#Racism
Trailer Watch: Nancy Buirski Revisits “A Crime on the Bayou” and Exposes Institutional Racism
An examination of justice, allyship, and activists working together to dismantle institutional racism, Nancy Buirski’s “A Crime on the Bayou” tells the story of Gary Duncan, a Black...
Hot Docs 2021 Women Directors: Meet Yasmine Mathurin – “One of Ours”
Yasmine Mathurin is a Haitian-Canadian writer, director, and award-winning podcast producer. She produced the audio-fiction podcast “The Shadows,” which won Gold in the fiction category at the...
Hot Docs 2021 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Redfearn – “Apart”
Jennifer Redfearn is an Academy Award-nominated director. She directed and produced “Sun Come Up” about a small island community losing their land to rising seas. “Sun Come...
Pick of the Day: “Hysterical”
An unabashed love letter to women comedians, Andrea Nevins’ “Hysterical” is a celebration of some of the funniest stand-ups working today. Margaret Cho, Fortune Feimster, Nikki Glaser,...
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...
Golden Globes: Chloé Zhao Wins Best Director, Andra Day Named Best Actress in a Drama
Chloé Zhao and Andra Day made history at last night’s Golden Globe Awards. Zhao became the first woman director to claim the Best Director prize since Barbra Streisand took home the honor in...
Lupita Nyong’o’s Children’s Book “Sulwe” Being Adapted into an Animated Musical at Netflix
Lupita Nyong’o’s debut children’s book will serve as the inspiration for an upcoming animated musical at Netflix. Deadline confirmed that the Oscar-winning actor’s New York...
Rebecca Hall’s “Passing” Goes to Netflix in $15 Million Deal, Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga Star
Rebecca Hall has landed a massive deal for her directorial debut. Netflix landed international rights to period drama “Passing” for a reported $15.75 million following its world premiere...
Trailer Watch: Andra Day Refuses to Be Silenced in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”
Two-time Grammy nominee Andra Day takes the stage to sing “Strange Fruit” in a new trailer for “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” The Hulu drama revisits how the federal...
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...
Pick of the Day: “Finding Yingying”
A loving portrait of a young woman robbed of her bright future, “Finding Yingying” also serves as an indictment of the true crime genre, which all too often treats victims of violent...
Taraji P. Henson to Make Feature Directorial Debut with High School Comedy “Two-Faced”
Taraji P. Henson is directing her first movie. Variety confirms the Oscar-nominated actress will helm, produce, and star in Bron Studios’ high school comedy “Two-Faced.” The project...
Jiayan “Jenny” Shi on Deviating from Traditional True Crime Docs with “Finding Yingying”
Jiayan “Jenny” Shi is a documentary filmmaker and video journalist who is passionate about social justice issues regarding people of color. She shoots, edits, and produces video stories...
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...
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...
Pick of the Day: “Coded Bias”
With “Coded Bias,” Shalini Kantayya wanted to explore “the dark underbelly of big tech.” She was following the lead of Joy Buolamwini, an MIT media lab researcher who...
Sabrina Van Tassel on Uncovering Flaws in the System in “The State of Texas vs. Melissa”
Sabrina Van Tassel is a French-American film director and journalist. As an investigative reporter, Van Tassel has directed more than 45 documentary films over the last 15 years for major television...
Pick of the Day: “Belly of the Beast”
Though it’s most closely associated with Nazi Germany, eugenics has a history stateside as well. And it’s not just a thing of the past. “Belly of the Beast” tells the story of...
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...
Pick of the Day: “The Forty-Year-Old Version”
A struggling playwright decides to reinvent herself as a rapper in “The Forty-Year-Old Version,” this year’s winner of Sundance’s Directing Prize. Written and directed by Radha Blank, the...
Trailer Watch: Elle Lorraine’s “Bad Hair” Has a Mind of Its Own
“I can’t fault you for doing whatever it takes to get where they keep trying to keep us from getting. In a perfect world, a woman would be able to wear her hair the way she wants...
Trailer Watch: Gretchen Sorin and Ric Burns Explore What “Driving While Black” Means in America
Driving, mobility, travel — these are essential elements of the American identity. But they’re also ones that have historically been denied to Black Americans. “What it means to be...
Linda Ronstadt Doc “Linda and The Mockingbirds” Gets a Release Date
Another Linda Ronstadt doc is on the way. Following on the heels of 2019’s “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice,” “Linda and The Mockingbirds” will focus on a...
Trailer Watch: “Belly of the Beast” Investigates Modern-Day Eugenics in California Prisons
“Belly of the Beast” tells the story of Kelli Dillon, one of many women who has been involuntarily sterilized while in prison. A new trailer for Erika Cohn’s documentary sees Dillon...
Quote of the Day: Halle Berry on Stepping Behind the Camera and Her Post-Oscar Career
Halle Berry’s directorial debut is one of our most anticipated titles screening at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. In our write-up of “Bruised,” a drama about...
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...
American Black Film Fest 2020 Women Directors: Meet Drew V. Marke – “Get Luke Lowe”
Drew V. Marke has written short films which have been selected for international festivals such as Encounters and Sci-Fi London, won a Film London award, and been screened at the David Lean cinema...
Pick of the Day: “Lovecraft Country”
The supernatural, like everything else, informs and is influenced by systemic racism in “Lovecraft Country.” Misha Green’s new HBO series, developed from Matt Ruff’s novel of...
Quote of the Day: Sierra Teller Ornelas Talks Native American Representation on Her New Show
According to the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, 70 percent of female television characters in the 2018-2019 season were white. Seventeen percent were Black, seven percent were...
Michael B. Jordan and Color Of Change Introduce #ChangeHollywood Inclusion Initiative
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the widespread Black Lives Matter protests, it’s become clear that institutions — not least of all Hollywood — must reckon with their...
Quote of the Day: Viola Davis’ “Entire Life Has Been a Protest”
When a tide of Black Lives Matter protests broke out after George Floyd’s murder, Viola Davis wanted to join them. But, due to COVID-19 concerns, she decided not to attend the events. Instead,...
Quote of the Day: “The Old Guard’s” KiKi Layne on Black Female Superheroes
KiKi Layne is speaking out about how representation — and the lack thereof — influences her aspirations in Hollywood. The “If Beale Street Could Talk” breakout stars alongside...
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...
Human Rights Watch Film Fest 2020 Women Directors: Meet Shalini Kantayya – “Coded Bias”
Shalini Kantayya directed the season finale episode for the National Geographic television series “Breakthrough,” a series profiling trailblazing scientists transforming the future. Her debut...
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...
Oprah Winfrey to Host Televised Town Hall Addressing America’s Systemic Racism
As demonstrations against racism and anti-Black police brutality continue in the U.S. and around the world, Oprah Winfrey is using her platform to inspire frank conversation, and hopefully inspire...
Teaser Watch: Racist Terrors Abound in the Jim Crow-Era South in “Lovecraft Country”
“The American dream depends on the question: ‘What is reality?'” a new trailer for “Lovecraft Country” hints. An adaptation of the 2016 novel of the same name, the HBO...
A Message to the Women and Hollywood Community
This was a hard weekend and week for all of us, especially people living here in the United States. The disease of white supremacy and the abuse of the police against black people has been on stark...
Trailer Watch: Janelle Monáe Is Stuck in a Nightmare in “Antebellum”
Janelle Monáe’s idyllic life comes to a grinding halt in a new trailer for “Antebellum.” We see glimpses of Veronica (Monáe), a successful author, painting, cuddling, and playing...
Guest Post: A Recovering Angry Asian Girl Celebrates Trailblazers in PBS’ “Asian Americans”
Guest Post by Renee Tajima-Peña I am a recovering angry Asian girl and showrunner of “Asian Americans,” a docuseries about the epic and unexpected history of the country’s fastest...
Tribeca 2020 Women Directors: Meet Michèle Stephenson – “Stateless”
As co-founder of Rada Studio, Michèle Stephenson pulls from her Panamanian and Haitian roots and experience as a human rights attorney to tell provocative stories that speak to personal and systemic...
Robin Hauser Explores How Hidden Biases Affect Workplaces, Relationships, & Technology in “Bias” Doc
Robin Hauser is an award-winning director of documentary films at Finish Line Features. Her exploration into implicit gender and racial bias in artificial intelligence led her to introduce the...
Pick of the Day: “There’s Something in the Water”
Women and Hollywood has temporarily suspended our recommendations newsletter. We’ll be sharing some of the week’s highlights in TV, VOD, and streaming via blog posts. Ellen Page has been known...
Quote of the Day: Vanessa Bell Calloway on the Visibility of Black Women in Hollywood
With well over 100 credits to her name and decades of experience in the business, Vanessa Bell Calloway has witnessed first-hand how much in Hollywood has changed — and how much has stayed the...
Trailer Watch: Ellen Page Exposes Environmental Racism in “There’s Something in the Water”
A new trailer for “There’s Something in the Water” sees Oscar-nominated actress Ellen Page, who was born and raised in Nova Scotia, reflecting on the Canadian province’s...
Judith Helfand’s “Cooked: Survival By Zip Code” to Air on PBS’ “Independent Lens”
“Cooked: Survival By Zip Code” will air on PBS as part of “Independent Lens.” A press release confirmed that Judith Helfand’s documentary about the 1995 Chicago heat...
Research: Women Directors Hit 13-Year High in 2019 But WOC Remain Especially Underrepresented
We’re ushering in 2020 with some good news and some bad news. Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative just dropped their latest report, “Inclusion in the...
Quote of the Day: Gabrielle Union on Rejecting the Status Quo and Holding the Door Open
Gabrielle Union is speaking her truth — and hoping to inspire others along the way. The “LA’s Finest” star recently participated in a panel about female empowerment and...
Regina Hall Will Topline and Exec Produce Mariama Diallo Occult Drama “Master”
Regina Hall’s next project sees her taking on supernatural forces and racism on a college campus. The “Black Monday” actress is set to star and exec produce “Master,” an...
Teaser Watch: Kerry Washington Searches for Her Missing Teen in “American Son”
Kerry Washington’s stuck inside a living nightmare in a new teaser for “American Son.” The Netflix feature sees the “Scandal” alumna playing Kendra, a mother desperate...
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...