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If there was an underlying theme to the latest TV edition of IndieWire Honors, it would be that of support, and having your colleagues’ backs. Some of the ways that manifested were as simple as cinematographer and director Jessica Lee Gagné coaching her colleague and filmmaking mentor Ben Stiller through the Québécois pronunciation of “auteur” as they accepted the Auteur Award for their work on “Severance,” or as grand as Visionary Award winner Mara Brock Akil getting a chance to thank the stars of several of her shows, from “Girlfriends” to Netflix’s “Forever,” with members of those casts all in attendance.

Some more pairs accepted awards together, like “#1 Happy Family USA” co-creators Ramy Youssef and Pam Brady, who shared their awe for the animation medium while accepting the Spark Award, saying how it involves “as many people that are in this room working on the smallest details.” And “The Penguin...

Mara Brock Akil’s “Forever” is a story both timeless and of the moment. A skillful update of the 1975 Judy Blume novel of the same name chronicling two teens experiencing first love, the series stars Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr. as two Black student athletes in 2018 Los Angeles as they romance each other while dealing with the pressures of their very different parents. Swoony and evocative, it’s a rare show that centers the experiences of Black teens — and Akil herself was touched by the response from those who saw themselves in the characters.

“I’ve been floored by the response to ‘Forever,’ the recognition, the notes, the posts, the tears, so many people around the world told me that they have felt seen in ways they have never before, that they didn’t know how hungry they were until they were fed,” Akil said at the 2025 IndieWire Honors...

IndieWire, the definitive outlet for creative independence in film and TV, announced on Wednesday, May 7 the return of the Spring edition of its IndieWire Honors event celebrating the creators and stars responsible for some of the most impressive and engaging work of this TV season.

Hosted by comedian Robby Hoffman, known for her memorable guest appearances on “Hacks” and “Dying for Sex” this year, IndieWire Honors will celebrate its honorees at an intimate cocktail reception taking place Thursday, June 5 in Los Angeles. Exclusive editorial content, including honoree profiles, will also be featured on IndieWire beginning May 28 and will continue throughout the lead-up to the awards night, followed by video interviews and more content from the event.

“Each year, IndieWire Honors celebrates the artists who are redefining the boundaries of storytelling and pushing the industry forward,” said Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire’s senior VP and editor-in-chief. “The 2025 honorees exemplify the innovation, courage,...

Content removals are a sad truth in the streaming industry. People love seeing their favorite title added to a streaming service, but they must always be aware that if the series doesn’t attain the proper levels of viewership for the platform it resides on, it might eventually get pulled so the streamer isn’t paying maintenance costs on a series that doesn’t earn that money back.

Most streaming platforms in the industry are cutting titles these days, and now Netflix is preparing to shed some content. Starting in August, and continuing through October, Netflix will pull seven series from its service, all of which feature a Black lead performer. Unlike recent cuts from Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Disney, these aren’t Netflix Originals, but are instead shows from the long-extinct Upn broadcast channel, which the world’s largest streamer licensed in 2020. Those agreements are ending over the next few months,...

Lonnie Corant Jaman Shuka Rashid Lynn Jr., better known by his stage name Common, is an American rapper, actor and activist. He has received numerous accolades for his impressive accomplishments, becoming the first rapper to earn himself a Primetime Emmy, three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Common Biography: Age, Early Life, Family, Education

Common was born on March 13, 1972 (Common: Age 51) in Chicago, Illinois to Mahalia Ann Hines and Lonnie Lynn Sr. His mother is a former principal of the John Hope College Preparatory High School, while his father is a former Aba basketball player.

Common grew up in the Calumet Heights neighborhood, where he lived with both his parents until the age of six. At six years old, Common’s parents had gotten divorced, which resulted in his father relocating to Denver, Colorado. Common was, therefore, raised by his mother. However, his father made sure...

Exclusive: With the Frasier sequel series for Paramount+ wrapping production, star and executive producer Kelsey Grammer and his Grammnet Nh Productions has closed a first-look television deal with CBS Studios, the studio behind the Cheers/Frasier franchise.

The pact marks a homecoming for Grammer at CBS Studios. The actor-producer’s previous Grammnet banner had a series of overall deals at the studio and its predecessor Paramount Network TV, which yielded such hit series as Medium for NBC/CBS, Girlfriends for Upn/The CW, its spinoff The Game, which aired for nine seasons on Upn/The CW/BET. In addition to the Frasier sequel, Grammnet Nh Productions is collaborating with CBS Studios on The Game dramedy revival for Paramount+.

The new incarnation of Frasier, which brings the famous psychiatrist (Grammer) back to Boston, comes from writers Chris Harris (How I Met Your Mother) and Joe Cristalli (Life In Pieces), who executive...

Industry Conference, talent development details.

A documentary about climate activist Greta Thunberg and a shot film about a teenage Indigenous communities activist have joined the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) line-up.

Nathan Grossman’s I Am Greta chronicles the young Swede’s meteoric rise to public attention, while James Burns’s short film The Water Walker focuses on the work of 15-year-old Autumn Peltier, an Anishinaabe water activist.

Peltier will take part in a live conversation with author Naomi Klein that will be made free to international audiences. The date will be announced closer to the start of TIFF, which...

OWN is getting back into business with the creator of Greenleaf.

The cabler announced today a straight-to-series order for the new original drama series Delilah, from Craig Wright, who will serve as executive producer along with Charles Randolph-Wright and Oprah Winfrey.

Maahra Hill stars as Delilah Connolly, a headstrong, highly principled lawyer living in Charlotte, North Carolina. Delilah's doing her best to raise two kids alone and keep her ties to family, friends and faith strong, all the while ceaselessly seeking justice for those who need it most, in a time when the rich and powerful of Charlotte and beyond will do anything to stop her.

Also joining the cast are Jill Marie Jones (Girlfriends) as Tamara Grayson, Delilah's confidante and best friend, Susan Heyward (Orange is the New Black), who portrays Demetria Barnes, Delilah's newly hired, fearless, and ambitious associate, and Ozioma Akagha (Marvel's Runaways), who plays Delilah's unfailingly sunny secretary,...

On the heels of Greenleaf ending its five-season run, OWN has given a straight-to-series order to Delilah, from Greenleaf creator Craig Wright, who will serve as executive producer along with Charles Randolph-Wright and Oprah Winfrey.

As previously reported, Wright also has a prospective Greenleaf spinoff in development at the cabler; read more on that here.

More from TVLineThe Haves and Have Nots Midseason Premiere Recap: Night Shaft -- Plus, [Spoiler] Goes Out With a BangGreenleaf Creator Craig Wright Dissects the Series Finale's Major Turning Points -- Plus, First Details About the Spinoff!Greenleaf Season 5 (and Series!) Finale Recap: A Beginning in...

Days after Greenleaf wrapped its five-season run on OWN, the network has given a formal straight-to-series order to drama Delilah from the same creative team, Greenleaf creator Craig Wright, Warner Bros. Television and Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films. Maahra Hill is set for the title role in the series, executive produced by Charles Randolph-Wright (Greenleaf) and Winfrey. Also cast in the drama are Jill Marie Jones (Girlfriends), Susan Heyward (Orange is the New Black) and Ozioma Akagha (Marvel’s Runaways).

Randolph-Wright and Cheryl Dunye are set to direct the series; Dunye will direct the pilot episode. Delilah, produced by Warner Bros. Television and Harpo Films, will air on OWN in 2021. Its order had been in the works at OWN since before the pandemic.

2020 OWN Pilots & Series Orders

The series centers around Delilah Connolly (Hill), a headstrong, highly principled lawyer in Charlotte,...

Tracee Ellis Ross is now a four-time Emmy nominee for her performance as Dr. Rainbow Johnson in “Black-ish.” She is currently nominated for Season 6, submitting the episode “Kid Life Crisis” to Emmy voters.

Ross recently spoke with Gold Derby contributing writer Kevin Jacobsen about her reaction to getting another nomination, the unique line readings she delivers as Bow and what it was like reuniting with the cast of “Girlfriends.” Watch the exclusive video interview above and read the complete transcript below.

SEETracee Ellis Ross (‘black-ish’): Emmys 2020 episode submission revealed

Gold Derby: To start things off, tell us about that Emmy nomination morning, getting the news that you got your fourth nomination.

Tracee Ellis Ross: First of all, one of the things that has happened to me in this pandemic is that I’m not sleeping as easily, getting to sleep at night as easily as I’m used to.

The pandemic might be

killing us and all our businesses, but you know who seems unaffected? The

Criterion Collection who are having a killer 2020 so far. Not only have

they made moves like scoring Neon’s Academy Award Best Picture winner “Parasite”

just a few short months after it won the Oscar, but they’re having a field day

with box sets like the Agnes Varda complete set and the upcoming Federico

Fellini set.

Continue reading Criterion Adds Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman,’ ‘Moonstruck’ & Claudia Weill’s Feminist ’70s Cult Classic ‘Girlfriends’ at The Playlist.

“Purple Rain,” “Clerks,” “She’s Gotta Have It,” “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” “Amadeus,” “Sleeping Beauty,””Boys Don’t Cry” and “The Last Waltz” are among this year’s additions to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

The list also includes 1944’s “Gaslight,” starring Ingrid Bergman in an Oscar-winning performance; the 1955 film noir “The Phenix City Story,” based on a real-life murder in Alabama; Disney’s 1959 canine tearjerker “Old Yeller”; Oliver Stone’s 1986 Best Picture winner “Platoon,” based on his own experiences in Vietnam; and Luis Valdez’s “Zoot Suit,” which tells the story of the 1943 Sleepy Lagoon Murder and the racially charged riots that followed.

A place on the list — always made up of 25 films — guarantees the film will be preserved under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act. The criteria for selection is that the movies are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.

“The National Film Registry has become...

Natpe’s annual half-dozen recipients of the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards in 2019 will include actors Betty White, Rita Moreno and Henry Winkler as well as industry notables Byron Allen, Bob Greenblatt and Mara Brock Akil.

The 16th annual Tartikoffs will be handed out at Natpe’s conference in Miami in January. They are named for the late NBC Entertainment chief who assembled the network’s top-rated programming lineups in the 1980s.

Conference organizers said the award recipients are recognized “for exhibiting their extraordinary passion, leadership, independence and vision through their diverse work in being a part of the creation and distribution of content for the world’s traditional and digital marketplaces.”

Moreno is an “Egot” winner as well as a Kennedy Center honoree who stars in Netflix’s One Day at a Time. White, 96, is a seven-time Emmy winner whose career resurgence this decade has...

In retrospect, Carnival of Souls (1962) certainly cast a long and deep shadow over the horror genre; not for general audiences at the time, where it ended up relegated to the bargain bins of the public domain for decades. But horror frequently pays it forward, and filmmakers find inspiration in the lost and obscure. Take the debut from Thom Eberhardt, Sole Survivor (1983), an oasis of cool originality in a genre that was drying out in the slasher sands.

Given a limited release in December, Eberhardt used the meager $350,000 budget to his advantage, crafting a film filled with an eerie calm and paying it forward himself by inspiring Final Destination (2000) and It Follows (2014). Sometimes big shadows are cast from small sources, and Sole Survivor has earned its particular darkness.

Our film opens with over the hill actress/psychic Karla (Caren Larkey – Get Out) predicting a plane crash. On that very plane is...

Editor’s Note: This article is presented in partnership with FilmStruck. Developed and managed by Turner Classic Movies (TCM) in collaboration with the Criterion Collection. FilmStruck features the largest streaming library of contemporary and classic arthouse, indie, foreign and cult films as well as extensive bonus content, filmmaker interviews and rare footage. Learn more here. Agnes Varda

At age 88, the indomitable and highly influential Varda shows zero sign of slowing down when it comes to churning out art told through continually experimental means (she’s also remained committed to supporting her work in person, recently popping up at both the French Institute Alliance Française for a career-spanning chat and this year’s Rendezvous With French Cinema series with a brand new exhibit; we should all be so lucky to be as vital and involved when we’re half Varda’s age). Varda’s contributions to cinema and feminism have been...

Photo by John Nowak/TCM

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) today announced Trailblazing Women, a multi-year initiative created to raise awareness about the historical contributions of women working behind the camera. The programming event, hosted by actress, producer and director Illeana Douglas, premieres October 1 and airs every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the entire month, and will shine a spotlight on cinema’s greatest female filmmakers and women who challenged gender stereotypes while carving out successful careers in an industry where men hold the bulk of the power.

The Trailblazing Women initiative marks a multi-year partnership between TCM and Women In Film (Wif), Los Angeles that will showcase the current gender gap in the film industry as statistics prove a lack of parity in positions behind the camera such as:

Men outnumbered women 23-to-1 as directors of the 1,300 top-grossing films since 2002

A 5–to-1 ratio of men working on films to women

15 percent...

Legendary actor Eli Wallach, best known for his role as the villainous Tuco in The Good the Bad and the Ugly, passed away in New York City yesterday at the age of 98. The actor's passing was confirmed by his daughter, Katherine.

Born in 1915 in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, Eli Wallach began studying acting after receiving a B.A. and M.S. in education from the University of Texas and City College of New York. His acting ambitions were cut short when he was drafted to serve in World War II, but he began acting in several plays upon his return to New York in 1945. In 1948, he was one of the 20 core actors who helped found The Actor's Studio, where he honed his method acting craft.

He won a Tony Award in 1951 for his performance in Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo, which was directed by Elia Kazan. Tennessee Williams...

London’s Birds Eye View Film Festival will include 10 UK premieres and titles from Girls star Lena Dunham and Kelly Reichardt.

The Birds Eye View Film Festival (April 8-13), celebrating women’s work in film, has revealed details of its 2014 programme including works by British director Destiny Ekaragha and Laura Checkoway to films by Lena Dunham and Kelly Reichardt.

The festival will also celebrate inspiring female filmmakers and actors of recent times including the late pioneering animator Joy Batchelor, Broadway legend Elaine Stritch and award-winning British filmmaker Gurinder Chadha.

The festival will comprise 19 features including 10 UK premieres such as German director Katrin Gebbe’s debut Nothing Bad Can Happen and the London premiere of Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky’s Watermark, the follow-up to their 2006 documentary hit Manufactured Landscapes.

The programme also includes an American Indie strand featuring Kelly Reichardt’s thriller Night Moves starring Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning; Chiemi Karasawa’s documentary Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me; and the...

You may have heard of BAMCinematek's awesome "Hey Girlfriend! Lena Dunham Selects" series curated by none other than Dunham herself, the director and star of the Criterion-approved micro-indie "Tiny Furniture" and the writer, producer and co-star of "Girls," her upcoming HBO show also produced by Judd Apatow.

That eight-film series (tickets on sale here), which will feature in person appearances by Dunham, Nora Ephron, Whit Stillman, Chris Eigeman, and Claudia Weill and includes films like "The Last Days of Disco," "Clueless," and Weill's prizewinning debut "Girlfriends" from 1978, has added one more film to its slate: Amy Heckerling's long-awaited, toothy vampire comedy, "Vamps."

Marking the reunion of Heckerling with her "Clueless" star Alicia Silverstone, 17 years after the release of that now-classic teen movie, BAMcinématek will present the directors cut of "Vamps" on Saturday, April 7 at 6:50pm. Heckerling will appear in person at Bam for a Q&A after the movie.

NaFF ~ Day Five

Yesterday I caught the film that got Nicole Kidman and her hubby here on day three, a documentary called Prodigal Sons. I have no idea why Kidman herself chose it (perhaps it was research for The Danish Girl?) but she chose well. The film is from transgendered filmmaker Kimberly Reed and begins by recounting her journey to her 20 year high school reunion. Her hometown knew her as football quarterback Paul. For the film's first several minutes I expected that the movie would be a traditional but queer slanted memoir doc. I assumed it would recount this reunion and disparate reactions to Paul's new identity as Kim and Kim's own struggles with accepting her past (a lot of post-operative transgendered types destroy all photos and pretend that said past didn't exist). I underestimated it.

Prodigal Sons quickly morphs into something much greater. It's a complicated, well judged and...

Nashville Film Festival ~ Day Four

A sizeable dilemma arrived last night, the kind film festivals enjoy torturing cinephiles with as two coveted films ran in the same time slot. Do I see the lost 70s movie Girlfriends (1978) or the new film from the terrific young Mexican director Fernando Eimbcke, Lake Tahoe? I've been raving about Eimbcke to anyone who would listen since fall 2004 when I saw his debut Duck Season in Toronto. It opened in the States, finally, two years later [2006 top ten list]. If I have to wait until 2011 to see Lake Tahoe I may expire of anticipatitis and regret my decision but I went with Girlfriends. Here's why: Girlfriends has only been on VHS once (many aeons ago) and copies are hard to track down, no DVD release ever materialized and none is planned and I love movies about women.

Girlfriends is about a young Jewish photographer Susan Weinblatt (BAFTA nominated Melanie Mayron,...