#Women Directors
April 2021 Film Preview
By Kara Headley and Vicki A. Lee Spring is around the corner, and as the world comes into bloom to offer us renewed hope after the long winter, new women-centric films are coming to the big screen to...
ARRAY Releasing Acquires Shantrelle P. Lewis Doc “In Our Mothers’ Gardens”
“In Our Mothers’ Gardens” is joining the ARRAY family. Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Releasing has acquired Shantrelle P. Lewis’ feature film debut with plans to release the doc...
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Desiree Akhavan, & Elisabeth Holm Team Up for Amazon Comedy Pilot “Hot Pink”
Sarah Michelle Gellar is returning to the small screen. The “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” alumna will show off her comedic chops in “Hot Pink,” a YA comedy that’s been...
Exclusive: Emerald Fennell Discusses the Inspiration for “Promising Young Woman”
“Promising Young Woman” stars Carey Mulligan as an ex-med student who spends her nights going to clubs, pretending to be wasted, and scaring the hell out of the dudes who try to have sex...
April 2021 Television Preview
An interview series featuring one dope queen, an awkward comedy that sees an “SNL” alumna playing a pubescent boy, and an action series remake that reclaims the problematic...
Trailer Watch: “Together Together” Is a Platonic Love Story About a Surrogate and a Single Dad
Two strangers form an intimate bond in “Together Together,” Nikole Beckwith’s comedy about a young loner who becomes the gestational surrogate for a single man in his 40s. A trailer...
Trailer Watch: Taylour Paige & Riley Keough Go on an Epic Trip to Florida in Janicza Bravo’s “Zola”
“Y’all wanna hear a story about why me and this bitch here fell out?” asks Taylour Paige in a new trailer for “Zola.” “It’s kind of long, but full of...
Maïmouna Doucouré’s “Cuties” Wins the Alice Guy Prize
“Cuties” has been named as the fourth annual winner of the Alice Guy Prize. Cineuropa confirmed that Maïmouna Doucouré’s feature debut landed the honor for the best female-directed...
Mariem Pérez Riera’s “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It” Lands at Roadside Attractions
“Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It” has found a home following its well-received world premiere at Sundance Film Festival. Roadside Attractions snagged rights to Mariem Pérez...
Brown Girls Doc Mafia Announces Sustainable Artist & Black Directors Grant Recipients
Advocacy group Brown Girls Doc Mafia (BGDM) has presented it inaugural BGDM Sustainable Artist Grants and the BGDM Black Directors Grants. According to Deadline, the grants come with $10,000,...
Trailer Watch: A College Student Unexpectedly Crosses Paths with Her Sugar Daddy in “Shiva Baby”
A college student (Rachel Sennott) finds herself in a living nightmare when she discovers that her high school ex (Molly Gordon) and sugar daddy (Danny Deferrari) are at the same shiva she’s...
“The Place That Makes Us” Director Karla Murthy on Highlighting Community Leaders in Youngstown, Ohio
Karla Murthy is an Emmy Award-nominated producer. She began her career working for the veteran journalist Bill Moyers, and has been a producer, cameraperson, and correspondent for various PBS news...
Yael Bridge’s Socialism Doc “The Big Scary ‘S’ Word” Lands at Greenwich Entertainment
A culture and climate that’s seen President Joe Biden labeled as “far left” and “socialist” is one in dire need of a political education. Thankfully, “The Big...
Nadine Labaki to Direct Netflix’s “The Invisibles”
Nadine Labaki has been tapped to helm Netflix’s English-language remake of 2018 French dramedy “Les Invisibles.” Titled “The Invisibles,” the feature will mark the...
Trailer Watch: “Our Towns” Searches for Answers Across the U.S.
A portrait of six diverse American towns is coming to HBO. Based on Deborah and James Fallows’ bestselling book of the same name, “Our Towns” sees Oscar-nominated filmmakers Jeanne...
Mira Nair to Direct Disney+ “National Treasure” Series Led by a DREAMer Protagonist
Mira Nair is embarking on an epic treasure hunt. She’s following up BBC miniseries “A Suitable Boy” with another small screen project, a female-led reimagining of the...
“Nomadland” Wins PGA Award for Best Picture
“Nomadland” is one step closing to capping off its historic awards season with an Oscar for Best Picture. The Frances McDormand-starrer took home the Best Picture Award at the PGA’s...
Pick of the Day: “Violation”
Madeleine Sims-Fewer tells a different kind of revenge story in “Violation,” an intimate and gruesomely violent story of betrayal. Written and directed by Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli,...
Michaela Coel, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Radha Blank, & More Score NAACP Image Awards
Congratulations are in order for Michaela Coel, Gina Prince-Bythewood, and Radha Blank. The multi-hyphenates are among this year’s NAACP Image Award winners. “The 2021 NAACP Image Awards...
Trailer Watch: Cristin Milioti Escapes Her Sociopathic, Mind-Reading Ex in “Made for Love”
“I don’t know what I want. But I know I don’t want you,” Cristin Milioti tells her ex in a new trailer for “Made for Love.” Based on Alissa Nutting’s novel...
Hot Docs Reveals 2021 Lineup, 50 Percent of Directors in the Program Are Women
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival has announced its 2021 lineup. Featuring 219 films from 66 countries, the program was culled from 2,300 submissions. Fifty percent of the...
Lifetime Celebrating VP Kamala Harris and More “Women Making History” in New Special
Lifetime will cap off Women’s History Month with a one-hour special paying tribute to women making strides in politics, activism, medicine, and more. A press release has announced that...
Emerald Fennell to Write Zatanna Superhero Movie for DC Films
Emerald Fennell is celebrating her Oscar nominations with a high profile gig. Variety reports that the “Promising Young Woman” writer, director, and producer is set to tell another...
Megan Park’s “The Fallout” Wins SXSW Grand Jury Award
Megan Park’s feature directorial debut has taken home the top prize at SXSW 2021. The fest, which was virtual this year due to COVID-19, named “The Fallout” as the winner of its...
Inclusive SXSW Musical “Best Summer Ever” Gets Distribution at Freestyle Digital Media
“Best Summer Ever,” a teen musical from directors Lauren Smitelli and Michael Parks Randa, has nabbed distribution. Freestyle Digital Media will release the film — which was...
Alliance of Women Directors and AMC Join Forces for Directing Master Class Series
Time to buckle in. The Alliance of Women Directors (AWD) and AMC Networks are presenting High-Octane Episodic Directing Series, a five-part master class series exploring direction on action and...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Manal Khaled – “Trapped”
Manal Khaled is an Egyptian filmmaker who studied Philosophy at the University of Alexandria. She worked at Misr International Films and has collaborated with award-winning directors such as Saad...
Lisa Immordino Vreeland’s “Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation” Acquired by Kino Lorber
Lisa Immordino Vreeland’s ode to the bond between two literary giants has secured distribution. Kino Lorber scooped up North American rights to “Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Megan Park – “The Fallout”
Megan Park is an actress, writer, and director. She starred in seven seasons on “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.” She is the recipient of the Toronto International Film Festival’s...
Two-Part Brittany Murphy Doc in the Works at HBO Max
HBO Max is paying tribute to Brittany Murphy. A press release announced that the streamer has a two-part docuseries in the works about the late “Clueless” actress. Directed by Cynthia...
Maria Schrader’s Berlin Winner “I’m Your Man” Goes to Bleecker Street
The Emmy-winning director of “Unorthodox’s” latest feature is heading stateside. Bleecker Street scored U.S. rights to Maria Schrader’s “I’m Your Man.” The...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Sonia Kennebeck – “United States vs. Reality Winner”
Sonia Kennebeck is a Malaysian-born, New York City-based independent filmmaker and investigative journalist with 17 years of directing and producing experience. Her most recent documentary thriller,...
Kateryna Gornostai’s Berlinale Coming-of-Age Pic “Stop-Zemlia” Lands at Altered Innocence
Kateryna Gornostai’s feature debut has secured U.S. distribution following its world premiere at the Berlinale. Altered Innocence snagged rights to “Stop-Zemlia,” a Ukrainian coming-of-age...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Mei Makino – “Inbetween Girl”
For three years, Mei Makino taught filmmaking to youth in the Austin area, inspiring her to tell honest stories about kids and teens. She’s written and directed short films that have played at The...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Mallory Everton – “Recovery”
Mallory Everton is best known for being one of the original writer-actors on the sketch comedy show “Studio C” and for her role in the Purple Mattress Raw Egg Test commercial. She also...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Ursula Macfarlane – “The Lost Sons”
Emmy and BAFTA-nominated director Ursula Macfarlane is known for making films which combine the epic with the intimate, often focusing on marginalized communities or victims of trauma. Her feature...
Trailer Watch: Hannah Olson’s HBO Doc Short Takes Us Aboard “The Last Cruise” Amidst COVID-19
A nightmare unfolds at sea in “The Last Cruise,” Hannah Olson’s short doc revisiting the early days of COVID-19 and the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship’s ill-fated journey from...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Mary Wharton – “Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free”
Mary Wharton has dedicated her career to making documentaries about music. Her work includes “Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and...
Lindsey Ferrentino to Make Her Feature Directorial Debut with “Amy and the Orphans” Netflix Adaptation
Lindsey Ferrentino is bringing “Amy and the Orphans” to Netflix. The playwright is set to make her feature directorial debut with the adaptation of her stage show. Variety broke the...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Lissette Feliciano – “Women is Losers”
Lissette Feliciano is a writer, director, producer, and a graduate of Tisch School of the Arts. She is a Tribeca Film Institute AT&T Untold Stories grant recipient, was named as one of Shoot...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Emily Cohen Ibáñez – “Fruits of Labor”
Emily Cohen Ibañez is a Latinx Colombian-American filmmaker who earned her doctorate in Anthropology with a certificate in Culture and Media at New York University. Her film work pairs lyricism with...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Mari Walker – “See You Then”
Mari Walker is an award-winning director, writer, and editor. Films she has worked on have been screened at numerous film festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Frameline, and Outfest. Walker’s...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Leah Purcell – “The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson”
Leah Purcell is a proud Goa-Gungarri-Wakka Wakka Murri woman from Queensland, Australia. She is an internationally acclaimed playwright, screenwriter, director, novelist, actor, cultural icon, and...
Pick of the Day: “Jumbo”
“Jumbo” is about a shy young woman who experiences a sexual awakening when she falls in love with an amusement park ride — but more than that, Zoé Wittock’s feature...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Danielle Kummer & Lucy Harvey – “Alien On Stage”
Danielle Kummer is a director, producer, and editor from London who studied film and media at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Producer and director Lucy Harvey spent 17 years as a stylist...
Pick of the Day: “Quo Vadis, Aida?”
“Quo Vadis, Aida?” is celebrating its VOD release date with an Oscar nomination. Jasmila Žbanić’s war drama is up for Best International Feature at the 93rd edition of the Oscars. Set in...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Alba Sotorra Clua – “The Return: Life After ISIS”
Alba Sotorra Clua has worked in Syria, Afghanistan, Korea, Bosnia, Cuba, the US, Guatemala, England, Iran, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, and Qatar, and has lived long periods in the Middle East. Her films...
Jasmila Žbanić on Revisiting the Srebrenica Massacre in International Feature Oscar Nominee “Quo Vadis, Aida?”
Jasmila Žbanić is a Bosnian writer, director, and producer. Her feature debut “Grbavica” won the 2006 Berlinale Golden Bear. She followed it up with 2010’s “On the...
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...
Oscar Nominations: Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell Make History in the Best Director Category
For the first time in its 93-year history, the Academy Awards has a Best Director race that includes two women nominees. Oscar nominations are in, and Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell both landed...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Hannaleena Hauru – “Fucking with Nobody”
Hannaleena Hauru is a Finnish screenwriter and director. Her debut feature, “Thick Lashes of Lauri Mäntyvaara” (2016), was developed at Torino Film Lab and Cannes Cinéfondation...