#Women Directors
Irish Theaters Implement Gender Equality Policies
Last year, the Irish Film Board (IFB) announced various initiatives aimed at furthering its “Six Point Gender Plan,” which ultimately aims to achieve 50/50 gender parity in funding by the...
All-Female Jury Will Preside Over Taormina Film Festival’s Competition
Taormina Film Festival is making a statement: the 64th edition of the Italian fest will see an all-female jury presiding over the competition. ScreenDaily reports that the jury will be composed...
Debra Granik Working on Doc About Life After Incarceration
Debra Granik’s latest film hit theaters just a couple of weeks ago, but the Oscar-nominated writer-director is already in post-production on her next project. The “Leave No Trace”...
Trailer Watch: Chloë Grace Moretz Goes to Gay Conversion Camp in “The Miseducation of Cameron Post”
“Now you’re officially a disciple of God’s Promise,” Chloë Grace Moretz is told in a new trailer for Desiree Akhavan’s “The Miseducation of Cameron Post.”...
Karen Gillan’s Directorial Debut “The Party’s Just Beginning” Acquired by The Orchard
Karen Gillan has secured distribution for her feature directorial debut. The Orchard snagged rights to “The Party’s Just Beginning,” a suicide drama that the “Guardians of the...
Janet Mock Makes History, Becomes First Trans WOC to Write and Direct TV Episode
Janet Mock has stepped into the director’s chair and history books. The trailblazer co-wrote and directed a recent episode of “Pose,” making her the first trans woman of color to...
Weekly Update for July 6 Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING THIS WEEK Whitney (Documentary) With over 200 million album sales worldwide, and remaining the only artist to chart seven consecutive U.S. No. 1’s,...
Tonya Harding Doc “Sharp Edges” Acquired by Neon
Tonya Harding’s story is coming back to the big screen. Neon snagged three Oscar nods for “I, Tonya” this year, and is looking to capitalize on the success of the Margot...
Submit Now: “The Spy Who Dumped Me” Female Storyteller Contest
Attention female filmmakers with “meaningful, heartfelt, and hilarious stories” you want to share with the world: a new contest is inviting you to share your stories about “enduring...
Susanne Bier’s “A Second Chance” Secures Theatrical Release in the U.S.
U.S. audiences are finally getting the chance to see “A Second Chance” in theaters. Susanne Bier’s kidnapping drama debuted at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival and was released in...
Trailer Watch: Career Day Goes Awry in Judy Greer’s “A Happening of Monumental Proportions”
Career Day is shaping up to be a super memorable affair in a new trailer for “A Happening of Monumental Proportions.” Set in an elementary school, Judy Greer’s directorial debut...
Trailer Watch: Patty Jenkins Investigates Hollywood’s Dark Secrets in “I Am the Night”
Patty Jenkins latest project has a trailer and a new title. Formerly known as “One Day She’ll Darken,” “I Am the Night” is a noir series that digs into some of...
July 2018 Film Preview
By Beandrea July and Sophie Willard While the summer is often associated with big budget films, like the “Mamma Mia!” sequel (July 20), this July is defying expectations by releasing a...
Shana Feste Writing and Directing Feminist Horror Pic “Run Sweetheart Run”
Shana Feste is making her horror debut. The writer-director will follow up father-daughter dramedy “Boundaries” with “Run Sweetheart Run,” a feminist horror-thriller about a...
Trailer Watch: Emily Mortimer Fights to Keep Her Business Open in “The Bookshop”
Emily Mortimer refuses to kowtow to Patricia Clarkson in a new trailer for “The Bookshop.” “You have to succeed if you give everything you have,” says Florence (Mortimer). And...
Weekly Update for June 29: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING THIS WEEK Woman Walks Ahead – Directed by Susanna White (Also Available on DirecTV) Based on true events, “Woman Walks Ahead” tells the story of...
Three Women-Created YA Pilots in the Works at Amazon
Amazon Studios has given the green light to three YA pilots from women. As Deadline reports, the projects are “Panic” from Lauren Oliver, “The Wilds” from Sarah Streicher,...
Greta Gerwig May Direct “Little Women,” Meryl Streep, Emma Stone, Saoirse Ronan Circling
Greta Gerwig may be following up her new classic “Lady Bird” with an old classic. The Oscar-nominated helmer is eyeing “Little Women” as her next directing job, Variety...
All-Female Ambulance Corps Doc “93Queen” Goes to Abramorama
It won’t be long before audiences are introduced to the first all-female volunteer ambulance corps in the United States. Abramorama has acquired U.S. and Canadian theatrical rights to...
Trailer Watch: An Iconic Makeup Artist Is Remembered in “Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story”
Cher, Isabella Rossellini, and Naomi Campbell are just a few of those singing the praises of Kevyn Aucoin in a new trailer for a doc about the iconic makeup artist. Described as the “sweetest,...
Christine Lahti to Play Gloria Steinem in Interactive Off Broadway Show
Christine Lahti is stepping into Gloria Steinem’s shoes, and you just might get a chance to chat with her while she’s in character. The Emmy-winning actress has signed on to star in...
Under the Radar: Motherhood Meets Magical Realism in Brazilian Fairy Tale “Good Manners”
Unsurprisingly for a film infused with magical realism, “Good Manners” was first conceived in a state of sleep: “the original image came from a dream of [co-director Marco Dutra’s]: two women...
Trailer Watch: Barbara Loden Leaves Her Domestic Prison Behind in “Wanda”
“Wanda” is back. The influential 1970 portrait of a housewife experiencing an existential crisis has been newly restored and will return to theaters in a limited run. Written, directed,...
Trailer Watch: The Lines Between Reality and Art Blur in “Madeline’s Madeline”
“’Madeline’s Madeline’ is about a young woman whose interior life is so big and glorious that it can eat anyone,” writer-director Josephine Decker told us before the...
Watch: Rashida Jones Directs #TimesUp Anti-Harassment PSA
“Has the current wave of sexual allegations left you scared, confused, maybe a little angry?” asks “Atlanta” star and creator Donald Glover in a new PSA for #TimesUp....
Choreographer Gillian Lynne Gets Theater Named in Her Honor, Makes History
Gillian Lynne just made history in style. The choreographer has become the first woman to have a theater named after her in the West End, The Guardian reports. In truly theatrical fashion, she was...
Trailer Watch: An Aspiring DJ Lives in Minsk But Dreams of Chicago in “Crystal Swan”
Twenty-two-year-old Evelina (Alina Nasibullina), also known as Velya, is a law school grad who enjoys living in her native Minsk, Belarus. But, as Velya proudly announces in a trailer for...
MoMA Series to Highlight Emerging Women Directors
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is working toward “a brighter, more inclusive future in which cinema can more accurately reflect the world around us,” according to a press release. With...
Weekly Update for June 22: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING THIS WEEK Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts – Co-Written and Directed by Mouly Surya (Opens in NY; Opens in LA July 6) In the windswept uplands of the Indonesian...
Lifetime Orders Three Movies Based on Jane Green Novels, Kim Raver to Co-Direct the First
Lifetime is partnering up with Jane Green. The author of 17 New York Times best-sellers, Green has been published in over 30 languages around the world. Looking to capitalize on that popularity,...
Céline Sciamma Will Start Shooting Her Next Film This Fall
Céline Sciamma’s fourth feature is in the works. The French filmmaker will follow up “Girlhood” with “Portrait de la jeune fille en feu,” which roughly translates to...
Research: New DGA Study Shows Lack of Opportunity for Women and Minority Feature Directors
“From the largest studio tent poles to the smallest indie films, diversity among feature film directors remained low in 2017,” a press release announcing the findings of a comprehensive...
In Search of Self: Crowdfunding Picks
Almost every woman can relate to the pressure to conform or compromise oneself — the struggle to be heard and seen, valued and understood. Yet so few stories accurately or realistically...
Angie Wang’s “MDMA” Acquired by Shout! Studios
Shout! Studios has snagged North American rights to MDMA, Angie Wang’s semi-autobiographical crime drama. Variety broke the news. Set in 1984, the pic tells the story of a student (Annie Q.,...
Queen Latifah and Katie Couric Partner with P&G to Support Women Directors and Creators
Earlier this week Procter & Gamble announced half of its commercials would be women-directed by 2023. The conglomerate also mentioned it would be teaming up with Queen Latifah and Katie Couric...
Trailer Watch: A Girl Finds Her Crew in Crystal Moselle’s “Skate Kitchen”
“For a while I was feeling really lonely — that loneliness that you have even in a crowded room. But I don’t feel it anymore,” says Camille (newcomer Rachelle Vinberg) in a...
Trailer Watch: A Teen’s Love Letters Are Leaked in “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”
Meet Lara Jean, the teen at the center of Susan Johnson’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” When she gets super intense crushes, the high schooler writes letters to the...
Liz Garbus to Receive San Francisco Jewish Film Fest’s Freedom of Expression Award
The Jewish Film Institute (JFI) will present Liz Garbus with the 2018 Freedom of Expression Award. The Academy Award-nominated documentarian is set to accept the prize at the 38th San Francisco...
Trailer Watch: A Peasant Travels Through Time in Alice Rohrwacher’s “Happy as Lazzaro”
A newly released trailer for Alice Rohrwacher’s Cannes winner “Happy as Lazzaro” begins and ends with the titular character’s name being whispered. This odd intro and book-end...
Study Shows Wide Gender Gap Persists on Telefilm Canada’s Big Budget Pics
The good news: Telefilm Canada’s goal of closing its movies’ off-screen gender gap by 2020 has resulted in tangible change. The bad news: the gap is still stubbornly wide on...
U.S. Rights to Judy Davis-Starrer “Mystery Road” Snagged by Acorn TV
“Mystery Road” is headed stateside thanks to Acorn TV. The SVOD service has acquired U.S. rights to the Australian drama, Deadline confirms. The Judy Davis-starrer is scheduled to air in...
Guest Post: When I Stopped Asking for Permission and Started Giving It
Guest Post by Katy-May Hudson It’s mid-2016. I’m an experimental artist writing, performing, and creating new work, mostly with the NY Neo Futurists. We have a normal president in the White House...
Women Will Direct Half of Procter & Gamble Commercials by 2023
The powerhouse conglomerate behind products including Olay, Pantene, Tide, Gillette, and Tampax has committed to hiring more women directors for its commercials. According to CNN Money, Procter &...
Apply Now: Sony TV’s 2018 Diverse Directors Program
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) is now accepting applications for this year’s Diverse Directors Program. The initiative gives emerging directors from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to...
Coming Out, Dialing In: June’s VOD and Web Series Picks
Each of our three web series and VOD picks this month includes a scene with two women walking in nature: friends Isobel and Cam hiking and letting out primal screams in the comedic web series...
Trailer Watch: A Teen Avenges Her Mother’s Death in Sundance Winner “Night Comes On”
A trailer has landed for “Night Comes On,” Jordana Spiro’s award-winning feature debut about a 17-year-old on a mission. Recently released from juvenile detention, Angel (Dominique...
Films from Melanie Mayron, Valerie Buhagiar, & More Screening at 2018 Female Eye Film Fest
The upcoming Female Eye Film Festival (FeFF) will include more than 90 pics directed by women, a press release has announced. Established in 2001 in response to the lack of women-helmed fare at...
Heather Graham to Topline Aisling Chin-Yee’s Family Dramedy “The Rest of Us”
Babe Nation Creation’s first feature has begun filming, Deadline confirms. The female-driven production company is behind “The Rest of Us,” Aisling Chin-Yee’s directorial debut....
Trailer Watch: Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer Go on a Cruise in “Like Father”
Kristen Bell takes to the sea with unexpected company in a new trailer for Lauren Miller Rogen’s “Like Father.” She and her fiancé planned to go on a cruise to celebrate their...
Weekly Update for June 15: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING THIS WEEK The Year of Spectacular Men – Directed by Lea Thompson; Written by Madelyn Deutch “The Year of Spectacular Men” follows...
Tribeca Winner “Little Woods” Lands Distribution, Tessa Thompson and Lily James Star
Nia DaCosta’s feature directorial debut has secured North American distribution. Neon acquired the rights to the Tribeca winner, The Hollywood Reporter confirms.Tessa Thompson and Lily James...