In Her Voice: A Women and Hollywood Podcast
By Melissa Silverstein
Join Melissa Silverstein, founder of Women and Hollywood and co-founder of the Athena Film Festival, as she conducts conversations with talent who are creating the hottest content coming to your screen.
The podcast will also cover the latest entertainment news and issues that focuses on women and non-binary creatives.
Sign up for our news at womenandhollywood.com or follow Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood and Instagram @womenandhollywood
In Her Voice: A Women and Hollywood Podcast May 26, 2023
Ep 37: Molly Manning Walker - How to Have Sex - CONTENT WARNING
Today's interview is with Molly Manning Walker who is making her directorial debut with How to Have Sex.
Molly Manning Walker is a Cinematographer and Writer/Director based in London. She graduated from the NFTS Cinematography course in 2019. Molly’s first short film 'Good Thanks, You?' was included in the Semaine De La Critique program at Cannes and her debut feature, How To Have Sex , subsequently won the Next Step prize at Cannes for the script. Molly's second short, 'The Forgotten C' was also BIFA nominated.
How To Have Sex won the top prize in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival.
Ep 36: Origin with Ava DuVernay
Synopsis:
From Academy Award® nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay, ORIGIN explores the mystery of history, the wonders of romance, and a fight for our future. While investigating the global phenomenon of caste and its dark influence on society, a journalist faces unfathomable personal loss and uncovers the beauty of human resilience.
Ava DuVernay | Director, Writer, Producer
Ava DuVernay is an Academy Award nominee and winner of the Emmy, BAFTA, Sundance, Image and Peabody Awards. Her feature film directorial work includes the historical drama Selma, the criminal justice documentary 13th and Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time, which made her the highest grossing Black woman director in American box office history. Her latest project is the feature film ORIGIN, based on the best-selling book “Caste: The Origin of our Discontent” by Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson. She amplifies the work of directors of color and women of all kinds through her narrative change collective, ARRAY. DuVernay sits on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, representing the directors branch in her second term. She is also a Vice-President of the Directors Guild of America and an advisory board member of the American Film Institute.
Show Notes:
Ep 35: The Dads with Luchina Fisher
In this gentle meditation on fatherhood, brotherhood and manhood, five fathers of trans children join Dennis Shepard – the father of slain gay college student Matthew Shepard – for a weekend fishing trip in rural Oklahoma. As the men cast their lines into the river, they find common ground across racial, geographical and generational lines: their unconditional love for their children.
Directed + Produced By: Luchina Fisher
Executive Producers: Dwyane Wade And Jon Marcus
Ep 34: No Accidents with Kristi Jacobson
Kristi Jacobson is a director and producer and the Founder of Catalyst Films.
Her films have premiered at the Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals, have been released in theaters and screened on platforms including Netflix, and HBO,
Some of Her films include SOLITARY which took audiences deep inside a supermax prison in Western Virginia and A PLACE AT THE TABLE which won the International Documentary Association Pare Lorentz Award, and was nominated for Best Feature Documentary by the Producers Guild of America.
Her current film, No Accidents is now streaming on HBO Max in the US.
Ep 33: The Persian Version with Maryam Keshavarz
Today's guest is Maryam Keshavarz. She is an Iranian-American writer, director, and producer. Maryam was born in New York City but spent most summers, and some of her school years, in Shiraz, Iran. This bi-national childhood naturally made her a translator of cultures, two cultures often at odds with each other. Maryam initially was pursuing a PhD in Near Eastern Studies focusing on Iran and Gender Studies but 9/11 propelled her to enter the media arena to try and change the narrative.
Maryam’s first narrative feature fiction film, CIRCUMSTANCE, premiered to overwhelming critical acclaim at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. The film won the coveted Sundance Audience Award. Maryam’s sophomore feature VIPER CLUB starring Academy Award Winner Susan Sarandon and Golden Globe Winner Edie Falco had its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival 2018 and was released theatrically by Roadside Attractions.
Maryam’s third feature. THE PERSIAN VERSION premiered in Main Competition at the Sundance Film Festival 2023, where it won the U.S. Dramatic Competition Audience Award and The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Keshavarz is the first director in Sundance history to win the Audience Award twice.
It is now playing in theatres
Ep 32: Tripped Up with Shruti Ganguly
Today’s guest is SHRUTI GANGULY an award-winning filmmaker and writer based in Oslo and New York City and we are talking about her feature length directorial debut Tripped Up which opens on October 20.
Tripped Up synopsis: Aspiring chef Lizzy sets off with her three best friends in tow to compete in the prestigious Saucy Food Festival. What begins as a calculated career move quickly turns into a madcap misadventure full of food, fun and female bonding, where the girls learn that struggle can be the secret ingredient to success.
Ep 31: Opening this Weekend- Cat Person and Plan C
Check out my interviews with Susanna Fogel, director of Cat Person and Tracy Droz Tragos, director of Plan C.
Susanna Fogel is a director, screenwriter, and novelist. She co wrote the great comedy Booksmart, for which she was nominated for a BAFTA and a WGA Award, and the pilot of the Amazon series The Wilds.
Tracy Droz Tragos is a filmmaker drawn to issues involving women, inequality, and rural America. Her film Rich Hill, won the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and she focused on abortion in her film Abortion: Stories Women Tell.
Ep 30: Wrapping up TIFF & Dawn Porter, Director of Deadlocked
A discussion of films from TIFF including:
Conversation with documentary director, Dawn Porter discussing her new Showtime miniseries Deadlocked which premieres on September 22.
Ep 29: TIFF Documentaries- Copa 71 and Sorry/Not Sorry (Trigger Warning)
Melissa discusses two documentaries from the Toronto International Film Festival
Copa 71
https://www.tiff.net/events/copa-71
Sorry/Not Sorry
https://www.tiff.net/events/sorry-not-sorry
Ep 28: Problematic Men and Venice/TIFF Preview (Trigger Warning)
Melissa gives a brief overview of the problematic men dominating the headlines and gives a preview of some TIFF titles directed by women.
Show Notes:
Problematic Men
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230905-venice-film-festival-the-controversial-directors-stirring-debate
Ava Duvernay
https://variety.com/2023/film/global/ava-duvernay-origin-venice-premiere-1235697692/
Barbie
https://variety.com/2023/film/box-office/barbie-highest-grossing-worldwide-movie-year-1235705510/
Liz Garbus
https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/gilgo-beach-serial-killer-netflix-docuseries-liz-garbus-1235708499/
Taylor Swift
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/taylor-swift-eras-tour-amc-big-screen-release-1235578794/
Ep 27: Co-Writer / Director / Executive Producer Emma Seligman (BOTTOMS)
Emma Seligman is a Canadian writer/director and winner of the 2022 Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award. Her debut feature SHIVA BABY was selected to screen at SXSW and TIFF in 2020 and was named a New York Times Critics Pick. In 2020, Emma was named one of Variety’s 10 Screenwriters to Watch and one of Filmmaker Mag’s ‘25 New Faces of Independent Film. Her second feature, BOTTOMS, made with Orion Pictures, will premiere at SXSW 2023.
Show Notes
- Emma Seligman
- BOTTOMS - Info / Trailer
- Emma's Instagram @emmaseligman
- BOTTOMS on Instagram @bottomsmovie
Other inspiration mentioned in the interview:
- NO HARD FEELINGS - Trailer
- JOY RIDE - Trailer
- BARBIE - Trailer
- Emma's creative partner Rachel Sennott - actress and comedien
- Emma's Short Film Shiva Baby
- Katheryn Bigelow
- Marielle Heller ( The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015), Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018), and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) - nominated for an Oscar)
- Greta Gerwig
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 26: Comedian / Actress / Writer Sasheer Zamata (THE FIRST WOMAN)
Sasheer Zamata is a comedian, actress and writer who can be seen on ABC’s Home Economics, Hulu’s Woke, Comedy Central’s Robbie, the horror comedy film Spree, and Lionsgate’s romantic comedy The Weekend. She was a cast member on Saturday Night Live for four seasons, and has appeared on This American Life and Late Night with Stephen Colbert. Her stand up special Pizza Mind is available to stream online and she is one half of the weekly podcast Best Friends, with her best friend Nicole Byer. She also serves as the celebrity ambassador for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and works with the Women’s Rights Project, which seeks to break down gender biases and ensure equal economic opportunities, educational equity, and an end to gender-based violence.
In THE FIRST WOMAN, Sasheer takes the stage in her second stand up special, with a new hour of laughs grounded in her experiences as a woman in America post-pandemic. She mocks companies for awkwardly trying to use feminism to sell their wares. She recounts the difficult task of snitching on a public indecency. And, she analyzes the limited history of witches, airplane pilots, and women in general.
Available to view now on 800 Pound Gorilla.
Show Notes
- Sasheer's website
- THE FIRST WOMAN - clip
- Listen to Sasheer's Podcast - BEST FRIENDS
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 25: Director Amy Redford (WHAT COMES AROUND)
Amy Redford's career in the creative arts spans over three decades as a director, producer, and actor in film, television, music videos and theatre.
Her latest film, WHAT COMES AROUND, is out on August 4th, 2023. Directed by Amy Redford and written by Scott Organ based on his play, the movie charts the shifting power dynamics among a mother, her teenage daughter and the daughter's older boyfriend.
Anna (Grace Van Dien) has just turned 17 when Eric (Kyle Gallner), a 28-year-old she met online, appears on her doorstep. Anna's mother Beth is played by Summer Phoenix.
Show Notes
- Amy Redford
- WHAT COMES AROUND - Trailer
- Summer Joy Phoenix - Instagram @summerjoyphoenix
- Utah Film Centre
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 24: Writer Aisha Harris (WANNABE, RECKONINGS WITH THE POP CULTURE THAT SHAPES ME)
Aisha Harris, co-host of NPR’s beloved Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, chats to Melissa about her new book "Wannabe, Reckonings with the Pop Culture that Shapes Me".
“Aisha Harris is one of our smartest, most entertaining modern cultural critics. The nine pieces offer insight on Stevie Wonder, the Spice Girls, Pen15, and New Girl—among many other pop artifacts, of course—which might as well be parlance for, ‘Read me immediately.’”
—ELLE
Aisha Harris has made a name for herself as someone you can turn to for a razor-sharp take on whatever show or movie everyone is talking about. Now, she turns her talents inward, mining the benchmarks of her nineties childhood and beyond to analyze the tropes that are shaping all of us, and our ability to shape them right back.
In the opening essay, an interaction with Chance the Rapper prompts an investigation into the origin myth of her name. Elsewhere, Aisha traces the evolution of the “Black Friend” trope from its Twainian origins through to the heyday of the Spice Girls, teen comedies like Clueless, and sitcoms of the New Girl variety. And she examines the overlap of taste and identity in this era, rejecting the patriarchal ethos that you are what you like. Whatever the subject, sitting down with her book feels like hanging out with your smart, hilarious, pop culture–obsessed friend—and it’s a delight.
Show Notes
- Aisha's website
- Aisha's Instagram @aha88
- Is 'Barbie' corporate propaganda or Malibu Metacommentary™? Why not both! - NPR
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 23: News Brief 14th July 2023
Melissa's weekly round up of all industry news dedicated to highlighting the voices of women who work in the global entertainment business.
Show Notes
- Bob Iger
- Strike News
- Orange is the New Black
- SAG AFTRA press conference (start at the hour mark)
Diversity in Hollywood:
- John Ridley: Diversity Exec Exits Spark Fear That Hollywood Inclusion Pledges Were Just PR & More Broken Promises To People Of Color – Guest Column - Deadline
- 6 DEI leaders just left senior roles in Hollywood and media—it’s part of a larger problem: ‘It’s absolutely alarming’ - CNBC
- Black Women Executives Are Exiting Studio Leadership Posts and Hollywood’s Doing Nothing About It - Variety
Greta/Barbie:
- Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie' Dream Job - NYT (paywall)
- We’re Ignoring the Real Reason Barbie Might Dominate the Box Office - Time
- Movies that influenced Greta Gerwig in making Barbie
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 22: Writer Maureen Ryan (BURN IT DOWN) - Trigger Warning
Writer Maureen Ryan blows the lid on patterns of harassment and bias in Hollywood, the grassroots reforms under way, and the labor and activist revolutions that recent scandals have ignited in her book BURN IT DOWN.
Maureen “Mo” Ryan is a Contributing Editor at Vanity Fair and has written for EW, the New York Times, Salon, GQ, Vulture, Variety and the Chicago Tribune. Her reporting on bias in Hollywood is featured in the documentaries This Changes Everything and We Need to Talk About Cosby. She has served on the jury of the Peabody Awards, has won multiple Los Angeles Press Club Awards and in 2013, Complex magazine named her best TV writer in America. She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and received her Masters from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism (bio from Goodreads)
Please note there is a trigger warning for this episode.
Show Notes
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 21: TV Critic Inkoo Kang (THE NEW YORKER) - Trigger Warning
Melissa chats with Inkoo Kang, television critic at The New Yorker. They discuss some of the TV shows they have been watching recently, including QUEEN CHARLOTTE, HAPPY VALLEY, DEAD RINGERS and documentary STOLEN YOUTH.
Please note there is a trigger warning for this episode.
Show Notes
- The End of “Happy Valley,” an Unusually Intimate Crime Drama - The New Yorker (pay wall)
- QUEEN CHARLOTTE - Trailer
- SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE S2 - Trailer
- DEAD RINGERS - Trailer
- STOLEN YOUTH - Trailer
- HAPPY VALLEY S3 - Trailer
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 20: Director Numa Perrier (THE PERFECT FIND)
Melissa chats with director Numa Perrier, the director of THE PERFECT FIND starring Gabrielle Union, which will be released on Netflix on June 23rd 2023.
Numa Perrier is an actor, director, writer and visual artist who has emerged as a provocative voice in the film and television landscape. Perrier’s first feature, JEZEBEL, which she wrote, directed and co-starred, premiered at SXSW and was released on Netflix in 2020 via Ava Duvernay’s ARRAY Releasing. Detailing Perrier’s real-life experiences, the film follows 19-year-old Tiffany (Tiffany Tenille) as she navigates working as an internet cam girl in the ’90s, in order to navigate her dying mother’s financial struggles. Jezebel was a fan and industry favorite nabbing The Hollywood Reporter’s Critic’s Choice List and winning Best Director and Best Feature Film at The American Black Film Festival.
Numa is the co-founder of the first streamer for Black millennials, Black&Sexy TV, serving as Chief Content Officer on the business side, while creating and showrunning over a dozen series launched by the platform, including Roomieloverfriends (executive producer, Issa Rae) and Hello Cupid (co-creator, Lena Waithe)
Show Notes
- @NetflixFilm (Instagram)
- @Netflix (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook)
- @StrongBlackLead (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook)
- #ThePerfectFindNetflix
- Numa Perrier (Director): @missnuma (IG/TW)
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 19: News Brief 20th June 2023 (Trigger Warning)
Melissa's weekly round up of all industry news dedicated to highlighting the voices of women who work in the global entertainment business.
Please note there is a trigger warning for this episode (time code 09:50)
Show Notes
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 18: Director Eva Longoria (FLAMIN' HOT)
FLAMIN’ HOT is the inspiring true story of Richard Montañez, the Frito Lay janitor who channeled his Mexican American heritage and upbringing to turn the iconic Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into a snack that disrupted the food industry and became a global pop culture phenomenon.
Directed by Eva Longoria
Screenplay by Lewis Colick and Linda Yvette Chávez
Produced by DeVon Franklin
Starring Jesse Garcia as Richard Montañez, Annie Gonzalez as Judy Montañez, Emilio Rivera as Vacho Montañez, Dennis Haysbert as Clarence C. Baker, Emmy® Award winner Tony Shalhoub as Roger Enrico and Matt Walsh as Lonny Mason
Show Notes
- FLAMIN' HOT - Trailer
- Eva Longoria & Stacy L Smith - Women in Motion - Cannes 2023 - Live Stream
- Everything Everywhere All At Once - Trailer (Academy Award Winner 2023)
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 17: Jennifer Esposito, writer/director/actor (FRESH KILLS) and Academy Award®-nominated director Waad al-Kateab (WE DARE TO DREAM) - Tribeca Film Festival 2023
No news brief this week rather a focus on the Tribeca Film Festival. Melissa highlights some of the fantastic women-made films selected for the festival. She also interviews Jennifer Esposito, writer/director/actor of FRESH KILLS and Academy Award®-nominated director Waad al-Kateab (WE DARE TO DREAM).
The daughters of the Larusso family struggle to break the unspoken code of the women behind the men in the mob world of Staten Island in the late '80s and early '90s. Unlike any mob movie you’ve ever seen before, FRESH KILLS reveals the women behind the men. The stories never told. Violence, fear, and unspoken rules dictate who they are and who they are allowed to become.
"Fresh Kills is less about the mafia world and more about the journey of the women in it. It explores the issues of wanting more than you were allotted in life. A theme almost everyone can relate to. It looks at unspoken rules in our society and then seeing if we have the courage to break them for ourselves and for the generation to follow.” Jennifer Esposito
WE DARE TO DREAM:
We Dare to Dream is the story of refugee athletes from Iran, Syria, South Sudan and Cameroon who swim, run and fight their way to opportunity and safety in host nations across the world. Spanning a breadth of backgrounds, personal stories and Olympic sports, the film reveals the lives and hopes of refugee athletes training to compete on the world stage, showing the fire and the drive of young people forced to leave their families, homes and countries of birth to build new lives out of nothing.
Directed by Academy Award®-nominated director Waad al-Kateab (For Sama) and produced by Academy Award® winner Joanna Natasegara (The White Helmets, Virunga, The Edge of Democracy) and Emmy-winning producer Abigail Anketell-Jones (The Edge of Democracy, The Nightcrawlers) of Violet Films, two time Academy Award®-nominated producer, Bryn Mooser (Body Team 12, Lifeboat) and Kathryn Everett of XTR Studios and Joe Gebbia of Gebbia Productions, We Dare to Dream tells the amazing stories of young refugee athletes aiming to compete in the Tokyo Olympics.
The film features refugee athletes Anjelina Nadai Lohalith, Cyrille Tchatchet II, Kimia Alizadeh, Saeid Fazloula and Wael Fawaz Al-Farraj.
This is their story of resilience and inspiration, hardship and loss, hope and home.
Show Notes
- Jennifer Esposito's Instagram @jesposito
- @freshkillsfilm
- Waad Al-Kateab's Instagram @waadalkateab
- Waad Al-Kateab
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 16: Writer/Director Georgia Oakley (BLUE JEAN)
Melissa chats with Georgia Oakley, writer/director of BLUE JEAN. In Georgia's stunning directorial debut BLUE JEAN, it’s 1988 England and Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government is about to pass a law stigmatizing gays and lesbians, forcing Jean (Rosy McEwen, in a powerhouse performance), a gym teacher, to live a double life. As pressure mounts from all sides, the arrival of a new student catalyzes a crisis that will challenge Jean to her core. The BAFTA-nominated film won the Venice Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award, as well as four British Independent Film Awards.
BLUE JEAN hits US theaters on Friday 9th June 2023 - make sure you see it!
Show Notes:
https://www.facebook.com/MagnoliaPictures- https://twitter.com/MagnoliaPics
- https://www.instagram.com/magnoliapics/
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 15: News Brief 30th May 2023 (including Cannes Winners - there are women!)
Melissa's weekly round up of all industry news dedicated to highlighting the voices of women who work in the global entertainment business.
Show Notes
- Justine Triet’s ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ Wins Palme d’Or at 2023 Cannes Film Festival - Hollywood Reporter
- Cannes Palme d’Or winner criticises Macron’s ‘repression’ of protests - The Guardian (paywall)
- The Understated Pleasures of HBO’s “Somebody Somewhere” - The New Yorker (paywall)
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 14: Erica Saleh (Showrunner, Screenwriter and Serving Member of WGA's 2023 Negotiating Committee)
Melissa interviews Erica Saleh (ONE OF US IS LYING) in a great conversation about the current writers strike, what it means to be a TV writer and how they work their way up the career ladder. This episode has a lot of excellent information about why this strike is so important at this moment in the entertainment business.
Erica Saleh is a New York City based TV writer, screenwriter, and playwright. Most recently she was the Creator/Showrunner of One of Us is Lying for Peacock. Prior credits include EVIL, INSTINCT, WISDOM OF THE CROWD and CHANNEL ZERO. She serves on the WGA East's Council and is a member of the WGA's 2023 Negotiating Committee.
Show Notes:
- Meet the WGA Negotiating Committee - Erica
- Erica's Instagram @ericals
- ONE OF US IS LYING - Trailer
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 13: News Brief 23rd May 2023 (including Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lawrence & Catherine Corsini)
Melissa's weekly round up of all industry news dedicated to highlighting the voices of women who work in the global entertainment business.
Show Notes
- Catherine Corsini was “maybe a bit too proud and pretentious” to use intimacy coaches on ‘Homecoming’ set - Screen Daily
- Jennifer Lawrence brings documentary about Afghan women to Cannes - The Guardian (paywall)
- Eva Longoria Calls Out Hollywood: ‘A White Male Can Direct’ a $200 Million Flop and ‘Get Another One.’ I Can’t. - Variety
- Neon acquires Justine Triet’s Cannes competition entry ‘Anatomy Of A Fall’ - Screen Daily
- Netflix Buys ‘May December,’ Starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, for $11 Million Following Buzzy Cannes Debut - Variety
- BFI, Diversity In Cannes reflect on Black women in film programme: “This has to happen again” - Screen Daily
- Serena Williams Docuseries Set at ESPN - Variety
- Sally Potter to retell ‘Orlando’ with new feature film ‘Orlando, Now’ - Screen Daily
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 12: Melanie Hoyes (Head of Inclusion at the BFI- British Film Institute) and Yolonda Brinkley (Creator of Diversity in Cannes)
Melissa talks with Yolonda Brinkley (Creator of Diversity in Cannes) and Melanie Hoyes (Head of Inclusion at the BFI) about the work they are doing to highlight and celebrate black women filmmakers at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Events at Cannes:
- Saturday morning 5/20 in the Marche, 9:30 arrival.
As a part of our celebration of black women in film, we (Diversity in Cannes and THE BFI) are producing a small panel highlighting their personal journeys. It's an hour long with coffee and croissants after.
Cannes You See Us: A Celebration of Black Women in Film at the Cannes Film Festival
Itinerary
12-2PM luncheon at La Pizza Cresci (50-100) women.
For the In Your Voice audience only, DM @diversencannes on IG for additional information. No festival accreditation required
4-5 PM Demystifying Film Finance Panel (UK Pavilion)
5:30-7:30 Networking Reception
- May 20, 2023
Cannes You See Us: A Celebration of Black Women in Film Continues
10am-12pm Conversation, Coffee and Croissants in the Marche du Film Panel discussion focusing on the filmmaking journey of black women in film featuring women from US, UK, France and Africa
- Monday, May 22, 2023
Diversity Day at the Cannes Film Festival (Diversity in Cannes) which includes short film screenings, panel discussion and awards reception.
- Tuesday, May 2023, tentative lunch-awaiting confirmation.
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 11: News Brief 17th May 2023 (including Melissa's thoughts on the significance of Cannes Film Festival in the industry)
Melissa's weekly round up of all industry news dedicated to highlighting the voices of women who work in the global entertainment business.
Show Notes
- Adèle Haenel - Hollywood Reporter
- Adèle Haenel - Variety
- #CannesYouNot: Amber Heard Supporters Slam Cannes for ‘Celebrating Abusers’ Ahead of Johnny Depp Opening Night - Variety
- Inevitable Foundation Launches Emergency Relief Fund to Support Disabled Writers Amid WGA Strike - Hollywood Reporter
I’m a TV Writer on Food Stamps" - The Cut- Elle Fanning Says She Missed Out on Role in Big Franchise Because She “Didn’t Have Enough Instagram Followers” - Hollywood Reporter
- RUN RABBIT RUN - Trailer
- FLAMIN' HOT - Trailer
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 10: Director/Cinematographer Arlene Nelson (ANGEL CITY)
Melissa interviews Arlene Nelson, director of the gripping three-episode docuseries ANGEL CITY (HBO MAX - 16 May 2023)
The show goes behind the scenes and onto the pitch of the groundbreaking Los Angeles-based professional women’s soccer team, Angel City Football Club. Pulling back the curtain on the origin story through the 2022 inaugural season of the female-founded and led team, the series reveals the passion and grit needed to build a franchise from scratch and blaze a bold trail in the world of professional sports.
The series is directed by Arlene Nelson and executive produced by Academy Award®-winners Natalie Portman, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Sophie Mas, Anna Barnes and Christine O’Malley.
Show Notes:
- ANGEL CITY - Trailer
- Arlene Nelson's website
- Arlene's Instagram @a.full.nelson
- HBO Facebook
- HBO Instagram @hbo
- Hashtag: #angelcityhbo
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 9: Director Niki Caro (THE MOTHER)
Melissa interviews director Niki Caro on the release of her new Netflix film, THE MOTHER starring Jennifer Lopez.
Director Niki Caro, is one of the most successful filmmakers to emerge from New Zealand in recent years.
After completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Postgraduate Diploma in Film, Caro directed a number of highly acclaimed short films. "Sure To Rise" screened in Competition in Cannes in 1994; and "Footage" at the Venice Film Festival in 1996. Her first feature film "Memory & Desire" was selected for Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998.
Her second feature film, "Whale Rider," won twenty seven international awards, including audience awards at prestigious international film festivals including Toronto, Sundance, Rotterdam, San Francisco, Seattle and Maui. It won an Academy Award nomination for Keisha Castle-Hughes, then the youngest person ever to be nominated in the Best Actress category.
Following the international success of "Whale Rider", Caro directed "North Country" for Warner Bros. Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand were nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively at the 2005 Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, BAFTAs, Satellite Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
After relocating to the United States, Caro directed "McFarland, USA" starring Kevin Costner, for Disney, "The Zookeeper's Wife", starring Jessica Chastain, for Focus Features, and a movie length pilot for Netflixí "Anne With an E". Nominated for 54 awards, with 27 wins, "Anne With an E" also won Caro the prestigious DGA award for the pilot episode.
In 2018 Caro directed Disney's live action remake of the classic animation "Mulan", making her the 4th woman in history to direct a movie with a budget of over $100M. Mulan was released in 2020.
Caro's latest project is the epic global action movie, "The Mother", starring Jennifer Lopez, to be released on Netflix on May 12, 2023.
Show Notes:
- THE MOTHER - Trailer
- Niki Caro
- Niki's Instagram @nikicaro
- WHALE RIDER - Trailer
- NORTH COUNTRY - Trailer
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 10: Writer/Director Laurel Parmet (THE STARLING GIRL)
Melissa chats with writer/director Laurel Parmet on the eve of her debut feature film release, THE STARLING GIRL, starring Eliza Scanlen.
Show Notes:
- THE STARLING GIRL - Trailer
- Laurel Parmet
- Instagram @bleekerstfilms
- Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Laurel Parmet, the Writer-Director of “The Starling Girl” - Sundance Institute
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 8: News Brief 9th May 2023 (including week two of WGA Strike and Mandy Walker wins Millie Award)
Melissa's weekly round up of all industry news dedicated to highlighting the voices of women who work in the global entertainment business.
Show Notes:
- Biden comments on writers strike
- WGA Chief Negotiator Ellen Stutzman: Guild Is Ready to Meet Again When Studios ‘Recognize the Agenda Writers Absolutely Demand’ - Variety
- SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher Joins WGA Picket Line: ‘This Strike Is a Strike for Everybody in the Industry’ - Variety
- Elizabeth Holmes
- THE MATILDAS - Trailer
- ANGEL CITY - Trailer
- WITH LOVE S2 - Trailer
- Richard Dreyfuss
- Jameela Jamil
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival.) In Her Voice is produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 7: News Brief 2nd May 2023 (including WGA Strike)
Melissa's weekly round up of all industry news dedicated to highlighting the voices of women who work in the global entertainment business.
Show Notes
Writers Strike Info:
- WGA Calculations
- WGA Negotiations—Status as of May 1, 2023
- Hollywood Writers Defiant as Strike Begins: “We’re Not Scared, Bring It On” - Hollywood Reporter
- Hollywood’s writers are on strike. Here’s why that matters. - Vox
Academy - New Rules:
- REPRESENTATION AND INCLUSION STANDARDS
- AWARDS CAMPAIGN PROMOTIONAL REGULATIONS FOR THE 96TH ACADEMY AWARDS
- Actor Bel Powley - The Guardian (paywall)
- Liv Hewson
- 'Every Body' - Trailer
- 'And Just Like That' Season 2 - Trailer
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 6: Writer/Director Nida Manzoor (POLITE SOCIETY) and Writer/Director Kelly Fremon Craig (ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME MARGARET)
Melissa interviews writer/director Nida Manzoor about her debut action comedy drama feature film 'Polite Society' and writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig about the adaptation of Judy Blume's classic coming of age novel, 'Are You There God? It's Me Margaret'. Both hit theatres today - 28th April 2023 - so check them out!
Show Notes:
- Tamara Jenkins' film Slums of Beverly Hills (1998)
- Julia Ducournau's film TITANE (2021) - Trailer
- Director Desiree Akhavan Interview The Miseducation of Cameron Post Premiere (2018)
- Ana Lily Amirpour
- Are You There God? It's Me Margaret - Trailer
- @MargaretMovie - Instagram
- Kelly Fremon Craig's Twitter
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 5: News Brief 26th April 2023 (including QUEEN CLEOPATRA)
Melissa's weekly round up of all industry news dedicated to highlighting the voices of women who work in the global entertainment business.
Show Notes:
- ‘Queen Cleopatra’ Director Speaks Out: ‘What Bothers You So Much About a Black Cleopatra?’
- Queen Cleopatra - Trailer
- Naomi Osaka’s Production Company Hana Kuma Raises $5M in SpringHill Springoff
- Warner Bros Lands Hot Package ‘Maude v Maude’ Starring Halle Berry And Angelina Jolie; Both Will Also Produce
- Jeff Shell’s NBCU Exit Followed Probe Into Relationship With CNBC Journalist
- Prima Facie - Review
- ‘To Leslie,’ Which Landed Andrea Riseborough an Oscar Nom, Sells Internationally
- Female Directors On The Rise In France But Locked Out Of Blockbuster Budgets – Collectif 50/50 Study
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival.) In Her Voice is produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 4: Directors Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok (JUDY BLUME FOREVER) and Co-Creator Hannah Bos (SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE)
Melissa interviews the directors of the new documentary Judy Blume Forever, Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, which premieres on Amazon Prime on April 21st. She also talks to Hannah Bos, one of the co-creators of Somebody Somewhere, which returns for its second season on HBO on April 23rd.
Show Notes:
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 3: News Brief 19th April 2023 (Trigger Warning)
Melissa's weekly round up of all industry news dedicated to highlighting the voices of women who work in the global entertainment business. Please note this episode has a trigger warning and contains references to sexual assault.
Show Notes:
- David Choe Rape Controversy
- Aura Bogado's Twitter
- Serena Williams' 926 Productions
- Star Trek: Section 31 Michelle Yeoh
- Anna Nicole Smith Trailer
- The Guardian: 'Notoriously cruel’: should we cancel Picasso? Collectors, artists, critics and curators decide' (paywall)
- Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton on Why They Continue Talking About Alleged Assaults on ‘One Tree Hill’ and ‘Chicago P.D.’: ‘Face Some F—ing Accountability’
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 2: News Brief 14th April 2023 (including Cannes Lineup)
Melissa's weekly round up of all industry news dedicated to highlighting the voices of women who work in the global entertainment business.
Show Notes:
- Jennifer Lopez in The Mother
- Book Club: The Next Chapter
- Book Club: The Next Chapter - Trailer
- True Detective: Night Country - Trailer
Cannes:
- Cannes Breaks Its Own Record for Female Filmmakers in Competition (Again)
- ‘The Idol’: The Weeknd And Lily-Rose Depp To Debut HBO Music Drama At Cannes
- MAX
- A League of Their Own
- Margot Robbie Recalls First Reaction To ‘Barbie’ Script: “What A Shame It Will Never See The Light Of Day
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival) and produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Ep 1: News Brief 11th April 2023
Melissa's weekly round up of all industry news dedicated to highlighting the voices of women who work in the global entertainment business.
Show Notes:
- WGA Strike Authorization
- Lizzo Amazon Studios Deal
- Euphoria Barbie Ferreira Exit
- Heather Graham - "Sexism Hasn't Changed Hollywood"
- Star Wars Acolyte Teaser
- Ahsoka Trailer - Rosario Dawson Star Wars
- Maïwenn’s Jeanne du Barry to open the 76th Festival de Cannes
- Brittney Griner Memoir To Be Published
- Barbie Trailer
- The Marvels Trailer
- Ari Aster quote
In Her Voice is a Woman and Hollywood Podcast, hosted by Melissa Silverstein (Founder of Women and Hollywood and Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival.) In Her Voice is produced by Leonie Marsh.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
Trailer
In Her Voice takes you behind the scenes with women filmmakers, actors, producers and others for an intimate look at the creative process.
Join Melissa Silverstein, founder of Women and Hollywood and co-founder of the Athena Film Festival as she conducts conversations with talent who are creating the hottest content coming to your screen. She will also cover the latest entertainment news and issues that focuses on women and non-binary creatives.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Join Substack for Melissa's weekly curated list of content made by women.
Twitter @melsil and @womenahollywood
Instagram @womenandhollywood
In Her Voice is produced by Leonie Marsh.