#Women Of Color
Pick of the Day: “Finding Kukan”
Here are a few factoids about “Kukan,” the 1941 documentary about China during Japan’s WWII invasion and occupation: Its title is a term that refers to perseverance in the face of...
Study: Women Made Up 34% of Speaking Roles in 2021’s Top Films, Majority of Those Characters Were White
Earlier this week, we reported on a study from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative that delved into the number of women and people of color serving as leads and co-leads in...
Number of Women & POC Leads/Co-Leads Held Steady in Top Films of 2021, According to New Research
The good news: judging from last year’s box office reports, the number of female and people of color leads/co-leads in popular films hasn’t really decreased during the pandemic. The bad...
An Opinion of Our Own: Web Series Picks
In a media landscape that can feel impossible to get a handle on, with new releases daily across numerous platforms, the role of the critic has never been more vital for individual viewers. When...
Tiffany Johnson & Kiana Moore’s Fashion Fair Doc “The Beauty of Blackness” Lands at HBO Max
In honor of Women’s History Month, HBO Max has acquired a documentary tracing the creation, rise, and continued significance of Fashion Fair, the first cosmetics brand specifically designed for...
Jazmin Jones Directing “Seeking Mavis Beacon” Doc, Neon Signs on as Producer
Since the ’80s, Mavis Beacon has helped millions of people learn how to type. She is one of the most prominent Black women in technology. But she isn’t real — or at least the woman...
Under the Radar: Rhiana Yazzie’s “A Winter Love” Showcases Inter-Tribal Romance & Celebrates Self-Love
From Sterlin Harjo’s “Reservation Dogs” on FX to Peacock’s “Rutherford Falls,” created by Sierra Teller Ornelas, Ed Helms, and Michael Schur, 2021 has offered audiences more Indigenous...
Brown Girls Doc Mafia Announces Sustainable Artist & Black Directors Grant Recipients
Advocacy group Brown Girls Doc Mafia (BGDM) has presented it inaugural BGDM Sustainable Artist Grants and the BGDM Black Directors Grants. According to Deadline, the grants come with $10,000,...
Women in Animation’s Spring 2021 Mentorship Program to Focus on Advancing Women of Color
Women in Animation (WIA) is teaming up with Black N’Animated, LatinX in Animation, and Rise Up Animation for its 2021 Spring Mentorship Program in order to “directly advance career...
Women of Color Unite Bringing #Startwith8 Mentorship Program to the U.K.
Women of Color Unite (WOCU) is taking its #Startwith8 campaign across the pond. A press release has confirmed that WOCU, a non-profit advocacy group for women of color in entertainment, is expanding...
Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Fest’s Final Week to Showcase Works by Felicia Pride & More
This year’s edition of the Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival has confirmed its final week’s titles and events. The fest, an annual affair founded by African Voices magazine and...
Submit Now: Starz, WrapWomen, and WIF’s Telling Our Stories Short Film Competition
STARZ, WrapWomen, and Women in Film are accepting submissions for the Telling Our Stories (TOS) film competition. The contest, which showcases short films from women and gender non-conforming...
Pick of the Day: “And She Could Be Next”
Sometimes “And She Could Be Next” is a joy to watch, and sometimes it’s infuriating. Seeing so many women of color running and winning political races is incredibly exciting. Grace...
U.S. and U.K. Black and Brown Creatives Sign Open Letters to Respective Industries
In the latest step in tackling systemic racism, the past week has seen Black and Brown creatives in the United States and United Kingdom pen open letters to the wider film and TV industry. On June...
Apply Now: American Documentary’s Artist Mental Health Fund for BIPOC Directors & Producers
Applications are now open for a new U.S.-based fund designed to support artists of color, specifically with regards to mental health. American Documentary (AmDoc), the nonprofit organization behind...
Viola Davis, Halle Berry, Taraji P. Henson, & Other Veteran Black Actresses Talk Representation
“I’m really proud to be a part of our industry now because we’re finally understanding that we’re stronger together and it doesn’t have to be one of us,” says...
Women of Color Directing All of “Boomerang” Season 2, New Trailer Drops
Dime Davis, Tiffany Johnson , and Katrelle N. Kindred are joining “Boomerang.” The trio — all of whom are women of color — are directing the entirety of the BET...
Chicago Arts Center Sisters in Cinema Announces Documentary Fellowship Recipients
Sisters in Cinema, a South Side Chicago-based media arts center supporting black women, girls, and non-binary individuals, has selected three first-time women filmmakers for its Documentary...
Quote of the Day: Mindy Kaling Calls the Women of Hollywood “Gate Crashers”
Mindy Kaling delivered a powerful call to action at Elle’s 2019 Women in Hollywood event, held Monday in LA. While accepting an award, the “Late Night” screenwriter and star urged...
Apply Now: Wavelength Productions’ WAVE Grant for First-Time Women Filmmakers of Color
Wavelength Productions, the company that brought us Rachel Lears’ feminist political doc “Knock Down the House,” has announced a grant supporting first-time female filmmakers of...
Euzhan Palcy Retrospective Set for London and Manchester
In 1983, French director Euzhan Palcy became the first black director to take home France’s César award for her first feature, “Sugar Cane Alley.” She was also the first black...
Under the Radar: Antonia Grace Glenn Explores American History Through “The Ito Sisters”
In the opening narration for the documentary “The Ito Sisters: An American Story,” director Antonia Grace Glenn states, “My family started recording interviews with my grandmother and her two...
Quote of the Day: Tessa Thompson on the Barriers Blocking Women of Color from Equal Pay
When news first broke that Tessa Thompson would be starring in the new “Men in Black” movie alongside her “Thor: Ragnarok” co-star Chris Hemsworth, Women and Hollywood...
Trailer Watch: An Iconic Filmmaker Fights for Māori Stories in ARRAY Doc “Merata”
As the first Māori woman to write and direct a feature film, Merata Mita focused on telling New Zealand’s indigenous peoples’ stories on the screen. But as her son Hepi Mita notes in the...
Writer to Watch: “Insecure” Scribe Amy Aniobi
“It’s something that we really want to preserve — this idea that black women are worthy of love, worthy of true friendship, can achieve it together,” Amy Aniobi has said of...
Nataki Garrett Becomes Oregon Shakespeare Fest’s First Artistic Director of Color
Nataki Garrett has held a variety of posts throughout her 20-plus-year career in theater — director, playwright, producer, administrator, educator — and has worked at organizations such...
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...
Guest Post: Mira Nair’s Groundbreaking Career, from Bollywood to Hollywood
Guest Post by Amardeep Singh I’ve been fascinated by director Mira Nair since I first saw her 1991 film “Mississippi Masala,” a drama about the romance between an Indian immigrant (Sarita...
Brown Girls Doc Mafia Appoints Board of Directors, Receives $105K MacArthur Grant
Big things are happening at Brown Girls Doc Mafia (BGDM), an org advocating for women and non-binary people of color in documentary filmmaking. According to Filmmaker Magazine, BGDM has announced...
Jocelyn Bioh on “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play” & Its Exploration of Colorism
If you haven’t heard of Off-Broadway’s “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play,” by Jocelyn Bioh, it is only a matter of time before you do. The play, directed by Tony...
Writer Ngozi Anyanwu and Director Awoye Timpo Talk Reuniting for “Good Grief”
Writer-actor Ngozi Anyanwu and director Awoye Timpo paired up for the current run of Anyanwu’s play “Good Grief” at the Vineyard Theatre. This isn’t the first time the pair has worked...
Playwright Jaclyn Backhaus Chats About Her New Show “India Pale Ale”
Jaclyn Backhaus, a playwright of Punjabi and German descent, is skilled at giving women a voice in her work. Her last play, “Men on Boats,” told the story of the 1869 Powell Expedition...
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...
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...
Swipe Right: September’s VOD and Web Series Picks
This month’s VOD and web series picks offer a few different takes on dating in the modern age. With the adoption of social media, smart phones, and apps, navigating the dating world in a sea of...
Writer to Watch: Sierra Teller Ornelas of “Superstore”
Working on “Superstore,” the NBC comedy about a motley crew of employees at a big-box store, marked the first time Sierra Teller Ornelas wasn’t the only Latina in the...
CAA Launches Database of TV Writers of Color
A recent Diversity Report from UCLA found that people of color accounted for just 7.1 percent of creators on broadcast scripted shows and 7.3 percent of creators on cable scripted shows in the...
Paul Feig’s Digital Media Company Greenlights Series About Muslim Women
Given his Leading Man Award from the Athena Film Festival and his history of feminism on-screen and off, it comes as no surprise that the first original series from Paul Feig’s digital media...
Regina Hicks’ “Black Don’t Crack” Snagged by ABC, Viola Davis to Exec Produce
A new comedy from “Insecure” writer and co-executive producer Regina Hicks has sold to ABC, Deadline reports. The multi-camera show about old friends counts Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis...
“Being Mary Jane” Showrunner Erica Shelton Kodish Inks Overall Deal with CBS TV Studios
Erica Shelton Kodish is heading back to CBS. The “Good Wife” alumna has signed a multi-year overall deal with CBS TV Studios after serving as showrunner on the fourth season of BET’s “Being...
Meagan Good to Star in “Foxy Brown” TV Series Reboot
A TV adaptation of the 1974 cult classic “Foxy Brown” is in the works, Deadline reports. While Pam Grier originally played the iconic role, Meagan Good (“Think Like a Man,” “Deception”)...
Watch: Viola Davis Gives Inspiring Speech for #SeeHer Critics Choice Award
On Sunday night, Viola Davis was honored with the first ever See Her Award at the Critics Choice Awards in recognition of how much her work furthers the portrayal of three-dimensional women...
Lydia Polgreen Hired as Editor-in-Chief at The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post has made an excellent move in appointing Lydia Polgreen as editor-in-chief of the outlet. Polgreen, who has been with the New York Times since 2002, was acting as the Times’...