#Women Directors
Weekly Update for October 12: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Kindergarten Teacher – Written and Directed by Sara Colangelo (Also Available on Netflix) Unfulfilled with her work in the classroom and her home life with...
A Family Affair: Crowdfunding Picks
It goes without saying that, for so many people, families are fulfilling and of the utmost importance. But as in any interpersonal relationship, navigating a family dynamic can be complicated. This...
Roseanne Liang Is Directing a Feature Version of Her Short “Do No Harm”
Roseanne Liang is turning her 2017 Sundance short “Do No Harm” into a feature. The Chinese-New Zealand filmmaker will direct the pic and Justine Gillmer (“The 100”) will pen...
#FemaleFilmmakerFriday: Women Gather at BFI London Film Fest
The BFI London Film Festival gathered a seriously formidable crowd earlier today. Many of the female filmmakers screening works at LFF posed alongside female journalists, activists, jurors, and other...
Trailer Watch: A Fling Goes Off the Rails in Julia Davis’ HBO Comedy “Sally4Ever”
A trailer has dropped for Julia Davis’ new HBO show. The creator and star of the UK’s “Camping” — which inspired the U.S. version of the show starring Jennifer Garner...
“UnREAL” Co-Creator Sarah Gertrude Shapiro Inks Overall Deal with ABC Studios
“UnREAL” concluded its fourth and final season earlier this year, but series co-creator Sarah Gertrude Shapiro has plenty more stories to tell. She just signed on to a two-year overall...
DOC NYC 2018 Unveils Lineup, 50 Percent of Features in Competition are Women-Directed
DOC NYC proves — yet again — that plenty of women-directed films are ready to be programmed at fests. This year’s edition of America’s largest documentary festival features...
Tribeca Announces Through Her Lens’ 2018 Participants
Tribeca Film Festival and Chanel have partnered once again for Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program. A mentorship program “created to provide a balance of...
Trailer Watch: Margarethe von Trotta Pays Tribute in “Searching for Ingmar Bergman”
“Bergman’s films have been my constant companions. This is where it all began for me,” says Margarethe von Trotta in a new trailer for “Searching for Ingmar Bergman.”...
Issa Rae and Stella Meghie Reteam for “American Princess”
Stella Meghie and Issa Rae are reuniting. Just a month after premiering her latest pic, “The Weekend,” at the Toronto International Film Festival, Meghie has lined up another feature. The...
DGA Report: Women-Directed Eps Up 14% in 2017-18, POC-Directed Eps Stagnant
The good news: women directed 25 percent of all TV episodes in the 2017-18 season and people of color helmed 24 percent, up from last year’s 21 and 22, respectively. The bad news: in terms of...
Trailer Watch: Desiree Akhavan Is “The Bisexual”
“I’m pretty sure bisexuality is a myth invented by ad executives to sell flavored vodka,” says Desiree Akhavan in a new trailer for “The Bisexual.” “The...
Catherine Hardwicke to Direct Feature Adaptation of “Dissonance”
Catherine Hardwick has signed on to helm another genre adaptation. The “Twilight” and “Red Riding Hood” director will bring “Dissonance” to the screen for Straight...
Trailer Watch: A New Lawyer Tries to Free Steven Avery in “Making a Murderer” Part 2
Part 1 of “Making a Murderer” presented the conviction, exoneration, and second conviction of Steven Avery — as well as the conviction of his nephew, Brendan Dassey — for the...
Foreign Language Oscar Submissions Are 23 Percent Women-Directed
Eighty-seven countries have submitted films for consideration for the upcoming 91st edition of the Oscars, and according to our count, 20 titles in the running, or 23 percent, are women-directed or...
Tanya Wexler to Direct Adaptation of Upcoming Western Comic “Girl With No Name”
Another gun-slinging, ass-kicking anti-heroine has arrived on the scene. “Girl With No Name,” a woman-driven Western comic universe, was unveiled at New York Comic Con on Friday. A...
Trailer Watch: Bridey Elliott’s Family Is Haunted in “Clara’s Ghost”
Bridey Elliott’s debut feature is a family affair. “Clara’s Ghost” sees the writer-director casting her own family to tell the unusual story of the Reynolds clan. A new trailer...
Weekly Update for October 5: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Hate U Give – Written by Audrey Wells (Opens in Select Theaters; Opens Everywhere October 19) “The Hate U Give”: Erika Doss/20th Century Fox Starr...
Paul Feig’s New Powderkeg: Fuse Program Producing Six Shorts from Women Directors
Paul Feig is, once again, using his power and status to support women. The “Simple Favor” director is hosting an incubator for women filmmakers via his and Laura Fischer’s digital...
Maggie Gyllenhaal to Make Directorial Debut with Adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s “The Lost Daughter”
Maggie Gyllenhaal is following in the footsteps of her character on “The Deuce” and stepping behind the camera. The Oscar-nominated actress is set to make her directorial debut with...
WIF LA and Ghetto Film School Join Forces to Support Young WOC Filmmakers
Women in Film Los Angeles (WIF LA) and non-profit filmmaking program Ghetto Film School are working together to support up-and-coming women filmmakers of color. According to Variety, the two orgs...
The Academy Launches Action: The Women’s Initiative, Events Planned in LA and London
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences — the body behind the Oscars — has a famously bad track record when it comes to recognizing female filmmakers: just one woman, Kathryn...
Trailer Watch: Nigerian Schoolgirls Speak Out in “Stolen Daughters: Kidnapped by Boko Haram”
“Freedom means you can do what you want, and by God’s grace I will get it,” says one of the young women featured in “Stolen Daughters: Kidnapped by Boko Haram.” Gemma...
Under the Radar: “Quiet Killing” Delves into Canada’s Mistreatment of Indigenous Women
Many people in the United States often joke about “moving to Canada,” as if doing so will free themselves of enduring legacies of capitalism and imperialism. Moving north, even in the...
Trailer Watch: “Feminists: What Were They Thinking?” Explores Feminism of Yesterday and Tomorrow
“All of us gained from the fact that there was a women’s rights movement,” says one of the characters in “Feminists: What Were They Thinking?” The upcoming Netflix doc...
Trailer Watch: RBG Uses Her Anger to Reform the Law in “On the Basis of Sex”
“One interviewer told me they hired a woman last year and what in the world would they want with two of us?” an exasperated young Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones) tells a mentor in...
Trailer Watch: Chef Samin Nosrat Explores What Makes Food Delicious in “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat”
Chef Samin Nosrat has, by her own account, spent her entire life in pursuit of flavor. She’s traveled around the world exploring what defines good cooking — and she’s sharing her...
Join Women and Hollywood for a #MeToo Panel Discussion at Hamptons Film Fest
The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is commemorating the #MeToo movement. It’s been nearly a year since the Harvey Weinstein stories broke and #MeToo became part of our everyday...
Trailer Watch: Faith Drives a Wedge Between a Daughter and Mother in Nijla Mu’min’s “Jinn”
Seventeen-year-old Summer (Zoe Renee, “The Quad”) is having a hard time connecting with her mother, Jade (Simone Missick, “Luke Cage”), in the trailer for “Jinn.”...
Nicole Kidman to Receive Career Achievement Award at Hollywood Film Awards
Nicole Kidman is set to receive the Hollywood Career Achievement Award at the 2018 Hollywood Film Awards, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The event will take place November 4 in Los Angeles. HFO...
Trailer Watch: Michaela Coel Sings Her Heart Out and Falls in Love in “Been So Long”
Charmed by “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” but craving a romance that takes place post-high school? Netflix has got you covered. The streamer just dropped a trailer for...
Trailer Watch: “Weed the People” Explores Government Resistance to Cannabis Treatment
“When your kid’s got cancer, the rule book goes out the window,” says one of the characters featured in “Weed the People.” Abby Epstein’s new documentary explores...
October 2018 Film Preview
Halloween is nearing, so it comes as no surprise that some of this month’s films aim to deliver terrifying thrills and get audiences in the mood for the holiday. And many of the exciting new...
Weekly Update for September 28: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
WOMEN AND HOLLYWOOD WANTS YOUR INPUT Women and Hollywood strives to provide resources that are helpful to our readers and our community. We would be grateful if you took a few moments to participate...
Guest Post: How I Sought to Improve Black Representation with My First Feature “Solace”
Guest Post by Tchaiko Omawale Being a Black female filmmaker, I carry the privilege and responsibility of creating the things I wish I had seen when I was growing up. My two favorite movie genres...
Trailer Watch: Two Strangers Buckle Up for a Road Trip in Hannah Fidell’s “The Long Dumb Road”
Nat (Tony Revolori) is leaving his old Arizona life in the dust for a chance to study photography at a Los Angeles art school. Along the way, he runs into one slight hitch: his car won’t start....
Michaela Coel Musical “Been So Long” Gets Netflix Premiere Date
“Junkhearts” director Tinge Krishnan’s musical “Been So Long” has generated buzz ever since its footage was previewed at Cannes last year. Netflix ultimately walked away...
Women in Entertainment Annual Summit to Feature Geena Davis, “Love, Gilda,” and More
Women in Entertainment (WIE) announced that its annual summit will take place at Los Angeles’ Skirball Cultural Center on October 11. Per its press release, WIE, founded by Gretchen McCourt and...
Trailer Watch: Desiree Akhavan Proves Bisexuality Isn’t a Myth in “The Bisexual”
“Sometimes I think if a guy had swept me off my feet, I would have gone the path of least resistance,” says Leila (Desiree Akhavan) in the new trailer for Channel 4’s upcoming...
Neither Here Nor There: Crowdfunding Picks
“America is a melting pot” you often hear people say. Different cultures, religions, and ethnicities all living side by side to make up the diversity we see in our everyday lives. There...
Eva Green and Eve Hewson to Star in TV Adaptation of Eleanor Catton’s “The Luminaries”
BBC Two’s long-awaited Eleanor Catton adaptation has finally found its stars. Deadline reports that “Penny Dreadful’s” Eva Green and Eve Hewson (“Bridge of Spies”)...
Josie Rourke’s “Mary Queen of Scots” Named AFI Fest’s Closing Night Film
It’s official: AFI Fest 2018 will both begin and end with women-directed, women-driven biopics. As previously reported, Mimi Leder’s RBG film “On the Basis of Sex” will open...
Trailer Watch: Toni Collette Wants to Try Something New in “Wanderlust”
“Imagine eating at the same restaurant most of your life, and then one day somebody tells you about a different restaurant,” ponders an inquisitive Joy (Toni Collette) as she discusses...
Season 2 of Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos’ “Making a Murderer” Gets Release Date
The first season of Netflix’s nonfiction hit “Making a Murderer” introduced audiences to Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man convicted of the sexual assault and attempted murder of Teresa...
Mimi Leder’s RBG Biopic “On the Basis of Sex” to Open AFI Fest
The Year of RBG continues. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Mimi Leder’s highly anticipated Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic, “On the Basis of Sex,” will make its world premiere as AFI...
Trailer Watch: Melanie Lynskey Raises an Ornery Teenage Daughter in “Sadie”
“I wrote a paper for class where I tried to imagine my life as a soldier with you,” teenager Sadie (Sophia Mitri Schloss) writes in the most recent letter to her deployed father....
Trailer Watch: Elle Fanning Runs From the Past in Mélanie Laurent’s “Galveston”
The newest trailer for Mélanie Laurent’s “Galveston” eerily shares what one can only presume is the film’s overarching, psychological conflict. As a disembodied voiceover tells us,...
Rima Das’ “Village Rockstars” Is India’s Foreign-Language Oscar Pick
India is the latest country to submit a woman-directed film to the Academy. The Hindu reports that Rima Das’ “Village Rockstars” will represent the county as this year’s...
Poland’s Gdynia Film Festival Takes the Gender Parity Pledge
Poland’s Gdynia Film Festival is the latest fest to sign the 5050×2020 Pledge for Gender Parity, Variety reports. The pledge — which was signed Friday by Gdynia general director...
The Met Is Finally Commissioning Operas by Women
Today in this-is-2018-WTF?! news, the Metropolitan Opera has announced several new ventures intended to draw in audiences, including commissioning women to write operas for the first time ever. Yep,...
Chloé Zhao Will Direct “The Eternals” for Marvel
Chloé Zhao has booked one hell of a follow-up to indie darling “The Rider.” Variety confirms the Cannes award-winning director will next helm “The Eternals” for Marvel. Zhao...