#History
Trailer Watch: A Young Woman Escapes Slavery and Discovers “The Underground Railroad”
The Underground Railroad is a very real subterranean system of tracks, tunnels, and conductors in Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming limited series. An adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s...
Tamara Mariam Dawit’s “Finding Sally” Will Air as Part of WORLD Channel’s “AfroPoP” Series
Tamara Mariam Dawit’s investigation into a family mystery is headed to WORLD Channel. A press release has announced “Finding Sally” will debut on WORLD Channel as part of its...
Helen Mirren Will Portray Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in “Golda”
Helen Mirren’s returning to public office. In 2007 the actress took home an Oscar for portraying Queen Elizabeth II in “The Queen.” In 2020 she received a Golden Globe nod for...
Nikole Hannah-Jones & Oprah Set “1619 Project” Docuseries at Hulu, Shoshana Guy to Be Showrunner
Nikole Hannah-Jones and Oprah Winfrey have set their first “1619 Project” adaptation. Last summer the duo announced they were collaborating with Lionsgate on a slate of features, TV...
Yael Bridge’s Socialism Doc “The Big Scary ‘S’ Word” Lands at Greenwich Entertainment
A culture and climate that’s seen President Joe Biden labeled as “far left” and “socialist” is one in dire need of a political education. Thankfully, “The Big...
Katie Holmes to Produce and Topline “The Watergate Girl”
Katie Holmes is tackling one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history. The “Dawson’s Creek” alumna has optioned “The Watergate Girl: My Fight For Truth and Justice...
Quote of the Day: Andra Day Realized Her “Voice Is Worthy” Thanks to Billie Holiday
Andra Day is paying tribute to Billie Holiday and the jazz singer’s life-changing effect on her. Her leading performance in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” has already earned...
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...
Kate Taverna on Exploring the Aftermath of the Agent Orange Catastrophe in “The People vs. Agent Orange”
Kate Taverna has edited more than 50 films over her career, including “Asylum” and “Killing in the Name,” which were Academy Award nominees in the Best Short Documentary...
Trailer Watch: A U.N. Translator Faces a Crisis in Jasmila Žbanić’s Oscar Contender “Quo Vadis, Aida?”
“What will happen to us?” asks Jasna Đuričić in a new trailer for “Quo Vadis, Aida?” Set in 1995 during the Bosnian War, Jasmila Žbanić’s Oscar-shortlisted drama...
Regina King to Star in Shirley Chisholm Biopic “Shirley”
Regina King is eyeing the White House. The Oscar-winning actress and Best Director hopeful is set to star in “Shirley,” a biopic of Shirley Chisholm. The Hollywood Reporter broke the...
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...
Pick of the Day: “The Long Song”
Being stolen from her mother as a young girl, being renamed “Marguerite” against her will, and deciding whether having a child of her own is worth bringing another soul into bondage are...
Michelle Pfeiffer Will Play Betty Ford in Showtime’s “The First Lady” Series, Susanne Bier Directing
Michelle Pfeiffer and Susanne Bier are teaming up to bring Betty Ford’s story to the small screen. The Oscar-nominated actress and Oscar-winning Danish director will join Viola Davis in...
Trailer Watch: “Star Trek’s” Nichelle Nichols Revisits Her History with NASA in “Woman in Motion”
“I said if they let me in the door I will open it so wide they will see the world,” says Nichelle Nichols in a new trailer for “Woman in Motion: Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek and the...
Helena Coan on Showing a Different Side to Audrey Hepburn in “Audrey”
Helena Coan is a writer, director, and musician. Her first documentary feature, “Chasing Perfect,” was produced by Salon Pictures and distributed by Lionsgate. The documentary is a...
Cynthia Erivo to Topline and Produce Biopic About African Princess Sarah Forbes Bonetta
Cynthia Erivo is set to portray yet another real-life trailblazer. The star of “Harriet” and the forthcoming “Genius: Aretha” has signed on to topline a biopic about Sarah...
Maggie Smith Is Bringing “A German Life” to the Screen
COVID-19 is taking “A German Life” in an unexpected direction. A screen version of the one-woman play about the life of Brunhilde Pomsel, Nazi politician and minister of propaganda Joseph...
Anthology About Remarkable Women in History Lined Up at Starz, Eleanor of Aquitaine to Be First Subject
Eleanor of Aquitaine is the latest female historical figure to get the television treatment at Starz. The cabler, home of “The Spanish Princess” and the upcoming “Becoming Elizabeth”...
Trailer Watch: Malcolm X Celebrates Alongside Muhammad Ali in Regina King’s “One Night in Miami
Inspired by true events, “One Night in Miami” takes place on February 25, 1964: the night Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, was named the new World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. A...
Trailer Watch: “Assassins” Investigates the Women Behind Kim Jong-nam’s Murder
“Assassins” revisits a stranger-than-fiction crime that galvanized the world in 2017. The Sundance doc investigates the shocking story behind Kim Jong-nam’s assassination in broad...
DOC NYC 2020 Women Directors: Meet Petra Epperlein – “The Meaning of Hitler”
Petra Epperlein makes documentaries with her husband Michael Tucker. Epperlein was born in Karl Marx City, GDR, and began her professional life as an architect. Her credits include “The Last...
Jodie Turner-Smith Will Portray Anne Boleyn in Channel 5 Psychological Thriller
Jodie Turner-Smith is heading to King Henry VIII’s mind-fuck of a court. The “Queen & Slim” actress will play Anne Boleyn in a three-part “convention-defying” drama from...
Sara Wolitzky on Exploring “Reawakened Feminist Energy and Organizing” in “Not Done: Women Remaking America”
Sara Wolitzky is a documentary filmmaker. In 2012, she helped launch the multi-platform documentary series MAKERS, which chronicles the U.S. and global women’s movement and the stories of hundreds...
Rubika Shah on Exploring the Power of Grassroots Activism in the Punk Scene in “White Riot”
Rubika Shah is a writer-director and Screen International Star of Tomorrow. Her films have screened at Sundance, Berlin, Tribeca, and Hot Docs. Her mini-doc about David Bowie, “Let’s...
Teaser Watch: “The Crown” Is Anything But a Fairytale in Season 4
Princess Diana has arrived in the new teaser for “The Crown.” Season 4 of Netflix’s royal family drama brings the People’s Princess (Emma Corrin) into the Windsor fold. And...
Trailer Watch: “The Glorias” Pays Tribute to Gloria Steinem’s Life on the Road
“Taking to the road changed who I thought I was,” says Julianne Moore in a new trailer for “The Glorias.” Julie Taymor’s nontraditional biopic of Gloria Steinem sees...
Trailer Watch: “Billie” Promises to Celebrate “The Real Billie Holiday”
“Everybody professed to know her — they knew nothing about her,” an interviewee explains in a new trailer for “Billie,” an upcoming documentary that offers audiences the...
Book Excerpt: “Love Is All Around: And Other Lessons We’ve Learned from The Mary Tyler Moore Show”
The following is adapted from Paula Bernstein’s “Love Is All Around: And Other Lessons We’ve Learned from The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Reprinted by permission of Running Press,...
Teaser Watch: Julie Taymor, Julianne Moore, & Alicia Vikander Celebrate Gloria Steinem in “The Glorias”
“I want to write about the women’s movement,” says Gloria Steinem in a new teaser for “The Glorias.” The feminist icon’s journalism and activism played — and...
Trailer Watch: “Underplayed” Celebrates Female DJs, Past and Present
“I never had seen a female DJ at the clubs. Ever,” says DJ Duffey in a trailer for “Underplayed.” As electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani explains, women have been involved...
Trailer Watch: “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President” Brings Americans Together Through Music
“I think music is the best proof that people have one thing in common no matter where they live, no matter what language they speak,” says Jimmy Carter in a new trailer for “Jimmy...
American Black Film Fest 2020 Women Directors: Meet Funmi Holder – “Efunsetan Aniwura”
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Funmi Holder has acted in over 25 movies since she made her debut in the Nigerian film industry. Her big break came in 2010, when she took the role of Amaka Okoh in the...
Trailer Watch: “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” Brings History to Life at the Met
After making his mark on the culinary world with restaurants and best-selling cookbooks, Yotam Ottolenghi was looking for his next challenge. He found it when the Metropolitan Museum of Art called....
Laura Ingalls Wilder Doc in the Works from PBS’ “American Masters”
PBS is paying tribute to the woman who immortalized a little house on the prairie. Timed to coincide with the 85th anniversary of the publication of “Little House on the Prairie,”...
Pick of the Day: “A Thousand Cuts”
“A Thousand Cuts” is a powerful portrait of an indomitable journalist and an impassioned call to arms. Described by director Ramona S. Diaz as a film about “the erosion of democracy,...
Trailer Watch: Unjoo Moon Tells Helen Reddy’s Story in “I Am Woman”
Helen Reddy’s roar continues to reverberate. A trailer has arrived for “I Am Woman,” Unjoo Moon’s biopic of the trailblazing superstar. The spot kicks off in 1966 and sees...
Amy Adams to Exec Produce & Star in Netflix Limited Series Revisiting Walmart Class Action Lawsuit
Amy Adams will follow up her Emmy-nominated role as a crime reporter searching for answers in “Sharp Objects” with another portrayal of a woman trying to find justice. The six-time Oscar...
Trailer Watch: Dawn Porter Turns the Camera on White House Photographer Pete Souza in “The Way I See It”
Acclaimed photojournalist Pete Souza steps in front of the camera for Dawn Porter’s latest documentary. “The Way I See It” offers an intimate look behind the scenes of Barack Obama...
Olivia Hetreed Is Adapting “Song of the Sun God” for TV
Olivia Hetreed is bringing “Song of the Sun God” to the small screen. The “Girl with the Pearl Earring” scribe has been tapped to adapt Shankari Chandran’s debut novel for...
Civil Rights Leader and Minnesota’s First Black Female Attorney Lena O. Smith Is Getting a Biopic
Lena O. Smith, a civil rights leader and trailblazing lawyer, will soon be getting her own feature film. A biopic about Smith, the first African American woman attorney to be licensed in Minnesota,...
Trailer Watch: Barbara Kopple Revisits a Daring Rescue Mission in “Desert One”
On November 4, 1979, 52 American diplomats and citizens were taken hostage by revolutionary Iranian students at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. It was up to President Jimmy Carter to resolve the crisis...
Rosario Dawson, Retta, and Aly Raisman Hosting Women’s Suffrage Podcasts
Two podcasts honoring the anniversary of women’s right to vote are on the way from the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission (WSCC). The commission, along with the National Park Service and...
Guest Post: Reconsidering Film’s Past to See Change in the Future
Guest Post by Diana Martinez For the last decade I’ve been researching, writing, and teaching students of all ages about gender disparities in Hollywood. When I tell them that the silent film...
LaToya Morgan Writing Feature Adaptation of “Never Caught,” the Story of Runaway Slave Ona Judge
The long-untold story of Ona Judge, a young woman who escaped slavery and was hunted by George and Martha Washington, is coming to the big screen. A press release has announced that Provenance Films...
Chelsea Winstanley to Direct Māori Art Doc “Toi Tu Toi Ora – Visual Sovereignty”
Taika Waititi became the first Māori person to win an Oscar when he accepted the award for Best Adapted Screenplay at this year’s ceremony. “I dedicate this to all the indigenous kids in the...
Lena Horne Limited Series from Jenny Lumet in Development at Showtime
Jenny Lumet is paying tribute to a trailblazer — and family member — with her latest project. The “Star Trek: Discovery” scribe has a limited series about actress, singer,...
Oprah Winfrey and Nikole Hannah-Jones Bringing “The 1619 Project” to Film and TV
The “1619 Project” is getting an adaptation — several of them, in fact. Nikole Hannah-Jones’ groundbreaking New York Times magazine issue, which considers American history via...
Stefani Robinson to Make Feature Screenwriting Debut with “Black Mozart” Biopic
Stefani Robinson has explored the surreality of the Black experience in contemporary America with “Atlanta,” and gone on wacky adventures with a motley crew of vampires with “What...
“Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President” Acquired by Greenwich Entertainment
Greenwich Entertainment has scooped up North American theatrical and home entertainment rights to “Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President,” a press release announced. Mary Wharton’s...