#Women Directors
Rachel Fleit’s “Introducing, Selma Blair” Acquired by discovery+ Ahead of SXSW Premiere
“Introducing, Selma Blair” has lined up distribution ahead of its world premiere at SXSW next week. A press release confirms Rachel Fleit’s first feature doc has been acquired by...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Paola Calvo – “Luchadoras”
Paola Calvo is a Venezuelan director and cinematographer. In 2012, Calvo directed “A Tale of two Islands,” a two-channel video installation that was shown at Berlinale Forum Expanded. Wanting to...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Andrea Nevins – “Hysterical”
Andrea Blaugrund Nevins is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-winning director, producer, and writer. Her credits include “Still Kicking,” “The Other F Word,” “Play It...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Stacey Gregg – “Here Before”
Stacey Gregg is a Belfast and London based writer, director, and performer working across film, TV, and theater. She is currently developing several original television drama series including...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Yngvild Sve Flikke – “Ninjababy”
Yngvild Sve Flikke wrote and directed dramas and documentaries for the Norwegian National Broadcasting (NRK) for 17 years before making her feature film debut with “Women in Oversized Men’s...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Caroline Catz – “Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes”
A British actor who has worked extensively in television, theater, film, and radio, Caroline Catz is also an accomplished film director and writer. Catz’s films include “A Message to the...
Toni Collette to Make Directorial Debut with Adaptation of “Writers and Lovers”
Toni Collette’s stepping into a new role. The Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning actor is set to make her feature directorial debut with an adaptation of “Writers and Lovers” for...
SXSW 2021 Women Directors: Meet Natalie Morales – “Language Lessons”
Natalie Morales is an actor, director, writer, and activist. “Dead to Me,” “Battle of the Sexes,” and “Abby’s” are among her on-screen credits. Her directing...
SXSW 2021 Preview: Blackness and Beauty Standards, Selma Blair’s Public Battle with M.S., and More
SXSW 2021 is just around the corner. Set to take place March 16-21, the 35th edition of Austin-based fest is digital this year due to COVID-19. With more than half of the films set to screen in...
Natalie Portman, Lupita Nyong’o, & Alma Har’el Team Up for Apple TV+’s “Lady in the Lake” Limited Series
Natalie Portman and Lupita Nyong’o are coming to the small screen. Deadline reports that the Oscar winners are both set to take on their first major TV roles in Apple TV+’s “Lady in...
Doc About U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s Equal Pay Fight to Premiere on HBO Max
The story of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s 2019 FIFA victory and push for equal pay is headed to HBO Max. A press release has announced “LFG” — as in...
Sonia Kennebeck’s “Enemies of the State” Lands at IFC Films
“Enemies of the State” has found a home. IFC Films snagged North American rights to Sonia Kennebeck’s doc about alleged Wikileaks courier and Anonymous hacker Matt DeHart, a press...
Elizabeth Banks to Direct “Cocaine Bear”
Elizabeth Banks is moving on from ass-kicking Angels to a headline-making black bear. The “Charlie’s Angels” helmer is set to direct “Cocaine Bear” for Universal, The...
Maggie Kiley to Direct The CW’s Live-Action “Powerpuff Girls” Pilot
“The Powerpuff Girls” has found its director. Maggie Kiley has signed on to helm the pilot of The CW’s live-action take on the iconic Cartoon Network animated series, The Hollywood...
DGA Awards Nominations: Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell Score Nods in Feature Directing Category
Chloé Zhao’s historic awards season just reached another milestone. The Directors Guild of America has announced the nominees for the 2021 DGA Awards, and the “Nomadland” filmmaker...
“Nomadland” and “Rocks” Lead BAFTA Nominations, Women Directors Make History
BAFTA nominations are in, and Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” and Sarah Gavron’s “Rocks” lead the pack with seven nominations apiece. It’s a historic year for...
Trailer Watch: Activists Work to Destigmatize Periods in “Pandora’s Box”
“When I started my period, I was very young and nobody had told me about it,” an interviewee reveals in the trailer for “Pandora’s Box,” a documentary about the stigma...
Pilar Palomero’s “Schoolgirls” Wins the Top Honor at Spain’s Goya Awards
Pilar Palomero’s directorial debut won the night’s biggest honor at Spain’s Goya Awards. “Schoolgirls” was named Best Film at Saturday’s hybrid ceremony, which took...
Amy Jo Johnson Writing and Directing “Ends of the Earth”
Amy Jo Johnson’s third directorial effort is on the way. The “Flashpoint” actor will follow up 2017’s “The Space Between” and 2019’s “Tammy’s...
Critics Choice Awards: “Nomadland” and “Promising Young Woman” Win Big
Another day, another accolade for Chloé Zhao. The “Nomadland” writer, director, and producer has already made history as the most awarded filmmaker in a single awards season and...
Trailer Watch: Irish Women Call for Equality, Abortion Rights, and Personal Autonomy in “The 8th”
In 2018, Ireland voted to repeal the 8th amendment, the 1983 law that granted fetuses the same right to life as their mothers, in a historic referendum. The story behind this huge advancement in...
Exclusive: Chicken & Egg Pictures Selects 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab Grantees
Chicken & Egg Pictures has selected the grantees for its 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab, Women and Hollywood can confirm exclusively. The program awards a total of $400,000 to first- and second-time...
Sabrina Doyle’s “Lorelei” Secures U.S. Distribution at Vertical Entertainment
“Lorelei,” writer-director Sabrina Doyle’s feature debut, will soon be making its way to cinemas and on-demand services. A press release announced that Vertical Entertainment acquired...
Kate Taverna on Exploring the Aftermath of the Agent Orange Catastrophe in “The People vs. Agent Orange”
Kate Taverna has edited more than 50 films over her career, including “Asylum” and “Killing in the Name,” which were Academy Award nominees in the Best Short Documentary...
Submit Now: Breaking Through The Lens Financing Program for Women & Non-Binary Directors
If you are a woman or non-binary director in late-stage development on a feature, this is for you. Breaking Through The Lens (BTTL) has opened its 2021 application cycle. The program will give 10...
Trailer Watch: A U.N. Translator Faces a Crisis in Jasmila Žbanić’s Oscar Contender “Quo Vadis, Aida?”
“What will happen to us?” asks Jasna Đuričić in a new trailer for “Quo Vadis, Aida?” Set in 1995 during the Bosnian War, Jasmila Žbanić’s Oscar-shortlisted drama...
Annette Bening Will Topline Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s Swimmer Biopic “Nyad”
Annette Bening is headed to the Straits of Florida on a harrowing journey. The “Captain Marvel” actor is set to play a real-life superhero in “Nyad,” a biopic of swimmer Diana...
The Act of Healing: Crowdfunding Picks
The act of healing takes many forms. From the healing of a physical trauma, to the healing that takes place within our hearts and minds, to the healing of a system — the work is never done....
Céline Sciamma’s “Petite Maman” Acquired by Neon
Céline Sciamma’s follow-up to “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” has found a home. Neon scored North American rights to “Petite Maman” following its world premiere at the Berlin...
Athena Film Festival Announces 2021 Awardees and Grant Winners
The Athena Film Festival (AFF) has announced its 2021 awardees. Dedicated to highlighting films showcasing women’s leadership, the fest is running digitally this year due to COVID-19. AFF 2021...
Tracey Deer’s Oka Crisis Coming-of-Age Drama “Beans” Lands at FilmRise
“Beans” has secured distribution ahead of its European premiere at the Berlinale. FilmRise scored U.S. rights to Tracey Deer’s coming-of-age drama set against the backdrop of the...
Patricia Clarkson Will Topline Rachel Feldman’s Lilly Ledbetter Biopic
Rachel Feldman’s political thriller about fair pay whistleblower and activist Lilly Ledbetter has found its leading lady. Patricia Clarkson will take on the titular character in...
Aisha Tyler to Direct Psychological Thriller About Institutional Abuse “Silent John”
Aisha Tyler has booked her next directing gig. The “Criminal Minds” star, who most recently helmed an episode of The CW’s “Roswell, New Mexico,” is set to step behind...
Shahrbanoo Sadat Reflects on Showing a Different Side of Afghanistan in “The Orphanage”
Interview by Gabriela Rico Shahrbanoo Sadat is an Afghan writer and director based in Kabul. Her first feature film, “Wolf and Sheep,” was developed with the Cannes Cinéfondation Residence in...
Pick of the Day: “Sophie Jones”
Grief is always tough, but it’s especially hellish when it hits during adolescence. When you experience a loss before you even really know who you are, how can you possibly heal? “Sophie...
Joana Hadjithomas Talks “Memory Box,” Her Berlinale Drama About Three Generations of Women
Joana Hadjithomas is an artist and filmmaker. She and collaborator Khalil Joreige have directed award-winning films such as “The Lebanese Rocket Society,” “A Perfect Day,” and...
Join the Girls Club for a Conversation with “Land” Star and Director Robin Wright
Robin Wright, the director and star of “Land,” will join the Girls Club for a conversation on Wednesday, March 3, at 2 p.m. EST. The event is open to the public, but be sure to...
March 2021 Film Preview
By Vicki A. Lee and Kara Headley 2021 marks the 40th year since the early seeds of Women’s History Month were sown. In 1981, Congress passed Public Law 97-28 to request the President designate the...
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...
Lisa Cortés in Production on “The Empire of Ebony,” Doc About Ebony Magazine’s Impact
Lisa Cortés is following up voter suppression doc “All In: The Fight for Democracy” with a tribute to the first Black media empire. She’s in production on “The Empire of...
Trailer Watch: A Highschooler Grieves and Comes of Age in Jessie Barr’s “Sophie Jones”
After her mother’s death, the titular character in “Sophie Jones” has a hard time of it, and she doesn’t really know what, if anything, will help her feel better. “At...
Betsy West and Julie Cohen’s “My Name Is Pauli Murray” Acquired by Amazon Studios
The new doc from Oscar-nominated “RBG” filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen has secured worldwide distribution. Variety confirms “My Name Is Pauli Murray” has been acquired...
March 2021 Television Preview
Winter isn’t quite over yet, but Spring TV has definitely arrived. From an Aretha Franklin miniseries to a drama about high school students figuring out who they are, there are plenty of...
Pick of the Day: “My Zoe”
I went into “My Zoe” only knowing the very basics of its plot, and I would advise anyone else interested in Julie Delpy’s latest film to do the same. (But there is a trailer below...
Exclusive: A Killer Hairdresser May Have Found Her Next Victim in “The Stylist” Clip
A lonely hairstylist finds a terrifying way to pass the time in “The Stylist,” Jill Gevargizian’s feature directorial debut. In our exclusive clip of the psychological thriller,...
Film Fatales Launches First International Digital Film Market for Womxn, Will Run Alongside Berlinale
The first-ever international digital film market for womxn is set to take place alongside the 2021 Berlinale’s European Film Market. A joint initiative from Film Fatales and Cinemarket, The...
Rock Doc “Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché” Lands at Utopia, Ruth Negga Narrates
Celeste Bell’s ode to her trailblazing mother has secured worldwide distribution. Utopia scored rights to “Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché” ahead of its world premiere at this...
America Ferrera Directing “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” Adaptation for Netflix
America Ferrera broke out playing a college-bound young woman struggling to connect with her mother in Patricia Cardoso’s “Real Women Have Curves” — and now she’s set to...
“Nomadland” Named Best Feature by Vancouver Film Critics Circle, Chloé Zhao Wins Best Director
Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” has claimed yet another prize. The Frances McDormand-starrer was named best international feature by the Vancouver Film Critics Circle. Zhao landed the...
DGA Report: Women Directed 34 Percent All TV Episodes in 2019-2020 Season
Once again, the number of television episodes directed by women and people of color bested its own record. The Directors Guild of America released its latest “Episodic Television Director...
Trailer Watch: Soleil Moon Frye Relives Her Child Stardom in “kid 90”
Soleil Moon Frye takes an eye-opening stroll down memory lane in “kid 90,” an upcoming Hulu documentary that sees the former child actor rediscovering hundreds of hours of footage she...