Women and Hollywood

Read Women and Hollywood Now on Medium

Melissa Silverstein — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 13:42:06 GMT

After five great years on Indiewire and the end of the blog network, Women and Hollywood has moved to a new home on Medium.

You can read us here: https://blog.womenandhollywood.com/

A couple of things to know - if you get your news from Women and Hollywood by twitter or facebook, everything will be the same except you will be reading us in a new place.

If you get your news by RSS feed, I encourage you to set up a new feed with this address: http://feeds.feedburner.com/WomenandHollywoodMedium. We are working to forward the indiewire feed and hopefully that will be done shortly. But the best idea would be to change your feed.

I know that some people get a daily newsletter, unfortunately, at this time those will no longer be continuing. We will look and see what the possibilities will be on medium. The weekly newsletter will continue. If you are not yet signed up, you can sign up here.

I encourage you to start an account on Medium and sign up to receive all our posts so you can follow us really easily.

I want to thank everyone at Indiewire for five great years, and I look forward to seeing you all on Medium.

Melissa

Weekly Update for April 22: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You

Laura Berger — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 21:00:00 GMT

Films About Women Opening This Week

The Meddler - Written and Directed by Lorene Scafaria (Opens in LA and NYC)

Susan Sarandon is every young woman's nightmare -- a mom with nothing to do but meddle in her daughter's life. So begins "The Meddler," written and directed by Lorene Scafaria. But don't fear: The movie doesn't make you hate Marnie as played by Sarandon. She actually grows on you. The comedy breaks Hollywood conventions by letting Marnie struggle with finding who she is in a world where she has been taught that her jobs are to be a wife and a mother. She find friends (kind of weirdly) and love (really cute). This is Sarandon's best role in years and a reminder of why she has endured. (Melissa Silverstein)

Read Women and Hollywood's interview with Lorene Scafaria.

The Huntsman: Winter's War

Evil queens abound in this sequel to "Snow White and the Huntsman" that leaves Snow White out of the film. That's part of the problem. We really miss Snow White. The movie looks gorgeous -- Emily Blunt (Freya) and Charlize Theron (Ravenna) wear some of the most stunning costumes, but the movie lacks a good story. Jessica Chastain and Chris Hemsworth play lovers separated by Freya. They go in search of the mirror which holds all evil. The meet some funny dwarves along the way and lots of cool battles ensue. (Melissa Silverstein)

Nina - Written and Directed by Cynthia Mort

She was one of the century's most extraordinary talents, a 15-time Grammy nominee and Grammy Hall of Fame Recipient; her mesmerizing songs and passionate politics combined to make her the unforgettable Nina Simone (Zoe Saldana). But fame and fortune came with a price,and her later years were riddled with depression, alcohol abuse and isolation. Rediscovering the meaning of her life and work took courage, strength and one true friend: Clifton Henderson (David Oyelowo), the man who started out as her assistant and eventually became her loyal manager. With Clifton's encouragement, the "high priestess of soul" began a courageous journey back to her music, and eventually, herself. (Press materials)

Sworn Virgin - Directed by Laura Bispuri; Written by Laura Bispuri and Francesca Manieri (Opens in NYC)

Hana Doda (Alba Rohrwacher) is not ready nor interested in following the typical path on a woman in her small community of Albania. She takes an oath to be a sworn virgin and by doing that, she is free to live as a man. But when she leaves her insulated world -- and experiences life -- it awakens her sexuality that she's denied for years to survive and she's finally able to discover who she is. (Melissa Silverstein)

Read Women and Hollywood's interview with Laura Bispuri.

Eva Hesse (Documentary) - Written and Directed by Marcie Begleiter (Opens in NYC April 27, Opens in LA May 13)

As the wild ride of the 1960's came to a close, Eva Hesse was cresting the wave of a swiftly rising career. One of the few women recognized as central to the New York art scene, she had over 20 group shows scheduled for 1970 in addition to being chosen for a cover article in ArtForum Magazine. Her work was finally receiving both the critical and commercial attention it deserved. "Eva Hesse" deepens the understanding of this extraordinary artist, not only in terms of her ground-breaking work, but also the life that provided the fertile soil for her achievements. With dozens of new interviews, high quality footage of Hesse's artwork and a wealth of newly discovered archival imagery, the documentary not only traces Eva's path but engages in a lively investigation into the creative community of 1960's New York and Germany. (Press materials)

Queen Mimi (Documentary)

When you feel like a queen, even a laundromat can be a palace. Marie "Mimi" Haist defied her adulterous husband and moved onto the streets in her 50s, living in parking lots and doorways until finding her "home" one stormy night between rows of washers in a Californian laundromat. Encouraged to stay by a more than generous laundry owner, Mimi's "the past is the past" philosophy endeared her to regular fluff and fold clients and, after more than 20 years, Mimi has made some unlikely friends, ranging from local loves to Hollywood A-listers Zach Galifianakis and Renee Zellweger. Filmed over five years by barista/actor/director Yaniv Rokah while he worked at a cafe across the street, "Queen Mimi" is the story of an unlikely hero. Now 89, Mimi reminds us to never give in and never give up, and that if you ever find yourself in the gutter, to never stop looking at the stars. (Press materials)

Films About Women Currently Playing

Sky - Directed by Fabienne Berthaud; Co-Written by Fabienne Berthhaud and Lucy Allwood
Hostile Border - Written and Co-Directed by Kaitlin McLaughlin (Also available on VOD)
Wedding Doll (Playing in NYC; Opens in LA April 29)
One More Time (Also available on VOD)
Look at Us Now, Mother! (Documentary) - Written and Directed by Gayle Kirschenbaum
The Boss - Co-Written by Melissa McCarthy
Jeanne Dielman 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles - Written and Directed by Chantal Akerman
H. - Co-Written and Co-Directed by Rania Attieh
Sold
God's Not Dead 2
Darling
April and the Extraordinary World
My Big Fat Greek Greek Wedding 2 - Written by Nia Vardalos
Krisha
The Bronze - Co-Written by Melissa Rauch
The Divergent Series: Allegiant
Lolo - Directed by Julie Delpy; Written by Julie Delpy and Eugenie Grandval
Hello, My Name is Doris - Co-Written by Laura Terruso
Marguerite - Co-Written by MConfirmarcia Romano
10 Cloverfield Lane
Eye in the Sky
Miracles From Heaven - Directed by Patricia Riggen
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Zootopia
The Other Side of the Door
Cemetery of Splendour
The Witch
How To Be Single - Co-Written by Dana Fox and Abby Kohn
The 5th Wave - Co-Written by Susannah Grant
The Lady in the Van
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Brooklyn

Films Directed by Women Opening This Week

Elvis & Nixon - Directed by Liza Johnson; Co-Written by Hanala Sagal

On a December morning in 1970, the King of Rock 'n Roll showed up on the lawn of the White House to request a meeting with the most powerful man in the world, President Nixon. Starring Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon as Elvis Presley and two-time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey as Richard Nixon, comes the untold story behind this revealing, yet humorous moment in the Oval Office forever immortalized in the most requested photograph in the National Archives. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Liza Johnson.

Films Directed by Women Currently Playing

The Adderall Diaries - Written and Directed by Pamela Romanowsky
Echo Park - Directed by Amanda Marsalis; Written by Catalina Aguilar Mastretta (Also available on Netflix)
Rio, I Love You - Co-Directed by Nadine Labaki; Co-Written by Nadine Labaki and Elena Soarez
The Syndrome (Documentary) - Directed by Meryl Goldsmith (Also available on VOD)
Be Here Now: The Andy Whitfield Story (Documentary) - Directed by Lilibet Foster
The Invitation - Directed by Karyn Kusama (Also available on VOD)
Standing Tall - Directed by Emmanuelle Bercot; Written by Emmanuelle Bercot and Marcia Romano
Catching the Sun (Documentary) - Directed by Shalini Kantayya
Sweet Bean - Written and Directed by Naomi Kawase
City of Gold (Documentary) - Directed by Laura Gabbert
Kung Fu Panda 3 - Co-Directed by Jennifer Yuh

Films Written by Women Opening This Week

None

Films Written by Women Currently Playing

Barbershop: The Next Cut - Co-Written by Tracy Oliver
High Strung - Co-Written by Janeen Best Damian
Meet the Blacks - Co-Written by Nicole DeMasi
No Letting Go - Co-Written by Randi Silverman
My Golden Days - Co-Written by Julie Peyr
The Young Messiah - Co-Written by Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh
London Has Fallen - Co-Written by Katrin Benedikt
Race - Co-Written by Anna Waterhouse
Room - Written by Emma Donoghue

TV Premieres This Week

Sherpa (Documentary) - Written and Directed by Jennifer Peedom (Premieres April 23 on The Discovery Channel)

"Sherpa" is an inside look at how Mount Everest's Sherpa community united in grief and anger to reclaim the mountain following the deadly avalanche that struck on April 18, 2014, killing 16 of their members. We often hear about Westerners who go to great lengths both physically and financially to climb Mt. Everest. But little people know about the Sherpas who risk their lives so people can climb what is thought of as the most dangerous mountain in the world. Directed by Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom, begins by following legendary Sherpa Phurba Tashi's world record-breaking attempt to summit Everest for the 22nd time. However, when the avalanche happens Peedom captures a historic moment where the Sherpas organize to demand be recognized for the work they are doing. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Jennifer Peedom.

Keepers of the Game (Documentary) (Premieres April 23 on ABC)

Lacrosse was born in Akwesasne Mohawk Territory as a sacred game, traditionally reserved for men. Just off the reservation at Salmon River High in Fort Covington, NY an all-Native girls lacrosse team comes together, seeking to be the first Native women’s team to bring home a Section Championship. (Tribeca Film Festival/ Cara Cusamano)

Amy Schumer Presents Rachel Feinstein: Only Whores Wear Purple (Comedy Special) (Premieres April 23 on Comedy Central) - Written by Rachel Feinstein

In Rachel Feinstein's first hour-long special, she brings her blunt humor to a variety of topics, including her love of Christian sleepovers and the purposelessness of dick pics. Feinstein embodies a variety of memorable characters like her terrifyingly mature middle school friend, her judgmental grandmother and porn star Jenna Jameson. (Press materials)

Veep Season 5 (Premieres April 24 on HBO)

Former Senator Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has accepted the call to serve as Vice President of the United States. The job is nothing like she imagined and everything she was warned about. "Veep" follows Meyer and her staff as they attempt to make their mark and leave a lasting legacy, without getting tripped up in the day-to-day political games that define Washington. (Press materials)

Read Women and Hollywood's feature on "Veep."

VOD/DVD Releasing This Week

Jane Got a Gun (DVD and Blu-ray, April 26)
Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson (Documentary) - Directed by Michelle Boyaner; Written by Jane Anderson and Michelle Boyaner (DVD and VOD, April 26)
High Rise (VOD, April 28) - Written by Amy Jump

Cast Set For Sally Wainwright's Brontë Sisters Drama 'To Walk Invisible'

Casey Cipriani — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 20:00:00 GMT

"Happy Valley" creator Sally Wainwright is making a one-off BBC drama based on the Brontë sisters and she has set her cast.

Emily Brontë, who wrote "Wuthering Heights," will be played by Chloe Pirrie ("War & Peace"). Her sister Charlotte, who wrote "Jane Eyre," will be played by Finn Atkins ("Common") and Charlie Murphy ("Happy Valley") will play youngest sister Anne, who wrote "Agnes Grey" and "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall."

Jonathan Pryce ("Game of Thrones") will play family patriarch Rev. Patrick Brontë with Adam Nagaitis ("Banished") as brother Branwell.

Wainwright wrote and will direct "To Walk Invisible," which Deadline says "promises to take a new look at the extraordinary literary family, and in particular the women who overcame numerous obstacles to write some of the greatest novels in the English language."

"This is such an exciting and ambitious project," said Wainwright. "Something about the lives of these three brilliant, talented Yorkshire women seems to touch people at a very deep level."

[via Deadline]

Trailer Watch: The King and the President Cross Paths in Liza Johnson's 'Elvis & Nixon'

Laura Berger — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 19:00:00 GMT

It takes a lot of chutzpah to send the President of the United States a letter that reads, "I can and will do more good if I am made a Federal Agent at large" -- especially when such a title doesn't even exist. This request is made by the so-called King of Rock-and-Roll Elvis Presley (Michael Shannon, "Boardwalk Empire") to Richard Nixon (Kevin Spacey) in a new trailer for Liza Johnson's "Elvis & Nixon."

Johnson described the film, which is based on a true story, as a "historical bromance set in 1970." She told Women and Hollywood that she thinks that audiences will "feel like they've been on a journey with Elvis" -- and an unexpected one. "We all know that Elvis was the iconic figurehead of the rebellious rock-and-roll youth culture of the 1950s," she explained, "[so] it's surprising that by this time he has developed a deep need for the approval of the establishment."

The "Hateship Loveship" helmer was drawn to the project because of the unusual tone of the script. Johnson said, "I think the story is very funny -- there are no jokes in the movie, but there is a lot of comedy in the situation." The spot for the film highlights the hilarious juxaposition of the conservatively clad White House employees and Elvis's ultra-cool aviator-wearing entourage. "Put 'er right here," an overly casual Elvis tells Nixon, extending his hand.

"Elvis & Nixon" premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this week and opens in theaters April 22. The film was co-written by Hanala Sagal ("Traumedy Central").

Tribeca Film Fest Awards Rachel Tunnard, Ingrid Jungermann, Priscilla Ananay and More

Casey Cipriani — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 18:00:00 GMT

Tribeca Film Festival has announced the award winners for its 15th annual run. The fest is still running until April 24, and you can read all of our interviews with female filmmakers at Tribeca here.

Some of the notable female winners include Rachel Tunnard, who took the fest's coveted Nora Ephron Prize. Her film "Adult Life Skills" opens in the U.K. in June, but has no U.S. release date yet, though that status may not be for long. Ingrid Jungermann won the Best Screenplay award for her film "Women Who Kill," which will certainly take its place among fans of "Serial" and "Making a Murderer."

"We are proud to celebrate the winning filmmakers, artists and creators from our 15th edition," said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder, Tribeca Film Festival. "Their stories have entertained, inspired and challenged us to think about the world and we are grateful to them for sharing their work with us."

U.S. Narrative Competition:

Best Actress in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film
Mackenzie Davis in "Always Shine." The award was given by Mya Taylor.
Jury Comment: "For the unapologetic, fierce, brave, compelling and vulnerable portrayal."

Best Screenplay in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film
"Women Who Kill" written by Ingrid Jungermann.
Jury Comment: "As Miles Davis said, 'The hardest thing is to be original.' This unique and deftly hilarious tale told in Brooklyn is from a fresh voice and a true original."

International Narrative Feature Competition:

Best Actress in an International Narrative Feature Film
Radhika Apte in "Clean Shaven," a part of "Madly."
Jury Comment: "This award goes to an actress who has conveyed bravery and emotional depth in different relationships around her. A contemporary story that breaks through established culture."

Best Screenplay in an International Narrative Feature Film
"Perfect Strangers" written by Filippo Bologna, Paolo Costella, Paolo Genovese, Paola Mammini and Rolando Ravello.
Jury Comment: "This award goes to a well-crafted, entertaining scenario, with deep character development. It's an original story about private lives and hidden secrets."

Best New Narrative Director Competition:

Best New Narrative Director
Priscilla Anany, director of "Children of the Mountain" (USA, Ghana).
Jury Comments: "So many of the films we had the pleasure of viewing were expertly directed and worthy of recognition. The winning director presents a fearless and heart wrenching tale of an embattled mother's high stakes journey to heal her sick child and ultimately herself. The film delicately and powerfully directs us through an emotionally resonant story that is dark for truthful reasons and simultaneously hopeful. The best new narrative director award goes to Priscilla Anany for 'Children of the Mountain.'"

Short Film Competition Categories:

Best Narrative Short
"Hold On" (Houvast), directed by Charlotte Scott-Wilson (Netherlands).
Jury Comments: "The jury was moved by one particular film because it is simultaneously about the price of performance, and the entirely unique idea that the protagonist’s musical performance itself succeeds on the back of her own self-doubt, torture and anxiety. We were also blown away by the remarkable performance of the lead actress in both her emotional depth combined with her musical proficiency."

The Nora Ephron Prize

Rachel Tunnard, director, writer and editor of "Adult Life Skills" (U.K.).
Jury Comments: "We selected someone whose originality of voice, deft handling of tone, assured visual and editorial style, and moving poetic screenplay combined to make us feel from the opening sequence that we were in good hands. She made a tiny -- even miniaturized -- world, seem vast. She handled grief in a wholly unique way. Using wit and emotional restraint to pull the audience in. And make us root for our protagonist to blow up the shed!"

[via Tribeca Film Festival]

Marielle Heller To Helm Feature Film Adaptation of HBO Gay Rights Doc

Laura Berger — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 17:00:00 GMT

Marielle Heller's star continues to rise. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that the "Diary of a Teenage Girl" helmer will write and direct a feature film adaptation of "The Case Against 8," an award-winning HBO documentary focused on the battle to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriages. Chernin Entertainment and 20th Century Fox are producing.

The 2014 doc centered on Ted Olson and David Boies, two attorneys who joined forces to support couples who took Proposition 8 to court. The multi-year struggle led to proceedings at the Surpreme Court -- and the long overdue ruling to legalize marriage for all gay Americans. Vanity Fair described the superlawyers' journey as "one of the most unlikely partnerships in civil rights history": Olson is a staunch Republican, Boies a committed Democrat.

This news comes just days after the announcement that Heller will be working on another high-profile gig: She'll direct "The Force Awakens" breakout Daisy Ridley in the J.J. Abrams-produced fantasy thriller "Kolma."

Heller was nominated for a 2016 DGA Award and won a 2016 Independent Spirit Award for "The Diary of a Teenage Girl." She is part of the collective We Do It Together (WDIT), a non-profit production company with the goal of empowering women.

Learn more about Heller by listening to our podcast with her.

[via The Hollywood Reporter]

Cannes Classics Highlights Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds and Women of Old Hollywood

Casey Cipriani — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 16:00:00 GMT

Though the Cannes Film Festival made some additions to its Competition, Un Certain Regard and special screenings this morning, absolutely zero of them are films made by women. So we turn instead to the selections for its Cannes Classics sidebar, which, through its documentary section, ironically highlights just how involved women are in the film industry and the history of the medium.

Films by or about women are most represented in the documentary section, which specifically focuses on films that explore filmmaking or revisit cinema. Out of nine documentaries, five are female-directed or co-directed. Highlights of the section include "Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds," a documentary co-directed by Alexis Bloom exploring the lives of the famous mother-daughter acting duo. "Women Who Run Hollywood," helmed by Clara and Julia Kuperberg, examines the almost-forgotten women of the early silent era and golden age of cinema such as Lois Weber, Mary Pickford and Dorothy Arzner. The rest of the documentaries made by women are listed below, synopses courtesy of the Cannes Film Festival.

Nine Documentaries About Cinema

"The Cinema Travelers" by Shirley Abraham and Amit Madheshiya (2016, 1h36, India): The portrait of a traveling movie theater in India, which continues to bear the magic of the images to a stunned audience, is faced with technological, numerous and complex changes. A projector repairman narrates film changes with poetry, philosophy and pragmatism.

"Midnight Returns: The Story of Billy Hayes and Turkey" by Sally Sussman (2016, 1h39, USA): The story of the film "Midnight Express" by Alan Parker (1980) as told by those who made it: director Alan Parker, screenwriter Oliver Stone and producer David Puttnam. In parallel the real protagonist Billy Hayes discusses his personal journey and how his life has changed. Turkey, the image and the diplomatic relations of which were affected by the film, gives its point of view, as Billy Hayes tries to go back there to rebuild broken links.

"Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds" by Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens (2016, 1h35, USA): The life and intimate relationship of two actresses: Carrie Fischer, the heroine of "Star Wars," and Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds who starred in "Singing in the Rain." The big story and the small story unfold before our eyes. A tender documentary on two golden ages of American cinema.

"Et La femme créa Hollywood (Women Who Run Hollywood)" by Clara and Julia Kuperberg (2015, 52mn, France): Exploring the exciting stories of Lois Weber, Mary Pickford and Dorothy Arzner, we discover a passionate gallery of pioneers who also created Hollywood. What do they have in common? They are all women and they have all been almost forgotten.

"Bernadette Lafont et Dieu créa la femme" by Esther Hoffenberg (2016, 65mn, France): A journey with Bernadette Lafont, the most atypical French film actress. The film sweeps her life and stunning artistic career. Her granddaughters go back to Bernadette's dreams and her friends Bulle Ogier and Jean-Pierre Kalfon evoke their artistic and human complicity. Throughout the film Bernadette Lafont with her unmistakable voice of character actress weaves the movie of her life.

[via Cannes Film Festival]

Prince, Queer Girls and the Permission to be Weird

Dorothy Snarker — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 15:00:00 GMT

The permission to be weird isn't so much granted as it is finally realized. Yet if you were a queer kid growing up in the 1980s, the permission to be weird was something you thought would never happen.

For LGBT people in the '80s, the world was all Ronald Reagan and "Just Say No" and AIDS. In the '80s there was no Ellen DeGeneres or Neil Patrick Harris smiling out and proud from the cover of magazines at you. Aside from probably Martina Navratilova, the most famous gay people you knew of were dead -- Harvey Milk, Rock Hudson, et al. And the news was filled with frightening images of others, frail and forgotten. The pressure to conform, to not stand out, to appear normal was enormous -- particularly for those of us who came of age with the implicit knowledge that there is something very different about us. And all too often, you were told, that difference carried a death sentence.

But then, blaring from the radio and slinking across the TV screen, there was Prince. At once so wondrously weird and unabashedly erotic, he was the antidote for the popped polo collar sameness that confronted us secret weirdos every day in the hallways. Here was a man in lace and heels. A slim mustachioed figure who cut a swath of manicured perfection across life's grand stage. Prince didn't just appear genderfluid, he also sang about it explicitly. In his 1984 smash "I Would Die 4 U" (where, once again, he was light-years ahead of us all in his use of texting speak) he sang: "I'm not a woman. I'm not a man. I'm something that you'll never understand."

Granted, Prince was not the only artist of the era to let his freak flag fly. He is joined by David Bowie and Boy George and Annie Lennox -- oh, sweet Moses, Annie Lennox -- in embracing an unapologetic androgyny that would make the Gipper generation gasp. But Prince was one of the few who seemed to invite women so explicitly into the party. From featuring women prominently in his band the Revolution (including out musicians Wendy & Lisa), to his slew of talented female protégés (including Sheena Easton, Apollonia and Vanity), Prince clearly embraced the female aesthetic in his art. But these women weren't just window dressing -- they could really play and he gave them the spotlight to do so. Just as extraordinary was how Prince embraced life in a way that seemed diametrically opposed to the times. Nothing about his persona suggested cloistered fear or glossy conformity. He was brash and sexual. He enjoyed life and reveled in its mystery. He told us it was OK to be an eccentric, be a genius, be a weirdo. Let's go crazy. Let's get nuts.

For a young qay girl growing up in the Midwest like me, he presented a confusing yet intoxicating mix of messages. Here was a man who clearly loves women, who was nearly as beautiful as any woman, whose music spoke to us all about desire -- regardless of gender or sexuality. Here was a man who made his own rules, molded his own legacy. Here is a man who made himself into exactly what he wanted to be -- no matter what other people thought.

His sudden passing yesterday is a loss for the world, but a reminder that if we gather together we can get through this thing called life. Everything Prince did was weird. Still, somehow, everything Prince did was cool. He made it cool to be weird. And in doing so allowed so many of us -- women, men, gay, straight, genderqueer, black, white, what have you -- to realize that we could all be a little weird, too.

Lifetime Announces Female-Centric Programming Development Slate

Laura Berger — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 14:00:00 GMT

Lifetime continues to impress with its commitment to creating and distributing content by and about women. The network has announced a new programming slate and a new multi-platform initiative with an emphasis on entertainment by and for women. A united effort titled The Fempire will draw together linear, digital, social and community partnerships with the goal of "entertaining and engaging the next generation of feminists." That's a mission statement we can get behind.

Lifetime found a hit with critical darling "UnReal" and is adding two new scripted series to its roster: "Sea Change," a supernatural drama based on bestselling author Aimee Friedman's YA novel, and the U.S. linear debut of the beloved cheeky comedy "Catastrophe." The former is written by Liz Sczudlo ("The Following," "Awkward") and the latter is executive produced by series' star, comic Sharon Hogan. "UnReal" fans will be delighted to learn that the series' co-creator, Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, has produced and written "The Faith Diaries," a digital short series for Lifetime which follows Faith (Breeda Wool) from "UnReal".

Scripted development at the program includes an untitled Selena Gomez-executive produced project based on the singer's life experiences, and "None of the Above," a coming-of-age story to be penned by Liz Maccie ("Make It or Break It") about a homecoming queen who is intersex.

Movies are planned with athletes Ronda Rousey and Serena Williams as well as R&B singer Michel'le. "Paris Can Wait," starring Diane Lane and Alec Baldwin and directed by Eleanor Coppola, will be released under the Lifetime Films banner. The film will open theatrically before premiering on Lifetime.

"Fashion Inc." is among the unscripted series coming to Lifetime this year. The NYC-set series centers on aspiring fashion and beauty entrepreneurs.

The Fempire digital hub will live at mylifetime.com, a place where women can connect and share online.

The female-targeted cable network offered a job to every graduate of the AFI Conservatory's prestigious Directing Workshop for Women last year. And as a recent BuzzFeed profile on Lifetime notes, women wrote or directed 73 percent of Lifetime's original films from 1994 to 2016.

"It still sucks to be a woman in America because women feel dismissed in both big and small ways throughout their day every day," said Liz Gateley, EVP and Head of Programming for Lifetime. "We know our viewers come to Lifetime because we empower them."

[via Press materials]

Katherine Heigl Clarifies Her 'Knocked Up' Comments But She Was Right All Along

Casey Cipriani — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 19:00:00 GMT

Katherine Heigl seems to have begun an apology tour for the nearly decade-old "Knocked Up" scandal that simply seems rooted in sexism.

Appearing on Howard Stern this week, Heigl referenced her falling out with "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes, her Emmys controversy, her comments on Judd Apatow's "Knocked Up" and other so-called "scandals" that led to the downfall of her career.

Let's back up a bit: In 2008, after winning a Primetime Emmy Award for her work on "Grey's," Heigl took herself out of consideration for the awards the following year, saying, "I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination." That didn't sit to well with Rhimes, who became quite upset with her. That's an understandable conflict; it seemed as if Heigl was biting the hand that fed her, and for that, Heigl clarified her stance with Stern. "I wasn't feeling good about my work that season," she told Stern. "I didn't feel good about my performance." Heigl admitted to being embarrassed at the time and told Rhimes, "That wasn't cool, and I should not have said that."

What compounded the issue was not long after, when, in 2009, Heigl appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair and called out Judd Apatow's "Knocked Up" for its sexist portrayal of women. "It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys," she told Vanity Fair. "I had a hard time with it, on some days. I'm playing such a bitch; why is she being such a killjoy? Why is this how you're portraying women? Ninety-eight percent of the time it was an amazing experience, but it was hard for me to love the movie."

Heigl once again clarified for Stern, insisting that she "liked the movie a lot. I just didn't like me [in it]," she said, but noted that the issue was brought up by the Vanity Fair reporter. "I don't mean to imply on any level that [the Vanity Fair interviewer] trapped me, she didn't," said Heigl. "She just...said you know, a lot of women felt that it was a little sexist. So then I felt obligated to answer that. So I tried in my very sort of ungracious way to answer why I felt that it maybe was a little. And I kind of, if you read the whole quote, I'm just saying that can be the nature of broad comedy. They're exaggerating stereotypes, that's what makes it funny. But they just took the 'sexist' thing out."

Heigl's comments resulted in the actress being slammed with a "difficult to work with" label, a label we should add, would never be placed on a man were he to say the exact same things. Christian Bale, Alec Baldwin, Russell Crowe and numerous male actors have done much worse than Heigl, but none of their careers stalled in such a dramatic fashion. That label has followed Heigl throughout her career, which, since the scandal, has included appearances in NyQuil and kitty litter commercials as well as a long slog back to television in dramas like "State of Affairs" and "Doubt." As she explained to Stern, she also went to therapy to deal with the public scrutiny.

We at Women and Hollywood can't help but wonder how much different Heigl's comments about "Knocked Up" would have been received were she to have said them this year instead of over five years ago. With women's representation in entertainment being such an important issue now, we suspect that Heigl isn't the only one who thinks that "Knocked Up" is problematic when it comes to its representation of gender.

With so many women calling out the industry these days, Heigl might have been accepted into the same bunch of hero actresses, like Jennifer Lawrence, Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Chastain or Amy Adams, who have all pointed out discriminatory practices and been applauded for doing so. Rather, Heigl being outspoken rather than "easy going" was met with hostility and may have cost her advancements in her career. Thankfully, as more and more people learn that women's reputations for being "difficult" stem from simple sexism, we can avoid having another actress like Heigl thrown under the bus.

[via Vulture and HitFix]

IFP Opens Submissions for IFP Film Week

Laura Berger — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 18:00:00 GMT

Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is now accepting submissions for IFP Film Week. The 38th annual installment of the event will take place in Brooklyn September 17-22.

IFP welcomes submissions for projects of all shapes and sizes, including feature-length, TV and web series.

The Project Forum will connect emerging artists with new narrative and doc projects in development, production or post-production with industry execs who want to play a role in steering projects through development, financing and distribution.

Approximately 150 projects will be selected from countries around the world in two sections: No Borders and Spotlight on Documentaries. No Borders will offer filmmakers and series creators the chance to attend Film Week and meet with industry vets to move their projects forward. The Spotlight on Documentaries program will bring attention to non-fiction features and series via networking opportunities with sales companies, festival programmers and more.

Submissions for both categories are open. The early deadline for both is May 2. The late deadline for No Borders is May 17, while the late deadline for Spotlight on Documentaries is May 24.

IFP alumni include "Appropriate Behavior," "Obvious Child," "(T)error" and "After Tiller."

Find more information on IFP Film Week and how to apply here.

[via Press materials and IFP]

Jennifer Peedom Explains Why She Showed Everest from a Different Perspective in 'Sherpa'

Laura Nicholson — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 17:00:00 GMT

Jennifer Peedom is an Australian documentary filmmaker based in Sydney. Her television credits include high-altitude direction and cinematography on the Discovery Channel's "Everest: Beyond the Limit." Her feature documentaries are "Miracle on Everest," "Solo," "Living the End" and "Sherpa." (Press materials)

"Sherpa" will debut on the Discovery Channel on Saturday April 23 at 9pm ET/PT.

W&H: Please give us your description of the film playing.

JP: "Sherpa" follows an Everest expedition from the Sherpa point-of-view. It looks at how the Sherpa community united in grief and anger to reclaim the mountain following a deadly avalanche that struck as the crew were filming, killing 16 Sherpas, and details the stark contrast between those who undertake the hardest work and those who reap the benefits.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

JP: On-an-off over a decade, I worked as a director and camera operator in the Himalayas, including three expeditions with the Sherpa team at the heart of this film. Over the years, I watched Sherpas being left on the cutting room floor on many Everest films, and while they would never say anything, I knew that it hurt them because they knew they were taking a disproportionate share of the risk in getting foreigners to the summit and back down safely. So I decided to make a film from the Sherpa point-of-view.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

JP: Making a film at high altitude is extraordinarily difficult from a physical and a technological point-of-view. Then we were faced with the worst disaster in the history of Everest, with 16 Sherpas killed in a deadly avalanche. It was an emotionally fraught time, and one that threw up many ethical challenges for all the crew.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they watch the film?

JP: I want them to walk away with a deeper insight into a world and a perspective of Everest they may not have been familiar with before.

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

JP: Try to have the confidence to back your ideas and stories as [much] as male directors do!

W&H: What's the biggest misconception about you and your work?

JP: If there are any misconceptions, it would be perhaps that I'm an "adventure" filmmaker. I don't see myself this way. I think I make films about people, what motivates them and why they make the choices they do. I like to bring a female perspective to topics that are often in the male domain.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

JP: The first step to funding was attaching two brilliant producers: Bridget Ikin, one of Australia/New Zealand's top indie producers, and John Smithson ("Touching the Void," "127 Hours"). Together, they financed the film with a combination of investment from Screen Australia and a small number of private investors and presales from Universal Pictures (ROW) and Footprint Films (Aus/NZ).

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

JP: I loved "Citizenfour" by Laura Poitras for its extraordinary access and the way Laura handled the material about this important event. She has so much courage and integrity.

Trailer Watch: 'Chevalier,' Athina Rachel Tsangari's Buddy Comedy from Hell

Laura Berger — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 16:00:00 GMT

A U.S. trailer has arrived for "Chevalier," award-winning Greek director Athina Rachel Tsangari's hilarious dark comedy about middle-aged male frenemies.

A group of six men aboard a luxury yacht decide to play a game. They'll compete to determine who is "The Best at Everything." But how do you quantify or qualify bestness? The criteria the men agree upon includes morning-time boners and sleep posture. He who earns the most points wins the contest. The game escalates quickly, with its participants desperate to prove their masculinity to one another and themselves.

The footage from the spot reveals which kinds of behaviors are rewarded and which are penalized. Jogging or looking like a cover model lounging on the deck? You're going to earn some points. Falling when windsurfing or snoring in bed? Expect your score to decrease.

Tsangari's previous credits include 2000's "The Slow Business of Going" and 2010's "Attenberg."

"Chevalier" made its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival last year and was awarded the Best Film prize in competition at the BFI London Film Festival. Catch it in theaters May 27.

'Inside Amy Schumer' Now with Less Self-Loathing

Sara Stewart — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 15:01:54 GMT

Welcome back to Comedy Central, Amy Schumer -- although as the comic has noted in a trailer for the new season, premiering tonight, it's not exactly like she's been off the radar on her down time.

There is novelty of a certain sort here, though. Four seasons in, Schumer's voice feels more assured than ever. The show is still a mixed bag. Not every sketch hits, but the ones that do feel like worthy successors to now-classics like "Last Fuckable Day" and "Girl, You Don't Need Makeup." The subtle, noticeable shift, however, is that more of her humor seems more outwardly directed at society's fucked-up messages to women, and less interested in their own self-hatred.

The first two episodes, "The World's Most Interesting Woman in the World" and "Brave," are full of barbed jabs at the status quo, occasionally referencing Schumer's own public experiences. She includes a clip of her standup about having done a nearly-nude photo shoot with Annie Leibovitz, which is where the title of the second episode comes from; as Schumer says, "brave" is the last word you want to hear bandied about when a photo of your nude body starts circulating online. The title of the first episode, meanwhile, is a parody of those Dos Equis beer ads, with Schumer playing a raspy-voiced woman who's eventually hauled away to "Clementine Hospice Care for Women Who Live Like Men."

The best sketch in each episode is the one taking the strong stance on institutional sexism. One sketch in "Brave" is Oscars-themed, and though it feels a little too late, it nails a fundamental truth about female film roles that remains under-discussed: Every woman nominated for Best Actress in this sketch (including Julianne Moore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jennifer Hudson and Laura Linney -- at this point, who CAN'T Schumer get?) is playing a man's agonized wife, on the phone imploring him to come home.

The other notable statement sketch is an explicit f-you to anti-choice politicians, with Amy going in for a pap smear and ending up with her feet in stirrups in front of a galley of squeamish male congressmen. It's up there with her commercial for the pill or the "12 Angry Men" parody, taking dead aim at the absurdity of a culture in which men still assume ownership of female bodies.

But the crown jewel of the first two episodes is, without a doubt, "Yo-Puss," the ad for yogurt that "makes your pussy taste like nothing!" Simultaneously a satire of the products that still, incredibly, exist to make women think they need to sterilize their genitals and a send-up of the ubiquitous "women laughing and eating yogurt" ads, it's one of Schumer's best. God knows how they made it through with straight faces (though an outtake at the end suggests it took a while).

Not everything works. Schumer gets Lin-Manuel Miranda to guest for a sketch about writing a Betsy Ross hip-hop musical, and it really falls surprisingly flat. Another recurring one, about a company dedicated to finding a nanny that your husband won't want to sleep with, feels reductive in a lazy way (or as Schumer puts it, "Because: men.") I get it; there have been a few recent stories about celebrity men who did just this, so I suppose it's fair game, but the sketch goes on to ridiculous lengths, like one of those "SNL" scenes that should have stopped at one minute and ran to five.

Another sketch, about "Guy-gles" that show a woman how to speak to men in her office to get results ("Needs to know you'd fuck him;" "Needs you to laugh at his jokes like it's your fucking job"), is just as broad but funnier -- and with a good racial zinger at the end (what the race goggles reveal is so overwhelming they immediately short out).

Schumer is also shaking up the show's format a bit, forgoing her man-on-the-street interviews for casual chats with friends at what seems like a party for the show at a bar. This one's a win, I think: Her comedian friends are just plain funnier than random people she accosts with a microphone (especially Judy Gold and Rachel Feinstein; more of these two, please!). She also devotes an entire sketch to guys in a parody of fantasy leagues where football players rate the performance of average guys in the "Schlubb League." It's not brilliant, but it's interesting to see Schumer hand over the spotlight for a bit.

In all, "Inside Amy Schumer" is still on top of its game, with a higher laugh average than most sketch shows. I'm hoping she'll eventually address the "plus sized" kerfuffle that ensued recently, but I'm guessing we'll have to wait for season five for that.

20th Century Fox Announces New Slate of Films for Next Two Years Without a Single Female Director

Casey Cipriani and Melissa Silverstein — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 14:29:41 GMT

This week at CinemaCon, the annual convention run by The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), 20th Century Fox revealed its slate for their upcoming 2016 and 2017 films. Some big, money-making movies are on there, like next month's "X-Men: Apocalypse," the "Independence Day" sequel, the adaptation of "Assassin's Creed" and more. But one trend running through the entire 23-film list is clear: not a single female director is on the list.

Did 20th Century Fox seriously think it was going to get through the next two years without anyone noticing that they don't have a single woman director helming one of their projects? Remembering that this isn't Fox 2000 or Fox Searchlight, which makes smaller, awards-driven dramas and prestige films, both of which have slightly better track records. This is big Fox, whose slate is mostly made up of giant tent-pole films.

We all know that the numbers for women directors are dismal, but at the six major studios they're even worse. The idea that women can't direct a tent-pole is a frustratingly inaccurate idea that permeates the film industry. The incorrect assumptions span everything from "women don't go see them," to "women can't be trusted with special effects" and even outright sexism contributes to the fact that women aren't offered big budget, studio jobs. Male festival darlings or up-and-coming young men are offered giant, blockbuster films before women who are far more experienced have a chance to enter the room.

Lexi Alexander, director of 2008's "Punisher: War Zone," and one of very few women to direct a comic book movie directing gig, said late last year, "I think in industries riddled with bias, you tend to hire women only if their previous work is very masculine, which is hilarious given that this is not how male directors are chosen. I am pretty sure when Kenneth Branagh came up for 'Thor,' nobody at Marvel thought: 'Yes, that Kenneth Branagh is masculine enough to do action, just look at "Henry V" and "The Magic Flute."' Don’t get me wrong I'm a huge Branagh fan, I'm just trying to demonstrate how ridiculous it is that women have to be 'one of the boys' to get in on the superhero business, whereas male directors don't have to have any proof on their résumé that they can deliver hardcore action."

While the coming two years don't have a woman director listed, this issue is not out of character for Fox since the studio has a terrible track record for hiring female directors. Jennifer Yuh Nelson co-directed this year's "Kung Fu Panda 3," and she co-directed "Kung Fu Panda 2" in 2011, but no woman has directed a live-action film at Fox since 2010: "Ramona and Beezus," directed by Elizabeth Allen.

Of the 23 films that 20th Century Fox is hyping up at CinemaCon, even the female-centric films don't feature female directors. "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children" is directed by Tim Burton. "Hidden Gems," the story of NASA's African-American women, starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae, is directed by Ted Melfi -- a white guy. A 2017 release called "Mother/Daughter," starring Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn, is being directed Jonathan Levine.

Perhaps, for the two films listed that don't have directors attached, we can hope for a woman to be hired, but don't hold your breath. They include a Hugh Jackman vehicle called "The Greatest Showman," and "Untitled Fox/Marvel" for October 2017. We all know how well women directors do when it comes to comic book adaptations. Patty Jenkins may have "Wonder Woman" coming up but that's about it so far.

The insult is compounded when by the fact that 21st Century Fox, 20th Century Fox's parent arm, launched a mentoring program for female directors back in 2014. "To connect with viewers today, we need stories that represent the amazing range of experiences and voices in the real world. Along with writers, the vision of directors is key as they obviously bring those stories to life through their own lens," said Joe Earley, Fox Broadcasting Co. chief operating officer.

It looks like 20th Century Fox decision makers didn't get the memo.

Women and Hollywood reached out to 20th Century Fox for comment, but received no reply.

Trailer Watch: 'Adult Life Skills' Makes it OK To Be Messed Up

Casey Cipriani — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 19:00:00 GMT

Rachel Tunnard is a BAFTA "Brit to Watch" and was named as one of the "Creative England 50" in 2015. Her short film "Emotional Fusebox" was nominated for a BAFTA and a BIFA. Her feature film "Adult Life Skills" is premiering this week at the Tribeca Film Festival and already has a U.K. release date set for June 24.

The film stars Jodie Whittaker ("Broadchurch") as Anna, whom Tribeca's official synopsis describes as, "approaching 30 and has just moved back to her rural home-town, and into a shed in her mother's backyard. She spends her time working a menial job at a local boating center and hides in the depths of her imagination, making movies with her thumbs. Irritated by her childish behavior, Anna's mother insists that she move out of her shed and on with her life. When a troubled young boy starts hanging around, the two form an unlikely bond. Through their strange yet mutually beneficial friendship, Anna slowly begins to confront her perpetual state of arrested development."

In an interview with Women and Hollywood, Tunnard summarized the film as "a story about being lost and finding yourself, making peace with who you are and regaining self-confidence and dignity." She added, "I always say it is basically the same themes as 'Rocky,' if you think about it. But with a shed. And a cowboy. And no boxing."

One of the things we love about "Adult Life Skills" is how it rejects the notion of a "strong female character" in favor of an interesting one that is allowed to mess up, lose her way and has to figure it all out. "I think that life is brilliant and a tragedy and this contradiction is at the center of what I wanted to write -- a story that is funny but serious; artful but true; ugly but beautiful, said Tunnard. "A celebration in the face of something awful. I also wanted my characters to embody those contradictions too -- because people are messy, right? And we are not always strong. Things happen; we make mistakes; we need other people."

The trailer features hilarious conversations about armpit hair, periods and penis-shaped gifts. "Sometimes I wish the suffragettes hadn't bothered," one character deadpans.

Check out the spot for "Adult Life Skills" below, and keep an eye out for a U.S. release announcement.

Tribeca 2016 Women Directors: Meet Maura Axelrod - 'Maurizio Cattelan: Be Right Back'

Eboni Boykin — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 18:00:00 GMT

Maura Axelrod has been producing news and documentaries for over 15 years. She began at ABC News in New York as a writer and producer. She lived and worked as producer for AP Television News in the Middle East, reporting on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. After five years based in the Caribbean region, reporting from Guantanamo and Haiti, Axelrod is now based in New York and Colorado. She has given up conflict reporting, and is currently focusing on the no less fascinating and contentious world of contemporary art. (Press materials)

"Maurizio Cattelan: Be Right Back" will premiere at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival on April 24.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

MA: An art world upstart, provocative and elusive artist, Maurizio Cattelan made his career on playful and subversive works that send up the artistic establishment, until a retrospective at the Guggenheim in 2011 finally solidified his place in the contemporary art canon.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

MA: I wanted to talk about why art in general is important and I've always felt that Maurizio's work is worth documenting. It is weird and significant enough that it could be of pretty wide interest.

I’m also very interested in how the art world has collided with the world of finance, and Maurizio's work is really a test case for that phenomenon and was a great way to examine that.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

MA: I want them to be asking themselves the big questions -- What is the nature of art? What is the nature of truth? Can anyone really be known? What am I leaving behind when I die? How can I live a less mundane life? That kind of thing.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

MA: It was a big challenge to take on the telling of a story about a person I know, who lives and breathes and has feelings. Telling someone's story is daunting. Who among us would hold up to so much scrutiny?

Also, trying to document Maurizio'ss work and career -- which has a life of its own -- also felt like a pretty overwhelming responsibility. I tried to be fair both to him and to the audience.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

MA: The movie was funded first by supporters of the artist, and then by investors. I had to be very persistent and cast a wide net. It took a long time to put the money together bit by bit by enlisting the help of people I knew would believe in this project because they like Maurizio's work.

W&H: What's the best and worst advice you've received?

MA: The best advice: "Get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable." Successful creative endeavors are super painful at times.

The worst advice: "You don't know what you’re doing. Let me do it for you." Any good adviser or mentor should be backing you up and supporting your ideas, not shutting you down.

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

MA: People will definitely be sexist, but you'll never totally know if that's what is going on in any given situation. Just smile and nod, then ignore anyone negative and go do exactly what you want to do.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

MA: Kathryn Bigelow’s "The Hurt Locker" was important to me. That was the moment I realized that I had never seen a woman make a big movie before, and that it could be done.

Watch Mia Wasikowska's Directorial Debut As Her Second Film Premieres at Tribeca

Casey Cipriani — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 16:00:00 GMT

Just as her second directorial effort premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival this week, Mia Wasikowska's first directorial project can now be seen online. Wasikowska, who has starred as the titular characters in "Alice in Wonderland" and "Jane Eyre," has dipped her toes into short film directing twice now; can a feature be far behind?

"Madly," which is now playing at Tribeca, is an anthology of short films devoted to love, directed and written by Wasikowska, Gael García Bernal, Sebastian Silva, Anurag Kashyap, Sion Sono and Natasha Khan. According to the festival description, the "six stories in 'Madly' portray contemporary love in all its glorious, sad, ecstatic, empowering and erotic manifestations."

"Madly" is Wasikoswka's second adventure as a film director. The first was a short called "Long Clear View," an adaptation of a short story by Tim Winton, which Wasikoswka adapted herself as well.

The short is a part of a larger anthology called "The Turning," which includes short films by fellow Australians, all adapted from Winton's stories. According to the film's official synopsis, "The linking and overlapping stories explore the extraordinary turning points in ordinary people's lives in a stunning portrait of a small coastal community. As characters face second thoughts and regret, relationships irretrievably alter, resolves are made or broken, and lives change direction forever. This watershed film reinterprets and re-imagines the work for the screen."

"Long Clear View," Wasikowska's entry into the anthology, tells of a recurring Winton character named Vic Lang. The short follows his younger years, exploring peculiar habits, social anxieties and fixation on his father's rifle. "I was interested in the perspective of a young person and the way their imagination can heighten things and change the reality of instances in our lives," Wasikoswka said about the story.

"The Turning" first premiered in 2013 at the Melbourne International Film Festival. You can watch a clip of "Long Clear View" below and catch the whole anthology, which also features Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Hugo Weaving and Miranda Otto, streaming on WeAreColony.

[via Press materials]

Trailer Watch: Emily Blunt Mesmerizes in 'The Girl on the Train'

Laura Berger — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 15:00:00 GMT

Meet Rachel Watson, the unreliable narrator who has galvanized readers since Paula Hawkins' "The Girl on the Train" was released in 2015. Rachel and her suspenseful, sordid tale are headed to the big-screen in an upcoming adaptation of the best-selling book, for which the first trailer has just dropped.

Emily Blunt ("Sicario") takes on the role of Rachel, an alcoholic woman whose life is in shambles. Rachel becomes fixated on the disappearance of a woman (Hayley Bennett, "The Equalizer") her ex-husband (Justin Theroux, "The Leftovers") employed as a nanny. It's not long before Rachel becomes a suspect in the crime.

Rachel has witnessed something she can't forget -- but she can't quite remember it either. She holds the keys to the mystery but her lapses in memory make it impossible for her to make sense of what's happened.

"I'm afraid of myself," Rachel tearfully admits in the spot for the film. Blunt has said that taking on the role was "the most challenging thing [she's] ever done."

Check out the tense, atmospheric trailer below. "The Girl on the Train" opens October 7. The script was penned by Erin Cressida Wilson ("Men, Women & Children"). You can catch Blunt in theaters on Friday in "The Huntsman: Winter's War."

Tribeca 2016 Women Directors: Meet Kristi Zea - 'Everybody Knows... Elizabeth Murray'

Laura Berger — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 14:00:00 GMT

"Everybody Knows... Elizabeth Murray" is the documentary directorial debut for Kristi Zea, a two time Oscar-nominated production designer and producer. Her narrative directorial debut "Domestic Dilemma," for HBO's "Women and Men 2," was nominated for an ACE award. (Press materials)

"Everybody Knows… Elizabeth Murray" will premiere at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival on April 23.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

KZ: "Everybody Knows… Elizabeth Murray" is a tribute to the unfaltering McArthur genius, painter Elizabeth Murray. It traces her arrival into the New York art scene in 1967 and follows her struggles as a single mom navigating the choppy waters of sexism and feminism during the 70s and 80s.

Elizabeth's success is a testament to her remarkable vision and dedication to her craft. Her story is an inspiration to us all, of any gender!

W&H: What drew you to this story?

KZ: Elizabeth was a friend. We met on a trip that five women took in the late 80s which offered us a safe place to "dish and download" as we hiked the canyons of Utah. We recognized similarities in our lives as we juggled the responsibilities of marriage and motherhood.

Inspired by my colleagues Jonathan Demme and Martin Scorsese's documentaries about their artist friends, I wanted to document the life of a remarkable woman and artist in her own words.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

KZ: When people leave the theater I want them to feel uplifted and inspired to follow their path no matter how difficult the circumstances. As a woman I want them to acknowledge the power and strength of love and dedication to family while continuing to work in our desired professions.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

KZ: Elizabeth became seriously ill just after we started filming. The grief of her family and friends was palpable and an understandable challenge. We endeavored to continue making the film while honoring the privacy of her loved ones.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

KZ: We were blessed with the initial support of the Warhol Foundation, as well as organizations such as NYSCA, the NEA, WIF Finishing Fund and the Frankenthaler Foundation. We also received generous contributions from The Stanley Family Fund as well as many other friends of Elizabeth Murray.

Unique to this film was the enormous support we received from Elizabeth's colleagues. Many well-known and wonderful artists donated their works for an auction to help raise funds for the film. Private funding was the majority of our support. We never crowd sourced or solicited funds from a studio.

W&H: What's the best and worst advice you've received?

KZ: The greatest advice I received was to make the film even if I didn't have all the money in place. The worst advice I received was to make the film without proper funding in place!

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

KZ: Just do it!

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

KZ: It's very hard to come up with a favorite film, period! I love Mira Nair and Agnieszka Holland's work.

ArcLight Cinemas to Host Women in Entertainment Workshop Series

Casey Cipriani — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 21:00:00 GMT

ArcLight Cinemas has announced line-up for the ArcLight Women in Entertainment Workshop Series.

The event series is designed to "spark a more transparent and open dialogue" on opportunities for women in film and television. It will focus on three areas: production, marketing and distribution.

The events will take place from May 17-19 in Los Angeles. The workshops will be hosted by ArcLight’s Executive Vice President, Gretchen McCourt and will feature some creative leaders across film and television.

The gathering will include Susan Cartsonis (Storefront Pictures), Julie Lynn (Mockingbird Pictures), Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Director, Producer, Writer, "Blackfish"), Carolyn Harris (Skydance Television), Theresa Won (Myriad Pictures), Jennifer Cochis (Los Angeles Film Festival), Dalia Ganz (Freeform) and Joseph Beyer (Sundance Institute) among others.

"As women, our leadership roles keep expanding and with them, the challenges we face in the entertainment industry. We want to be sure that we are not only shining a light on the most prevalent issues that women face in the industry, but also providing women with the tools to succeed," said McCourt in a statement. "The launch of the workshop series is a developmental opportunity for emerging creative talent to learn from industry leaders in an intimate setting where they can freely ask questions and learn from these role models and their experiences."

Last year marked the launch of the first annual Women in Entertainment Summit held by ArcLight Cinemas. The event featured keynotes from actress Geena Davis, founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and producer Cathy Schulman, president of Women in Film.

You can apply for tickets at ArcLight Women's website. The deadline is May 6.

[via Press materials]

Tribeca 2016 Women Directors: Meet Nancy Buirski - 'By Sidney Lumet'

Siân Melton — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 20:00:00 GMT

Nancy Buirski's documentary "Afternoon of a Faun" (2013) had its world premiere at the 51st New York Film Festival and international premiere at the 64th Berlinale. She is the director, producer and writer of the Peabody- and Emmy Award-winning "The Loving Story" (2011) (HBO). Buirski founded and was the Director of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival for 10 years. Prior to her work in film, Buirski was the Foreign Picture Editor at The New York Times, garnering the paper its first Pulitzer Prize in photography. (Press materials)

"By Sidney Lumet" will premiere at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival on April 22. The film made its world debut at Cannes Film Festival 2015.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

NB: Sidney Lumet is our narrator, guiding us through his life and work. We discover a simple truth -- that themes in an artist's work emerge, inevitable, and, sometimes unknowingly, from the artist’s life. The proof of this is seen in the many clips we weave organically into the story he tells.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

NB: I was invited to make this film by Michael Kantor at PBS' "American Masters," where I had recently shown "Afternoon of a Faun," a deep study of an artist's soul. But it was Sidney Lumet’s generosity, candor and humility in an interview made by Daniel Anker in 2008 that inspired me to devote myself to this project.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theaters?

NB: I want them to think about the Lumet films that last -- and why. With a canon of 44 films in 50 years, many are classics and still relevant -- "Serpico," "Network," "Dog Day Afternoon," "The Pawnbroker" -- impacting us today with their morality and sense of fairness. His first film was "12 Angry Men" and his last was "Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead." Amazing!

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

NB: Daniel Anker recorded close to 18 hours of interview. It became immediately clear that I should represent what most mattered to Mr. Lumet through his own words, without others coming on stage to echo him. But finding a through-line in that many hours was daunting. I wanted to take us on a journey, and structuring this would be the key.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

NB: Knowing this would be on "American Masters" attracted seed funding. Sidney Lumet as a subject attracted investors like RatPac -- Brett Ratner wanted Lumet’s work to be remembered and came on board quickly. The subject also attracted Steven Spielberg’s Righteous Person’s Foundation along with other Jewish family and public foundations. I was not aware that I would be making a film that would necessarily attract Jewish support, but I learned that this community is enthusiastic about films made about Jewish character and artistry.

W&H: What's the biggest misconception about you and your work?

NB: That it comes easily. I began this chapter of my life relatively late and have made three documentaries in six years. It was back-breaking work, but work that I love -- passion, a love of the form and an urgency to make up for lost time propelled me.

W&H: What's the best and worst advice you've received?

NB: Best: Don’t take no for an answer and brace yourself for many sleepless nights.

Worst: Every story makes a good film. Not true, especially if you don’t have a gut sense of how to tell it.

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

NB: To filmmakers in general -- make the story personal. Often that gut sense (see above) will become blindingly apparent. For female directors (see above again) -- don’t take no for an answer.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

NB: Too many to name -- and I, honestly, tend not to separate out females from directors in general. We want to be recognized for our work, not for our marginalized status. That doesn’t mean I won’t work tirelessly to make the world a better place for female directors. We must level the playing field once and for all.

NBCUniversal Short Film Festival Now Open for Submissions

Casey Cipriani — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 19:00:00 GMT

Short film directors, if you dare to dream of being the next Tina Fey, have we got a contest for you.

NBCUniversal has announced that its 11th annual Short Film Festival is now accepting submissions.

The diversity-seeking festival is "a nationwide search for talent both in front of and behind the camera, focused on discovering the next generation of storytellers." The fest seeks narrative content made within the last two years in drama or comedy categories.

This year, the festival will allow stand-alone web series episodes and also extends the maximum length of submissions to 22 minutes to allow for comedic pilot presentations.

The goal, NBCUniversal says, is "to not only celebrate up and coming directors, writers, producers and actors, but to introduce them to top industry taste makers while awarding prizes ranging from camera packages and monetary grants to development meetings and holding deals."

Last year, they partnered with Geena Davis and the Oxygen Network to award one female filmmaker with a prize package including a multitude of camera equipment, a new iMac computer, as well as development meetings with top executives at the network.

The submissions window is open from now until May 15. Visit NBCUshortsFEST.com to enter. Head out there and find your Amy Poehler or your Ellie Kemper and make some magic.

[via Press materials]

Daisy Ridley Picks 'Kolma' as First Project After 'The Force Awakens' with Marielle Heller to Direct

Casey Cipriani — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 18:00:00 GMT

There was no doubt that Dasiy Ridley's star would rise to intergalactic heights after the premiere of "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" back in December. Now the young actress is reteaming with that film's director, J.J. Abrams, for another project.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ridley is in talks to star in the fantasy thriller "Kolma," which Abrams is producing. "The Diary of a Teenage Girl" writer-director Marielle Heller is in talks to helm. Megan Holley, who penned "Sunshine Cleaning," wrote the script.

The story is based on the 2003 Israeli TV movie "All I've Got" ("Kol Ma She'Yesh Li"). According to THR, the film "follows a 22-year-old woman who is in a terrible car accident that kills her boyfriend. Then, decades later, when the woman dies, she's given the choice of returning to the day of the accident to live again as a 22-year-old or being reunited with her love."

Ridley is currently shooting "Star Wars Episode VIII" with director Rian Johnson. If Ridley and Heller do take on the project, we're happy that Ridley is teaming up with a female director so early in her career.

Heller was nominated for a 2016 DGA Award and won a 2016 Independent Spirit Award for "The Diary of a Teenage Girl." She is part of the collective We Do It Together (WDIT), a non-profit production company with the goal of empowering women.

[via The Hollywood Reporter]

Award-Winning Race-Car Doc 'Speed Sisters' Acquired by First Run Features

Laura Berger — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 17:00:00 GMT

"Speed Sisters" is racing towards a theatrical release. First Run Features has acquired the U.S. rights to Amber Fares' debut feature and will release the portrait of the first all-woman race-car driving team in the Middle East later this year. The award-winning documentary made its debut at Hot Docs 2015 in Toronto.

"In the aftermath of 9/11, I have wanted to tell a story that would bridge the ever-growing gap between the Arab world and Canada, where my family lived," Fares told Women and Hollywood. She continued, "To put it mildly, perceptions of Arabs in countries like the U.S. and Canada were skewed. When I came across the Speed Sisters, I realized that I found a story that could help bridge the gap."

Fares was drawn to the idea that "these women were doing something completely unexpected" and saw the doc as an opportunity to tell "a surprising story from the Middle East that people all over the world could relate to." She suggested that "Speed Sisters" would "break stereotypes of Arab women, and hopefully of Arab men."

"Speed Sisters" screened at the 2016 Athena Film Festival in NYC, a celebration of women and leadership.

[via Press materials]