#History
Nancy Buirski’s “Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy” Acquired by Kino Lorber, Zeitgeist Films
Nancy Buirski’s look inside the making of an X-rated Best Picture winner has found a home. Kino Lorber in association with Zeitgeist Films have announced the acquisition of all North American...
Trailer Watch: “Little Richard: I Am Everything” Explores the Complex Legacy of a Musical Genius
“Little Richard: I Am Everything” pays tribute to the OG rock ‘n roll icon. “He spit on every rule there was in music,” we’re told in a new trailer for the...
“Dope Girls” Drama About Soho’s Criminal Underbelly in the Works at BBC
A female-led “spiritual successor” to “Peaky Blinders” is in the works at BBC One. Deadline reports that “Dope Girls” will delve “into the history of...
Sundance 2023 Women Directors: Meet Michèle Stephenson – “Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project”
Michèle Stephenson is a filmmaker, artist, and author who pulls from her Haitian and Panamanian roots to think radically about storytelling and disrupt the imaginary in non-fiction spaces. She tells...
Lisa Cortés’ “Little Richard: I Am Everything” Acquired by Magnolia Pictures Out of Sundance
You may not have been able to catch the world premiere of “Little Richard: I Am Everything” at Sundance last week, but it looks like we won’t have to wait too long to watch Lisa...
Trailer Watch: A Closeted Gym Teacher Wrestles with Her Identity in Georgia Oakley’s “Blue Jean”
“I’m damaged, and in a way you’re not — at least you don’t have to be,” a P.E. teacher tells her student in a new trailer for “Blue Jean.” Written and...
Maïmouna Doucouré to Direct Josephine Baker Biopic
Maïmouna Doucouré is following up 2020’s “Cuties,” her Paris-set portrait of a pre-teen Senegalese immigrant who joins a dance clique, with the story of a trailblazing dancer,...
NYFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Margaret Brown – “Descendant”
Margaret Brown’s documentary work examines the American South, from a seminal film on Townes Van Zandt “Be Here to Love Me,” to the impactful story of the BP oil spill’s lasting impact “The...
Exclusive: Women Make a Major Mark on WWII in “War Gamers” Trailer
The little-known WWII story of how a group of women helped defeat Germany’s U-boats is coming to the screen. A Curiosity original docu-series drama, “War Gamers” shines a light on...
Austria Submits Marie Kreutzer’s “Corsage” for Oscars, Drops Trailer for the Vicky Krieps-Starrer
“Corsage” is eyeing a trip to the Academy Awards. Austria has selected Marie Kreutzer’s portrait of Empress Elisabeth of Austria as its pick for the 2023 international feature film...
Marlee Matlin Exec Producing Limited Series Based on Middle-Grade Holocaust Memoir “Signs of Survival”
A middle-grade memoir about two Jewish sisters, one Deaf and one hearing, fighting to survive during the Holocaust, is making its way to the small screen, with the help of Marlee Matlin. The Oscar...
Vanessa Paradis & Nina Hoss Will Resist the Nazi Occupation of Jersey in Vanessa Filho’s “Trespassers”
Vanessa Paradis and Nina Hoss will portray stepsisters, lovers, artists, and agents of the resistance in Vanessa Filho’s next feature. Screen Daily reports the actresses will star in...
Ruth Wilson Will Lead BBC and Showtime Thriller “The Woman in the Wall”
Ruth Wilson is set to lead a gothic thriller inspired by a long, dark chapter in Ireland’s history. Deadline reports that the “Luther” and “The Affair” alumna will...
Pick of the Day: “A League of Their Own”
I am sick to death of franchises and reboots, so I was a little bit trepidatious about Abbi Jacobson’s update of one of my favorite movies ever, “A League of Their Own.” (I...
Chinonye Chukwu’s “Till” to Premiere & Host Community Screenings at New York Film Fest, Releases Trailer
Today, July 25, on what would have been Emmett Till’s 81st birthday, several announcements have been made about “Till,” Chinonye Chukwu’s historical drama about Till’s...
Pick of the Day: “Good Madam”
“So we should pretend not to be here even though we are?” This is what young Winnie (Kamvalethu Jonas Raziya) asks her mother, Tsidi (Chumisa Cosa), when she moves into her grandmother’s...
WORLD Channel Commemorates Juneteenth With Films Honoring Black Freedom, History, & Achievement
This year, for the first time ever, all 50 states will recognize Juneteenth (June 19) as a federal holiday. To honor Black history, freedom, and achievement on the day that commemorates the moment in...
Isabel Sandoval’s “Tropical Gothic” To Be Produced by Big Beach
We’re one step closer to seeing Isabel Sandoval’s fourth feature. Deadline reports that Big Beach will produce “Tropical Gothic,” an allegory about Western colonialism that...
Under the Radar: Alanna Brown Explores Love & Resilience in Rwandan Genocide Drama “Trees of Peace”
As has been well documented in the decades following the gruesome Rwandan civil war, the Tutsi minority ethnic group and moderate members of the Hutu ethnic group were subjected to unimaginable...
Tribeca 2022 Women Directors: Meet Johanna Hamilton and Yoruba Richen – “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks”
Johanna Hamilton is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker. Her previous work includes “1971″, which chronicled the break-in at an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania that revealed the...
Tribeca 2022 Women Directors: Meet Tessa Louise-Salomé – “The Wild One”
Tessa Louise-Salomé is a Paris-based director, writer, and producer whose work foregrounds visually poetic approaches to storytelling. Her films as a director include the Sundance Jury Prize nominee...
Pick of the Day: “The Janes”
If they were capable of experiencing basic human kindness or compassion, I’d say the six conservative Supreme Court Justices — or any staunch anti-abortion lawmaker — should be...
Viola Davis & Caroline Randall Williams Team Up for Discovery+ Docuseries Exploring Black Food History
Currently starring as Michelle Obama on “The First Lady,” Viola Davis is set to dig further into America’s past in a new Discovery+ docuseries. The Oscar-winning actress is...
Trailer Watch: “Becoming Elizabeth” Revisits All the Drama Leading Up to Elizabeth I’s Reign
“You think I’ve ever gotten what I wanted?” asks Alicia von Rittberg in a new trailer for “Becoming Elizabeth.” The upcoming Starz historical drama centers on the early...
Gemma Chan to Portray Anna May Wong in Biopic of the Trailblazing Actress
Gemma Chan is set to pay tribute to another actress. Following roles in blockbusters including “Eternals,” “Captain Marvel,” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” Chan will...
Jacqueline Olive & Stanley Nelson Team Up for Doc About Pepsi’s Historic All-Black Sales Team
Two award-winning filmmakers are teaming up to tell the story of the first all-Black sales team at a major U.S. corporation. Jacqueline Olive (“Always in Season”) and Stanley Nelson...
Renée Zellweger Will Play a WASP Leader Fighting Hitler in Peacock’s “Avenger Field”
Renée Zellweger has another small screen project in the works. The two-time Oscar winner’s latest project, true crime series “The Thing About Pam,” premieres on NBC tonight, and...
Trailer Watch: “The First Lady” Takes Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, & Gillian Anderson to the White House
“In four years I don’t want to look back and think, ‘What did I become living in that house?'” a weary Viola Davis explains in a new trailer for “The First Lady.”...
Sundance 2022 Women Directors: Meet Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes – “The Janes”
Tia Lessin was nominated for an Academy Award for her work as a director and producer of the Hurricane Katrina survival story “Trouble the Water,” winner of the 2008 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and...
Sundance 2022 Women Directors: Meet Julie Ha – “Free Chol Soo Lee”
Julie Ha’s storytelling career spans more than two decades, with a specialized focus on Asian American stories. She worked as an editor for 10 years at KoreAm Journal, a national Korean American...
Sundance 2022 Women Directors: Meet Nina Menkes – “Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power”
Nina Menkes is a filmmaker whose works synthesize inner dream worlds with brutal, outer realities. Her work has been shown widely in major international film festivals, including Sundance, the...
“America ReFramed” to Launch 10th Season with World Premiere of “Fannie Lou Hamer’s America”
A portrait of a Mississippi sharecropper-turned-human rights activist will kick off the 10th season of “America ReFramed.” The award-winning documentary series from WORLD Channel and...
Pick of the Day: “Beans”
“You need to be able to stand up for what’s important to you,” a 12-year-old Mohawk girl is told in “Beans.” Tracey Deer’s coming-of-age drama tells the story of Tekehentahkhwa,...
Vanessa Lapa Talks “Speer Goes to Hollywood,” Her Cautionary Tale About Media’s Power to Manipulate
Vanessa Lapa is an Israeli Academy-winning director and producer. She launched her career as a journalist and produced and directed over 100 news reports for Israeli TV. In 2006 she founded Realworks...
Trailer Watch: Rachel Boynton Explores How History Is Taught in “Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are)”
From three-time Emmy nominee Rachel Boynton, “Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are)” explores the legacy of a defining moment in American history. The documentary examines how the story...
Trailer Watch: Elle Fanning Vows to Remake Russia in “The Great” Season 2
Convinced that “reason and compassion can win any argument better than violence,” Elle Fanning prepares to “remake Russia” in “The Great’s” sophomore season....
Teaser Watch: Betsy West & Julie Cohen Honor a Trailblazer in “My Name Is Pauli Murray”
“You cannot teach American history without teaching about Pauli Murray,” we’re told in a new teaser for “My Name Is Pauli Murray.” Betsy West and Julie Cohen’s...
Venice 2021 Women Directors: Meet Michale Boganim – “The Forgotten Ones”
Michale Boganim grew up in Israel, in a Moroccan family. Her father was in the Israeli Black Panther movement. She is a graduate of the National Film School in London. Her student film “Dim...
Trailer Watch: “The Big Scary ‘S’ Word” Explores the American Socialist Movement
Yael Bridge demystifies and destigmatizes socialism in “The Big Scary ‘S’ Word,” her feature doc debut. “Socialism is as American as apple pie,” Cornel West...
Zooey Deschanel, Karina Longworth, & Vanessa Hope Team Up for Narrative Podcast About Joan Bennett & Walter Wanger
“You Must Remember This” creator Karina Longworth is digging up more Hollywood history. The podcast host is launching a narrative podcast exploring actress Joan Bennett and producer...
Janicza Bravo Tapped to Direct FX Adaptation of Octavia Butler’s “Kindred”
Janicza Bravo is set to bring a beloved sci-fi novel to the small screen hot on the heels of adapting a viral Twitter thread. The “Zola” filmmaker is taking inspiration from Octavia...
“Bridgerton’s” Julie Anne Robinson & Adjoa Andoh Reteam for Adaptation of Vanessa Riley’s “Island Queen”
Julie Anne Robinson is celebrating her Emmy nomination for directing “Bridgerton” by reteaming with one of the smash hit’s stars. She’s optioned “Island Queen,”...
SXSW Winner “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America” Acquired by Sony Pictures Classics
Ahead of its world premiere at SXSW 2021, Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler described “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America” as a film “about confronting this country’s...
Happy Juneteenth! (And a Recommendation of What to Watch)
Happy Juneteenth! We are committed to recognizing ongoing systemic, anti-Black racism and to fighting for a more equitable future. If you’re in the market for a film to honor the day, we...
Pick of the Day: “Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer”
“Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer” spotlights people and events that have been “disappeared by history,” as one interviewee puts it. Dawn Porter’s latest documentary...
Tribeca 2021 Women Directors: Meet Suzanne Joe Kai – “Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres”
Suzanne Joe Kai received two Emmy Award nominations and was named Best Woman News Reporter while a broadcast journalist at San Francisco’s NBC affiliate KRON-TV. She worked at KCBS Radio (CBS) and...
Trailer Watch: Jodie Turner-Smith Is “Anne Boleyn”
“The world will know my innocence,” vows Jodie Turner-Smith in a new trailer for “Anne Boleyn.” Penned by Eve Hedderwick Turner, the three-part Channel 5 psychological...
Pick of the Day: “The Underground Railroad”
“The Underground Railroad,” the new Prime Video show based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning novel of the same name, makes for an interesting companion piece to “The Long...
Jenna Coleman to Topline and EP Series About Miss Moneypenny Inspiration Joan Bright
Jenna Coleman is heading to Whitehall. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the “Victoria” star will topline and executive produce TV drama “The War Rooms,” “telling the...
Hannah Berryman’s “Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm” Acquired by Abramorama
The star-studded story of the first residential recording studio is coming to home cinema May 14. Abramorama has secured U.S. distribution rights to “Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm”...
Trailer Watch: “Sisters with Transistors” Highlights Women’s Contributions to Electronic Music
Narrated by Laurie Anderson, Lisa Rover’s “Sisters with Transistors” celebrates the women who pioneered electronic music. “This is the story of women who hear music in their...