Caroline Catz – “Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes”
A British actor who has worked extensively in television, theater, film, and radio, Caroline Catz is also an accomplished film director and writer. Catz’s films include “A Message to the...
SXSW 2021 Preview: Blackness and Beauty Standards, Selma Blair’s Public Battle with M.S., and More
SXSW 2021 is just around the corner. Set to take place March 16-21, the 35th edition of Austin-based fest is digital this year due to COVID-19. With more than half of the films set to screen in...
Trailer Watch: Tina Turner Talks Trauma, Faith, and Her Legacy in HBO Doc “Tina”
“I had an abusive life. There’s no other way to tell the story,” Tina Turner says in the new trailer for “Tina.” The rock superstar discusses her struggles and triumphs...
Trailer Watch: Activists Work to Destigmatize Periods in “Pandora’s Box”
“When I started my period, I was very young and nobody had told me about it,” an interviewee reveals in the trailer for “Pandora’s Box,” a documentary about the stigma...
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...
New Report Finds Black Women in Family Films More Likely to Work in STEM Than Other Female Characters, But Colorism Persists
The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media’s latest study considered the representation of Black women and girls in family entertainment over the past decade — and came to some...
Pick of the Day: “Sophie Jones”
Grief is always tough, but it’s especially hellish when it hits during adolescence. When you experience a loss before you even really know who you are, how can you possibly heal? “Sophie...
Join the Girls Club for a Conversation with “Land” Star and Director Robin Wright
Robin Wright, the director and star of “Land,” will join the Girls Club for a conversation on Wednesday, March 3, at 2 p.m. EST. The event is open to the public, but be sure to...
March 2021 Film Preview
By Vicki A. Lee and Kara Headley 2021 marks the 40th year since the early seeds of Women’s History Month were sown. In 1981, Congress passed Public Law 97-28 to request the President designate the...
Lisa Cortés in Production on “The Empire of Ebony,” Doc About Ebony Magazine’s Impact
Lisa Cortés is following up voter suppression doc “All In: The Fight for Democracy” with a tribute to the first Black media empire. She’s in production on “The Empire of...
Trailer Watch: A Highschooler Grieves and Comes of Age in Jessie Barr’s “Sophie Jones”
After her mother’s death, the titular character in “Sophie Jones” has a hard time of it, and she doesn’t really know what, if anything, will help her feel better. “At...
Pick of the Day: “My Zoe”
I went into “My Zoe” only knowing the very basics of its plot, and I would advise anyone else interested in Julie Delpy’s latest film to do the same. (But there is a trailer below...
Half of Netflix’s 2018-2019 Films and Shows Were Driven by Women and Girls, New Study Finds
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has released a new report analyzing the U.S.-based 126 movies and 180 series released on Netflix in 2018 and 2019. “Inclusion in Netflix Original U.S....
Pick of the Day: “Test Pattern”
“Test Pattern,” Shatara Michelle Ford’s feature directorial debut, could form an unofficial trilogy with Jessica M. Thompson’s “The Light of the Moon” and Eliza...
“Promising Young Woman,” “WW84,” “The Old Guard,” and More Films Receive ReFrame Stamps
Twenty-nine of the 100 most popular narrative films of 2020 have been awarded the ReFrame Stamp, a badge signifying a production was made with a gender-balanced cast and crew. “Promising Young...
Groenlandia Launches Editorial Department Focused on Women-Directed Film
Production company Groenlandia has announced a new editorial department specifically dedicated to films from women directors. Created with “the goal of putting female directors at the center of...
Trailer Watch: Madeleine Sims-Fewer Seeks Revenge in Psychological Thriller “Violation”
“You created a reality that is completely different from everyone else’s, where you’re this saint who gets tricked into doing bad things,” a woman tells her sister in...
Svetlana Cvetko on Painting a Different Picture of LA in “Show Me What You Got”
Svetlana Cvetko is renowned for her cinematography work on a list of critically acclaimed documentaries, including Oscar winner “Inside Job,” Oscar-nominated “Facing Fear,”...
Pick of the Day: “Dead Pigs”
Cathy Yan’s zippy comic book pic “Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” was one of the last films to open in theaters before COVID shut everything down, but...
Over Half of SXSW’s 2021 Competition Titles Are Directed by Women
Once again, women directed or co-directed the majority of SXSW Competition titles. The festival has unveiled its 2021 lineup, and women helmed nine of the 16 Feature Competition titles, amounting to...
Ava DuVernay’s “Middle of Nowhere” & “This Is the Life” Coming to Netflix in Honor of ARRAY’s 10th Anniversary
ARRAY is about to have its 10th birthday and will celebrate by releasing two of Ava DuVernay’s earliest films on Netflix. A press release has announced that ARRAY’s distribution branch,...
Pick of the Day: “Two of Us”
A coming out story, a portrait of two retired women in love, and a drama confronting old age and mortality — “Two of Us” is all of these and more. The French-language film is about...
Oscars 2021 International Feature Contenders: Meet Kaouther Ben Hania – “The Man Who Sold His Skin”
Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s films have screened at prestigious festivals including Cannes, Locarno, IDFA, and Hot Docs. Her film “Beauty and the Dogs” premiered in the...
Siân Heder’s “CODA” Becomes First Film to Sweep Top U.S. Dramatic Prizes at Sundance
“CODA” has made history yet again. After nabbing a record-breaking distribution deal with Apple, Siân Heder’s coming-of-age story about a teen girl who is also the only hearing...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Kristina Lindström – “The Most Beautiful Boy in the World”
Kristina Lindström is a filmmaker, journalist, and author. She has directed highly acclaimed documentaries including “Astrid Lindgren;” “Palme” with Maud Nycander, awarded two Guldbagge...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Debbie Lum – “Try Harder!”
Debbie Lum is an award-winning filmmaker whose projects give voice to the Asian American experience and other unsung stories. “Seeking Asian Female,” her feature-length directing debut,...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt – “Cusp”
Parker Hill’s thesis film, “One Good Pitch,” premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. Her short films “Homing In” and “Sanderson to Brackettville” have...
February 2021 Film Preview
By Kara Headley and Vicki A. Lee This is the first Black History Month since the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others sparked a new wave of activism in the Black Lives...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Natalia Almada – “Users”
Natalia Almada is the recipient of the 2012 MacArthur Genius Award. Her directing credits include “Al Otro Lado” (2005 Tribeca Film Festival), “El General” (2009 Sundance Film...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Marilyn Agrelo – “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street”
Marilyn Agrelo’s directorial debut, “Mad Hot Ballroom,” enjoyed a theatrical run of 24 weeks and became the 25th highest-grossing documentary film. A Broadway version is currently in...
Watch: News Anchors Downplay COVID-19 in Chilling Clip of Nanfu Wang’s “In the Same Breath”
“Eight people were punished for spreading rumors about an unknown pneumonia,” various anchors tell us over and over again, sharing a January 1, 2020 announcement from the Wuhan police....
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Betsy West and Julie Cohen – “My Name is Pauli Murray”
Betsy West is the Academy Award-nominated director and producer of “RBG” along with Julie Cohen. She is a 21-time Emmy Award winner for her work as an ABC News producer and executive...
Sundance 2021 Directors: Meet Jane Schoenbrun – “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair”
Jane Schoenbrun is a non-binary filmmaker who co-created ongoing touring variety series “The Eyeslicer,” which has screened in hundreds of venues across the world, including MoMA, the Tribeca...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Nikole Beckwith – “Together Together”
Writer and director Nikole Beckwith made her feature film debut at Sundance 2015 with “Stockholm, Pennsylvania,” which earned her a Nicholl Fellowship, Satellite Award, Women’s Image Award, and...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Rintu Thomas – “Writing with Fire”
Rintu Thomas is an independent documentary director-producer based in New Delhi, India. She is a 2018 Sundance Institute, Bertha Foundation Fellow, and a 2019 Sundance Stories of Change Fellow. A...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Salomé Jashi – “Taming the Garden”
Salomé Jashi was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. Her documentary “The Dazzling Light of Sunset” was awarded the Main Prize at Visions du Réel’s Regard Neuf Competition as well as at ZagrebDox,...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Jamila Wignot – “Ailey”
Jamila Wignot is a documentary filmmaker whose directing work includes the Peabody, Emmy, and NAACP award-winning series “The African-Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” (PBS), hosted by...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Siân Heder – “CODA”
Siân Heder is a writer, director, and showrunner. She wrote and produced three seasons of the acclaimed Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black,” receiving multiple WGA nominations for her work....
Trailer Watch: Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumolo Reunite for a Holiday in “Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar”
A new trailer for “Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar” has arrived and sees “Bridesmaids” collaborators Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo taking a holidaaaay to celebraaaate. Set...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Erin Vassilopoulos – “Superior”
Erin Vassilopoulos is a New York-based filmmaker whose short films have screened at Sundance, the Berlinale, BFI London Film Festival, and Tribeca. Her directorial feature debut, “Superior,”...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Maisie Crow – “At the Ready”
Maisie Crow is a documentary film director, cinematographer, and photographer. “Jackson,” Crow’s documentary exploring both sides of the reproductive health care debate in the Deep...