#Women Writers
Musical Adaptation of Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer’s “Between the Lines” Is Headed Off-Broadway
Jodi Picoult’s novels have served as the source material for Cameron Diaz-starrer “My Sister’s Keeper” and Britt Robertson-led “The Tenth Circle,” among other...
May el-Toukhy’s “Queen of Hearts” Is Denmark’s Pick for International Feature Film Oscar
More great news for May el-Toukhy. Less than a week ago she signed on to helm “The Lioness,” a biopic about “Out of Africa” writer Karen Blixen, and now word comes that she’s...
Margaret Nagle to Bring Operation Varsity Blues to the Small Screen
Margaret Nagle is shifting her focus from one toxic world to another. Hot off the heels of the announcement of “Alpha Girls,” the project about women in Silicon Valley she’s writing...
Sonejuhi Sinha’s “Stray Dolls” Goes to Samuel Goldwyn Films
Sonejuhi Sinha’s feature debut has found a home. Samuel Goldwyn Films snagged North America rights to “Stray Dolls,” a crime drama that world premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in...
Algeria Cancels “Papicha” Screenings, Putting Its Oscar Chances at Risk
This summer, Algeria became the first country to enter the 2020 International Feature Film Oscar race when it submitted Mounia Meddour’s “Papicha” for consideration. Now the nation is...
Trailer Watch: An Aspiring Pilot Is Grounded in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s “Sitara: Let Girls Dream”
A trailer has dropped for Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s latest, an animated film about a teenage girl’s sky-high aspirations. Set in the old city of Lahore in the 1970s, “Sitara: Let...
Phoebe Waller-Bridge Signs Overall Deal with Amazon
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s epic week just got even better. Less than 48 hours after dominating the Emmys on Sunday, the “Fleabag” and “Killing Eve” creator has signed...
Teaser Watch: Kat Dennings Gets Dumped and Needs Friends in “Dollface”
Kat Dennings is returning to TV. The “2 Broke Girls” alumna is back with a Hulu comedy, for which a teaser just dropped. “Dollface” sees the “Thor” actress...
Sigourney Weaver and Maya Forbes Team Up for Adaptation of “The Good House”
Maya Forbes and Sigourney Weaver are joining forces to bring “The Good House” to the big screen. The former will direct the latter in Amblin Partners’ adaptation of Ann...
Carmen Chaplin to Direct Doc About Grandfather Charlie Chaplin
Carmen Chaplin is bringing her grandfather’s story to the big screen. The actress and filmmaker will direct “Charlie Chaplin, A Man of the World,” a feature documentary delving into...
May el-Toukhy Will Direct Isak Dinesen Biopic “The Lioness”
Earlier this year, news broke that a biopic about “Out of Africa” writer Karen Blixen, who published under the pseudonym Isak Dinesen, was in the works. Now the project has lined up a...
Justine Triet’s “Sibyl” Lands at Music Box
“Sibyl” has found a home. Variety reports that Music Box Films acquired U.S. and Canadian rights to Justine Triet’s dark comedy, which was one of just four women-directed titles to...
Weekly Update for September 20: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Always in Season (Documentary) – Directed by Jacqueline Olive Claudia Lacy wants answers. When her 17-year-old son, Lennon, was found hanging from a swing set in...
Céline Sciamma to Be Honored with 2019 Stockholm Visionary Award
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” doesn’t hit U.S. theaters until December 6, but Céline Sciamma has been receiving prizes and acclaim for the period romance since its world premiere at...
“Jane the Virgin’s” Jennie Snyder Urman Has Shows in the Works at The CW and CBS
For those of you contending with a “Jane the Virgin”-sized hole in your watchlist, we have some good news for you. “Jane” creator and showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman is working...
“GLOW” Renewed for Fourth and Final Season by Netflix
Ruth and Debbie are stepping into the ring for their swan song. Netflix has renewed “GLOW” for a fourth and final season. A press release announced that creators Liz Flahive and Carly...
Haley Lu Richardson and Barbie Ferreira Will Topline Rachel Lee Goldenberg’s “UNpregnant”
Haley Lu Richardson and Barbie Ferreira are hitting the road in pursuit of safe and legal abortion. The pair are signed on to topline road trip movie “UNpregnant” for HBO Max, the premium...
Trailer Watch: Alfre Woodard Is a Prison Warden with a Heavy Conscience in “Clemency”
“You can’t understand. You can’t know what it’s like. I am alone,” says Alfre Woodard in a new trailer for “Clemency.” The Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning...
Cynthia Nixon, Kathy Najimy, & More Team Up for “Jane: Abortion and the Underground” Benefit Reading
Cynthia Nixon, Ana Gasteyer, and Kathy Najimy are teaming up to protect reproductive rights. The trio are part of the cast for a reading of Paula Kamen’s documentary play “Jane: Abortion and...
The Family Complex: VOD and Web Series Picks
Our latest round of VOD and web series picks takes on one of the most complicated, universal, and inescapable institutions in existence: family. Whether it centers on a nontraditional path towards...
Trailer Watch: Teresa Palmer Plays a Trailblazing Jockey in Rachel Griffiths’ “Ride Like a Girl”
Rachel Griffiths’ feature directorial debut hits theaters in Australia September 26. “Ride Like a Girl” is based on real events and sees the Oscar-nominated actress telling the...
Trailer Watch: A Single Mom Protects Her Superpowered Son in “Raising Dion”
“You’re such a special kid,” a mother (Alisha Wainwright) tells her son (Ja’Siah Young) in a new trailer for “Raising Dion.” Nicole’s referring to Dion’s...
Andra Day to Star in Billie Holiday Biopic
Andra Day is bringing Billie Holiday’s story to the big screen. The Grammy-nominated singer is set to topline “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” A press release announced that...
Submit Now: Athena Lab for Women Writers
Attention screenwriters: The Athena Film Festival has opened submissions for its 2020 Lab at the Athena Film Festival at Barnard College. The three-day lab consists of intensive script development...
Issa Rae Working on a Reimagining of “Set It Off” with New Line
Weeks after HBO announced that it’s renewing “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” on which Issa Rae serves as exec producer, comes word that the Emmy-nominated “Insecure”...
Jane Lynch and Cyndi Lauper Developing “Golden Girls”-Like Comedy for Netflix
Missing Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia? Their successors may be on the way. Jane Lynch and Cyndi Lauper are teaming up for a Netflix comedy that Lynch describes as “kind of a ‘Golden...
Watch: The Creator & Cast of BET+’s “The First Wives Club” on the Power of Friendship
“Girls Trip” co-writer Tracy Oliver is putting her own stamp on “The First Wives Club.” BET+’s reboot of the 1996 comedy starring Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, and Diane...
Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira’s “Americanah” Limited Series Heading to HBO Max
Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira’s much-anticipated TV adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Americanah” has found a home. Variety confirms that forthcoming platform HBO Max has given...
Taffy Brodesser-Akner to Adapt “Fleishman Is in Trouble” for FX
After a ten-way bidding war, Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s “Fleishman Is in Trouble” has found its onscreen home. Deadline reports that the adaptation of the NTY bestselling novel has...
Weekly Update for September 13: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Hustlers – Written and Directed by Lorene Scafaria Inspired by a New York Magazine article by Jessica Pressler that went viral, the story centers around a group of...
Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain Developing Detective Drama at CBS
Miss Marple, Nancy Drew, and Veronica Mars are welcoming more sleuths to the fold. Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain are developing a drama about amateur detectives for CBS, Variety reports. Currently...
“The Chambermaid” is Mexico’s Pick for International Feature Film Oscar
Lila Avilés’ award-winning feature debut could be heading all the way to the Oscars. Mexico has submitted “The Chambermaid” for consideration in the Best International Feature Film...
Trailer Watch: Emilia Clarke Is Still Recovering from Trauma in “Last Christmas”
The “Mother of Dragons” finds herself playing an underachieving elf in a new trailer for “Last Christmas.” The rom-com sees “Game of Thrones” alumna Emilia Clarke...
Film Adaptation of “The Lost Girls” on the Way from Livia De Paolis
Livia De Paolis is moving from emojis to Neverland. The writer, director, actress, and producer will follow up “Emoticon ;),” her 2014 feature debut, with an adaptation of Laurie...
TIFF 2019 Women Directors: Meet Shonali Bose – “The Sky Is Pink”
Shonali Bose’s 2005 feature film debut, “Amu,” won several awards, including the FIPRESCI by the International Federation of Film Critics, as well as two Indian National Awards for...
Ava DuVernay to Be Honored with Gotham Awards Director Tribute, “Queen Sugar” Renewed for Season 5
Ava DuVernay keeps reeling in well-deserved honors. The multi-hyphenate has already snagged three 2019 Emmy nominations for Netflix miniseries “When They See Us” — which scored 16...
Paths to Success: Crowdfunding Picks
The path to success is full of uncertainty and comes with no guarantees. For many, an already-difficult road is compounded by various factors: gender, race, sexuality, economic status, appearance,...
Millie Bobby Brown and Anna Klassen Team Up for Netflix’s “A Time Lost”
Millie Bobby Brown is bringing a tearjerker to Netflix. The “Stranger Things” breakout is set to produce an emotionally charged drama for the streamer, Variety reports. “A Time...
Julia Ducournau’s Next Pic Will Be Released by Neon
Julia Ducournau continues to make headlines at the Toronto International Film Festival. The French filmmaker’s first feature, cannibal coming-of-age story “Raw,” received glowing...
“Two of Us” Lands at Magnolia
“Two of Us” has secured North American distribution days after its world premiere at the the Toronto International Film Festival. The drama about retired women in a long-term, hidden...
TIFF 2019 Women Directors: Meet Klaudia Reynicke – “Love Me Tender”
Klaudia Reynicke is a screenwriter and director from Lima, Peru, now based in Switzerland. She directed her first short film, “Great Expectations NY,” in 2005. It was followed by additional...
WMC Study Reveals Women (Still) Make Up Less Than Half of Non-Acting Emmy Nominees
As the latest “Boxed In” report showed, the overall number of women on both sides of the camera increased in the 2018-2019 television season. Many projects from women creators, such as...
Mayim Bialik to Write and Direct “As Sick As They Made Us”
Mayim Bialik is learning yet another trade. The Emmy-nominated “Big Bang Theory” actress, author, and PhD in neuroscience is stepping behind the camera. She’ll make her directing...
Awkwafina’s Comedy Central Show Gets a Name and Announces Directors
Comedy Central has unveiled the title and stacked directing roster for Awkwafina’s upcoming series. As previously announced, Natasha Lyonne, co-creator, star, writer, director, and exec...
TIFF 2019 Women Directors: Meet Lina Alabed – “Ibrahim: A Fate to Define”
Lina Alabed’s senior project, a documentary about author Mohamed Al-Maghout, was broadcast on Al Jazeera in 2007. Her first documentary short, “Noor Alhuda,” won the DOX BOX jury...
Emily Watson Will Lead ITV Psychological Thriller “Too Close”
Emily Watson is sticking with STEM. The actress is following up her Emmy-nominated role as a nuclear physicist in “Chernobyl” by playing a forensic psychiatrist in “Too...
Apply Now: Universal’s 2020 Writers Program
Universal’s Global Talent Development & Inclusion (GTDI) department is now accepting applications for next year’s Universal Writers Program. Per Deadline, the Universal Writers...
TIFF News: Updates on “Military Wives,” Jennifer Kent’s Latest, and More
TIFF isn’t just ten days jam-packed with film screenings; it’s also a rendezvous point for development, funding, and distribution deals. Recent days have brought news of projects by and...
TIFF 2019 Women Directors: Meet Kasi Lemmons – “Harriet”
Kasi Lemmons is an award-winning director, writer, actress, and professor. Her acclaimed 1997 feature directorial debut, “Eve’s Bayou,” received the Independent Spirit Award for Best First...
Trailer Watch: Céline Sciamma Tells a Love Story for the Ages in “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”
Currently screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” made its world premiere at Cannes, where it made history as the first...
Trailer Watch: Imogen Poots Has a Horrifying Holiday in Sophia Takal’s “Black Christmas”
A trailer for Sophia Takal’s “Black Christmas” reboot has landed, and it looks like the cult favorite slasher pic has gotten a feminist update. The spot kicks off with Hawthorne...