Women and Hollywood's Weekly Newsletter
October 25
NEWS & HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
Zoe Saldaña is set to be fêted at the Santa Barbara Film Festival next February - she will be presented with the American Riviera Award, which recognizes “actors who have made a significant contribution to American cinema.” Notably, she is the only actor in history to have starred in four films that have grossed over $2 billion. Saldaña shared the best actress prize at Cannes earlier this year with her “Emilia Pérez” co-stars, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz - the film is out now in U.K. theaters, and arrives stateside November 1. Paramount+’s “Lioness,” in which Saldaña also stars, is due to return for its second season October 27.
Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance,” starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, has become Mubi’s biggest box office success to date following its September 20 theatrical release, Variety reports. The film, which won the award for best screenplay at Cannes, will be available to stream via the Mubi platform from October 31.
Trailer watch: after a two-year time jump, the Garvey sisters are back, and keeping yet more secrets in season two of “Bad Sisters.” Written by Sharon Horgan - who also stars - and directed by Dearbhla Walsh, the series follows sisters Eva (Horgan), Grace (Anne-Marie Duff), Ursula (Eva Birthistle), Bibi (Sarah Greene), and Becka (Eve Hewson), in the aftermath of the “accidental death” of Grace’s abusive husband, and with the group facing suspicion once again when a new corpse is discovered locally. Fiona Shaw (“Killing Eve”) is among those joining the cast for the new season, which launches on Apple TV+ November 13.
We at Women and Hollywood want to take a moment to remember veteran film producer Lynda Obst, who passed earlier this week, and was described by her brother, Rick Rosen, as a trailblazer at a time “when it was so difficult for women in the film industry.” Obst’s credits include “Flashdance,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” and “Interstellar.”
CROWDFUNDING PROJECT OF THE WEEK
On the Women and Hollywood blog, we regularly featured crowdfunding projects that center and/or are made by women and non-binary people. We’ve decided to continue spotlighting a project each week in this newsletter, and encourage our readers to take a look and join us in building community around filmmaking. If you would like for your own crowdfunding project to be considered, you can reach out via email.
Wake Up Maggie – Written and Directed by Katie Prentiss
Described as a story about “the ultimate caregiver,” “Wake Up Maggie’s” titular character is a mother, wife, and small business owner used to caring for and supporting everyone but herself. When she hears from her troubled, estranged sister, she discovers her sibling’s aberrant behavior is due to a rare disease called frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Maggie is the last person she can rely on for support. Their reunion leads Maggie to her own unexpected awakening. Filmmaker Katie Prentiss has crafted this deeply personal story after losing her own mother to FTD, an experience she describes as “the ultimate wake up call.” Her desire is to not only grow awareness around dementia, but also around “the toll that caregiving takes, [and] to highlight the journey of a woman healing from trauma, and entering a new season of life with renewal and hope.” With the feature film project currently in preproduction, Prentiss along with producers Cara Mitsuko and Michelle Glogovac, is currently raising funds via crowdfunding and charitable giving through a fiscal sponsorship. You can visit their GoFundMe page to learn more and pledge your support - donations, up to $5,000 total, made in October will be matched by an anonymous donor.
All synopses are courtesy of press materials, unless otherwise noted.
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN AND NON-GENDERED PERSONS OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD
Black Box Diaries (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Shiori Ito (Now in theaters)
“Black Box Diaries” follows director Shiori Ito’s courageous investigation of her own sexual assault in an improbable attempt to prosecute her high-profile offender. Unfolding like a thriller, and combining secret investigative recordings, vérité shooting, and emotional first-person video, her quest becomes a landmark case in Japan, exposing the country’s desperately outdated judicial and societal systems.