#Women Directors
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Nira Burstein – “Charm Circle”
Nira Burstein is an emerging director based in New York City and was recently selected for Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film. Burstein is an Independent Film Project (now The...
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Emily Kuester – “Messwood”
Emily Kuester is a director, producer, and writer. She got her start at 371 Productions and has assisted in producing short and long form documentaries, virtual reality experiences (2019 Sundance VR...
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Alysa Nahmias – “Krimes”
Alysa Nahmias is an award-winning filmmaker and founder of the Los Angeles-based production company AJNA. Her work has been shown at festivals and exhibitions worldwide, including the Venice...
Vivian Kleiman Talks Tracing Queer Comics’ Journey to the Mainstream with “No Straight Lines”
Vivian Kleiman is a Peabody Award-winning filmmaker. A longtime producer with storied filmmaker Marlon Riggs, her credits include additional cinematography on his landmark documentary “Tongues...
Trailer Watch: Keira Knightley & Camille Griffin Celebrate the Holidays and Prepare for the End in “Silent Night”
Kitchen disasters and guests sharing bizarre conspiracy theories are enough to sabotage most Christmas dinners, but they’re the least of Keira Knightley’s worries in “Silent...
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Neasa Ní Chianáín – “Young Plato”
Neasa Ní Chianáin is a documentary filmmaker whose credits include “Frank Ned & Busy Lizzie,” “Fairytale of Kathmandu,” and “The Stranger,” which screened at...
Stella Meghie to Write and Direct “Princess and the Frog” Spinoff Series for Disney+
Princess Tiana is returning to the screen. Deadline has confirmed that “The Photograph” filmmaker Stella Meghie has been tapped to write and direct a “Princess and the Frog”...
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Abby Epstein – “The Business of Birth Control”
Abby Epstein started her career as a theater director having her own Chicago-based production company, Roadworks Productions, which was founded in 1992. After directing a few productions in Chicago,...
Trailer Watch: Odessa Young’s Life Changes on “Mothering Sunday” in Eva Husson’s Latest
From director Eva Husson and screenwriter Alice Birch, “Mothering Sunday” sees a woman experiencing — and then reflecting on — a pivotal day in her life. On Mother’s Day...
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Erin Bernhardt and Din Blankenship – “Refuge”
Erin Bernhardt is an independent filmmaker. She has won two Peabody Awards, an Emmy, and numerous film festival awards. Her first independent feature documentary, “Imba Means Sing,” aired...
Pick of the Day: “Cusp”
Ahead of “Cusp’s” world premiere at Sundance, directors Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt told us that they hope audiences will “think about what it actually looks like to...
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Holly Morris – “Exposure”
For two decades Holly Morris has told, and championed, pro-woman, cross-cultural stories on the global stage. She is an internationally known filmmaker, author, and presenter. Her last feature film,...
Pick of the Day: “Night Raiders”
Marking Danis Goulet’s feature directorial debut, “Night Raiders” is a dystopian sci-fi take on the history, and possible future, of colonialism and authoritarianism. It’s a bleak...
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Sandra Alvarez – “InHospitable”
Sandra Alvarez has spent her career directing and producing a wide spectrum of documentary and television programs for CNN, Netflix, Sundance Channel, History Channel, BBC America, A&E Network,...
Trailer Watch: Abby Epstein Investigates “The Business of Birth Control”
“Birth control is so inextricably tied into our freedom as women — but only half the story is being told,” we’re informed in a new trailer for “The Business of Birth...
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Yasmin C. Rams – “Go Heal Yourself”
Yasmin C. Rams’ credits include the mid-length documentary “Miriam” and the short documentary “A Life in Blue.” She co-directed the former and directed the latter. As a...
Kathleen Collins to Receive Posthumous Icon Tribute at Gotham Awards
Kathleen Collins is set to receive the inaugural Icon Tribute posthumously during the 2021 Gotham Awards Ceremony. A press release announced that the event will honor the poet, playwright, writer,...
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Kavery Kaul – “The Bengali”
Kavery Kaul is a filmmaker and the founder of riverfilms. She was born in India and is based in the U.S. Her works have been featured at DOC NYC, Telluride, London, Rotterdam and Sydney Festivals,...
Trailer Watch: Activists Derrica and Natalie Wilson Are Dedicated to Finding “Black and Missing” Persons
“There are so many missing people of color in the U.S.,” we’re told in the trailer for the HBO docuseries “Black and Missing.” “African Americans remain missing...
First Feature Doc About Rosa Parks in the Works from Directors Yoruba Richen & Johanna Hamilton
After several years of biopic talks, Rosa Parks is finally getting her own film. Yoruba Richen (“The Green Book: Guide to Freedom”) and Johanna Hamilton (“1971”) are directing...
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Bianca Stigter – “Three Minutes: A Lengthening”
Bianca Stigter is a historian and cultural critic. She made the short film essays “Three Minutes – Thirteen Minutes – Thirty Minutes” and “I Kiss This Letter –...
DOC NYC 2021 Preview: Films About Social Justice, Systemic Racism, Healthcare, and More
DOC NYC 2021 is kicking off today, November 10. The documentary film festival will feature in-person events through November 18 and online screenings through November 28. Women and Hollywood has...
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Yunhong Pu – “Go Through the Dark”
Yunhong Pu is a director, editor, cinematographer, and producer based in New York City. Born and raised in China, she received her MFA in Social Documentary Film from SVA in 2019. “Go Through...
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Valerie Blankenbyl – “The Bubble”
Valerie Blankenbyl is an Austrian documentary filmmaker. She previously directed feature length documentaries “I Am Jesus” and “A Mother’s Dream.” “The Bubble”...
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Vera Krichevskaya – “F@ck This Job”
Vera Krichevskaya is a Russian filmmaker. She is the co-founder of TV Dozhd (TV Rain), which is the only independent private TV channel in Russia. She is an award-winning television director and has...
Pick of the Day: “The Dilemma of Desire”
Described by director Maria Finitzo as “a film about power, and how power is easily taken when the truth is replaced with a lie,” “The Dilemma of Desire” puts the clitoris under a microscope...
Exclusive: Holly Morris Spotlights the Women’s Euro-Arabian North Pole Expedition in “Exposure” Teaser
Explorer Felicity Aston leads a high-stakes expedition in “Exposure,” a documentary that’s set to make its world premiere at DOC NYC November 13. “This is such a dangerous...
European Film Award Nominations: “Titane” and “Quo Vadis, Aida?” Up for Top Honor
The European Film Academy has announced nominations for the 34th European Film Awards, and Julia Ducournau’s “Titane” and Jasmila Žbanić’s “Quo Vadis, Aida?”...
IDA Documentary Awards’ 2021 Honorees Include Jean Tsien, Cecilia Aldarondo, & Rintu Thomas
Jean Tsien, Cecilia Aldarondo, and Rintu Thomas will be among the honorees at the 37th edition of the IDA Documentary Awards. A press release from the International Documentary Association (IDA)...
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Jamie Boyle – “Anonymous Sister”
Jamie Boyle is a two-time Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker. She is the director, cinematographer, and editor of the short documentary “Take A Vote” and she is the producer, editor, and...
Nicole Holofcener’s “Beth & Don” Acquired by A24, Julia Louis-Dreyfus Stars
A24 has acquired North American rights to Nicole Holofcener and Julia Louis Dreyfus’ latest collaboration, “Beth & Don.” The deal went down at the American Film Market, per...
DOC NYC 2021 Women Directors: Meet Alexandra Dalsbaek – “We Are Russia”
Alexandra Dalsbaek is a French-Russian filmmaker based in Moscow. Previously a freelance journalist, she made her documentary feature debut with “Cinderella Syndrome,” which premiered in...
Joan Churchill Will Receive DOC NYC’s Lifetime Achievement Award
Joan Churchill has been named as the 2021 recipient of DOC NYC’s Lifetime Achievement Award. A press release announced the news. The first documentary-focused director of photography to be...
Join the Girls Club for a Talk About Film Financing with Jennifer Esposito and Christine Crokos
Jennifer Esposito and Christine Crokos will join the Girls Club to discuss the future of film financing on Tuesday, November 9, at 4 p.m. EST. The virtual chat will be open to the public, but be sure...
Deepa Mehta to Helm Adaptation of “Burnt Sugar”
Deepa Mehta has another adaptation on the way. The Indo-Canadian filmmaker will follow-up her last feature, 2020’s “Funny Boy,” based on Shyam Selvadurai’s novel of the same name,...
Pick of the Day: “Beans”
“You need to be able to stand up for what’s important to you,” a 12-year-old Mohawk girl is told in “Beans.” Tracey Deer’s coming-of-age drama tells the story of Tekehentahkhwa,...
Pick of the Day: “Mark, Mary & Some Other People”
From the very beginning of their relationship, Mary (Hayley Law) and Mark (Ben Rosenfield) do things a little unconventionally. In the opening scenes of “Mark, Mary & Some Other...
Anita Rocha da Silveira’s Cannes Pic “Medusa” Heads to Music Box Films
“Medusa,” writer-director Anita Rocha da Silveira’s satirical thriller exploring the pressure women put on themselves to be perfect, has found a home. According to Deadline, Music...
Kate Tsang’s “Marvelous and the Black Hole” Acquired by FilmRise
Kate Tsang’s debut feature has secured North American distribution. FilmRise landed rights to “Marvelous and the Black Hole,” a coming-of-age story about a teenage girl (Miya Cech) and...
Kelly Macdonald Starring in Carol Morley’s Next Feature, Jane Campion Exec Producing
“The Falling” filmmaker Carol Morley is collaborating with Kelly Macdonald (“Boardwalk Empire”), Monica Dolan (“A Very English Scandal”), Gina McKee...
Trailer Watch: Jane Campion Teams Up with Kirsten Dunst in Oscar Contender “The Power of the Dog”
Kirsten Dunst finds herself struggling to protect her son and husband from the cruelty of her brother-in-law in “The Power of the Dog,” Jane Campion’s first feature in over a...
Katie Holmes Will Co-Write, Direct, Produce, and Star in Adaptation of “Rare Objects”
Katie Holmes is stepping behind the camera again. The “Dawson’s Creek” alumna and “All We Had” filmmaker is set to direct, co-write, and produce “Rare...
“The Souvenir Part II,” “Censor,” and More Score BIFA Nominations
The 2021 British Independent Film Award (BIFA) nominations have been announced, with Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir Part II,” Prano Bailey-Bond’s “Censor,” and Clio...
Trailer Watch: Mia Hansen-Løve’s “All Is Forgiven” Gets Its First U.S. Theatrical Release
“Can you forgive me?” a father asks his daughter in a new trailer for “All Is Forgiven.” Mia Hansen-Løve’s debut feature is getting its first ever U.S. theatrical...
Sandrine Kiberlain’s “A Radiant Girl” Lands U.S. Distribution
“A Radiant Girl” is heading stateside. Film Movement acquired North American rights to Sandrine Kiberlain’s Cannes drama about a Jewish teenager living in Paris under German...
Gugu Mbatha-Raw Will Topline Isabel Coixet Romance “Nobody’s Heart”
Gugu Mbatha-Raw is set to star in Isabel Coixet’s next feature. The “Morning Show” actress will star in “Nobody’s Heart,” a romance based on the life of Portuguese...
Eight Artists Selected for 2021 Women at Sundance Adobe Fellowship
Sundance Institute has selected eight artists for the second annual Women at Sundance Adobe Fellowship. Variety confirms that Deborah Esquenazi (“Southwest of Salem”), McKenzie Chinn...
Lone Scherfig Teams Up with Bérénice Bejo for “The Movie Teller”
Lone Scherfig is teaming up with an Oscar-nominated actress on a love letter to cinema. Scherfig is set to direct “The Movie Teller,” the story of a mother and daughter whose love of...
November 2021 Television Preview
Even though the end of 2021 is near, it is just the beginning for shows premiering this November. This month offers us a range of programs, from comedies to intense dramas, to keep our attention as...
November 2021 Film Preview
November promises to ring in the festive season with fervor and fanfare, with a list of highly anticipated releases hitting theaters and streaming platforms. The dynamic offerings this month include...
Gravitas Ventures Snags U.S. Rights to “Home,” Franka Potente’s Feature Directorial Debut
Best known for her breakthrough role in “Run Lola Run,” the “Bourne” franchise and, more recently, “Claws,” Franka Potente is making a name for herself behind the...