#Sexism
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...
Mo’Nique Lines Up a Netflix Special, Re-Teams with Her “Precious” Director
After a long and winding road, Mo’Nique finally has a Netflix special on the way. In 2018, the comedian and Oscar-winning actress called out the streamer for gender and color bias when they...
July 2022 Film Preview
The Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade is a brutal reminder that the rights of freedom and bodily autonomy are never truly won and that the fight for basic human rights remains ongoing....
Meghan Markle Set to Examine Stereotypes About Women in Her First Spotify Podcast
Meghan Markle is all too familiar with the kind of misogynistic vitriol leveled at women. She’s faced sexism, racism, and classism on a global scale. The Duchess of Sussex is set to...
Pick of the Day: “Finding Kukan”
Here are a few factoids about “Kukan,” the 1941 documentary about China during Japan’s WWII invasion and occupation: Its title is a term that refers to perseverance in the face of...
Katie Couric on “Going There,” Confronting Her Past, and Seizing Control of Her Career
Interview by Wendy Sachs “I don’t know when I’m going to slow down. When are you going to slow down?” Katie Couric asks me over the phone when we talk in early December. The iconic,...
Pick of the Day: “The Chair”
Though it’s decidedly less glamorous, academia isn’t entirely dissimilar from Hollywood. The wealthy and powerful minority convince themselves that meritocracy governs the system, and the...
Manjari Makijany on Telling an Empowering Story About Confidence and Courage in “Skater Girl”
Manjari Makijany is Los Angeles-based writer, director, and producer with diverse film experience in India and the United States. Her journey as a director took off with her critically acclaimed...
Cannes Disappoints Yet Again: Just 17 Percent of This Year’s Competition Films Are Directed by Women
As gender parity becomes increasingly commonplace in festival programming, Cannes continues to lag far behind. Long considered one of the most prestigious fests in the world, Cannes still seems to be...
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,...
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...
“A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem” Acquired by 1091 Pictures
We kicked off 2020 cheering on Gabi, Lexi, and La’Darius at Daytona’s NCA & NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship and we’ll ring in 2021 cheering on NFL cheerleaders...
Quote of the Day: TCA Prez Sarah Rodman on the Toll COVID Has Taken on Shows By and About Women
The COVID-19 crisis has hit women especially hard: professions dominated by women have seen the most job loss, and women are bearing the brunt of homeschooling-while-in-quarantine and childcare...
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...
Nina Menkes to Investigate Sexist Cinema Techniques with Doc “Brainwashed”
Nina Menkes is taking on the male gaze. The “Queen of Diamonds” director is working on “Brainwashed,” a documentary outlining the omnipresent cinematic techniques that...
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...
Exclusive: Girls and Women Celebrate Their Passion for Aviation in “Fly Like a Girl” Trailer
“Girls make better pilots than boys because we’re way smarter. No offense,” says one of the young characters featured in “Fly Like a Girl.” Our exclusive trailer for...
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: “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...
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...
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...
Exclusive: “American Experience” Explores the History Behind Women and the Ballot Box in “The Vote”
“The fact that a woman will put her body on the line to be a citizen is considered shocking,” says one of the characters featured in “American Experience’s” “The...
New MAKERS Doc About Feminist Changemakers to Premiere on PBS this Summer
We’ve made gains on the road towards gender equality, but the work is far from over. MAKERS, a media brand dedicated to “accelerating the women’s movement,” has announced a...
Eímear Noone Will Make History as the First Woman to Conduct at the Oscars
Eímear Noone will be conducting at the 92nd Academy Awards, cementing her place in history as the first woman to ever do so at the ceremony. The Irish-born composer “will conduct excerpts from...
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...
Quotes of the Day: Julie Delpy and Marjane Satrapi on the Constraints Women Filmmakers Face
Between them, Julie Delpy and Marjane Satrapi have helmed 12 features and netted three Oscar nominations — they obviously know what they’re doing. Yet, as the filmmakers recently revealed...
“The Woman Who Loves Giraffes” Lands Distribution
“The Woman Who Loves Giraffes” is heading to theaters. Zeitgeist Films in association with Kino Lorber snagged U.S. rights to Alison Reid’s documentary about Canadian zoologist,...
Quote of the Day: Nell Scovell Calls for “More Dialogue” in the #MeToo Movement
In October 2009, veteran TV writer Nell Scovell wrote a piece for Vanity Fair taking her former boss David Letterman to task for his sexism, the toxic work environment he oversaw, and his...
Online Harassment Doc “Netizens” in Wide Release for National Domestic Violence Month
A doc about women and online harassment is opening in wide release to coincide with National Domestic Violence Month. Cynthia Lowen’s “Netizens” will hit theaters October 22. A...
Trailer Watch: A Trailblazing Film Critic Is Remembered in “What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael”
Many admired Pauline Kael. Many disparaged her. No one could deny her influence. A new trailer has dropped for “What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael,” a tribute to the polarizing late...
Exclusive: Sailors Battle Sexism and Make History in “Maiden” Featurette
“Maiden” tells the story of the first-ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race. The year was 1989, and sailing was very male-dominated — a fact that...
Quote of the Day: Channel 4’s Dorothy Byrne on How to Change TV and the World
“I’m just about the oldest female TV executive working for a broadcaster and for many reasons being a woman working in news and current affairs has been a struggle,” said Dorothy Byrne...
Quote of the Day: Angelina Jolie Praises “Wicked” Women
“Wicked” — like “bitch,” “slut,” “difficult,” “shrill,” “emotional,” or “nasty” — is a word that is...
Guest Post: Why I Cut All of the Sex Scenes from My Film
Guest Post by Zoe Eisenberg Most filmmakers know the pain of finding their favorite scenes on the cutting room floor, but how about the satisfaction of snipping your least favorite scenes? During...
Just Two Women-Directed Features Will Screen in Competition at Venice 2019
Venice Film Festival continues to disappoint. Last year the fest signed the 5050×2020 Pledge, committing to greater transparency in its selection process and staff, with the goal of eventually...
Why “Big Little Lies” Fucking Over Andrea Arnold Feels Especially Frustrating
I couldn’t bring myself to watch “Big Little Lies” last night. I may check out the newest episode later this week, but honestly, I’m in no hurry. Indiewire dropped a bomb about...
Guest Post: What I Learned From Revisiting My 1984 Documentary “Before Stonewall”
Guest Post by Greta Schiller “Before Stonewall” traces the making of America’s lesbian and gay community from the turn of the century to the Stonewall Riots. I never imagined the...
Quote of the Day: Gina Prince-Bythewood on Changing the Narrative About Women Directors
“I am seeing a definite shift, but it doesn’t mean that the numbers are not still absolutely abysmal,” Gina Prince-Bythewood tells Deadline in a new feature about the fight for gender parity...
Quote of the Day: Mindy Kaling on “Late Night” and the Stigma of Being a “Diversity Hire”
Mindy Kaling scored one of the biggest deals out of Sundance this year for “Late Night,” a comedy about a veteran late-night host who hires her first female writer under pressure to make...
Trailer Watch: A Teen Finds a Job and a New Way of Looking at the World in “Ladies in Black”
A holiday gig makes a lasting impact in “Ladies in Black.” A trailer for adaptation of Madeleine St John’s bestselling novel of the same name has dropped, and it sees a 16-year-old...
Jenna Ricker’s Doc About Motorsports Trailblazer Janet Guthrie to Air on ESPN’s “30 for 30”
Janet Guthrie made history in 1977 when, at the age of 39, the aerospace engineer became the first woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Jenna Ricker’s “Qualified” explores...
Hammer Museum Hosting Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon Focused on Women in Film
UCLA’s Hammer Museum is working to reform Wikipedia’s gender gap. This Sunday, March 10, it is hosting an Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon focused on women’s achievements in...
New App Lets Users Rate a Film Based on Its Feminism (or Lack Thereof)
Do you think movies should be evaluated by their portrayal of women? What about their depictions of race or class? Whether they are intersectional? Well, now there’s an app for that. World...
Paramount Accepts #4PercentChallenge from Time’s Up and Annenberg Inclusion Initiative
Paramount has accepted Time’s Up and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s #4PercentChallenge. Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, and Paramount Players are committing to announcing...
Lauren Greenfield Launches Girl Culture Films to Address Lack of Diversity Behind the Scenes in Advertising
Remember Always’ #LikeaGirl ad? Besides inducing tears around the world, the viral sensation won an Emmy, 14 Cannes Lions, and became part of the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection....
Oscar Noms 2019: Another All-Male Directing Category
The 2019 Oscar nominations have been announced, and we can still count every woman who has ever been nominated for Best Director on one hand: Lina Wertmüller, Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola, Kathryn...
Catherine Hardwicke on “Twilight’s” 10th Anniversary and Breaking Down Stereotypes
It’s been a decade since Bella and Edward’s love story galvanized audiences comprised mostly of women and teen girls. “Twilight’s” box office success helped prove the...
Viola Davis Gets Candid About Stifling Her Voice, Time’s Up, and What’s Missing from Cinema
“I always say that one thing missing in cinema is that regular black woman,” observes Viola Davis in a new interview with The Guardian. “Not anyone didactic, or whose sole purpose in the...
Guest Post: How I Founded an Art House Cinema and Made Supporting Women a Priority
Guest Post by Lawren Desai My son was still in diapers when I founded an art house cinema. I wrote my business plan during nap time and showed up to construction with a stroller. This was in 2010:...