#Women Writers
Pick of the Day: “Identifying Features”
There is no shortage of disturbing images in “Identifying Features,” Fernanda Valadez’s poetic tale of family, violence, and migration. We see an eyeball being operated upon and the...
Rachel Givney’s Jane Austen-Inspired Novel “Jane in Love” Headed for the Big Screen
Jane Austen is set to anchor her own love story. Di Novi Pictures and Amazon Studios have acquired Rachel Givney’s novel “Jane in Love” with plans for a feature adaptation....
Trailer Watch: Queen Latifah Helps Those with No One Else to Turn to in “The Equalizer”
“I’m the one you call when you can’t call 911,” says Queen Latifah in a new trailer for “The Equalizer.” The CBS reboot sees the Oscar-nominated actress playing...
Freida Pinto Will Topline and Exec Produce “Spy Princess” Limited Series About Noor Inayat Khan
Freida Pinto is joining the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, and Angelina Jolie: she’s set to play a spy. The “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Rise of the Planet of the...
“Insecure’s” Yvonne Orji Developing Semi-Autobiographical Comedy at Disney+, Oprah Winfrey Producing
Some bittersweet news for “Insecure” fans: Issa Rae’s HBO comedy about the personal and professional triumphs and tribulations of LA-based BFFs Issa (Rae) and Molly (Yvonne Orji) is...
Charlène Favier’s “Slalom” Lands at Kino Lorber
Charlène Favier’s feature debut has found a home. Kino Lorber acquired U.S. rights to “Slalom,” a press release announced. The coming-of-age drama about an elite athlete premiered as...
Trailer Watch: Lana Condor Prepares for Life After Graduation in “To All the Boys: Always and Forever”
“It’s hard to believe what all started with a letter, a hot tub, and a diner could turn into this,” says Lana Condor in a new trailer for “To All the Boys: Always and...
Trailer Watch: Andra Day Refuses to Be Silenced in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”
Two-time Grammy nominee Andra Day takes the stage to sing “Strange Fruit” in a new trailer for “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” The Hulu drama revisits how the federal...
Pamela B. Green Developing Biopic About First Female Filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché
Pamela B. Green is working on another Alice Guy-Blaché project. Green, the co-writer-director-producer of documentary “Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché,” is in early...
Trailer Watch: Freida Lee Mock Revisits RBG’s Legacy in “Ruth: Justice Ginsburg in Her Own Words”
“I did very well in law school. It was not possible to do much better,” Ruth Bader Ginsburg reveals via archival footage in “Ruth: Justice Ginsburg in Her Own Words.”...
National Society of Film Critics Names “Nomadland” Best Picture, Chloé Zhao Best Director
Oscar nominations won’t be announced until March 15 but “Nomadland” is collecting a slew of high-profile accolades in the meantime. After winning major honors from the Boston...
Pick of the Day: “Herself”
What makes a home? What makes a family, or community? Struggling single mother Sandra (co-screenwriter Clare Dunne) finds out in “Herself,” Phyllida Lloyd’s third feature film. Due to the...
“Secret Bridesmaids’ Business” Adaptation from Deirdre Shaw in the Works at NBC
“Secret Bridesmaids’ Business” is heading stateside. NBC is developing a drama based on Seven Studios’ Australian miniseries, according to Variety. Titled “Ties That...
Gugu Mbatha-Raw Will Headline BBC Adaptation of “The Girl Before,” HBO Max Likely to Co-Produce
Gugu Mbatha-Raw has yet another series in the works. The “Morning Show” alumna is already slated to topline “Surface,” an upcoming Apple TV+ psychological thriller...
“Lords of Dogtown” TV Series Being Developed at IMDb TV, Kat Candler Writing
We’re already eagerly awaiting Season 2 of “Betty,” Crystal Moselle’s “Skate Kitchen” spinoff about an all-female skating crew, on HBO, and now it looks as though...
Jessie Barr’s Coming-of-Age Pic “Sophie Jones” Lands at Oscilloscope Laboratories
Jessie Barr’s feature directorial debut has secured distribution. Oscilloscope Laboratories snagged North American rights to “Sophie Jones” and plans to release the coming-of-age...
Sarah Jones to Direct Sex Industry Doc “Sell/Buy/Date,” EPs Include Meryl Streep & Laverne Cox
Tony-winner Sarah Jones is bringing her 2016 play “Sell/Buy/Date” to the screen — and is stepping behind the camera to do so. According to Deadline, Jones will make her feature...
“Nomadland” Leads Alliance of Women Film Journalists’ EDA Award Nominations
The party’s just getting started for “Nomadland.” Chloé Zhao’s Oscar frontrunner has already picked up honors from the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Los Angeles Film...
January 2021 Film Preview
By Tatiana McInnis and Shayna Maci Warner 2020 has been an exercise of endurance, unspeakable loss, tragedy, anxiety, and rage, the scale of which cannot be addressed in any piece of writing. Many...
Pick of the Day: “Promising Young Woman”
“Promising Young Woman” is one helluva debut feature. The first film from actress and former “Killing Eve” showrunner Emerald Fennell is a sharp, stylish take on rape culture and is frankly...
Weekly Update for December 23: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Opening
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD Wonder Woman 1984 – Directed by Patty Jenkins; Written by Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns, and Dave Callaham At long last, we’re being...
2020’s Best Films By and About Women
Confined and isolated thanks to COVID-19, we relied on films and appreciated their ability to transport and distract more than ever this year. Our favorite pics of 2020 served as invaluable emotional...
Annemarie Jacir Is Bringing “Mornings in Jenin” to Television
Annemarie Jacir is following up her 2017 Oscar hopeful “Wajib” with a project on the small screen. The Palestinian filmmaker is developing a TV series based on Susan Abulhawa’s...
Saudi Arabia Adds “Scales” to Oscars’ International Feature Race
Shahad Ameen is following in Haifaa Al-Mansour’s footsteps. “Scales” has been named as Saudi Arabia’s pick for the International Feature Film category at the 2021 Academy...
“Nomadland” Dominates Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, Chloé Zhao Wins Best Director
“Nomadland” is showing no signs of slowing down. The Frances McDormand-led Oscar frontrunner was just named Best Picture by The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA), and Chloé Zhao...
Trailer Watch: Robin Wright Battles the Elements and Herself in “Land”
“I’m not running from anyone. I’m not hiding. I’m here because I choose to be,” says Robin Wright in a new trailer for “Land.” Set to make its world premiere...
“The Wilds” Coming Back for Season 2 on Amazon
Our favorite castaways are staying put. Amazon has renewed “The Wilds” for a second season, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. Created by Sarah Streicher (“Daredevil”), the...
L.A. Film Critics Association & New York Film Critics Circle Name Chloé Zhao Best Director for “Nomadland”
Chloé Zhao is taking awards season by storm. Already named Best Director by the Boston Society of Film Critics, Zhao just picked up the same honor from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association...
Weekly Update for December 18: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Opening
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Ma Rainey knows her worth. As played by Viola Davis in the screen adaptation of August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s...
Jennifer Lopez Will Topline and Produce Serial Killer Drama “The Cipher” for Netflix
Jennifer Lopez’s upcoming slate sees her playing a music superstar (Kat Coiro’s “Marry Me”) and a drug lord (Reed Morano’s “The Godmother”). Now she’s...
2020’s Best New Television Created By and About Women
Thank goodness for TV this year. With social distancing, lockdowns, and quarantines, it has been the most reliable source of entertainment during the pandemic. Thankfully, 2020 was an especially good...
Guest Post: How I Went from Sketch Writing to Feature Films — And Got My First Feature Made
Guest Post by Chelsea Frei I’ve always had a hard time sitting still. I need to be working on the next thing, checking things off my to do list. I think that’s why I gravitated toward sketch...
Frances McDormand and Sarah Polley Team Up for “Women Talking” Adaptation
Two of Canada’s most acclaimed storytellers are joining forces with one of America’s finest actors. Sarah Polley is signed on to write and direct a feature adaptation of Miriam...
“Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time” Goes to Greenwich Entertainment
Greenwich Entertainment just snagged U.S. rights to an Oscar hopeful. Screen Daily reports that the distribution company will release “Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of...
Nikole Beckwith’s “Together Together” Lands at Bleecker Street
Nikole Beckwith’s sophomore feature has secured distribution. Bleecker Street scored North American rights to “Together Together,” Beckwith’s follow-up to 2015 Saoirse...
“Savannah” Series in the Works at Amazon from Tracy Oliver
Tracy Oliver has yet another series in the works. The “Girls Trip” scribe’s “First Wives Club” reboot has been renewed for a second season on BET+ and she’s...
Shaz Bennett’s “Alaska Is a Drag” Lands at ARRAY Releasing, Gets Trailer
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Releasing has acquired “Alaska Is a Drag,” Shaz Bennett’s award-winning feature directorial debut. A press release confirmed the news. Penned by Bennett...
Black List 2020: Sophie Dawson’s Cannibal Story “Headhunter” Receives Most Votes
The 2020 Black List is here. Now in its 16th edition, the annual survey highlights Hollywood execs’ favorite unproduced — or “on the verge of being produced” —...
Trailer Post: Frances McDormand and Chloé Zhao Hit the Open Road in “Nomadland”
“I’m not homeless. I’m just houseless,” says Frances McDormand in a new trailer for “Nomadland.” Written and directed by Chloé Zhao, the Oscar frontrunner tells...
Weekly Update for December 11: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Opening
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD The Stand-In – Directed by Jamie Babbit “The Stand-In” A washed-up movie star, Candy (Drew Barrymore), busted for tax...
Trailer Watch: Chloë Grace Moretz Faces Off Against a Gremlin in the Sky in “Shadow in the Cloud”
“You have no idea how far I’ll go,” warns Chloë Grace Moretz in a new trailer for Roseanne Liang’s “Shadow in the Cloud.” Set in WWII, the campy thriller tells...
Katori Hall Signs Overall Deal with Lionsgate TV, Sets Up Mentorship Program for Black Playwrights
Katori Hall is sticking with Lionsgate Television. She has signed an overall deal with the studio, which produces her strip club-set Starz drama “P-Valley.” The pact will see Hall create...
Pick of the Day: “Let Them All Talk”
“Here’s to picking up the conversation where we left off — and here’s to reconnecting the gang of three we used to be,” says Meryl Steep in “Let Them All Talk.” Filmed over two weeks...
Taraji P. Henson to Make Feature Directorial Debut with High School Comedy “Two-Faced”
Taraji P. Henson is directing her first movie. Variety confirms the Oscar-nominated actress will helm, produce, and star in Bron Studios’ high school comedy “Two-Faced.” The project...
Pick of the Day: “Funny Boy”
“Why does everyone say I’m funny? What does that mean?” young Arjie (Arush Nand) asks in “Funny Boy.” His parents are trying to explain to him why he can’t dress up as the...
Naomi Kawase’s “True Mothers” Lands at Film Movement
Naomi Kawase’s latest has secured distribution stateside. Variety reports that Film Movement scored U.S. rights to “True Mothers,” the Japanese auteur’s Oscar hopeful. Part of...
Catalina Aguilar Mastretta to Direct Jojo Moyes Adaptation “The Giver of Stars” for Universal
Another woman-directed Jojo Moyes adaptation is in the works. The author’s novels have already served as the source material for Thea Sharrock’s 2016 Emilia Clarke-led box office hit...
KiKi Layne and Kasi Lemmons Join Forces on Skydance TV’s “Ring Shout”
KiKi Layne is coming to the small screen. Skydance Television nabbed rights to P. Djéli Clark’s fantasy historical novella “Ring Shout” in a “competitive situation,” and the...
Trailer Watch: Clare Dunne Takes On the Housing Crisis and a Toxic Ex in Phyllida Lloyd’s “Herself”
“We can’t go on like this,” Sandra (Clare Dunne), a struggling single mother of two, says in the trailer for Phyllida Lloyd’s new film, “Herself.” In need of new...
Corinna Faith’s Supernatural Thriller “The Power” Lands at Shudder
Shudder’s got “The Power.” The streamer scored rights to the supernatural thriller for North America, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, Deadline reports. Described as being...
Tara Miele to Write and Direct Carol Burnett Biopic
Tara Miele has lined up her next project days ahead of the release of her latest feature, Sienna Miller-starrer “Wander Darkly.” She will follow up the romantic drama about a couple whose...