#Inclusivity
Dr. Stacy L. Smith & the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Launch Website Exploring Oscar History
Dr. Stacy L Smith and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative have launched The Inclusion List, a new initiative that showcases inclusion in entertainment. “Who says hashtag activism can’t create...
Lisa Cortés Signs First-Look Deal with Blue Ant Studios, Slate Includes Docuseries About Women in Hip-Hop
Lisa Cortés is going into business with Blue Ant Studios. The Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning producer and director inked a new first-look deal with the production company that will see her...
SAG Awards: The Cast of “CODA” and “West Side Story’s” Ariana DeBose Make History
“CODA” took home the top honor — and made history — at last night’s SAG Awards. Sian Heder’s coming-of-age story about an aspiring singer who is also the only...
Guest Post: It’s Time For Disability Representation in Hollywood to Increase and Evolve
By Anna Pakman As a young girl growing up in the ’90s, I rarely saw anyone who looked like me on television or in the movies. You see, I was born with Cerebral Palsy, a disability that limits...
Ava DuVernay Launches Inclusive Database of Below-the-Line Talent
Ava DuVernay has announced her latest effort to give Hollywood a much-needed makeover. The Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning multi-hyphenate has “assembled a database of below-the-line talent...
Emmy Nominations: Regina King, Zendaya, Lynn Shelton, and More
The Emmy Awards are looking less pale and male than years past. Nominations were just announced, and we’re heartened to see a more inclusive roster being recognized. Sadly, it’s not at...
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...
Academy Announces Inclusion Standards for Oscars Eligibility
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is further addressing its inclusivity problem. The Academy has announced a “fresh set of measures aimed at boosting representation both within...
Amma Asante, Julie Taymor, & More to Speak at Carla Conference 2020 on Diversity & Inclusion
An online conference hosted by Women in Film & TV International is set to bring creatives, researchers, executives, financiers, and activists together to discuss how we can create “lasting...
Apply Now: Firelight Media’s Documentary Lab
Firelight Media’s Documentary Lab is accepting submissions for its 2020 edition. Now in its 11th year, the 18-month fellowship supports emerging filmmakers of color working on their first or...
Viola Davis, Halle Berry, Taraji P. Henson, & Other Veteran Black Actresses Talk Representation
“I’m really proud to be a part of our industry now because we’re finally understanding that we’re stronger together and it doesn’t have to be one of us,” says...
2020 Athena Film Fest to Open with “I Am Woman” and Close with “Rocks”
The Athena Film Festival (AFF) at Barnard College has announced its 2020 program. The 10th annual edition of the fest will kick off with the New York Premiere of “I Am Woman,” Unjoo...
Lynette Howell Taylor and Stephanie Allain Will Produce the 2020 Oscars
Lynette Howell Taylor and Stephanie Allain are set to produce the 92nd Oscars, a press release announced. Slated to take place February 9, 2020, this year’s ceremony will mark the pair’s...
Quote of the Day: “Queen & Slim’s” Melina Matsoukas on “Bonnie and Clyde” Comparisons & Inclusivity
“Queen & Slim” has been one of 2019’s most hotly anticipated films since the project was first announced. The romantic thriller about star-crossed lovers marks Melina...
Michelle Williams and Phoebe Waller-Bridge Bring the House Down at the 2019 Emmy Awards
Michelle Williams delivered a powerful, inclusive message at last night’s Emmy awards. The famously private actress found herself at the center of a major media controversy last year when word...
Guest Post: Why I Work in Film Exhibition, and How the Industry Is Changing
Guest Post by Alison Kozberg As Managing Director of Art House Convergence, an association dedicated to advancing excellence in art house cinemas, I have the great privilege to collaborate with...
Bentonville Film Festival to Honor “American Horror Story’s” Jamie Brewer
“American Horror Story’s” Jamie Brewer will be honored at the 2019 Bentonville Film Festival (BFF), Deadline confirms. The actress will receive the “See It, Be It” Award, given...
Trailer Watch: Beyoncé Makes Her Mark at Coachella in “Homecoming”
Beyoncé’ is revisiting her iconic 2018 Coachella performance and the lead up to the headline-making set. Netflix just dropped a trailer for “Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé,” a...
Black Women Make History at Oscars 2019
A record number of women took home statuettes at last night’s Academy Awards. Though they were shut out of a number of categories — most notably, Best Director — women won 15...
Quote of the Day: Ellen Pompeo Calls Out Lack of Racial Inclusivity During Event
Ellen Pompeo’s fight for fair pay on “Grey’s Anatomy” — and her willingness to talk about the issue both publicly and candidly — has been helping push forward the...
Guest Post: How I Branched Out from “Ethnic Friend” to Leading Lady in “Unlovable”
Guest Post by Charlene deGuzman Growing up Filipino-American in the ‘80s and ‘90s, I never saw any movie stars that looked like me. I rarely saw anyone Filipino on-screen, and if I did, they...
Seed&Spark Crowdfunding Rally Yields Nearly $250,000 for Pilots by Creators of Color
Seed&Spark continues to kick ass. With the highest campaign success rate of any crowdfunding site and its focus on inclusion and diversity, the platform is already helping give the industry a...
New WarnerMedia Policy Makes Significant Commitment to Inclusion on Both Sides of Camera
WarnerMedia — the conglomerate made up of Warner Bros., HBO, Turner, and their assets — is adopting a company-wide policy that commits to diversity and inclusion on- and off-screen....
Quote of the Day: Guillermo del Toro Says Important Voices in the Biz Aren’t Being Heard
Guillermo del Toro is speaking out about the sexism plaguing the film industry. “I think the goal has to be 50-50 by 2020. If it’s 50-50 by 2019, that’s even better,” he said, referring...
Quotes of the Day: Sarah Paulson and Sandra Oh Reflect on How Roles for Women Have Changed
Sarah Paulson and Sandra Oh joined forces to talk about how far Hollywood has come — and how far it has to go — for a feature in Variety. Both are up for an Emmy Award this year —...
Maria Melnik to Adapt Superhero Comic “Faith”
As amazing as it is to see women like Gal Gadot, Scarlett Johansson, and Tessa Thompson lighting up the big screen in superhero pics, the genre is sorely lacking in female characters who can’t...