News

The American Film Institute (AFI) has unveiled the participants list for the Dww+ Class of 2024.

IndieWire exclusively reveals that the latest cast comprises Vanessa Beletic, Chloë de Carvalho, Desdemona Chiang, Naomi Iwamoto, Huriyyah Muhammad, Joanne Mony Park, Kerry O’Neill and Roxy Toporowych. Learn more about the new class and read their bios here.

The AFI Dww+ is a year-long directing workshop that supports women and traditionally underrepresented narrative filmmakers through the production cycle of a short film, providing hands-on instruction led by industry experts. The short films completed in the workshop will premiere at the annual Dww+ Showcase in Spring 2024.

“AFI Dww+ is integral to creating a pipeline of highly trained, diverse voices who have the power to drive culture forward and shape the future of the entertainment industry. We are thrilled to welcome this new class of accomplished artists to the AFI Dww+ program and guide them on their journey as directors and storytellers,...

1965: Peyton Place's Elliot learned he was a grandfather.

1971: Dark Shadows' Gabriel stabbed Kendrick.

1989: Another World's original Donna Love returned.

2004: All My Children's Bianca remembered killing Michael."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1962: On The Edge of Night, Louise (Mary K. Wells) learned about Phil's (Ray MacDonnell) car crash, unaware that he had been replaced by a double, John Lambert (Ray MacDonnell).

1965: On As the World Turns, Chris (Don MacLaughlin) told Pa (Santos Ortega) about a rare disease that Dan had contracted,...

1965: Peyton Place's Elliot learned he was a grandfather.

1971: Dark Shadows' Gabriel stabbed Kendrick.

1989: Another World's original Donna Love returned.

2004: All My Children's Bianca remembered killing Michael."Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."

― Machiavelli

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1962: On The Edge of Night, Louise (Mary K. Wells) learned about Phil's (Ray MacDonnell) car crash, unaware that he had been replaced by a double,...

New York Women in Film amp Television has announced the honorees for this year's Muse Awards on December 14th Laura Dern actor, Judith Light actor and Amy Emmerich Refinery29 Cco Regina K. Scully filmmaker and CEO of Artemis Rising Foundation will receive the Loreen Arbus Changemaker Award and the inaugural Nancy Malone Directing Award will be presented to groundbreaking filmmaker Julie Dash.

As awards season takes over Hollywood, keep up with all the ins, outs, and big accolades with our bi-weekly Awards Roundup column.

– The 29th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) will present Holly Hunter with the Career Achievement Award at its annual Film Awards Gala. Past recipients of the Career Achievement Award include Annette Bening, Glenn Close, Kevin Costner, Bruce Dern, Robert Duvall, Clint Eastwood, Sally Field, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Lynn Redgrave.

“Holly Hunter’s career is filled with many memorable performances including her Academy Award-winning role in ‘The Piano’ as well as other films including ‘Broadcast News,’ ‘The Firm,’ ‘The Incredibles’ and more,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner in an official statement. “In her recent film ‘The Big Sick,’ she brings comedy and poignancy as a mother coping with her daughter’s coma, while bonding with her daughter’s ex-boyfriend. It is our great honor...

The American Film Institute has received a $500,000 donation from the estate of director-producer-actor-philanthropist Nancy Malone to fund the new Nancy Malone Initiatives for Women Filmmakers. Director-writer Tessa Blake has been named director of the program, which will aim to advocate for the advancement and employment of women from the AFI Conservatory and the AFI Directing Workshop for Women. Malone and Blake are Dww alumnae. Blake’s executive-level role will be to…...

New York Women in Film amp Television has announced the honorees for this year's Muse Awards on December 14th Laura Dern actor, Judith Light actor and Amy Emmerich Refinery29 Cco Regina K. Scully filmmaker and CEO of Artemis Rising Foundation will receive the Loreen Arbus Changemaker Award and the inaugural Nancy Malone Directing Award will be presented to groundbreaking filmmaker Julie Dash.

The Stella Adler Studio of Acting announced today that the 11th Annual Stella by Starlight Benefit Gala will be held on June 13 at The Prince George Ballroom in New York City. This year's honorees include actor Jeff Daniels Group Theater Award, the late director Nancy Malone The Stella Adler Leading Lady Award, real estate developer Sharif El-Gamal Stella Adler Corporate Award and New York City Department of Correction Deputy Commissioner of Youthful Offender and Young Adult Programming Winette Jackson Harold Clurman Spirit Award.

Fyi women filmmakers... New York Women in Film & Television (Nywift) is now accepting applications for its four 2015 Funds for Women Filmmakers. Applications are available online at www.nywift.org and are due June 15, so you've got about a month. The available grants are The Loreen Arbus Disability Awareness Grant, In-Kind Post-Production Grants, The Nancy Malone Marketing & Promotion Grant and The Ravenal Foundation Feature Film Grant. The Loreen Arbus Disability Awareness Grant Nywfit established The Loreen Arbus Disability Awareness Grant through the generosity of Loreen Arbus. The film completion grant for $7,500 is awarded to a woman filmmaker for a...

Women In Film is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting equal opportunities for women, encouraging creative projects by women, and expanding and enhancing portrayals of women in all forms of global media. Given that women comprise fifty percent of the population, Wif's ultimate goal is to see the same gender parity reflected on and off screen. Founded in 1973, Wif focuses on advocacy and education, provides scholarships, grants and film finishing funds and works to preserve the legacies of all women working in the entertainment community.

Since 1977, Women In Film, Los Angeles has annually honored outstanding women in the entertainment industry – women who lead by example, who are creative, groundbreaking, and who excel at their chosen fields. This year’s Crystal + Lucy Awards® fundraising dinner, in support of Wif La’s educational and philanthropic programs and its advocacy for gender parity for women throughout the industry, is being held on Tuesday, June 16 in the Los Angeles Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Century City. The 2015 Crystal + Lucy Awards is sponsored by Max Mara, BMW of North America, and Tiffany & Co.

This year’s Crystal + Lucy Award honorees are:

2015 Crystal Award for Excellence in Film – Nicole Kidman 2015 Lucy Award for Excellence in Television – Jill Soloway 2015 Dorothy Arzner Directors Award® – Ava DuVernay The Women In Film Max Mara “Face of the Future®” 2015 – Kate Mara Presented by Nicola Maramotti Global Brand Ambassador for Max Mara

2015 Tiffany & Co. / Bruce Paltrow Mentorship Award – Sue Kroll 2015 Sue Mengers Award – Toni Howard

Cathy Schulman , President of Women In Film, Los Angeles, said in making the announcement, “We are proud to celebrate an extraordinary line-up of honorees this year. Each one of these women has made extraordinary contributions to the media art, and as a group they have forged sustainable careers that are emblematic of the positive and long overdue change that is taking root for women in Hollywood.”

Iris Grossman, President Emerita of Women In Film, Los Angeles, returning this year as Chair of the Awards, said “This year’s honorees are all women who have helped change the face of the business. Through their insight, determination, resilience and talent, they add substance and depth to their creative endeavors and to the entertainment industry as a whole.”

About the Honorees

Nicole Kidman / Crystal Award for Excellence in Film

The Crystal Awards were established in 1977 to honor outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry. Past recipients include Cate Blanchett, Laura Linney, Viola Davis, Annette Bening, Donna Langley, Jennifer Aniston, Diane English and the cast of The Women, Renée Zellweger, Jennifer Lopez, Sandra Bullock, Gwyneth Paltrow, Diane Lane, Halle Berry, Laura Ziskin, Jessica Lange, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Angela Bassett, Meg Ryan, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, Alfre Woodard, Polly Platt, Lauren Shuler Donner, Diane Warren, Amy Heckerling, Paula Weinstein, Martha Coolidge, Buffy Shutt and Kathy Jones, Gale Anne Hurd, Nancy Malone, Maya Angelou, Lily Tomlin, Ruby Dee, Penny Marshall, Jessica Tandy, Barbara Boyle, Nikki Rocco, Jean Firstenberg, Lee Remick, Lina Wertmuller, Bette Davis, Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Sherry Lansing, Nora Ephron, Dawn Steel, Fay Kanin, Lillian Gish, Whoopi Goldberg, Glenn Close and Amy Pascal.

Academy Award winning actress Nicole Kidman is internationally-recognized for her range and versatility. In 2002, Kidman was honored with her first Oscar nomination for her performance in the innovative musical, "Moulin Rouge!" For that role, and her performance in the psychological thriller "The Others," she received dual 2002 Golden Globe nominations, winning for Best Actress in a Musical. In 2003, Kidman won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award and a Berlin Silver Bear for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in Stephen Daldry’s "The Hours." In 2010 Kidman starred in "Rabbit Hole," for which she received Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Independent Spirit Award nominations for Best Actress. The film was developed by Kidman’s production company, Blossom Films. In October 2012 Kidman starred in Lee Daniel’s "The Paperboy." Her performance earned her an Aacta, Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe nomination.

Upcoming films include "Strangerland," "The Family Fang" and "Genius." Kidman is currently in production on "The Secret in Their Eyes." Next up, she will being shooting The Weinstein Company’s "Lion."

In January of 2006, Kidman was awarded Australia’s highest honor, the Companion in the Order of Australia. She was also named, and continues to serve, as Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, Un Women, whose goals are to foster women’s empowerment and gender equality, to raise awareness of the infringement on women’s human rights around the world and to end violence against women. Along with her husband, Keith Urban, she has helped raise millions over the years for the Women’s Cancer Program which is a world-renowned center for research into the causes, treatment, prevention, and eventual cure of women’s cancer.

Jill Soloway / Lucy Award for Excellence in Television

The Lucy Awards were founded in 1994 by Joanna Kerns, Bonny Dore and Loreen Arbus and are presented in association with the Lucille Ball Estate. They were named for Lucille Ball, who was not only a legendary actress and comedienne, but also a producer, studio owner, creator and director. They are given to recognize women and men and their creative works that exemplify the extraordinary accomplishments she embodied; whose excellence and innovation have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television. Past recipients include: Kerry Washington, The Women Of "Mad Men" (Christina Hendricks, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Jessica Paré, Kiernan Shipka), Bonnie Hammer, Nina Tassler, Courteney Cox, Holly Hunter, Salma Hayek, Shonda Rhimes and the women of "Grey’s Anatomy," Geena Davis, Debra Messing and Megan Mullally, Blythe Danner, Lily Tomlin, Rosie O’Donnell, Amy Brenneman, Tyne Daley, Phyllis Diller, Marcy Carsey, Carol Burnett, Barbara Walters, Shari Lewis, Garry Marshall, Angela Lansbury, Marlo Thomas, Gary David Goldberg, Diahann Carroll, Tracey Ullman, Fred Silverman, Imogene Coca, Camryn Manheim, Norman Lear, Bud Yorkin and the casts of "Sex and the City," " If These Walls Could Talk" and "If These Walls Could Talk 2."

Jill Soloway is the creator of Amazon Studios' Golden Globe-winning, "Transparent," a dark, deep, silly family series about boundaries, love and secrets.

Soloway won the U.S. Dramatic Directing Award at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival for her first feature, "Afternoon Delight." She recently founded WifeyTv, an internet brand producing and curating content to ignite the feminist revolution. Soloway is a three-time Emmy nominee for her work writing and producing "Six Feet Under."

She co-created the theater experiences, "Real Live Brady Bunch," "Miss Vagina Pageant," "Hollywood Hellhouse" and "Sit N Spin," and co-founded the community organization East Side Jews. Soloway lives with her family in Silver Lake.

Ava DuVernay / Dorothy Arzner Directors Award

Dorothy Arzner was the first female member of the Directors Guild of America. In her honor, the Dorothy Arzner Directors Award® was established to recognize the important role women directors play in the film and television industries. Past recipients include: Jennifer Lee, Sofia Coppola, Pamela Fryman, Lisa Cholodenko, Catherine Hardwicke, Nancy Meyers, Barbra Streisand, Mimi Leder, Barbara Kopple, Gillian Armstrong, Lian Lunson, Joey Lauren Adams and Nicole Holofcener.

Nominated for two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, five Critics Choice awards, eight NAACP Image Awards and five Independent Spirit Awards, writer/director Ava DuVernay's most recent film "Selma" chronicles the historic 1965 voting rights campaign led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

She won the Best Director Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012 for her acclaimed feature "Middle of Nowhere." Her previous narrative and documentary work includes the feature film "I Will Follow" and the documentaries Venus Vs.," "My Mic Sounds Nice" and "This is The Life."

In 2010, DuVernay founded the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (Affrm), a grassroots collective that distributes work from filmmakers of color. Prior to her directorial career, she worked as a film marketer and publicist for more than 14 years through her company, The DuVernay Agency.

Kate Mara / The Women In Film Max Mara “Face of the Future” Award

The Women In Film Max Mara “Face of the Future” Award® was inaugurated at Women In Film’s 2006 Crystal + Lucy Awards®. As the 13th year as presenting sponsor and longstanding Women In Film partner, Max Mara identifies an actress who is experiencing a turning point in her career through her work in the film and television industries with focus on her contributions to the community at large and recognizes her outstanding personal achievements and embodiment of style and grace. Past recipients include: Rose Byrne, Hailee Steinfeld, Chloë Grace Moretz, Katie Holmes, Zoë Saldana, Elizabeth Banks, Ginnifer Goodwin, Emily Blunt and Maria Bello.

Kate Mara made her feature film debut in "Random Hearts" for director Sydney Pollack. She then co-starred in Ang Lee’s "Brokeback Mountain" in which she portrayed Heath Ledger’s daughter. She also appeared in the Academy Award nominated film "127 Hours" with James Franco for director Danny Boyle and she co-starred in "Transcendence" alongside Johnny Depp and Morgan Freeman, which marked the directorial debut of Academy Award-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister.

Mara recently completed filming on location in Budapest director Ridley Scott’s outer space action film The Martian alongside Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain. Last fall, she completed filming the psychological thriller "Man Down" in which she plays the wife of a war veteran, played by Shia Labeouf and "Captive" in which she stars with David Oyelowo as a single mother struggling with meth addiction in the adaptation of the best-selling book An Unlikely Angel. This summer she will film "Morgan" for director Luke Scott, son of Ridley Scott, who will produce. Audiences will next see her star in "Fantastic Four" alongside Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell.

She received an Emmy Award® nomination for her role in David Fincher’s critically acclaimed television series, "House of Cards" in which she co-starred alongside Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright.

Sue Kroll/ Tiffany & Co. / Bruce Paltrow Mentorship Award

The Tiffany & Co. / Bruce Paltrow Mentorship Award was created to honor the late director and great mentor Bruce Paltrow. This year, Wif Presenting Sponsor Tiffany & Co. has joined the Paltrow family in recognizing an entertainment industry professional who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to mentoring and supporting the next generation of filmmakers and executives. Past honorees include Kathleen Kennedy and Sherry Lansing.

Sue Kroll is President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures. As marketing chief, she oversees the strategic creation and implementation of marketing campaigns for the Studio’s global releases and collaborates closely with the Studio’s principals on the strategic development of its slate of films.

Her leadership of global marketing has propelled the studio’s releases to record-breaking box office and myriad awards. Most recently, the Best Picture Oscar nominee "American Sniper" became the top-grossing domestic film release of 2014 and has grossed more than $500 million worldwide. Other recent successes include the "Harry Potter," "Dark Knight," and "The Hobbit" film series, as well as such award-winning pictures as "Gravity," "Argo" and "The Departed."

Kroll joined Warner Bros. in 1994 and headed International Marketing from 2000 to 2008, when she was named to her current role at the studio. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Film Independent, the Los Angeles-based non-profit that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, and is one of the inaugural members of Big Brothers Big Sisters’ Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program.

Toni Howard / Sue Mengers Award

The Sue Mengers Award , named for the legendary agent and given for the first time in 2015, will be presented annually to a representative who is, and has been, instrumental in guiding careers. Sue Mengers was an icon in the entertainment industry. She was one of the most influential talent agents of her time, when women were not the norm, and she was devoted to her clients.

Toni Howard is a partner at ICM Partners. Toni joined the agency’s talent department in 1991 and quickly became a leader in the division, having served as its department head for the better part of a decade. She oversees a celebrated and eclectic group of actors who appear in film, television and on stage and have garnered an astonishing 46 Academy Award® nominations, 148 Emmy® nominations, and 125 Golden Globe® nominations. Among her award-winning clients are Alan Alda, Candice Bergen, Michael Caine, Bobby Cannavale, Edie Falco, Samuel L. Jackson, Topher Grace, Holly Hunter, Michael Keaton, Nathan Lane, Spike Lee, Laura Linney, Catherine O’Hara, Lily Rabe, Christina Ricci, Tim Robbins, Michael Sheen, Maggie Smith, James Spader, Julia Stiles, and Christopher Walken. Throughout her career at ICM Partners, Toni has mentored many young agents to incredibly successful careers of their own.

Prior to joining ICM, Toni was an agent at the William Morris Agency for seven years. She began her entertainment industry career as a casting director, working on such iconic projects as "Tootsie," "Superman," "The Right Stuff" and "Something About Amelia."

Recognized by her distinctive voice, Toni was cast by director Alexander Payne as the voice of agent ‘Evelyn Berman-Silverman’ in the film "Sideways."...

Veteran actress and Emmy-winning director and producer Nancy Malone, a co-founder of the group Women in Film and a groundbreaking female executive at 20th Century Fox in the 1970s, died Thursday in Los Angeles from complications attributed to leukemia, said her representative, Harlan Boll. She was 79. A producer of the 1970s series The Bionic Woman and director of numerous TV shows, including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Dynasty, Cagney & Lacey, .Star Trek: Voyager and Dawson's Creek, the Long Island native began her career at 7 as a child model and appeared in ads for Kellogg’s, Ford and Macy’s. At 10 she...

Veteran actress and Emmy-winning director and producer Nancy Malone, a co-founder of the group Women in Film and a groundbreaking female executive at 20th Century Fox in the 1970s, died Thursday in Los Angeles from complications attributed to leukemia, said her representative, Harlan Boll. She was 79. A producer of the 1970s series The Bionic Woman and director of numerous TV shows, including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Dynasty, Cagney & Lacey, .Star Trek: Voyager and Dawson's Creek, the Long Island native began her career at 7 as a child model and appeared in ads for Kellogg’s, Ford and Macy’s. At 10 she...

Nancy Malone, an actress, TV director and Emmy-winning producer who co-founded Women in Film and was a groundbreaking female executive at 20th Century Fox in the 1970s, has died. She was 79. Malone died Thursday at City of Hope hospital in Duarte, Calif., of pneumonia that arose from complications attributed to a recent battle with leukemia, publicist Harlan Boll announced. Malone played Libby Kingston, the girlfriend of young detective Adam Flint (Paul Burke), in 51 episodes of Naked City, the gritty docudrama that aired on ABC from 1958-63. She collected an Emmy Award nomination in 1963 for

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Chicago – HollywoodChicago.com has never heaped as much praise on one series of releases as the season sets for one of the best shows of all time — “The Twilight Zone”. Did you really think we would change our tune with the fifth and final season of this amazingly-influential program? Of course not. Complete your collection.

Blu-ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

Airing from Fall 1963 to Spring 1964, the fifth season of “The Twilight Zone” was the last of this amazing show. You can now own all 156 episodes plus Days of special features in five of the best TV-on-Blu-ray sets that have ever been produced. And, while the fourth season was a bit of a dip in quality (the show couldn’t quite survive the stretch to an hour long), the fifth marked a return to form. Some of your favorite episodes in the history of “The Twilight Zone” are in this set. Notable episodes include “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,...

The Twilight Zone - Season 5 (Blu-Ray) Just released from Sue Procko Public Relations: It’s time to enter the fifth season of the fifth dimension when The Twilight Zone: Season 5 comes to Blu-ray™ on August 30, 2011. All 36 episodes from the groundbreaking sci-fi/fantasy series’ final season are here, remastered and presented in pristine 1080p high-definition and uncompressed Pcm audio. In addition, the 5-disc set includes hours of entertaining bonus features specially created for this Blu-ray™ release, as well as the bonus features from the Definitive Collection DVD release. Srp is $99.98, and pre-book is August 2.

Submitted for your approval, is the wildest and (dare we say) weirdest season of Rod Serling’s iconic series, containing such memorable episodes as "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," "A Kind of a Stopwatch," "Living Doll" and the Oscar® nominated short film "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." This season also rolls out some great guest stars including Bill Mumy,...

While we're still in the midst of Image's stellar release of "The Twilight Zone" Season 4 (look for a review really soon), the first details have surfaced regarding the very last season we all need to complete our set!

That's right, kids! Your next stop? August 30th! That's when "The Twilight Zone" Season 5 will be hitting store shelves. Home to some incredible episodes and stars like Bill Mumy, George Takei, Gladys Cooper, Jack Klugman, and Jackie Cooper, this is the season I've personally been waiting for! Mr. Garrity and the Graves in full 1080p? Joy to the friggin' world!

Dig on the extensive list of supplemental materials and the cover art below!

Special Features

Twenty New Audio Commentaries, featuring "The Twilight Zone Companion" author Marc Scott Zicree, author/film historian Gary Gerani (Fantastic Television), Twilight Zone directors Ted Post, Richard Donner and Robert Butler, writer Earl Hamner, actors George Takei and Peter Mark Richman,...

Commemorating 60 Years of Soap Operas on CBS-tv

By Rob Wargo

On December 4, 1950, CBS-tv aired its very first daytime soap opera – The First Hundred Years – sponsored by Procter & Gamble. The series starred James Lydon as “Chris Thayer,” who married “Connie Martin” (played originally by Olive Stacey and later by Anne Sargent) during the first week of the series, and thereafter moved his new bride into a decrepit three-story Victorian mansion. The couple’s problems with their living quarters, their middle in-laws, including Connie’s sister Margy, and the typical problems any newlyweds face gave credence to the show’s title, a reference to the old staying that the “first 100 years of marriage are the hardest.”

The series was produced on a budget of $8,650 per week and was directed by Gloria Monty, who subsequently directed The Secret Storm and produced General Hospital.

Created and written by prolific radio soap writer Jean Holloway,...