#Women Athletes
Trailer Watch: Syrian Refugee Sisters Dream of the Olympics in “The Swimmers”
Sally El Hosaini follows two sisters from war-torn Syria all the way to the 2016 Rio Olympics in “The Swimmers.” A new trailer for the inspirational drama based on a true story,...
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Stephanie Johnes – “Maya and the Wave”
Stephanie Johnes is a director, producer, and documentary filmmaker who gravitates toward stories of underdogs and dreamers. Her directorial debut, “Doubletime,” premiered at SXSW and Tribeca and...
Teaser Watch: Sally El Hosaini Spotlights Refugee Sisters & Olympic Hopefuls in “The Swimmers”
Set to open this year’s edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, “The Swimmers” depicts two refugees’ epic journey from war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics. A...
Jessica Barden to Lead Soccer Drama from Mandie Fletcher
Weeks after the launch of Prime Video’s “A League of Their Own” adaptation, word comes that another story about women in sports is on the way. Jessica Barden, perhaps best known for...
Trailer Watch: “Truth Be Told: The Fight for Women’s Professional Soccer” Investigates Abuse
“This is how pain has purpose. That’s how these players took their power back,” we’re told in a new trailer for “Truth Be Told: The Fight for Women’s Professional...
Join the Girls Club for a Conversation with “37 Words” Director Dawn Porter
One of the “37 Words” directors, Dawn Porter, will join the Girls Club to discuss the four-part ESPN documentary series celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX and exploring the ongoing...
Pick of the Day: “Olga”
An Olympic hopeful finds herself torn between her own dreams and a sense of duty to her country, family, and friends in “Olga,” a drama steered by a revelatory performance from real-life...
Ukrainian Gymnast Drama “Olga” Lands at Kino Lorber, 10% of Its Proceeds Will Go to Direct Relief in Ukraine
A drama about a Ukrainian gymnast is headed stateside. Kino Lorber landed all North American distribution rights to “Olga,” which sees Ukrainian National Team gymnast Anastasiia...
Maris Curran Talks “Jeannette,” Her Portrait of a Pulse Night Club Survivor
Maris Curran’s films have shown at Berlinale, Toronto International Film Festival, the Museum of Modern Art, the NY Times Op-Docs, and PBS’ “Independent Lens.” Her debut narrative...
Kristen Stewart to Star in Rose Glass Bodybuilding Romantic Thriller “Love Lies Bleeding”
Kristen Stewart is teaming up with Rose Glass on her next project. The Oscar-nominated “Spencer” star is saying goodbye to Buckingham Palace and hello to the world of female bodybuilding...
Trailer Watch: “Lioness: The Nicola Adams Story” Celebrates a History-Making Boxer
“When I was a kid, I wasn’t aware that women didn’t box,” says Nicola Adams in the trailer for “Lioness: The Nicola Adams Story.” She wasn’t shielded from...
SXSW 2022 Women Directors: Meet Jessica Edwards – “Skate Dreams”
Jessica Edwards launched Film First in 2010 to produce documentary shorts and feature-length work. Her award-winning debut short, “Seltzer Works,” premiered at SXSW and was broadcast on...
Doc About WNBA Star Sue Bird in the Works from Sarah Dowland
One of the greatest players in WNBA history is getting the doc treatment. Now underway, “Sue Bird: In the Clutch” follows “the final chapter” of the Seattle Storm...
Trailer Watch: A Native American Boxer Goes Undercover to Find Her Sister in “Catch the Fair One”
The winner of the Audience Award at last year’s edition of the Tribeca Film Festival, “Catch the Fair One” tells the story of Kaylee (Kali Reis), a Native American boxer determined...
Trailer Watch: “Naomi Osaka” Sees Garrett Bradley Following a Tennis Star Off the Court
Garrett Bradley is following up “Time,” her Oscar-nominated portrait of a woman fighting to free her incarcerated husband, with an intimate look behind the scenes of a tennis...
Trailer Watch: Three Sisters Fight to Win in Martial Arts Doc From Iran “Platform”
“Becoming a champion is easy; staying one is hard,” we are told in the new trailer for “Platform,” a documentary about women martial artists in Iran. Described as a...
Tribeca 2021 Women Directors: Meet Corinne van der Borch and Tone Grøttjord-Glenne – “Sisters on Track”
Corinne van der Borch is a Dutch artist and award-winning documentary filmmaker based in Brooklyn. Her feature length documentary “Girl with Black Balloons,” about the oldest living resident of...
Trailer Watch: The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Fights for Equal Pay in “LFG”
“The story’s the same everywhere: women get paid less to do the same job,” says Megan Rapinoe in a new trailer for “LFG.” Directed by Academy Award-winners Andrea Nix...
Tribeca 2021 Women Directors: Meet Andrea Nix Fine- “LFG”
Andrea Nix Fine is an Oscar, Emmy, and Peabody award-winning filmmaker. In 2021, she, along with her husband and partner Sean Fine, launched impact studio Change Content to develop true stories into...
Tiffany Haddish Will Topline and Produce Biopic of Olympic Runner Florence Griffith Joyner
Tiffany Haddish is taking inspiration from Olympic history for her next role. The “Girls Trip” breakout will leave her competition in the dust in an as-yet untitled biopic about track and...
Pick of the Day: “144”
An all-access look into a WNBA season like no other, “144” takes viewers inside the bubble of the 2020 season, which saw the league creating a single site at the IMG Academy in Bradenton,...
1996 USA Women’s Basketball Team Getting “30 for 30” Treatment at ESPN
Kristen Lappas is bringing the story of the Women’s Dream Team to ESPN. The “Blackfeet Boxing” director will helm a feature doc about the gold medal-winning 1996 USA Women’s...
Hilary Swank Set to Portray History-Making Race Car Driver Janet Guthrie in “Speed Girl”
Hilary Swank is putting the pedal to the metal and bringing Janet Guthrie’s story to the big screen. The two-time Oscar-winning actress is set to topline and produce “Speed Girl,”...
“144” Doc About WNBA’s 2020 Season in COVID-19 Bubble Gets ESPN Premiere Date
ESPN Films is offering an all-access look into a WNBA season like no other. “144” takes viewers inside the bubble of the 2020 season, which saw the league creating a single site at the...
Charlène Favier’s “Slalom” Lands at Kino Lorber
Charlène Favier’s feature debut has found a home. Kino Lorber acquired U.S. rights to “Slalom,” a press release announced. The coming-of-age drama about an elite athlete premiered as...
ESPN Films Has Doc About WNBA Star Maya Moore, Her Fight to Free Jonathan Irons in the Works
A documentary about WNBA player Maya Moore and her fight to free Jonathan Irons, a man wrongfully convicted and incarcerated for burglary and assault, is on the way. ESPN Films, in partnership with...
The Story of the 1999 U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Is Coming to Netflix
“A League of Their Own,” “Bend It Like Beckham,” “Love & Basketball,” “Girlfight,” and “Bring It On” are among our favorite films to...
Olivia Wilde Will Direct “Perfect” Biopic of Olympic Gymnast Kerri Strug
Olivia Wilde has an Independent Spirit Award win and a new gig to celebrate this week. On Saturday the multi-hyphenate picked up the Spirit Award for Best First Feature for “Booksmart,”...
Suranne Jones to Star in and Produce TV Series Inspired by World Boxing Champ Jane Couch
Suranne Jones is set to play another trailblazer. The star of HBO/BBC’s “Gentleman Jack” will star in and produce a series based on the life of five-time female world boxing...
Tribeca 2019 Women Directors: Meet Yu Gu – “A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem”
Yu Gu is a filmmaker and visual artist born in Chongqing, China and raised in Vancouver, Canada. Her previous credits include hybrid documentary “A Moth in Spring” and feature documentary...
Sundance 2019 Women Directors: Meet Anne Sewitsky – “Sonja – The White Swan”
Anne Sewitsky is a Norwegian-American filmmaker. Her debut film, “Happy Happy,” won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2011 and was Norway’s Academy Award entry the same year. Her next...
Exclusive: Bliqis Abdul-Qaadir Explores “Life Without Basketball” in a Clip of the DOC NYC Film
Set to premiere at DOC NYC, “Life Without Basketball” offers an intimate look into the triumphs and struggles of Bliqis Abdul-Qaadir, a record-breaking basketball player from Springfield...
Elisabeth Shue-Starrer and Female-Led Boxing Drama Ordered to Pilot at TNT
TNT has ordered its first drama pilots of 2018, and both are women-centric. The network is developing Elisabeth Shue-led “Constance,” a portrait of a former beauty queen turned small...
Volleyball Olympics Medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings to Get Doc Treatment
Beach volleyball star Kerri Walsh Jennings, who won the gold medal at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics with partner Misty May-Treanor, will be the subject of a new documentary. Walsh...