#Women Directors
SXSW Women Directors: Meet Erin Lee Carr: “I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth vs. Michelle Carter”
Erin Lee Carr is a writer, director, and producer. She recently directed an episode of Netflix’s “Dirty Money,” an investigation into price gouging tactics revolutionized by pharma...
Trailer Watch: Anna Paquin and Holliday Grainger Fall in Love in “Tell It to the Bees”
Director Annabel Jankel described “Tell It to the Bees” as “an unholy mashup of social and magical realism” that’s both “a coming-of-age story and a love story...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Linda Goldstein Knowlton – “We Are The Radical Monarchs”
Linda Goldstein Knowlton is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker working in documentary and scripted feature films as well as television. She executive produced “Dream, Girl” and “Whale Rider.”...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Chelsea Hernandez – “Building the American Dream”
Chelsea Hernandez is a Mexican-American filmmaker based in Austin, Texas. She is an eight-time Emmy winning director, producer, and editor for her work on the PBS documentary series “Arts in...
Trailer Watch: Molly Shannon’s Emily Dickinson Is More Than a Recluse in “Wild Nights with Emily”
“Too much has been made of late of Emily Dickinson’s famous reclusivity,” the narrator of “Wild Nights with Emily” declares in the film’s new trailer. “Let...
SXSW Women Directors: Meet Rebecca Stern – “Well Groomed”
Rebecca Stern is a director, writer, and producer. She started out in documentary filmmaking as the production coordinator of the Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning documentary “Cartel...
Trailer Watch: Gina Rodriguez Gets Her Dream Job and Loses Her Boyfriend in “Someone Great”
“We were together nine years. I thought we could handle anything,” says Gina Rodriguez in a new trailer for “Someone Great.” Written and directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Jenna Ricker – “Qualified”
Jenna Ricker is a producer and director. In 2007, she wrote, directed, and produced her first feature film, “Ben’s Plan,” a coming-of-age drama made on a micro-budget, which was...
Margarethe von Trotta Will Be Celebrated with Lifetime Honor at German Film Awards
Margarethe von Trotta kicked off her career as an actress, but the trailblazer is best known for her work as a feminist director. The influential German filmmaker is set to receive a lifetime...
Gurinder Chadha Directing Animated Netflix Pic Based on Feminist Graphic Novel “Pashmina”
2019 is shaping up to be a big year for Gurinder Chadha. Her latest film, “Blinded by the Light,” scored the biggest deal at Sundance and will open August 14, and “Beecham...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Elizabeth Carroll – “Nothing Fancy: Diana Kennedy”
Elizabeth Carroll is a director and producer. In 2013, she founded Honeywater Films to produce stories about food. She has directed video content for The New York Times. “Nothing Fancy: Diana...
Phyllida Lloyd to Direct Female-Driven Housing Drama “Herself,” Sharon Horgan Producing
“The Iron Lady” and “Mamma Mia!” director Phyllida Lloyd is teaming up with Sharon Horgan’s production company, Merman, for her next project. Lloyd will helm...
SXSW 2019 Preview: Olivia Wilde’s Directorial Debut, a Portrait of Life in Syria, & More
Sixty percent of films screening in Competition categories at this year’s edition of the SXSW Film Festival are women-directed or co-directed. With no shortage of films by and about women in...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Barbara Vekarić – “Aleksi”
Barbara Vekarić is a director and producer. She directed the travelogue documentary series “Couchsurfer Girl” and the children’s television show “Space Lab.” Vekarić...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Patricia Ortega – “Being Impossible”
Patricia Ortega is a director, screenwriter, and producer. She made her feature directorial debut with 2013’s “El Regreso.” “Being Impossible” is her second...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Gabriela Calvache – “La Mala Noche”
Gabriela Calvache was born in Ecuador. Her short film “En Espera” (“On Hold”) premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, screened at the Berlinale, and earned...
Trailer Watch: Mindy Kaling Joins Emma Thompson’s Writers Room in “Late Night”
“I wish I was a woman of color so I could just get any job I want,” says one of the ignoramuses working for Emma Thompson’s long-running late-night show in the first trailer for...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Jessica Oreck – “One Man Dies a Million Times”
Jessica Oreck is a writer and director. Her first film, “Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo,” was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in 2010 and aired on PBS’ “Independent...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Kestrin Pantera – “Mother’s Little Helpers”
Kestrin Pantera is an actress, writer, and director. She made her feature debut with 2014’s “Let’s Ruin It with Babies,” and has since directed TV series such as “Bad Parent...
“Honor Diaries” Producer Paula Kweskin Fighting for Women’s Rights with New Film Fest
Filmmaker and human rights attorney Paula Kweskin responded to the censorship of her film “Honor Diaries,” a doc about gendered “honor violence,” by starting the Censored...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Emily Ting – “Go Back to China”
Emily Ting is a film writer, director, and producer. Her first narrative feature, “Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong,” premiered at the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival, and was later screened at over...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Tracey Frazier – “Becoming Leslie”
Tracy Frazier first became involved in film production working as an assistant director on the feature film “Jumping Off Bridges.” Frazier went on to produce two short films,...
Tribeca Film Festival’s 2019 Competition Lineup Is 50 Percent Women-Directed
The 18th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival doesn’t kick off until April 24, but we’re already celebrating: this year’s competition sections consist of 50 percent women-directed...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Numa Perrier – “Jezebel”
Numa Perrier is an actress, writer, producer, and director. She is the co-founder of Black&Sexy TV, a production company and streaming platform for television and film projects created by Black...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Amy C. Elliott – “Salvage”
Amy Elliott is a photographer and documentary filmmaker. She has been shooting motion and still editorial assignments for 20 years. Her previous features include 2014’s “Wicker...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet the Team Behind “Vai”
Becs Arahanga’s 2016 short film, “Laundry,” screened at the New Zealand International Film Festival. She recently completed filming on her next project, “Hinekura.” Amberley Jo...
Theresa Rebeck, Heidi Schreck, & More to Attend Women’s Day on Broadway 2019
Last year Disney Theatrical Group launched Women’s Day on Broadway to spotlight women’s stories and galvanize the fight for gender equality in theater. According to Playbill, the...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Karen Maine – “Yes, God, Yes”
Karen Maine wrote and directed the 2017 short “Yes, God, Yes,” which premiered as a Vimeo Staff Pick and received 2.9 million views. It won Best Short at the St. Louis International Film...
Hot Docs 2019’s Special Presentations Lineup Is Nearly 50 Percent Women-Directed
Hot Docs has announced the 15 features comprising this year’s Special Presentations program. Seven of the titles are directed by women, or 47 percent of the slate, which is described as...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Magdalena Zyzak – “The Wall of Mexico”
Magdalena Zyzak is a writer, producer, and director. She co-wrote and produced “Redland,” which was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. In 2016, she teamed up with Zachary Cotler to direct...
SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Elizabeth Sankey – “Romantic Comedy”
Elizabeth Sankey is an English writer, musician, and actor. As a cultural commentator, she has written for The Guardian, NME, Vice, and McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern. With her band, Summer Camp,...
NFMLA Will Spotlight Female-Directed Films to Celebrate Women’s History Month
NewFilmmakers Los Angeles’ (NFMLA) Monthly Film Festival for March will recognize women’s stories. The org announced that on March 16, in honor of Women’s History Month, it will...
Hanelle Culpepper Is Making “Star Trek” History and Directing Picard Pilot
Make it so. Hanelle Culpepper is heralding a new frontier in the “Star Trek” franchise. She’s helming the first two episodes of the upcoming Jean-Luc Picard series, “making...
Marianna Palka’s “Egg” Among Women in the Arts & Media Coalition’s Collaboration Awardees
The Women in the Arts & Media Coalition has named the honorees of its 2019 Collaboration Awards. Set to be held March 30 — Support Women Artists Now Day — at New York...
Weekly Update for March 1: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Greta No good deed goes unpunished in “Greta.” The campy thriller sees Chloë Grace Moretz playing Frances, a kind young woman new to New York City. One fateful day...
Alliance of Women Directors Names AnnaLea Rawicz Arnold as First Executive Director
The Board of Directors of Alliance of Women Directors (AWD) has named AnnaLea Rawicz Arnold as its first Executive Director, a press release announced. An inclusive collective of professional...
“Greta” Star Chloë Grace Moretz on Fusing Art and Activism and Subverting Expectations
Chloë Grace Moretz has acted in over 60 projects over the course of her career, and she’s just 22 years old. Her latest pic, “Greta,” teams her up with Isabelle Huppert. Set in New...
2019-20 Pilot Season: Jude Weng & Jessica Yu Make History, Uptick in Director Inclusion
This pilot season is one for the history books. Jude Weng and Jessica Yu have both booked directing gigs and, according to Deadline, are set to become the first Asian-American women to helm...
Alethea Jones to Direct Paramount Musical “Big Gay Jamboree”
Alethea Jones is teaming up Margot Robbie for her next feature. She’ll follow up 2017’s “Fun Mom Dinner” with “Big Gay Jamboree,” a period musical being produced...
Teaser Watch: Ava DuVernay Tells the Story of the Central Park Five in Netflix’s “When They See Us”
Ava DuVernay’s long-awaited Central Park Five limited series has a teaser and a premiere date. The true story of five teenage boys of color who were falsely convicted of rape in the early...
Nzingha Stewart to Direct Misty Copeland Biopic “Life in Motion”
Shondaland fixture Nzingha Stewart has been tapped to bring Misty Copeland’s story to the big screen. Stewart will direct New Line’s biopic of the trailblazer, “Life in Motion: An...
“Made in NY” Women’s Film, TV & Theatre Fund Presents $1.5M to 63 Projects
The first round of “Made in NY” Women’s Film, TV & Theatre Fund grants have been awarded, a press release has announced. New York Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen and the Mayor’s Office...
Claire Scanlon Will Direct “Adam & Eve” Comedy Pilot for Fox
“Set It Up” helmer and prolific TV director Claire Scanlon has booked her latest gig. As Deadline reports, she will direct the Fox single-camera comedy pilot “Adam &...
Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson Comedy “Late Night” Gets a Release Date
“Late Night” is hitting theaters this summer. Amazon Studios will release Nisha Ganatra’s breakout Sundance comedy nationwide June 7, Variety confirms. Penned by Mindy Kaling and...
CherryPicks to Award Inaugural Female First Feature Prize at SXSW
CherryPicks, a review aggregator site and digital brand for women in film criticism, will be honoring a debut film from a female director at SXSW 2019. According to a press release, CherryPicks and...
Chinonye Chukwu’s Sundance Winner “Clemency” Goes to Neon, Alfre Woodard Stars
The winner of Sundance 2019’s U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award has found a home. Neon snagged U.S. rights to Alfre Woodard-starrer “Clemency,” a press release...
March 2019 Film Preview
March is Women’s History Month! There are lots of ways to celebrate — learning about important women in history, honoring your favorite women leaders and artists, and, of course,...
Reshaping Spaces Together: VOD and Web Series Picks
There have long been discussions surrounding the spaces women can safely and comfortably occupy in society. The rise of the Time’s Up movement, for example, has emphasized workplaces as spaces rife...
Lauren Greenfield to Make Narrative Debut with “Man Under”
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Lauren Greenfield is set to make her narrative debut. The “Generation Wealth” helmer is stepping behind the camera for indie pic “Man...
BAM to Host Claire Denis Retrospective
BAM will close out Women’s History Month with a celebration of César-nominated filmmaker Claire Denis. According to a press release, the Brooklyn venue will host “Strange Desire: The...
Uta Briesewitz to Direct “Frankenstein” CBS Pilot
Another “Frankenstein” adaptation is on the way. CBS has a modern interpretation of Mary Shelley’s 19th century novel in the works, and Uta Briesewitz has signed on to direct its...