Where My Ladies At? : The Women Behind The Camera
This list is to recognize and laud the--often over-looked--community of female talent behind-the-scenes in one of the most culturally influential and accessible mediums in the world. This is a list to remember their presence and contribution to the industry.
This is an ACTIVE list in no particular order.
Will fill out descriptions as time allows.
SUGGESTIONS ALWAYS WELCOME!
This is an ACTIVE list in no particular order.
Will fill out descriptions as time allows.
SUGGESTIONS ALWAYS WELCOME!
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- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Nora Ephron was educated at Wellesley College, Massachusetts. She was an acclaimed essayist (Crazy Salad 1975), novelist (Heartburn 1983), and had written screenplays for several popular films, all featuring strong female characters, such as anti-nuclear activist Karen Silkwood (Silkwood (1983), co-written with Alice Arlen) and a mobster's feisty independent daughter Cookie Voltecki (Cookie (1989), also co-written with Arlen). Ephron's hard-headed sensibilities helped make Rob Reiner's When Harry Met Sally... (1989) a clear-eyed view of modern romance, and she earned an Oscar nomination for her original screenplay.
Ephron made her directorial debut with the comedy This Is My Life (1992), co-scripted by her sister Delia Ephron, which starred Julie Kavner as a single mother who struggles to establish herself as a stand-up comedienne. Ephron followed up by helming and co-writing Sleepless in Seattle (1993), a romantic comedy in which lovers Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are separated for most of the film. Less about love than about love in the movies, the film drew inspiration from the beloved shipboard romance An Affair to Remember (1957), starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.
Ephron was born in New York City, the daughter of stage and screen writing team Henry Ephron and Phoebe Ephron, who used her infancy as the subject of their play "Three's a Family" and based their comedy Take Her, She's Mine (1963) on letters their daughter wrote them from college. Their screenplays include There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), Carousel (1956) and Desk Set (1957). Formerly married to novelist Dan Greenburg and investigative journalist Carl Bernstein, Ephron was wed to crime journalist and screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi, at the time of her passing, who wrote such films as Goodfellas (1990). She was of Russian Jewish descent.- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Additional Crew
Christine Vachon was born on 21 November 1962 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a producer and assistant director, known for Past Lives (2023), Far from Heaven (2002) and Carol (2015).- Producer
- Writer
- Actress
Shonda Lynn Rhimes is an African-American producer, author and screenwriter. She is known for working on the Britney Spears and Zoe Saldana film Crossroads, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, Private Practice, the Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews film The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and the Halle Berry film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. She has three children.- Producer
- Executive
Amy Pascal is an American film producer and executive for Sony Pictures. She produced several Spider-Man films and spin-offs including the Venom film series, the 2016 Ghostbusters remake, the Jumanji sequels, Little Women and The Post. She got acclaim for producing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the first animated Spider-Man film by Sony. She is married to Bernard Weinraub since 1997 and has a child with him.Official Bio:
http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/seniormanagementteam/amypascal.html- Casting Director
- Casting Department
- Producer
Casting legend! This award-winning casting director has cast The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, Palo Alto, Spring Breakers and, oh yeah,
EVERY David Fincher production since Fight Club.- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Sound Department
Megan Ellison was born on 31 January 1986 in Santa Clara County, California, USA. She is a producer, known for Her (2013), Zero Dark Thirty (2012) and If Beale Street Could Talk (2018).- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Abi Morgan was born in 1968 in the UK. She is a writer and producer, known for Shame (2011), The Iron Lady (2011) and Suffragette (2015).Award-winning Writer:
Shame
Iron Lady
The Hour
3 shining gold stars. Looking forward to "The Invisible Woman" next.- Producer
- Cinematographer
Academy Award nominee Céan Chaffin is a film producer and cinematographer best known for producing the films of David Fincher, her partner ever since the early 1990's.
She met Fincher while producing Coca-Cola: Blade Roller (1993), a commercial of which he was the director. From then on, their partnership resulted in a handful of music videos and several of Fincher's films such as The Game (1997), tt0137523 tt0258000 tt0443706], The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), The Social Network (2010), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Gone Girl (2014) and Mank (2020); and the series Mindhunter (2017).- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Abigail E. Disney is an Emmy-winning director and producer, philanthropist and the CEO and president of Fork Films. An active supporter of peacebuilding, she is passionate about advancing women's roles in the public sphere. Abigail's films and series focus on social issues and spotlight extraordinary people who speak truth to power.
Having grown up in a family of filmmakers, Abigail turned to documentaries when inspired to tell the story of a brave group of women who used nonviolent protests and sex strikes to bring an end to Liberia's long civil war. She and renowned filmmaker Gini Reticker made the widely acclaimed Pray the Devil Back to Hell, which is broadly credited with highlighting the achievements of Leymah Gbowee, who received a Nobel Peace Prize in 2011. Abigail and Gini went on to found Fork Films, which is known for making and funding high profile, critically acclaimed documentaries that are seen on PBS, Netflix, HBO and other major outlets.
In addition to producing original films, Fork Films awards grants to non-fiction films that promote peacebuilding, human rights and social justice with a particular emphasis on projects with women behind or in front of the camera. As of June 2017, Fork Films has awarded over $4 million to 90 documentaries including Cameraperson, Trapped, 1971, The Mask You Live In, Citizen Koch, Hot Girls Wanted, The Invisible War, and Sun Come Up. Fork Films grantees have premiered at top tier film festivals, won major awards and moved the needle on important social issues.
In 2009, Abigail founded Peace is Loud, a nonprofit that inspires action through media and live events that spotlight women leaders on the frontline of peacebuilding worldwide.
Abigail's directorial debut, Emmy-winning The Armor of Light, co-directed by Kathleen Hughes, premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. The film follows Reverend Rob Schenck, an Evangelical minister, and Lucy McBath, the mother of a teenage shooting victim, who ask, is it possible to be both pro-gun and pro-life? Peace is Loud led the outreach and engagement campaign for The Armor of Light to restore a moral, ethical, and theological framework to the conversation about gun violence in America. The campaign has initiated and supported dialogue with faith leaders and communities around the country, reaching out beyond the documentary film community to target dozens of conservative evangelical influencers.
In 2012, along with Pamela Hogan and Gini Reticker, Abigail created and executive produced the first-of-its-kind series for PBS- Women, War, & Peace. The five-part series looked at women in modern war as active agents for peace and positive change makers in their communities. It garnered the Overseas Press Club's Edward R. Murrow Award, a Gracie Award, and a Television Academy Honor. Season II of the series is currently in production.
Abigail also recently executive produced the Fork Films original production The Trials of Spring, a major multiplatform project that tells the stories of nine women on the front lines of change in the MENA region.
Abigail is the recipient of numerous awards including an honor by the International Women's Media Foundation for advancing women's issues and peace initiatives; IDA's Amicus Award, The International Advocate for Peace Award, presented by Cardozo Law School; and the Epic Award presented by The White House Project.
Disney received her Bachelor's degree from Yale University, her Master's degree from Stanford University and her Doctorate from Columbia University. She is a mother of four.- Producer
- Director
- Editor
- Producer
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Rachael Horovitz is known for Patrick Melrose (2018), Moneyball (2011) and Grey Gardens (2009). She was previously married to Mark Wallace.- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Script and Continuity Department
Pamela Koffler is known for Past Lives (2023), May December (2023) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001).- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Kimberly Peirce was born on 8 September 1967 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA. She is a director and producer, known for Boys Don't Cry (1999), Stop-Loss (2008) and Carrie (2013).- Producer
- Additional Crew
Caroline Kaplan is known for After Yang (2021), Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) and Sorry to Bother You (2018). She is married to Mauricio Rubinstein.- Literary Agent, Paradigm
Short Bio: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/debbee-klein-397755
The Agents Interview: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/video/agents-full-uncensored-interview-397572 - Writer
- Producer
- Director
Gina Prince-Bythewood (Writer/Producer/Director) studied at UCLA Film School, where she received the Gene Reynolds Scholarship for Directing and the Ray Stark Memorial Scholarship for Outstanding Undergraduate. She was a member of UCLA's track and field team, qualifying for the Pac-10 Championships in the triple jump.
Upon her graduation, she was hired as a writer on the television series "A Different World." She continued to write and produce for network television on series such as "Felicity," "South Central," and "Sweet Justice" before making the transition to directing.
Prince-Bythewood wrote and directed the widely-acclaimed feature film "Love and Basketball", which premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. Prince-Bythewood won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay and a Humanitas Prize for her work on the film. She followed that success with the HBO film "Disappearing Acts."
In 2008, she wrote and directed the celebrated adaptation of the best-selling novel, "The Secret Life of Bees." The film won two People's Choice Awards and two NAACP Image Awards. Her third feature "Beyond the Lights" came in 2014 and garnered an Oscar nomination for best song and landed on a number of top critics Best of 2014 lists including the NY Times, Washington Post and Vulture.
She is the first Black woman to direct a superhero film, "The Old Guard," based on the celebrated graphic novel by Greg Rucka for Skydance and Netflix. It premiered on Netflix July 10, 2020 to record ratings, and 6th most popular film of all-time on Netflix.
Prince-Bythewood, along with her husband Reggie Rock Bythewood, created and produced "Shots Fired," a ten hour special event series for Fox, which premiered in 2017. TIME magazine praised, "An achievement...a testament to how ambitious even broadcast television has become."
She directed the pilot for the Marvel series "Cloak and Dagger" starring Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph, which debuted to record ratings for Freeform. She directed the pilot for the ABC limited event series "Women of the Movement," about Mamie and Emmett Till which is currently at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
She directed the feature film "The Woman King" for Tri-Star and Sony. The historical epic action drama features an amazing ensemble including Oscar-winner Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, John Boyega, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim and Adrienne Warren, releasing theatrically September of 2022.
She is proud to fund a scholarship for African American students in UCLA's film program. She resides in Southern California with her husband Reggie and their amazing sons, Cassius and Toussaint.- Producer
- Visual Effects
- Additional Crew
Darla K. Anderson is an American film producer who is known for producing several Pixar films including A Bug's Life, Cars, Mater and the Ghostlight, Monsters, Inc. Toy Story 3 and Coco. She won awards for the films she produced, particularly Toy Story 3 and Coco. She is married to Kori Rae, a fellow Pixar employee.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Jamie Babbit was born on 16 November 1970 in Shaker Heights, Ohio, USA. She is a director and producer, known for But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), Only Murders in the Building (2021) and My Lady Jane (2024). She was previously married to Karey Dornetto.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Mel Eslyn was born on 19 August 1983 in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, USA. She is a producer and director, known for Biosphere (2022), Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off (2022) and The One I Love (2014).- Producer
- Writer
- Actress
Jenji Kohan was born on 5 July 1969 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Orange Is the New Black (2013), Weeds (2005) and Tracey Takes On... (1996). She was previously married to Christopher Noxon.- Casting Director
- Producer
- Casting Department
Sarah Finn was born on 1 February 1965 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a casting director and producer, known for Crash (2004), Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022).- Casting Director
- Casting Department
- Producer
Joanna Colbert began her career as an assistant to Juliet Taylor in New York City where she worked on a number of Woody Allen films. In 1994, under the mentorship of Taylor, Colbert conducted a nationwide search which resulted in the casting of Kirsten Dunst in her role in Neil Jordan's Interview with a Vampire. Colbert then went on to Universal Pictures as Manager of Casting and then Senior VP of Casting. In 2001 she formed Joanna Colbert Casting. In all, Colbert has been involved in casting more than 50 films including The Good Girl, No Strings Attached, Warm Bodies, Hollywoodland, The Wackness, Cedar Rapids, Must Love Dogs, and the Step-Up franchise. Colbert is one of the producers of the critically acclaimed Emmy nominated HBO documentary, Casting By. In 2010, she formed the casting and production company, Filmsocial. Colbert is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, as well as the California Institute of the Arts Dance program.- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
A director, producer, writer, marketer and film distributor, Ava DuVernay made her feature film debut with the documentary This is the Life (2008), a history on hip hop movement that flourished in Los Angeles in the 1990's. This was followed by series of television music documentaries which included My Mic Sounds Nice (2010) which aired on BET.
DuVernay's first narrative feature film, I Will Follow (2010), secured her the African-American Film Critics Association award for best screenplay. Her follow-up, Middle of Nowhere (2012) won the Best Director Prize at the 2012 Sundance film festival, making her the first African-American woman to receive the award.Selma- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Jennifer Kent was born on 5 March 1969 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She is an actress and director, known for The Nightingale (2018), The Babadook (2014) and Monster (2005).The Babadook