News

The American Film Institute has named 25 alumnae of the AFI Conservatory and AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women to participate in the next phase of the Fox Filmmakers Lab. A partnership between AFI and 20th Century Fox, the Lab aims to increase the number of women directing major studio films — which was even lower last year than it was in 2015 — by giving them the chance to direct short films based on Fox titles: “Alien,” “Die Hard,” “The Omen,” “The Fly,” etc.

Read More: Number of Female Directors Working in Hollywood Declines, New Study Shows

After developing their concepts in the coming months, the 25 directors will pitch their concepts to Fox executives; one or more of them will be chosen to make a short film based on their idea. Here are the 25 women who’ve advanced to the next phase of the Lab:

Read More: ‘Xx’ Trailer: Karyn Kusama, Roxanne Benjamin...

Iceland might seem like an ideal setting for a Darren Aronofsky movie — it’s where he shot “Noah,” after all — but that’s not why he came to the country this month. Instead, he was in town to receive the Creative Excellence award from the Reykjavík Film Festival. The award was presented at Bessastaðir, the presidential residency where the newly elected Guðni Th. Jóhannesson resides. But before the Golden Puffin was presented, the writer, poet and environmental activist Andri Snær Magnason delivered a short speech in Aronofsky’s honor. Ironically, Andri Snær recently lost to Guðni in the presidential election. Say what you will about Aronofsky’s films, but at least they have been able to bridge the gap between the two opponents.

Read More: “My Batman Was Too Nice For Him”: Frank Miller Talks Darren Aronofsky’s Abandoned Adaptation Of ‘Year One’

The following day, Aronofsky held a Master Class at Riff,...

The AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women offers hands-on training for female directors — and this year's guest of honor will be director/writer/producer/all-around extraordinaire Jill Soloway, who will deliver a keynote address prior to the screening. The three-time Emmy nominee is now working to spread the good word on Wifey.tv, a video network by, for and about women. Soloway will serve as Artist-in-Residence for the incoming 2015 participants, along with "Beyond the Lights" director Gina Prince-Bythewood and "Orange Is the New Black"'s Daisy von Scherler Mayer. The nine presenting directors are Pippa Bianco, Tessa Blake, Roja Gashtili, Devon Kirkpatrick, Alexis O. Korycinski, Jean Lee, Kantu Lentz, Julia Lerman and Thoranna Sigurdardottir. Two Dww shorts will be featured at the Cannes Film Festival 2015: Pippa Bianco's "Share" as a Cinéfondation selection and Tessa Blake's "Election Night" in the Emerging Filmmaker...

Here's your daily dose of an indie film in progress; at the end of the week, you'll have the chance to vote for your favorite. In the meantime: Is this a movie you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments. "Zelos"Tweetable Logline: A competitive mother orders a clone to outshine her flawless friend. Elevator Pitch: Maria, a competitive woman in her late 30’s orders a clone from North Korea under the pretense of getting some help around the house so she can spend more time with her husband and two kids, but mostly to compete with her flawless friend Ari. As the story unfolds Maria begins to compete with the clone itself and soon realizes that this purchase may not have been her best decision. Production Team: Director: Thoranna Sigurdardottir (Noah, All God's Children Can Dance, Tomb Raider) Producer: Constanza Castro (Liars Fires and Bears) Producer: Sara Nassim (Noah,...