Thompson on Hollywood

Sony Chief Pascal Is Gung Ho on Strong Women, from Salander to Cleopatra

News

Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal is gung-ho on "Zero Dark Thirty." At the film's Hollywood premiere Monday night, the studio chief, who acquired the film from financeer-producer Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures, was proud of the film's tough CIA agent heroine, played by SAG nominee Jessica Chastain, who could score big during awards season. The studio is giving the movie a big awards push in advance of its limited holiday and wide January release.

By Anne Thompson
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December 12, 2012 1:01 PM
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2012 Heroine Worship in Movies, from Katniss Everdeen and Hushpuppy to 'Bridesmaids' and 'Girls'

Reviews

The New York Times' A. O. Scott recaps the year in Heroine Worship, when it was still news when women actually carry a movie that scores at the box office. He writes: "There is a smattering of evidence to support the impression that [things have changed], because 2012 was, all in all, a pretty good year for movies and also a pretty good year for female heroism." But why, he asks, do we still need to make a fuss about heroines such as Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games" or Hushpuppy in "Beasts of the Southern Wild"?

By Sophia Savage
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December 9, 2012 1:46 PM
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Athena Film Festival Returns in 2013; Honors Hurd, DuVernay, Haskell, Kuo & Mitchell

Festivals

The Third Annual Athena Film Festival: A Celebration of Women and Leadership will return to Barnard College in 2013...

By Beth Hanna
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November 29, 2012 12:56 PM
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Women in Film Expands Outreach with Speed Mentoring; Top Ten Pieces of Advice

Speed Mentor Pamela Rodi, President/Creative Director of Rodi Marketing

Features

"There wasn't one woman, not one woman, that I could look up to and say 'I want to be that woman." Things have changed in the 50 years since producer Marion Rosenberg started in the entertainment industry, said the Women in Film trustee and mentoring co-chair at the organization's inaugural Speed Mentoring session on October 29. She was talking with twenty mentors and twenty mentees, comprised of WIF members who were chosen based on the strength of their proposed questions.

By Sophia Savage
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October 31, 2012 3:01 PM
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Angelina Jolie on Attempted Murder of Malala Yousafzai; Woman of Impact Emergency Appeal for Girls' Education Fund

News

In the wake of the Taliban shooting of a 14-year old girl named Malala Yousafzai, who vocally promoted girls' rights to education, The Daily Beast features a story written by Angelina Jolie. The activist writes:

By Sophia Savage
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October 22, 2012 4:34 PM
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Women in Film Announces Finishing Fund Recipients, Names Thirteen New Board Members

News

The Women In Film Foundation’s Film Finishing Fund (WIFF FFF) announce the recipients of their 27th annual grant program, which provides cash and in-kind services to ten chosen winners, among them seven documentaries, two features and one short film...

By Sophia Savage
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October 10, 2012 2:59 PM
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DGA's Grim Stats on Director Diversity in Television: 'Our Industry Has to Do Better'

Television

The Directors Guild of America's findings on the diversity of directors in episodic television are grim. Included in their analysis were 3,100 episodes of over 190 scripted shows produced across network and cable channels throughout 2011-2012. After the DGA adjusted their parameters to allow more accurate statistics for this year's report, they adjusted the prior year's results.

By Sophia Savage
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September 27, 2012 4:10 PM
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Venice Days' Spotlight on Female Filmmakers: 'Womens Tales' in Conversation with Nair, Bier & Cavani

Festivals

The Venice International Film Festival's Venice Days kicks off its ninth edition with "Women's Tales," featuring four short films by young female directors: Zoe Cassavetes, Lucrecia Martel, Giada Colagrande and Massy Tadjedin.

By Sophia Savage
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August 28, 2012 12:58 PM
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Women Directors Delpy & DuVernay Talk Leveling the Playing Field

Features

Three women filmmakers with new movies are inspiring mofe discussion of the state of women directors in Hollywood. The LA Times' Nicole Sperling talks to Julie Delpy ("2 Days in New York," "2 Days in Paris"), Ava DuVerney ("Middle of Nowhere") and Leslye Headland (the upcoming "Bachelorette").

By Sophia Savage
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August 10, 2012 4:01 PM
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Best Films Directed by Women, Reaching Consensus

Reviews

While we pore over the latest Sight & Sound film critics poll of the Top 50 Movies of all time, it's not surprising that most of the films are directed by men. The notable exception is Chantal Akerman's "Jeanne Dielman," which I saw in college but barely remember. On the other hand, I recall every frame of Maya Deren's "Meshes in the Afternoon." The poll, as many have commented, is dominated by older films, most of them pre-1960, a time when few women were directing, unless they were Ida Lupino, Dorothy Arzner or Leni Reifenstahl, who did not make the S & S list.