Women and Hollywood

Melissa Silverstein is the founder and editor of Women and Hollywood, one of the most respected sites for issues related to women and film as well as other areas of pop culture. Women and Hollywood educates, advocates, and agitates for gender parity across the entertainment industry.

She is also the co-founder and Artistic Director of The Athena Film Festival. The 4th annual festival will take place from February 6-9, 2014 at Barnard College in NYC.

Melissa recently published the first book from Women and Hollywood, In Her Voice: Women Directors Talk Directing, which is a compilation of over 40 interviews that have appeared on the site.

Email Melissa

Purchase In Her Voice

Blog Roll

On the Ground in Berlin

News

I arrived in Berlin two days ago from NY after the huge success of The Athena Film Festival. Did you hear we had a blizzard and people still came. I missed the opening weekend craziness and after the insanity at the beginning of Sundance, I was really glad not to have to deal with it. To be honest, this festival has a completely different feel than Toronto and Sundance. It's just more mellow. Granted, as I mentioned, I did miss the first weekend when all the industry folks are here so I can't compare apples and apples, but this is way more low key. I am not innundated with press releases and with events, and I really am ok with that.

By Melissa Silverstein
|
February 14, 2013 5:40 AM
|
4 Comments

When I was in Paris in October you could not escape the posters for Maiwenn's Polisse which premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. The film was made for about $7 million and it has already grossed almost $20 million in France where it actually beat The Adventures of Tin Tin for two weeks. It is now rolling out through other territories and will be released in the US by Sundance Selects.

Maiwenn is included in the five directors vying for France Lumiere Award. The film is also up for best screenplay (but not best picture.)

By Melissa Silverstein
|
January 4, 2012 10:45 AM
|
0 Comments

More Toronto Additions

The Toronto Film Festival added to its already impressive lineup with some women directed films that I've been waiting for. There is a long awaited film from Nancy Savoca and Lynn Shelton's latest. It's going to be a busy week. I cannot wait.

By Melissa Silverstein
|
August 17, 2011 2:43 AM
|
1 Comment

Potiche - Review

You know you are in for a treat when the first image of a film is Catherine Deneuve doing a light jog through the countryside, and Potiche does not let you down. It's a comedy of manners set in the 1970s and Catherine Deneuve plays Suzanne the wealthy wife of an industrialist who runs the family umbrella business. He's a sexist jerk and treats his employees poorly so they revolt and take him hostage. Deneuve steps in and starts to run the business, and surprise, she's not such a Potiche or translated to English -- "trophy-wife." She's pretty good at the business, the employees like her and she realizes that she has more to give than just staying home with not much to do since her children are grown.

By Melissa Silverstein
|
March 25, 2011 1:45 AM
|
0 Comments