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. Trailer

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: Some Thoughts on the Oscar Nominations

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

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.

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

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.

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.

A discussion of films from TIFF including: How to Have Sex Back Spot The End We Start From Irena's Vow Lee Zone of Interest Origin Conversation with documentary director, Dawn Porter discussing her new Showtime miniseries Deadlocked which premieres on September 22.

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

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.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/woody-allen-venice-2023-very-lucky-my-whole-life-1235581412/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/spanish-actor-gabriel-guevara-arrested-at-venice-film-festival-on-sexual-assault-charge-1235581060/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/roman-polanski-woody-allen-protested-venice-film-festival-1235581112/ 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/

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 SeligmanBOTTOMS - Info / Trailer Emma's Instagram @emmaseligmanBOTTOMS on Instagram @bottomsmovie Other inspiration mentioned in the interview: NO HARD FEELINGS - TrailerJOY RIDE - TrailerBARBIE - TrailerEmma's creative partner Rachel Sennott - actress and comedien Emma's Short Film Shiva BabyKatheryn BigelowMarielle 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

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 websiteTHE 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

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 RedfordWHAT COMES AROUND - TrailerSummer Joy Phoenix - Instagram @summerjoyphoenixUtah 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

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 websiteAisha's Instagram @aha88Is '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

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 IgerStrike NewsOrange is the New BlackSAG 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 - Deadline6 DEI leaders just left senior roles in Hollywood and media—it’s part of a larger problem: ‘It’s absolutely alarming’ - CNBCBlack Women Executives Are Exiting Studio Leadership Posts and Hollywood’s Doing Nothing About It - Variety Emmy Diversity 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

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 BURN IT DOWNAbout the Author - GoodreadsMo Ryan's Instagram @moryan66 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

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 - TrailerSOMEBODY SOMEWHERE S2 - TrailerDEAD 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

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) Black&Sexy TV 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

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 Emmy Rossum/Tom HollandPrima FacieJoanna ArnowCHASING CHASING AMY 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

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 FranklinStarring 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 MasonShow Notes FLAMIN' HOT - Trailer Eva Longoria & Stacy L Smith - Women in Motion - Cannes 2023 - Live StreamEverything 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