#Women Directors
Study: The Number of Women-Directed European Films Is “Growing,” But Slowly
The good news: the number of European feature films directed by women released in 2017 (357) was more than triple the 2003 figure (118). There are definitely more women making movies in Europe. The...
Hot Springs Doc Film Fest’s 2019 Lineup Is Over 50 Percent Women-Directed
The 28th annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (HSDFF) is currently underway, and according to the fest, over 50 percent of the program hails from women filmmakers, and 25 percent of the...
IDA Announces Latest Round of Enterprise Doc Fund Recipients, Over 80% Are Women-Directed
The International Documentary Association (IDA) unveiled the latest round of Enterprise Documentary Fund production grant recipients. A total of $850,000 in funds will be distributed across 12 docs...
Trailer Watch: A Pet Carp Comes Between a Married Couple in “A Fish in the Bathtub” Restoration
A wife and husband must decide whether “fighting with somebody is better than not having anybody” in a trailer for a newly restored version of “A Fish in the Bathtub.” Joan...
Weekly Update for October 18: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Maleficent: Mistress of Evil – Written by Linda Woolverton, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, and Noah Harpster There’s a lot of awesome woman power on-screen in this sequel to...
Finding Her Place: VOD and Web Series Picks
Whether it’s an understated coming-of-age portrayal of a biracial teenage girl beginning to recognize how her race and class impact how society treats her and others like her (“Miriam Lies”); a...
Trailer Watch: Laura Vandervoort Is Insatiable in The Soska Sisters’ “Rabid”
An aspiring fashion designer is left disfigured following a freak accident in a new trailer for “Rabid,” The Soska Sisters’ remake of David Cronenberg’s 1977 horror pic of the...
Margaret Atwood Doc Coming to Hulu
Hulu just can’t get enough of Margaret Atwood. Already home to an acclaimed adaptation of Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and currently developing a series based on her...
Lina Wertmüller Retrospectives Planned Ahead of Her Honorary Oscar Acceptance
The Academy is honoring Lina Wertmüller at the Governors Awards on October 27 — and Genoma Films is gearing up for the ceremony. The film company has organized retrospectives and celebrations...
“Hadestown” Director Rachel Chavkin Will Return to Broadway with “Lempicka”
Rachel Chavkin is coming back to Broadway. The Tony-winning “Hadestown” director will helm “Lempicka,” the story of artist Tamara de Lempicka, who survived the Russian...
Oscars: 16 Percent of Films Submitted to Feature Animation Race Are Directed by Women
Academy Award nominations won’t be announced until January 13, but the 2020 Oscar race is heating up. Submissions for the International Feature category closed earlier this month, and now the...
Josephine Decker Is Bringing “The Sky Is Everywhere” to the Big Screen
Josephine Decker’s latest, Elisabeth Moss-starrer “Shirley,” hasn’t received a release date yet, but the director has already lined up her next feature. Apple and A24 are...
Fighting for Her Community: Women in Film at the 2019 BFI London Fest
In the world cinema offerings that were available at the 63rd BFI London Film Festival earlier this month, a clear theme began to emerge: female protagonists fighting for their communities. Indeed,...
Women and Hollywood’s Picks of the Week for October 17
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...
Sonia Sebastián to Direct “The Virgin of Highland Park”
Sonia Sebastián has lined up her next feature. The Spanish filmmaker is set to direct “The Virgin of Highland Park,” Deadline reports. Penelope Ann Miller (“American Crime,”...
Elizabeth Coffman & Mark Bosco’s “Flannery” Wins Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize
The inaugural Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film has been awarded to “Flannery,” Elizabeth Coffman and Mark Bosco’s feature documentary about writer Flannery...
Quote of the Day: Mindy Kaling Calls the Women of Hollywood “Gate Crashers”
Mindy Kaling delivered a powerful call to action at Elle’s 2019 Women in Hollywood event, held Monday in LA. While accepting an award, the “Late Night” screenwriter and star urged...
Director Erin Derham Explains How Making “Stuffed” Changed Her Views on Taxidermy
Erin Derham is an award-winning film director who began her career editing and directing for PBS. Her films include “Buskin’ Blues,” a music documentary exploring the secretive lives of street...
Leigh Davenport’s “Run the World” Pilot Gets the Green Light at Starz
Starz has ordered a pilot from “Boomerang” writer Leigh Davenport and “Dear White People” co-showrunner Yvette Lee Bowser. According to Deadline, “Run the World”...
Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards: “Knock Down the House,” “One Child Nation,” & More Up for Honors
Nominations for the 2019 Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards have been announced. Familiar titles dominate the fourth edition of the awards, with festival winners such as “One Child...
BFI London Film Fest Winners Include “Atlantics” and “White Riot”
“Atlantics” just snagged another prestigious honor. Mati Diop’s refugee crisis drama about star-crossed lovers won the prize for best debut feature at the BFI London Film Festival,...
BFI London FF 2019 Women Directors: Meet Haifaa Al Mansour – “The Perfect Candidate”
Haifaa Al Mansour is considered the first female filmmaker in Saudi Arabia and her feature film “Wadjda” was the first feature ever to be shot entirely inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia....
Weekly Update for October 11: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Sky Is Pink – Directed by Shonali Bose; Written by Shonali Bose and Nilesh Maniyar An epic tale of love and family — and based on a true story —...
DOC NYC Announces 2019 Program, 29 Percent of Features in Competition Are Women-Directed
The United States’ largest doc festival has announced its 2019 lineup. Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, this year’s DOC NYC program marks its largest to date, and includes two...
Women Making History: Crowdfunding Picks
When it comes to history, women’s contributions have often been left out of the textbooks, or an event has been told exclusively from the male perspective. Each of this month’s crowdfunding picks...
Trailer Watch: Elizabeth Banks Celebrates Sisterhood in “Charlie’s Angels”
“As a filmmaker I wanted to tell a story about women working together and expand upon the idea of sisterhood and sorority that was meaningful to me when I was making ‘Pitch Perfect,’”...
Geena Davis to Topline Leena Yadav’s “Cowgirl’s Last Ride”
Geena Davis is headed from the Vegas strip to rugged Texas terrain. The Oscar winner is following up her guest spot as a casino entertainment director on “GLOW” by teaming up with Leena...
Trailer Watch: Two Families Seeking Asylum Are “Torn Apart” in Ellen Goosenberg Kent’s HBO Doc
In “Torn Apart: Separated at the Border,” director Ellen Goosenberg Kent tells the story of two mothers who were taken from their children as a result of the U.S.’s immigration...
“Atlantics,” “Blind Spot,” & More Up for Discovery Prize at European Film Awards
Women directors are often underrepresented on the festival circuit in Europe — at Cannes and Venice in particular — but films helmed by women didn’t escape the notice of the...
Felicity Jones & Shailene Woodley to Topline Augustine Frizzell’s “The Last Letter From Your Lover”
High-profile leading ladies have been cast for Augustine Frizzell’s latest. Back in August it was announced that the “Euphoria” director would helm a feature adaptation of...
Trailer Watch: “Harriet” Risks Her Life and Liberty to Free More Slaves
“Many of you don’t know slavery firsthand,” Harriet Tubman (Cynthia Erivo) says at an abolitionist meeting. “But I remember. I’ve heard their groans, seen their tears....
Women and Hollywood’s Picks of the Week for October 10
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: Mackenzie Davis Gets the Nanny Job from Hell in Floria Sigismondi’s “The Turning”
Mackenzie Davis has no idea what she’s in for when she takes her first live-in nanny position in “The Turning,” director Floria Sigismondi’s modern reimagining of Henry...
Trailer Watch: Camila Morrone Will Do Anything for Her Dad in “Mickey and the Bear”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Camila Morrone (“Never Going Back”) promises her dad in the trailer for “Mickey and the Bear.” The prospect of leaving must be...
“RBG” Directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen Are Making a Julia Child Documentary
Oscar-nominated “RBG” filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen are spotlighting another icon for their next project. The duo are making a documentary about chef and author Julia Child for...
BFI London FF 2019 Women Directors: Meet Malgorzata Szumowska – “The Other Lamb”
Born in Kraków, Malgorzata Szumowska is one of the most prominent Polish directors of today, and has been honored with several international awards, including the Teddy Award for “In the Name...
BFI London FF 2019 Women Directors: Meet Aoife O’Kelly – “Walking with Shadows”
Aoife O’Kelly has worked in several aspects of television and film production for nearly a decade. She has made two short films, including “Fish” in 2015, and “Lula”...
Oscars: International Feature Category Receives 93 Submissions, 28 Directed by Women
The Academy has confirmed which films have been submitted to the International Feature category for the 2020 Academy Awards. Of 93 titles from around the globe, 28 are directed or co-directed by...
Annie Silverstein’s “Bull” Lands at Samuel Goldwyn Films
“Bull” is charging ahead. Samuel Goldwyn Films has secured North American rights to Annie Silverstein’s feature debut, Deadline confirms. The coming-of-age rodeo drama made its...
Trailer Watch: A Young Woman Is Haunted by Her Lover in Mati Diop’s Cannes Winner “Atlantics”
“You know you’re marrying Omar in 10 days, right?” a friend asks Ada (Mame Bineta Sane) in the trailer for Mati Diop’s “Atlantics.” “But I’m in love...
Trailer Watch: “The Elephant Queen” Embarks on an Epic Journey
An inspirational leader takes her loved ones on a dangerous journey into the unknown in “The Elephant Queen.” “There is an animal in Africa that truly reflects our sense of...
Online Harassment Doc “Netizens” in Wide Release for National Domestic Violence Month
A doc about women and online harassment is opening in wide release to coincide with National Domestic Violence Month. Cynthia Lowen’s “Netizens” will hit theaters October 22. A...
Indie Memphis Film Festival to Open with “Harriet”
The complete lineup for the 2019 Indie Memphis Film Festival has been announced. This year’s edition of the fest will kick off with a screening of Cynthia Erivo-starrer “Harriet,”...
Euzhan Palcy Missed Out on Directing Gigs Because Hollywood Found Her Ideas “Too Black”
Euzhan Palcy became the first black woman to direct a Hollywood studio film with 1989’s “A Dry White Season,” the story of an apolitical South African white man waking up to the...
IDA Documentary Awards to Honor Freida Lee Mock and Rachel Lears
The International Documentary Association (IDA) has announced the 35th Annual IDA Documentary Awards’ honorees, and Freida Lee Mock and Rachel Lears are among them. The former is set to receive...
Catalina Aguilar Mastretta to Direct Multi-Generational Bilingual Comedy “This Day”
Catalina Aguilar Mastretta has lined up her next project. The “Vida” director has been tapped to helm “Este Dia,” or “This Day,” from Sony Pictures’ Stage 6...
Modern Films & Amazon Prime Team Up to Stream “Skate Kitchen,” “The Perfect Candidate,” & More in UK
Crystal Moselle’s “Skate Kitchen,” Haifaa Al-Mansour’s “The Perfect Candidate,” Nancy Biurski’s “The Rape Of Recy Taylor,” and more films about and/or made...
Weekly Update for October 4: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Lucy in the Sky Natalie Portman plays Lucy Cola, a strong woman whose determination and drive as an astronaut take her to space, where she’s deeply moved by the...
Haifaa Al-Mansour’s “The Perfect Candidate” Added to the International Feature Film Oscar Race
Haifaa Al-Mansour’s portrait of a Saudi woman who runs for political office may be headed to the Oscars. Saudi Arabia has submitted “The Perfect Candidate” as its official entry for...
Mill Valley Film Fest 2019 Women Directors: Meet Sahraa Karimi – “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha”
Sahraa Karimi comes from the second generation of Afghan refugees in Iran. At the age of 15, she acted in two Iranian films, which led to her studying cinema in Slovakia. She graduated with a PhD in...
Gigi Saul Guerrero to Direct Horror Pic Inspired by Santa Muerte Mythology
Gigi Saul Guerrero is signed on to direct her first studio feature. She’ll helm an untitled horror pic for Screen Gems inspired by the mythology of Santa Muerte. Deadline broke the news. An...