#Women Directors
Maya Rudolph and Natasha Lyonne Sign First-Look TV Deal with Amazon
Maya Rudolph and Natasha Lyonne’s newly formed production banner just scored a major deal. Animal Pictures is going into business with Amazon Studios, Variety reports. The pact sees the duo...
Trailer Watch: A Family Goes to War Over Drug Money in “Birds of Passage”
“Do you know why I’m respected? Because I’m capable of anything for my family and my clan,” a matriarch (Carmiña Martínez) explains in a new trailer for “Birds of...
“Rafiki” Filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu to Direct “Covers” for Working Title and Universal
Wanuri Kahiu is bringing another romantic tale to the big screen. The “Rafiki” director will helm “Covers,” a love story set in Los Angeles’ music scene, for Working...
Pamela B. Green’s Alice Guy-Blaché Doc “Be Natural” Secures Distribution
Audiences will soon be able to learn more about Alice Guy-Blaché, the first woman filmmaker. According to Deadline, Pamela B. Green’s documentary “Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice...
Weekly Update for November 16: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Widows – Written by Gillian Flynn and Steve McQueen Viola Davis leads “Widows,” a heist thriller about a group of women who share little in common besides the...
Study: Women Directors and Women Playwrights Reached New Highs Off Broadway in 2017-18
The League of Professional Theatre Women has released a new report on the status of women in Off Broadway theater. “Women Count: Women Hired Off Broadway,” written by Martha Wade...
2019 Indie Spirit Award Noms: Women Outnumber Men in Best Director Category
Women directors have been largely absent from the Best Director conversation in Oscar forecasts, but female filmmakers made a major impression on voters for the 34th annual Film Independent Spirit...
Trailer Watch: Frankie Shaw Tries on Different Identities in “SMILF” Season 2
Bridgette Bird has given up her fantasy of playing professional basketball, but it looks like she’s still pursuing acting in Season 2 of “SMILF.” Showtime has released a trailer for...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Benedetta Argentieri – “I Am the Revolution”
Benedetta Argentieri is an independent journalist and director who has been covering the Iraqi and Syrian war since 2014. She produced “Capulcu-Voices from Gezi,” a documentary about the revolt...
Mary Lambert to Helm Mermaid Thriller “Rolling in the Deep”
Disney’s highly anticipated live-action version of “The Little Mermaid” is still in its early stages, but another mermaid-centric project is in the pipeline — a decidedly more...
Eva Longoria Bastón to Make Feature Directorial Debut with Workplace Comedy
Best known for her role as Gabrielle Solis on “Desperate Housewives,” Eva Longoria Bastón has spent years building up an impressive resume behind the scenes. After making her TV...
The Outsiders: November’s VOD and Web Series Picks
“Just be yourself” is a line offered up as advice throughout all stages of a person’s life, especially when they’re growing up. The mantra is usually proposed when someone is nervous...
Lisa Donato’s Trans Drama “Gossamer Folds” Begins Production, Alexandra Grey Starring
Alexandra Grey broke our hearts as a struggling young trans woman on “Transparent,” and she’s poised to tell another emotional story in “Gossamer Folds.” The 1986-set...
Melissa V. Murray to Make Feature Debut with “We Real Cool,” Effie Brown Producing
“Dear White People” producer Effie Brown has lined up her next project. She’s set to produce Melissa V. Murray’s feature directorial debut, “We Real Cool.” AGC...
Bad Robot Announces Films from Megan Amram, Lisa McQuillan, and More
Sitcom scribes Megan Amram and Lisa McQuillan are making the move to the big screen. “The Good Place,” “Parks and Recreation,” and “Silicon Valley” are among the...
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Fleabag” to Make New York Debut
“Fleabag” is coming stateside. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s award-winning play is set to debut in New York, a press release announced. Written and performed by Waller-Bridge and directed...
Women In the Director’s Chair Announces 2018 Story & Leadership Participants
Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC), the Canadian organization helping advance women filmmakers, has selected eight directors for its 2018 Story & Leadership program. Anna Cooley, Penny...
LGBTQ Vampire Novel “The Gilda Stories” Coming to TV with Cheryl Dunye as Showrunner
Over vampire stories about white teen girls falling for even paler immortal dudes? “The Gilda Stories” may be just the inclusive genre story you’re looking for. Published in 1991,...
Amazon Orders Bilingual Rom-Com Pilot from Catalina Aguilar Mastretta
“Everybody Loves Somebody” writer-director Catalina Aguilar Mastretta has a romantic comedy in the works at Amazon Prime. The streamer has ordered a pilot for the untitled bilingual...
Trailer Watch: Danielle Macdonald Enters Jennifer Aniston’s Beauty Pageant in “Dumplin'”
Danielle Macdonald broke out as an aspiring rapper in 2017’s “Patti Cake$” and her next pic sees her taking on the world of Texas beauty pageants. Directed by Anne Fletcher...
Charlotte Sieling Working on Period Drama About Scandinavian Monarch Margrete The First
Danish film and TV director Charlotte Sieling has lined up her biggest project to date. As Screen Daily reports, the “Queen of the South” and “Homeland” helmer is making an...
Trailer Watch: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Won’t Be Told to Quit in “On the Basis of Sex”
Felicity Jones isn’t taking anybody’s shit in a new trailer for Mimi Leder’s “On the Basis of Sex.” The biopic sees her playing Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and more...
“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Insecure,” and “SMILF” Among Recipients of ReFrame’s Inaugural TV Stamp
If you’re looking for a new series to watch — and want to avoid one that ignores the existence of women on-screen and behind the scenes — look no further. Variety reports that...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Bridgette Auger – “We Are Not Princesses”
Bridgette Auger has covered the Arab Spring in Egypt and Libya, as well as the refugee crisis as a result of the war in Syria, through photography and video. She was a 2016 National MediaMaker Fellow...
Trailer Watch: Five Young Refugees Go to Summer Camp in Barbara Kopple’s “New Homeland”
“New Homeland,” Oscar winner Barbara Kopple’s latest documentary, sees five refugee boys from Syria and Iraq going to summer camp, a fairly common rite of passage for kids in the...
Gucci Tribeca Doc Fund’s 2018 Grants Go to Six Women-Directed Projects
Six documentaries from women directors will receive $150,000 in grants from the 2018 Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund. From Tribeca Film Institute (TIF), Gucci, and the Oath Foundation, the fund offers...
Trailer Watch: Karen Gillan Spirals Out of Control in “The Party’s Just Beginning”
“Sometimes it feels like the world’s gone deaf — I can’t tell if they can’t hear me or they’re ignoring me,” says Karen Gillan in the first trailer for her...
Trailer Watch: Alexis Bloom Details Roger Ailes’ History of Harassment in “Divide & Conquer”
“Divide & Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes” traces the rise and fall of the eponymous media mogul. Alexis Bloom’s upcoming documentary details how Ailes worked as Richard...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Ofra Bloch – “Afterward”
Ofra Bloch is a filmmaker and psychoanalyst. She grew up in Israel, where her deep interest in the short and long-term effects of trauma originated. She has volunteered with Doctors of the World,...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Emily Harrold – “While I Breathe, I Hope”
Emily Harrold has directed documentaries including “Checkers in the Afternoon.” Her films have screened at Tribeca Film Festival, the Melbourne International Film Festival, and the...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Karen Winther – “Exit: Leaving Extremism Behind”
Norwegian director Karen Winther made her feature directorial debut with “The Betrayal,” a personal documentary about her involvement in extremist groups as a teenager. The award-winning...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Tracy Droz Tragos – “The Smartest Kids in the World”
Tracy Droz Tragos is a documentary filmmaker whose credits include the HBO film “Abortion: Stories Women Tell,” about personal stories of unplanned pregnancies, which premiered at the 2016...
Weekly Update for November 9: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Girl in the Spider’s Web “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” Computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy) and journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Sverrir Gudnason)...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Ruth Leitman – “Lady Parts Justice in the New World Order”
Ruth Leitman has directed six feature length documentary films including “Alma,” which won the Documentary Feature Jury Prize at the Hamptons Film Festival. Her other credits include “Lipstick...
Nominees for 2019 Cinema Eye Honors Revealed: “Shirkers,” “Free Solo,” & More
Presented annually to celebrate nonfiction films, The Cinema Eye Honors awards nominees have been announced via a press release. Sandi Tan’s “Shirkers” is among the leaders of the...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Melody Gilbert – “Silicone Soul”
Melody Gilbert has been making feature-length independent documentaries for 15 years. Her film topics range from children who can’t feel pain (“A Life Without Pain”) to people who want...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Maxine Trump – “To Kid Or Not To Kid”
Maxine Trump directed the 2012 feature “Musicwood,” which was a New York Times Critics’ Pick. She’s directed short documentaries for TNT, Sundance Channel, BBC, and TLC. Her...
TV Host and Chef Sandra Lee Will Accept Gotham’s Made in NY Award
The Gotham Independent Film Awards will be honoring chef, Emmy-winning TV host, and best-selling author Sandra Lee. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lee will receive the Made in NY Award at the...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Deschamps – “Inside Lehman Brothers”
In 2005, Jennifer Deschamps directed “Is God in Rwanda?,” which focused on people who lost their faith after the Rwandan Genocide. As an editor of documentaries since 2015, Deschamps is...
Women’s Work: Crowdfunding Picks
In some places around the world, we are lucky enough to consider ourselves far off from the days when women had to argue for their right to contribute in male-dominated workplaces. However, this does...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Alexandra Stergiou and Lexi Henigman – “The Candidates”
Alexandra Stergiou’s work has been recognized by the Wasserman Awards, National Board of Review, and British Council. Her commercial credits as a director and cinematographer include John Frieda,...
Susanne Bier Tapped to Helm Every Episode of HBO’s Nicole Kidman-Starrer “The Undoing”
Nicole Kidman’s new HBO series has found its director. Emmy-winning “Night Manager” helmer Susanne Bier will step behind the camera for all six episodes of “The...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Joy E. Reed – “Little Miss Westie”
Joy E. Reed brings over a decade of experience in documentary filmmaking as an associate editor and animator. She has been on the creative team of a number of films that have premiered at Sundance,...
Exclusive: A Mother and Daughter Argue About Islam in “Jinn” Clip
Once carefree, 17-year-old Summer (Zoe Renee, “The Quad”) finds herself struggling to cope when her mother Jade (Simone Missick, “Luke Cage”) converts to Islam....
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Havana Marking – “The Kleptocrats”
Havana Marking is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker known for filming in dangerous locations and getting on the inside of criminal or subculture groups. She wrote and directed “Smash...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Alyssa Bolsey – “Beyond the Bolex”
Alyssa Bolsey began and writing short films as a kid. While still in high school, she directed a short documentary entitled “Wild Horses.” This work was screened at various art galleries...
DOC NYC 2018 Preview: Immigration, Trans Rights, Ursula K. Le Guin, and More
DOC NYC kicks off on Thursday, and will have tons of women-centric and women-directed offerings. We’ve put together a few of the titles that have piqued our interest — just a few. This...
Trailer Watch: A Child Sues His Parents in Nadine Labaki’s Cannes Winner “Capernaum”
An Oscar hopeful in the Best Foreign Language Film category, Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum” already took home the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival. A new trailer has dropped...
Anika Noni Rose to Play Legendary Boxing Trainer in TNT Pilot “Beast Mode”
“Beast Mode” has found its lead. Tony winner Anika Noni Rose is stepping into the ring as legendary boxing trainer Marsha Blackstone for the TNT pilot, the network announced in a press...
Apply Now: NBC’s Female Forward and Emerging Director Programs
Heartened by the increasing number of women and people of color behind the camera in episodic TV? If you want to get in on the action, consider submitting to the 2019-20 classes of NBC’s...
Allison Janney to Topline Anna Foerster Thriller “Lou”
Allison Janney is set to star in a dramatic thriller for Bad Robot. The Oscar and Emmy winner is teaming up with “Outlander” and “Jessica Jones” director Anna Foerster for...