#Women Directors
BBC Celebrates the 100 Greatest Films Directed by Women
BBC Culture just dropped its most comprehensive international poll of film experts ever, with votes from 368 critics in 84 countries, including Women and Hollywood Founder and Publisher Melissa...
BET+ Renews “First Wives Club” for Season 2
Ari, Bree, and Hazel’s new lives are just getting started. BET+, BET Networks’ SVOD service, has renewed “First Wives Club” for a second season. Deadline confirmed the news....
Trailer Watch: Mia Wasikowska Wants Revenge in “Judy & Punch”
Mia Wasikowska wakes up bloodied and beaten in a new trailer for “Judy & Punch.” “Do you remember what happened to you?” she’s asked. The only way she can respond is...
“Frozen II” Earns $350 Million in Record-Breaking Opening Weekend
Anna and Elsa’s venture “Into the Unknown” turned out to be extremely lucrative. “Frozen II” netted $127 million domestically and $223.3 million abroad — $350.2...
Lara Jean Gallagher’s “Clementine” Acquired by Oscilloscope Laboratories
Lara Jean Gallagher’s debut feature has found a home. Oscilloscope Laboratories snagged U.S. rights to “Clementine,” a press release announced. The drama debuted at the Tribeca Film...
Weekly Update for November 22: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Frozen II – Directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck; Written by Allison Schroeder Why was Elsa (Idina Menzel) born with magical powers? What truths about the past...
“Hala” Writer-Director Minhal Baig on Making a Culturally Specific Story with Universal Themes
Minhal Baig is a writer and director. In 2017, she was chosen as a directing mentee for Ryan Murphy’s Half Foundation Directing Mentorship. Currently, she is a story editor on Netflix’s “Bojack...
“The Farewell,” “Booksmart,” & “Clemency” Among 2020 Film Indie Spirit Award Nominees
The 2020 Film Independent Spirit Award nominations are in — and a wide selection of women-directed pics, including “The Farewell,” “Booksmart,” and...
Women and Hollywood’s Picks of the Week for November 21
Picks of the Week offers Women and Hollywood’s top recommendations — women-driven and women-made movies, series, VOD releases, and more — and tells you why they are worth your time and...
Trailer Watch: Food Lovers Wine, Dine, & Fall in Love in Isabel Coixet’s “Foodie Love”
A dating app brings foodies together in the first trailer for Isabel Coixet’s upcoming HBO Europe series. Titled “Foodie Love,” the eight-part, half-hour comedy sees a woman (Laia...
Variety’s 2020 Directors to Watch List Includes Mati Diop, Shannon Murphy, & More
As the year winds down and awards season heats up, Variety is looking onward and celebrating rising talents. The trade just announced its 2020 Directors to Watch list, and of 10 filmmakers featured,...
DGA Report: Women & POC Directed Half of All TV Episodes in 2018-2019 Season, Marking a First
If you’re looking for some positive current events to discuss at Thanksgiving dinner next week, the Directors Guild of America (DGA) has got you covered. According to the guild’s new...
Projects from Alexandra Pelosi and Alexandra Shiva Added to MTV Documentary Films’ Slate
Alexandra Pelosi and Alexandra Shiva both have projects in the works at MTV Documentary Films. MTV Docs head Sheila Nevins announced the unit’s upcoming slate, and it includes a journey across...
Trailer Watch: A Trauma Expert Confronts Her Demons in “Afterward”
“I wonder if any of us have learned from the past,” says Ofra Bloch in a new trailer for “Afterward.” The documentary sees the Jerusalem-born trauma expert embarking on a...
Zoe Saldana and Reed Morano Team Up for Fact-Based CIA Thriller “Sabaya”
Zoe Saldana and Reed Morano are bringing the story of two heroines — one a CIA agent, the other a 15-year-old escaped ISIS captive — to the big screen. The duo are joining forces for...
PGA Awards: Over 70 Percent of Doc Nominees Are Directed or Co-Directed by Women
Earlier this year, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for “Free Solo,” a look inside Alex Honnold’s quest to make history as...
Melina Matsoukas Signs First-Look Deal With FX Productions
Melina Matsoukas’ banner year just got even better. Her feature directorial debut, “Queen & Slim,” hits theaters next week, and now comes word that she has inked a first-look...
Niki Caro to Direct Riley Keough-Led Amazon Series “Daisy Jones & The Six”
Riley Keough is ready for rock stardom — and Niki Caro will help chart her rise and fall. “The Girlfriend Experience” alumna has been tapped to lead “Daisy Jones & The...
Jenni Konner Signs Overall Deal with Fox 21 TV Studios
Two-time Emmy nominee Jenni Konner has inked an overall deal with Fox 21 Television Studios, Deadline reports. The multi-year pact sees the “Girls” alumna creating, developing, producing,...
Paramount’s 2020 Slate Includes 16 Movies, and Just One Is Directed by a Woman
Paramount’s current 2020 film slate includes 16 films, and exactly one of them is directed by a woman: Reed Morano’s Blake Lively-starrer “The Rhythm Section.” As it stands,...
Weekly Update for November 15: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Charlie’s Angels – Written and Directed by Elizabeth Banks Elizabeth Banks takes the helm as the next generation of fearless Charlie’s Angels takes flight. In...
Frankie Shaw to Make Feature Directorial Debut with “Ultraluminous”
Frankie Shaw is stepping behind the camera for her feature directorial debut. The “SMILF” creator, star, director, and exec producer has been tapped to helm “Ultraluminous,”...
DOC NYC 2019 Women Directors: Meet Rachel Beth Anderson – “Unschooled”
Rachel Beth Anderson is a Sundance award-winning cinematographer. She began her career filming in Libya, Syria, South Sudan, and Afghanistan for PBS’ “Frontline,” CNN, the Human...
Women and Non-Binary Directors Helmed 40 Percent of Whistler Film Festival’s 2019 Lineup
Forty percent of the titles screening at this year’s Whistler Film Festival (WFF) are directed by women and nonbinary individuals. Slated to take place December 4-8 in Whistler, British...
Kasi Lemmons, Gloria Estefan, & More to Be Honored at NY Women in Film & TV Muse Awards
“Harriet” has grossed over $25 million and Oscar buzz for its leading lady, Cynthia Erivo, since it hit theaters November 1, and now director Kasi Lemmons has more to celebrate....
Quote of the Day: “Queen & Slim’s” Melina Matsoukas on “Bonnie and Clyde” Comparisons & Inclusivity
“Queen & Slim” has been one of 2019’s most hotly anticipated films since the project was first announced. The romantic thriller about star-crossed lovers marks Melina...
DOC NYC 2019 Women Directors: Meet Mariam Ghani – “What We Left Unfinished”
Mariam Ghani is a visual artist whose first feature, “What We Left Unfinished,” premiered at 2019 Berlinale and won the Critics Choice Award at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival....
Regina Hall Will Topline and Exec Produce Mariama Diallo Occult Drama “Master”
Regina Hall’s next project sees her taking on supernatural forces and racism on a college campus. The “Black Monday” actress is set to star and exec produce “Master,” an...
Women and Hollywood’s Picks of the Week for November 14
Picks of the Week offers Women and Hollywood’s top recommendations — women-driven and women-made movies, series, VOD releases, and more — and tells you why they are worth your time and...
Ready for Their Close-Up: VOD and Web Series Picks
Marginalized groups — such as women, people of color, and the queer community — have not always gotten the critical attention they deserve. Fortunately, each of the projects highlighted...
Trailer Watch: Students Demand More Than Thoughts and Prayers in “After Parkland”
A new trailer for “After Parkland” asks how you can “make sense of the senseless.” The doc tells the story of the families of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who are...
DOC NYC 2019 Women Directors: Meet Lily Zepeda – “Mr. Toilet: The World’s #2 Man”
Lily Zepeda’s passion for exploring unconventional stories began with a career in Journalism, interviewing subjects ranging from Grammy award-winning musicians to Olympians. Zepeda went from TV...
Karen Cinorre to Make Feature Debut with “Mayday,” an Action Pic About Women Soldiers
Karen Cinorre has kicked off production on her feature directorial debut. Titled “Mayday,” the project is described as “a fantastical female-driven action film.” The indie pic...
DOC NYC 2019 Women Directors: Meet Monica Long Ross – “We Believe In Dinosaurs”
Monica Long Ross is a filmmaker and playwright, and a co-founder of 137 Films, a Chicago-based documentary production company. Ross co-directed and co-produced the award-winning documentaries “The...
Trailer Watch: Marielle Heller Celebrates Mister Rogers in “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
“You need to let people know that each one of them is precious,” explains Tom Hanks in a new trailer for “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” Marielle Heller’s latest...
Bert & Bertie’s “Troop Zero” Coming to Amazon Prime Video, Viola Davis and Allison Janney Star
“Troop Zero” is breaking new ground. Bert & Bertie’s comedy about a group of misfit scouts will be released worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on January 17, 2020, making it the...
DOC NYC 2019 Women Directors: Meet Karin Kainer – “Kosher Beach”
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Karin Kainer is a Documentary Film Lecturer at H.I.T., The Holon Institute of Technology, in Israel, and the director of “Skate of Mind,” and “South Wind on...
Galt Niederhoffer’s “10 Things We Should Do Before We Break Up” Acquired by Vision Films
Galt Niederhoffer’s latest has secured distribution. Vision Films scored North American rights to romance “10 Things We Should Do Before We Break Up,” Deadline reports. Christina...
DOC NYC 2019 Women Directors: Meet Ema Ryan Yamazaki – “Koshien: Japan’s Field of Dreams”
Ema Ryan Yamazaki’s first feature documentary, “Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George’s Creators,” premiered in 2017 and won the Audience Award at the Nantucket...
Maryam Touzani’s Oscar Hopeful “Adam” Acquired by Strand Releasing
Maryam Touzani’s feature directorial debut, “Adam,” is heading stateside. U.S. rights to the Cannes pic, and Morocco’s selection for the International Feature Oscar, have been...
DOC NYC 2019 Women Directors: Meet Sara Dosa – “The Seer and the Unseen”
Sara Dosa’s first directorial feature, “The Last Season,” won the Golden Gate Award when it premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 2014. In addition to film,...
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...
Kristin Scott Thomas to Be Honored at BIFA Awards
Kristin Scott Thomas is set to be recognized for her “outstanding contribution to British film” at the 2019 British Independent Film Awards. She’s been named as the recipient of the...
Beanie Feldstein-Starrer “How to Build a Girl” Lands at IFC
Beanie Feldstein stole hearts with her breakout supporting role in 2017’s “Lady Bird” and co-anchored “Booksmart,” one of the year’s funniest movies, with Kaitlyn...
DOC NYC 2019 Women Directors: Meet Mo Scarpelli – “Anbessa”
Mo Scarpelli co-directed “Frame by Frame,” which screened at SXSW, Hot Docs, and BFI London Film Festival, among other fests. It has won over a dozen jury and audience awards....
Weekly Update for November 8: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
Women and Hollywood is organizing a casual meeting in London in the early evening of December 4. If you’re interested in participating, please email Melissa Silverstein...
DOC NYC 2019 Women Directors: Meet Olga Lvoff – “Busy Inside”
Olga Lvoff is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and a member of The European Film Academy. Her feature doc “When People Die They Sing Songs” was nominated for a Student Oscar in 2014...
Trailer Watch: A Teen’s Disappearance Uncovers Darkness in “Knives and Skin”
Carolyn Harper (Raven Whitley) has gone missing. A new trailer for “Knives and Skin” explores what happens after the teen disappears. Described as “part suburban nightmare, part...
2020 Cinema Eye Honor Nominees: “American Factory,” “One Child Nation,” & More
Cinema Eye has announced all of the nominees for their 2020 Honors, which recognize excellence in nonfiction filmmaking. Of six titles competing for Outstanding Nonfiction Feature, four are directed...
DOC NYC 2019 Women Directors: Meet Francesca Trianni – “Paradise Without People”
Francesca Trianni is an Emmy-nominated senior producer at Time, where her work has been recognized with a World Press Photo award, Pictures of the Year International, and the National Murrow Awards....
Trailer Watch: “Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator” Traces the Rise & Fall of Hot Yoga’s Founder
A trailer has dropped for ““Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator,” a Netflix doc that director Eva Orner describes as “a pre-#MeToo/#TimesUp story being told in a post #MeToo/#TimesUp...