News
Janie Jones is a heartwarming father daughter story. It is inspired by the true story of writer/director David Rosenthal about the introduction of a father to the teenage daughter he never knew he...
Women Writers
This is Abi Morgan’s year. She’s had an incredibly well reviewed show — The Hour — air in England and here in the States. To top that off she has not one, but two, films hitting the...
The International Documentary Association (IDA) and the Cinema Eye, two documentary organizations unveiled their 2011 nominees last week. Women filmmakers are very prevalent. Here are the female...
Television
For those of you out there who still wish Commander in Chief had lasted more than a handful of episodes I have some good news. The Danes (who actually just elected their own female Prime...
Here’s the great photo of her on the cover and also her as Divine. Issue lands on newsstands today. Here’s some of her quotes: But I think I’m more confident than I’ve ever felt in...
Women Directors
Film opens for an Oscar qualifying run on December 9 and then wider on January 27.
These posters were used for sneak screenings in Austin, Chicago and SF. They give you a sense of how subversive this film is. h/t The Playlist “Assholes Don’t Actually Change”: Jason Reitman...
When I came back from the Toronto Film Festival and I was asked what the best movie I saw there at the top of my list was We Need to Talk About Kevin. I just thought it was a really intense film...
Women Directors, Women Writers
This is via the LA Times at the Hollywood Awards Diablo Cody: ‘Young Adult’ hype ‘freaks me out’ [Video] (LA Times)
This speaks for itself. I got this off of Facebook and it looks like it was first posted on George Takei’s (yes, the guy from Star Trek) page.
How lucky are the folks thinking about The Help Oscar campaign that they have another opportunity to get Viola Davis out in the press talking about the film and challenging Hollywood to create more...
When we first meet Dee Dee Ricks she is newly diagnosed with breast cancer. While breast cancer sucks for everyone who has it, in the grander scheme of things, Dee Dee was lucky. She had lots of...
Throughout the last year, as the director of a documentary film that follows three Afghan women, I’ve been peppered by friends and family with a recurring question: What do Afghan women want? Or...
These keep getting more interesting. If you are interested keep watch on this site: Mouth-Taped-Shut, it keeps rolling out new marketing elements for the film. h/t Awards Daily
I’ve been watching the roll out of Madonna’s film W.E. with a lot of interest. Aside from the fact that it is a film about women directed by a woman, Madonna is a huge celebrity and I can’t...
While I am not in the habit of self promotion, I wanted you all to know that I have been nominated by the Women’s Media Center for their first Social Media Award. The award will be given out at...
As they keep rolling them out, I will keep posting them. This comes via the Daily Mail in the UK. Magnetic Meryl Streep the Iron Lady plays it to perfection (Daily Mail)
An impressive trailer from first time writer and director Angelina Jolie.
I walked into Oranges and Sunshine (written by Rona Munro and directed by Jim Loach) not knowing much about the story except thinking how glad I was to see Emily Watson back on screen in a starring...
Shooting the feature OKA! in the Central African Republic with the Bayaka pygmies of the forest was about as far from Hollywood as one can imagine, our ‘sets’ were forest camps of huts built by...
I’ve been following the film The Mighty Macs for a number of years. It’s been one of those films that has been on the brink on release for what seems is a really long time. I was very excited to...
Award season has begun and yesterday the Gotham Awards released their nominations. The awards will be handed out on November 28 in NYC. Best FeatureMeek’s Cutoff: Kelly Reichardt, director Best...
After premiering this past spring at SWSX, Elevate reaches theatres this weekend. Here’s a comment from Anne on what the experience has been like since the film premiered last spring: Without...
At first when I read about the lawsuit, I didn’t really take it seriously. Everybody’s birth dates are on imdb. I go on imdb practically every day in order to find out how old people are. I like...
I had an excerpt from her speech yesterday but here it is in full and it is worth watching and reading. I am so awed that she had the guts to say these very important words and I hope Hollywood was...
Readers of this blog know that there are gender biases in media. The documentary film Miss Representation which premiered last year at Sundance (and also played the Athena Film Festival) is the film...
Gearing up for the Christmas release of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, star to be Rooney Mara gets the cover of November’s Vogue. Here are some new things I picked up in the piece. Author of the...
I found this on Petition Australia. There are not a lot of signatures yet. Please sign! Here’s what it says: Marzieh Vafamehr has been sentenced to one year in prison and 90 lashes for her...
Elle Magazine celebrated the women of Hollywood at its annual event on Monday evening. The honorees included: Naomi Watts, Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Aniston, Stacey...
Sue Mengers one of the first star agents died this past weekend. I have always been interested in her story. I first came across her when reading one of the various books about Barbra Streisand. She...
The film will open on December 9.
News, Women Directors
This signing deserves a big toast because what it means is that a woman has broken through into the big leagues. Patty Jenkins who directed Monster which got Charlize Theron an Oscar, has been signed...
Here’s a fun piece of Hollywood and Feminism and it’s a blog called Feminist Ryan Gosling. Danielle Henderson started the tumblr blog Feminist Ryan Gosling a week ago. In that week (actually it...
Awards, News, Women Directors
63 films have made it onto the list to be considered for the 2012 Academy Awards. There was only one added since we last tracked about three weeks ago. That means a total of 10 films are directed by...
The Texas Killing Fields opens in the US tomorrow fresh off its debut at the Venice Film Festival. It tells the true story of the investigation of women who have gone missing in Texas. Ami Canaan...
News, Television, Women Writers
The Hollywood Reporter has compiled a list of the top 50 showrunners in comedy and drama. There are a total of 15 women on the list. 6 in comedy and 10 in dramas. Several women are responsible for...
Yahoo! Video Player
Last Sunday concluded the Romania Film Festival in Bucharest where I was a jury member. There were two different sections — CineBlackSea and Women in Cinema. We gave out awards for best overall...
Nora Ephron has been brought in by Sony, the studio that released Julie & Julia to write and direct the adaptation of the mini-series Lost in Austen. Here’s a short description of the...
Folks- this is not going away and I will do my best to keep this alive until Marzieh Vafamehr and others held in Iran are released. Yesterday, I wrote that the lead actress of My Tehran for Sale...
Women Producers
For eight years as a founding producer of PBS’s award-winning international documentary series WIDE ANGLE, I made it my mission to expand coverage of under-reported global women’s issues. I’m...
News, Television, Women Producers, Women Writers
Something is happening on TV and we need to acknowledge it. First, all the new shows that are breaking out this season are comedies. That hasn’t happened for a long time. Second, those comedies...
Marzieh Vafamehr the star of My Tehran for Sale which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2009 has received a sentence of 90 lashes and one year in jail for being in the film. She was sentenced...
What amazing news. I am beyond inspired and excited. Three women — Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman — — were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their non-violent...
This is a great trailer. Makes me really want to see the film.
The Hollywood Reporter had a poll commissioned about how political views affect people’s filmgoing habits. The results are interesting and basically say that you political views do make a...
Here’s the latest film from Diablo Cody starring Charlize Theron. Theron plays a woman who just is so full of herself that she goes back to her home town to “recue” her high school flame from...
Another Forbes list. This time women in entertainment. Oprah Winfrey tops the list at $290 million for the time between May 2010 and May 2011. Second on the list is Lady Gaga with $90 million. The...
I admit it. I am totally obsessed with these books. I am in the middle of the third one and find them a much easier and engaging read than Twilight. I am excited about this new films series and am in...
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