New Film Production Company Focuses on Female Empowerment

An exciting new venture is in the works from leading ladies on screen—and leading female empowerment voices in movies and television. We Can Do It Together is a non-profit production company working with leading voices in the industry—both male and female—to elevate the profiles of women and other marginalized groups in movies and other forms of media. The advisory board includes Jessica Chastain, Queen Latifah, Juliette Binoche, Catherine Hardwicke, and other powerful women in the film and television industries.

The non-profit company will announce its first project at Cannes in May, and we'll be watching with great interest.

The Hollywood Reporter - A new non-profit production company called We Do It Together has been launched with a focus on female empowerment in films, TV and other forms of media.

The new banner comes with a star-studded advisory board that includes Jessica Chastain, Queen Latifah, Juliette Binoche, Freida Pinto, Catherine Hardwicke, Amma Asante, Małgorzata Szumowska, Marielle Heller, Ziyi Zhang, Haifaa Al Mansour, and Katia Lund.

The venture plans to work with male and female internationally acclaimed directors, actors, and producers to develop a slate of gender-led films, and help create opportunities for emerging voices within the industry.

The news of the company's formation comes on the heels of a year focused on the gender disparity in the industry, which led to an investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Read more here.

Yes, You Should Be Watching 'Supergirl'

From fighting for what they believe in, to discussing women's issues, to being (gasp!) imperfect examples of women; Kara (aka Supergirl) and the other characters in CBS's "Supergirl" provide a strong, progressive, nuanced look at the lives of strong women and men. From casting to directing and action sequences, the show is a powerhouse-in-the making in its own right. Read below for just a few reasons to check out the show as Kara, Catco, and co. fight for the country; the planet; and, yes, for women's rights. forbes.com - Lexi Alexander is directing tonight’s episode of Supergirl. That alone would be reason enough to tune in, as the acclaimed Green Street Hooligans/Punisher War Zone director is once again dipping her toes in the DC television universe pond after helming an episode of Arrow last year. The famously upfront and vocal director, who constantly hits back at the film industry’s deeply entrenched gender and racial inequalities, was recruited for the fourth episode of Arrow’s fourth season. That gig led to tonight’s Supergirl and will hopefully lead to more high-profile television directing jobs in the future (like a confirmed gig directing a comparatively action-free episode of Limitless).

If the movies don’t want her, then television should relish the opportunity. That an immigrant would find herself directing an episode titled “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” is perfectly fitting with the show’s openhearted optimism and a narrative where the two showiest heroes are aliens in both senses of the word. Point being, if you haven’t been watching Supergirl or you gave up after the not-great post-pilot episodes, it’s time to rectify that mistake.

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For the First Time, an African American Woman Will Run One of TV's "Big Four" Networks

Breaking barriers in more than one way, Channing Dungey this year became the first African American president of ABC Entertainment Group. Glamour has more on the MAKERS women's leadership platform. makers.com - An African American executive has never held the top spot at one of television's "big four" broadcast networks—CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox—until now. And the programming whiz busting through that barrier is a woman: Channing Dungey, who was named president of ABC Entertainment yesterday afternoon.

Dungey, who began her Hollywood career as an assistant at 20th Century Fox, has been with ABC and ABC Studios since 2004. She's developed such drama hits as Army Wives, Criminal Minds, Private Practice, Nashville, Once Upon a Time, American Crime, and 2/3 of our beloved TGIT block: Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder.

The appointment of Dungey—pictured above at the 2015 Emmys with ABC Studios senior vice president of drama development Nne Ebong—is a gratifying bit of HR news, and not just because it rewards her track record and marks a historic moment for the business. Dungey will preside over a network that has proven, over the past several years, that audiences both crave and relate to series about nonwhite people. It's not just Shonda Rhimes' addictive hits—Fresh off the Boat, Black-ish, and American Crime have all proved to have staying power and broad appeal.

Read  the rest here.