#Women Filmmakers
ARRAY Releasing and JetBlue Debut In-Flight Channel Showcasing Women and BIPOC Filmmakers
In-flight entertainment is getting an upgrade, thanks to Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Releasing. The “Selma” director’s banner has partnered with JetBlue to launch an in-flight pop-up channel,...
Cinematographer to Watch: Charlotte Hornsby
New York-based cinematographer Charlotte Hornsby has been making a name for herself on the festival circuit, working on titles such as Mariama Diallo’s “Master,” a horror pic...
The Weight of Community: Crowdfunding Picks
Community can mean a host things: comfort, responsibility, representation, and identity, to name a few. The word holds undeniable power, and our communities often inform what we come to think of our...
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Gabriela Cowperthwaite – “The Grab”
Gabriela Cowperthwaite has been directing both documentaries and narrative films for over 20 years. She directed the 2013 documentary “Blackfish,” which amassed over 100 million viewers...
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Lindsay MacKay – “The Swearing Jar”
Lindsay MacKay is a writer and director. MacKay is a graduate of the York University Film program and went on to get her Masters in Directing from the AFI Conservatory. Her debut feature, “Wet...
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Angela Wanjiku Wamai – “Shimoni” (“The Pit”)
Angela Wanjiku Wamai works as a film editor in Nairobi, Kenya. She was recently awarded best film editor by the Women in Film Awards – Kenya. In 2018 she wrote “I Had to Bury...
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Jub Clerc – “Sweet As”
Jub Clerc is a Nyul Nyul/Yawuru woman from the Kimberley in Western Austrlia. Clerc spent many years in theatre before moving into film and television, working on multiple award-winning productions....
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Liliane Mutti – “Miúcha, The Voice of Bossa Nova”
Born in Salvador, Brazil, Liliane Mutti is the founder of the Ciné Nova Bossa Association in Paris. She produces and directs films with strong political engagement, such as “Ecocide,”...
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Sophie Kargman – “Susie Searches”
Sophie Kargman is a director, writer, producer, and actor based in Los Angeles. Her short film “Query,” which she also co-wrote and produced, had its world premiere at the 2020 Tribeca Film...
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Tamana Ayazi – “In Her Hands”
Tamana Ayazi is a filmmaker and journalist from Afghanistan. She has a background in business, sports, and activism. She is a NatGeo explorer who uses storytelling as a tool to advocate for equality...
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Amy Redford – “Roost”
Amy Redford’s career in the creative arts spans over three decades as a director, producer, and actor in film, television, music videos, and theater. “The Guitar” marked her directorial...
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Bess Wohl – “Baby Ruby”
Bess Wohl is a writer, director, and playwright. In theater, her play “Grand Horizons” was nominated for a Tony Award. In film and television she has developed projects with Amazon, HBO,...
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Aitch Alberto – “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe”
Aitch Alberto is a writer and director born and raised in Miami, Florida. She is a Sundance Episodic Lab fellow, the recipient of a Skowhegan Artist Residency, a Yaddo fellowship, and a Latino...
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Stephanie Johnes – “Maya and the Wave”
Stephanie Johnes is a director, producer, and documentary filmmaker who gravitates toward stories of underdogs and dreamers. Her directorial debut, “Doubletime,” premiered at SXSW and Tribeca and...
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Maggie Levin and Vanessa Winter – “V/H/S/99”
Maggie Levin is a filmmaker with rock ‘n’ roll roots. She served as second unit director and credit designer for Universal’s “The Black Phone,” in theaters now....
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Mary Nighy – “Alice, Darling”
Mary Nighy is a UK-based director who has directed episodes of “Industry,” a new series for HBO and Bad Wolf, and “Traces,” a new series for Red Productions. Nighy was the...
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Lauren DeFilippo – “Free Money”
Lauren DeFilippo is a documentary filmmaker based in New York City. She most recently produced “Ailey” (Sundance 2021), an acclaimed feature documentary that was released in theaters...
TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Vera Drew – “The People’s Joker”
Vera Drew (she/her) is an accomplished LGBTQ+ director and editor who has worked in TV and film for nearly a decade. She recently directed Season 12 of Tim Heidecker’s “On Cinema at...
Women’s Weekend Film Challenge Returns to Host Fifth Edition
The grassroots women-in-film initiative Women’s Weekend Film Challenge (WWFC) is set to host its fifth edition today, August 11, through August 14 in New York City. The challenge will see 180...
Tilda Swinton Will Chair Jury for BFI’s Filmmaker Awards: Celebrating Creative Audacity
Tilda Swinton will lend her expertise to the BFI’s new initiative, the Filmmaker Awards: Celebrating Creative Audacity. According to Deadline, the Oscar-winner will chair the awards’ jury...
Athena Film Fest Partners with Disney on Dev Grant for Emerging Women & Non-Binary Filmmakers
The Athena Film Festival (AFF) is joining forces with Disney Studios Content to expand its Creative Development Program, which awards over $50,000 annually to underrepresented filmmakers. A press...
Apply Now: Women’s Weekend Film Challenge
For the first time since the pandemic, the Women’s Weekend Film Challenge (WWFC) is taking place, with the goal of addressing the off-screen gender gap. Applications are now open for the fifth...
Exclusive: Chicken & Egg’s New Project: Hatched Grantees Tackle Gender Identity, Mental Illness, & More
A portrait of an abolitionist trying to heal her family in the wake of incarceration, an animated short presenting gender fluidity through a child’s eyes, and the story of 30 women crossing...
Submit Now: Pano Microgrants for Women and Non-Binary Filmmakers
Pano, formerly known as NYC Women Filmmakers, is now accepting submissions for its second round of microgrants. Designed to assist projects and develop the careers of women, non-binary, and gender...
Apply Now: The Chimaera Project’s TO.GET.HER Finishing Fund for Women & Non-Binary Filmmakers
The Chimaera Project, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering women and non-binary filmmakers, has announced the Call for Entries for its 2022 TO.GET.HER film production finishing funds program....
Apply Now: First Flights and Goldfinch’s Female Voices Short Film Fund
Filmmaking incubator First Flights and entertainment financier/production house Goldfinch are teaming up to support a woman artist as she creates a short film. A press release has announced the...
Guest Post: How the World’s Largest Search Engine Can Help Fix Hollywood’s Representation Problem
By Mimi Anagli and Elena Rossini Imagine this: you are a 14-year-old with a passion for movies and photography. Maybe one day you could make a career out of it, becoming a cinematographer. You are...
Waad Al-Kateab & Kelley Kali Named 2021 Recipients of Academy Gold Fellowship for Women
Filmmakers Waad Al-Kateab and Kelley Kali are the recipients of the 2021 Academy Gold Fellowship for Women. According to Screen Daily, the respective “For Sama” and “I’m Fine...
Submit Now: Athena Film Festival’s Works-in-Progress Program
Women and nonbinary filmmakers looking to hone their documentary project pitches, take note: the Athena Film Festival’s (AFF) Works-in-Progress Program is now accepting submissions. An...
Apply Now: The Inaugural WIF x Google Shorts Program
Women In Film, Los Angeles (WIF) will fund three shorts from up-and-coming women and nonbinary filmmakers, with support from Google. Applications are now being accepted for the inaugural WIF Shorts...
Nanfu Wang, Jessica Kingdon, Jessica Beshir, & “Once Upon a Time in Uganda” Among DOC NYC Awardees
The in-person portion of DOC NYC 2021 is winding down, and the festival has begun presenting its awards. A press release has announced the juried honors for this year’s edition. “Once...
Eight Artists Selected for 2021 Women at Sundance Adobe Fellowship
Sundance Institute has selected eight artists for the second annual Women at Sundance Adobe Fellowship. Variety confirms that Deborah Esquenazi (“Southwest of Salem”), McKenzie Chinn...
Exclusive: Chicken & Egg Pictures and Fork Films Select Participants for Inaugural Story Workshop
Chicken & Egg Pictures and Fork Films are joining forces on a new creative story workshop for documentarians. Women and Hollywood can exclusively reveal that the orgs have selected the...
NYCWF Presents Inaugural Microgrants to 10 Women and Nonbinary Filmmakers
NYC Women Filmmakers (NYCWF), a non-profit that supports women and nonbinary filmmakers, has announced the first recipients of its new microgrant program. According to a press release, the grantees...
The Future of Film Is Female Announces Spring 2021 Grant Recipients
The Future of Film Is Female (FOFIF) has awarded its latest round of funding. The org, which supports female filmmakers with financial support, exhibition, and promotion, presented Spring 2021 grants...
Filmmakers Resita Cox and Latoya Flowers Receive Hulu/Kartemquin Accelerator Program Grants
Once again, two women have been named the recipients of Hulu and Kartemquin Films’ Accelerator Program for filmmakers of color. As Deadline reports, Resita Cox and Latoya Flowers will each...
Apply Now: Women’s Weekend Film Challenge’s Inaugural Pilot Accelerator Program
This fall, Women’s Weekend Film Challenge (WWFC) will give six to eight up and coming TV scribes the opportunity to pitch to studios, production companies, and producers. Applications are now...
Guest Post: How Seventh Row Is Revising the Film Canon with Books on Women Directors
By Orla Smith Browsing the film section of most bookstores, books about female directors are a rare find. Nestled between the tomes on Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson, you...
Apply Now: Still I Rise Fellowship
Documentary film series and distribution platform Still I Rise has earmarked a $50,000 grant for women artists and filmmakers. According to Deadline, the Still I Rise Fellowship will provide...
Exclusive: Loira Limbal, Jialing Zhang, & Cristina Ibarra Among 2021 Chicken & Egg Award Recipients
Loira Limbal, Jialing Zhang, Cristina Ibarra, Maryam Ebrahimi, Tatiana Huezo, and Elwira Niewiera will be honored with a $50,000 grant and a year-long mentorship program for their documentary...
Keisha Rae Witherspoon Receives Inaugural Lynn Shelton “Of a Certain Age” Grant
The Lynn Shelton “Of a Certain Age” Grant has announced its first recipient. Miami-based independent director Keisha Rae Witherspoon will take home the $25,000 unrestricted cash grant this year,...
November 2020 Film Preview
By Shayna Maci Warner and Tatiana McInnis November is a varied, exciting month for women-forward filmmaking, sprinkled with dystopian thrillers, glimpses into grief and trauma-fueled paranoia, and...
September 2020 Film Preview
By Shayna Maci Warner and Tatiana McInnis September is rich in documentaries and epic narratives with long-awaited releases. This month’s varied documentary releases highlight women’s...
Mary Mazzio on “A Most Beautiful Thing,” Her Doc About the First African American High School Rowing Team
Mary Mazzio is a documentary filmmaker, former attorney, and Olympic rower. As a filmmaker, Mazzio explores the concept of overcoming obstacles, whether it is a fight for social change (“A Hero...
July 2020 Film Preview
This July offers many new films by and about women to discover on VOD and streaming platforms, and — as some films make their tentative return to cinemas — in movie theaters,...
Hot Docs 2020 Women Directors: Meet Liz Marshall – “Meat the Future”
Liz Marshall is an award-winning Canadian filmmaker. Since the 1990s, she has written, produced, directed, and filmed diverse international and socially conscious documentaries. Marshall’s...
Submit Now: Women In Film, ReFrame, and IMDbPro’s Curbside Shorts Filmmaking Challenge
Women In Film LA, ReFrame, and IMDbPro have launched a contest for women and nonbinary filmmakers who have been keeping creative during quarantine. Per a press release, the Curbside Shorts Two-Minute...
May 2020 Film Preview
This May offers a wide selection of women-made and centric films of all genres to check out on VOD and streaming platforms. Starting off the month is “The Half of It,” which hits Netflix...
April 2020 Film Preview
Women-centric and -helmed film will not be slowing down in April; the month is set to be filled with interesting and varied projects hitting VOD and streaming platforms, ranging from dread-inducing...
“M for Magic’s” Alexis Manya Spraic on Hollywood’s Magic Castle and Women’s Unacknowledged Work
Filmmaker Alexis Manya Spraic is a fourth-generation Angeleno who is drawn to transformative stories of women and people of color languishing in the footnotes of history and culture. She has dual...
Has Your Project Been Impacted by SXSW or Another Fest’s Cancellation? W&H Wants to Help
With the cancellation of SXSW — and numerous other festivals and events — due to the coronavirus outbreak, many filmmaking teams are struggling. Money has been lost, not to mention a huge...