Gina Prince-Bythewood News

ABC has ordered limited series “Women of the Movement” to debut in 2021, it was announced today by Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment. 

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently announced the launch of a new series of virtual panels for members and the public, as a part of its Academy Aperture 2025 equity and inclusion initiative, called “Academy Dialogues: It Starts with Us,” with conversations about race, ethnicity, gender, history, opportunity and the art of filmmaking. 

The first virtual edition of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), now in its 24th year, will feature a robust slate of speakers including Stacey Abrams, Kenya Barris, Mary J. Blige, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Barry Jenkins, Gabrielle Union and Lena Waithe

Netflix has shared the trailer for its upcoming film The Old Guard, starring Charlize Theron and KiKi Layne.

AFI Alum LaToya Morgan announces today's AFI Movie Club selection: LOVE & BASKETBALL. The film, starring Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood served as an Artist-in-Residence for AFI'S Directing Workshop for Women in 2015.    

In keeping with its ongoing mission of a?oeusing the power of cinema to bring communities together,a?? the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) is powering forward during the global pandemic with a diverse summer slate of virtual programming. AAFCA has partnered with such powerhouse entertainment institutions as the British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA) and Producers Guild of America (PGA) to present a?oeAAFCA Strong Summer 2020. a?oe

Netflix has released a first look at The Old Guard, premiering on the streamer July 10, 2020.

From Friday, February 14 through Monday, February 17, BAM presents Long Weekend of Love, a Valentine's Day weekend program of great onscreen love stories, from first love to decades-spanning relationships, from classic Hollywood effervescence to tender contemporary stories of queer desire. BAM's world premiere run of Horace Jenkins' long lost Black independent cinema gem Cane River (1982) will also continue throughout the series.

CANE RIVER restoration, Valentine's Day romance, Kelly Reichardt Selects, and more announced at BAM, in February and March 2020.

The Athena Film Festival at Barnard College (AFF), a joint initiative of Barnard's Athena Center for Leadership Studies and the initiative Women and Hollywood, announced screenwriter Denise Meyers as its inaugural Alfred P. Sloan Athena List Development Grant winner. Meyers' Lucky 13 script was a 2016 Athena List finalist, and tells the incredible true story of the only all-female airbase in American history, powered by unforgettable women who came from all walks of life to play a significant role in the war effort, sacrificing everything to save the B-26 Marauder aircraft from the scrap heap before being unceremoniously disbanded to make room for male civilian pilots hoping to avoid the draft. As the winner of this grant, Meyers will receive $20,000 to help advance her script to the next stage of development. The Festival will host a reception and live script-reading on October 29 at Barnard College in New York City. 

Slamdance today announced the winners of its 2019 screenwriting competition, awarding its Grand Prize to writers Tamra Teig and Michael Lipoma for their feature screenplay “The Fall.” Additional prizes were awarded during a ceremony hosted by Writers Guild of America West across feature film, horror/thriller, TV pilot and short film categories. Slamdance awarded more​ than $16,000 to winners across all categories. 

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Harry Melling and Veronica Ngo board Netflix and Skydance Media's THE OLD GUARD. They join the previously announced Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne,

ReFrame, a collaborative initiative of WIF LA and Sundance Institute, announced the inaugural class of ReFrame Rise directors at the 2019 Women In Film Annual Gala on Wednesday, June 12 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. The inaugural class of ReFrame Rise directors include Desiree Akhavan, Haifaa al-Mansour, Patricia Cardoso, Hanelle Culpepper, Sydney Freeland, Zetna Fuentes, Tina Mabry and Meera Menon.

Matthias Schoenaerts and Luca Marinelli have boarded Netflix and Skydance Media's 'The Old Guard.' Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne and Marwan Kenzari also star in the film, based on the graphic novel series created by author Greg Rucka and illustrator Leandro Fernández.

Filmmakers from the U.S., Lebanon, Palestine, and the United Kingdom have been selected for the 2019 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs, taking place at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah. At the Directors Lab (May 27-June 18), filmmakers will rehearse, shoot, and edit key scenes from their scripts, working in an immersive, hands-on environment with support from accomplished advisors to build their craft as directors and make key discoveries in collaboration with their actors and key crew. Immediately following, the Screenwriters Lab (June 20-24) provides the opportunity to process the insight gained from the Directors Lab through one-on-one story sessions with screenwriter advisors, and find inspiration and guidance for continued development of their screenplays.