News

Justina Machado is heading back to Broadway!

The One Day at a Time and Six Feet Under actress has joined the cast of the upcoming show Real Women Have Curves: The Musical in the role of Carmen Garcia.

The new musical is based on the beloved movie of the same name, which was actually based on a stage play by Josefina Lopez.

In Real Women Have Curves, it’s the summer of 1987 and Ana Garcia dreams of flying away from East Los Angeles. But when her family receives a make-or-break order for 200 dresses, Ana finds herself juggling her own ambitions, her mother’s expectations, and a community of women all trying to make it work against the odds.

Broadway newcomer Tatianna Córdoba will make her debut starring as ambitious high school senior Ana Garcia, the role that America Ferrera played in the 2002 movie.

Keep reading to find out more…

Justina...

The best America Ferrera movies and TV shows highlight why the Ugly Betty star is so highly regarded outside the realm of sitcoms and quirky comedy - and also show why she’s so deserving of her status as a multi-award-winning actor. Born in California in 1983, America Ferrera started her career in 2002, jumping straight into a lead role in the comedy-drama Real Women Have Curves and the Disney Channel original Gotta Kick It Up.

The momentum from this strong start never waned, and within a few years, America Ferrera would find herself becoming a household name thanks to taking the lead role in the highly successful sitcom Ugly Betty. However, while playing Betty Suarez was a career-defining performance, it’s far from the only celebrated performance from the actor - nor is it the best America Ferrera movie or TV show.

Lords Of Dogtown (2005) America Ferrera Plays Thunder Monkey

Your...

Update, with opening date and venue: Real Women Have Curves will begin its Broadway previews on April 1, 2025, ahead of an opening night of Sunday, April 27. The production will play at the Shubert-owned James Earl Jones Theatre.

The venue currently is home to the limited run engagement of the play Left on Tenth.

Previous, Sept. 12: Real Women Have Curves, a new musical based on the 1990 play and subsequent 2002 film adaptation that starred America Ferrera, will debut on Broadway in 2025, producers announced today.

The musical, which had its world premiere in 2023 at American Repertory Theater at Harvard University, will feature music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winning artist Joy Huerta of the Mexican pop duo Jesse & Joy and composer/lyricist Benjamin Velez, book by Lisa Loomer with Nell Benjamin.

Sergio Trujillo will direct and choreography, with music supervision by Nadia Digiallonardo. Real Women Have Curves will be produced by Barry Weissler, Fran Weissler,...

A musical adaptation of Real Women Have Curves will play the James Earl Jones Theatre this spring.

The musical, with direction and choreography by Sergio Trujillo (Ain’t Too Proud), will begin previews April 1, ahead of an opening night April 27 (the last day for Tony eligibility for the season). Casting for the production, which is produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, the producers behind Chicago and Waitress, and Jack Noseworthy, has not yet been announced.

Real Women Have Curves: The Musical is based on the play by Josefina López, which was initially staged in San Francisco in 1990 and has many subsequent productions, and HBO’s Real Women Have Curves, which had a screenplay by Josefina López and George Lavoo and starred America Ferrera. The show comes to Broadway after a world premiere at the American Repertory Theater in 2023.

The musical features music and lyrics by Joy Huerta, of the pop duo Jesse & Joy,...

Yelyna De León will star in and direct the romantic comedy “20 Pounds to Happiness” from “Real Women Have Curves” writer Josefina López.

Carlo Mendez and Riley Shanahan co-star in the film, which also features Christiana Leucas, Soledad St. Hilaire, Iyari Limon, Rafael Sigler and Tricia Cruz.

“20 Pounds to Happiness” marks De León’s debut as a feature film director. The movie follows a full-figured Latina in a “Real Women Have Curves” support group who must decide between staying loyal to her girlfriends or risking the loss of her dream man. López and De León serve as producers.

De León’s credits as an actor include “Will and Grace,” “Snowfall,” “Ray Donovan,” “Shamelsss,” “A Better Life” and “East Side Story.” She also wrote, produced and acted in the murder mystery film “Murder in the Woods” alongside Danny Trejo.

Mendez is a Cuban-American actor with television roles in “9-1-1,” “Superior Donuts,” “Parks and Recreation...

Quick Links WeCrashed (2022) Gotta Kick It Up (2002) Dumb Money (2023) How The Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer (2005) The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) How To Train Your Dragon Franchise (2010-) Real Women Have Curves (2002) Barbie (2023) Superstore (2015-2021) Ugly Betty (2006-2010)

America Ferrera has been acting professionally since 2002. The first few roles of her career were largely coming-of-age stories that reflected her own age at the time, but as shes grown as an actor, her roles have diversified as well. While shes best known for several television projects, she actually made her big screen debut in 2002 as well.

With more than 50 professional projects on her acting resume, Ferrera has also worked behind the camera. Shes also been a producer on several short films and series, including the sitcom Superstore. Shes also tried her hand at directing, stepping into the directors shoes for four episodes of Superstore. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter...

Exclusive: There’ s going to be some glory, curves and rage over at Ava DuVernay’s Array this summer, in all the best ways.

Back for its fifth year, the Array 360 conversation and screening series will feature films and more from directors Patricia Cardoso, Bill Duke Ed Zwick over the next two months.

Starting on August 3, Cardoso will be kicking off the 2024 program at Array’s Creative Campus in LA’s Historic Filipinotown with a screening of her Sundance award winning 2002 film Real Women Have Curves. The director, who helmed a May 30, 2018 episode of the DuVernay created OWN TV series Queen Sugar, will provide live commentary on the acclaimed picture for the Scene on Screen event.

Check out the full Array 360 2024 schedule below

Two week later, DuVernay and Array will be hosting a daylong Filmmaker Tribute for Bill Duke. With a spotlight on the Palme d’Or nominated director/actor...

Exclusive: Producers Robert Greenblatt and Neil Meron are developing the Broadway-bound Studio 54 The Musical, a new work with a book by Chad Hodge and set to feature a full playlist of hits from the disco era.

Directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winner Sergio Trujillo (Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of the Temptations), the Broadway-bound Studio 54 musical will trace “the astonishing ascent and sudden downfall of the most legendary club in nightlife history.”

“Neil Meron and I started talking about the amazing story of Studio 54 as a possible series years ago,” said Greenblatt in an exclusive statement to Deadline, “but we finally came to our senses and realized we had the perfect musical right under our noses.”

Add Meron, “And with book writer Chad Hodge and the incredible Sergio Trujillo, who came of age during the disco dance craze in Toronto and New York, we have the...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the newly elected Board of Governors for the 2024-2025 year.

Elected to the board for the first time are “Real Women Have Curves” director Patricia Cardoso, Oscar-nominated production designer K.K. Barrett (“Her”), two-time Oscar-winning sound designer Andy Nelson (“Saving Private Ryan” and “Les Misérables”), and producer Jennifer Fox, who has helmed the past four Governors Awards. Oscar winner Chris Tashima (“Visas and Virtue”) was elected to the board, representing the shorts branch, following the split from animation earlier this year.

Additionally, 11 incumbents were re-elected to the board: Rita Wilson (actors), Kim Taylor-Coleman (casting directors), Paul Cameron (cinematographers), Eduardo Castro (costume designers), Jean Tsien (documentary), Pam Abdy (executives), Terilyn A. Shropshire (film editors), Laura C. Kim (marketing and public relations), Lesley Barber (music), Brooke Breton (visual effects) and Howard A. Rodman (writers). Oscar-winning makeup artist Lois Burwell (“Braveheart”) is returning to the Board after a hiatus.

The results are in after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held elections for 17 seats on its 55-person board of governors, and the newly constituted board will include five rookies, one comeback kid and 11 continuing incumbents.

The five first-time governors will be Patricia Cardoso (directors branch), a 1996 Student Academy Award winner best known for helming 2002’s Real Women Have Curves, who will succeed Susanne Bier; Jennifer Fox (producers), an Oscar nominee for Michael Clayton and five-time producer of the Academy’s Governors Awards, who will succeed Jennifer Todd; K.K. Barrett (production design), an Oscar nominee for Her, who will succeed Tom Duffield; Andy Nelson (sound), a 24-time Oscar nominee who has taken home statuettes for Saving Private Ryan and Les Misérables, who will succeed Gary C. Bourgeois; and Chris Tashima (short films), an Oscar winner for the live action short Visas and Virtue, who becomes the first governor of the short films branch.

Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television honored the winners of its inaugural Mfa Screenwriting Competition, a contest that engages industry leaders to evaluate the best work emerging from the student body.

The winning students were selected blindly by a panel of more than 40 experts from companies including Anonymous Content, Gotham Group, Macro, Verve, Entertainment 360, Temple Hill, Scott Free, Riot Games and more. Awards were presented Tuesday night by Lmu Sftv graduates Melissa Blake, who has written and produced series including Based on a True Story and One Mississippi, and Evan Romansky, creator of the four-time Emmy nominee Ratched, which he wrote as an Mfa thesis project.

The Mfa Screenwriting Competition highlights the best feature and pilot scripts written by second- and third-year graduate students from Lmu’s Writing for the Screen and Writing and Producing for TV programs. It is one of numerous Sftv initiatives designed to...

America Ferrera, the guest on this episode of The Hollywod Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, which was recorded in front of film students at Chapman University, is a 39-year-old actress, producer, director and activist who has been a public figure — and a trailblazer — for more than 20 years.

Ferrera has starred in projects on screens big and small. She is widely known for the TV series Ugly Betty, which aired on ABC from 2006 through 2010, during which she was chosen as one of Time’s 100 most influential people in the world, and for which she became the first Latina ever to win the best actress in a comedy series Emmy; and Superstore, which aired on NBC from 2015 through 2021. She has also starred in films ranging from the 2002 indie Real Women Have Curves to 2005’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and its 2006 sequel to the animated How to Train Your Dragon trilogy spanning 2010 through 2019. Now,...

By her own admission, America Ferrera was not a Barbie girl growing up. But now, two decades into her career, Ferrera will be forever bathed in the warm pink glow of the Mattel brand thanks to her role in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Ferrera plays a central role as Gloria, a Mattel employee dealing with an existential crisis in the real world, that sends a ripple into Barbie Land and awakens Margot Robbie’s stereotypical Barbie. After Barbie’s female utopia falls prey to a patriarchal coup spearheaded by Ryan Gosling’s Ken, Gloria steps in to set things right. Here, Ferrera reflects on womanhood, her career and making her directorial debut.

Deadline: Post-Barbie, have you been able to fully wrap your mind around being a part of the girlhood lexicon forever? But of course, you have been since Real Women Have Curves, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Ugly Betty.

Oscar nominee America Ferrera has been cast in her next role outside of Barbie World.

Ferrera has signed on to star in Oscar nominee Paul Greengrass’ upcoming drama “The Lost Bus” alongside Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey, Variety has learned exclusively.

Being developed, produced and distributed by Apple Original Films with an original script by Brad Inglesby (“Mare of Easttown”), the film is based on Lizzie Johnson’s book “Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire” about the devastating 2018 California wildfires that resulted in over 100 deaths and destroyed the majority of the town of Paradise. The fires were the deadliest in the state’s history. The movie centers on Kevin McKay (McConaughey) and Mary Ludwig (Ferrera), a bus driver and teacher who lead a school bus full of young students through the Camp Fire. The film will go into production this spring.

Ferrera is coming off receiving...

America Ferrera’s directorial debut, “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter,” based on Erika Sánchez’s bestselling novel of the same name, is in development at Amazon MGM Studios’ Orion Pictures. It was previously set up at Netflix, which is no longer attached to the film.

“Flamin’ Hot” screenwriter Linda Yvette Chávez wrote the script, which follows Julia Reyes, a teen with dreams of becoming a famous writer and leaving her traditional Mexican immigrant parents in Chicago. They wish she was more like her sister Olga, now eternally perfect since her tragic death. As Julia seeks to break free of her oppressive home, she tries to uncover her sister’s truth, and in the process gains a deep understanding of the wounds her family carries.

Producers include Doreen Wilcox Little, Macro Film Studios’ Charles D. King and Poppy Hanks, Aevitas Creative Management’s David Kuhn, and Anonymous Content. Erika...

America Ferrera received the SeeHer Award during the Critics Choice Awards ceremony on Sunday. The award “honors a woman who advocates for gender equality, portrays characters with authenticity, defies stereotypes and pushes boundaries.” Ferrera is the eighth recipient of the annual award. Janelle Monáe received the award last year.

Ferrera’s Barbie cast mate Margot Robbie introduced Ferrera, praising her for her film roles in Real Women Have Curves and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants along with her trailblazing TV role as Ugly Betty. “America became not only the...

America Ferrera was presented with the SeeHer Award at the Critics Choice Awards and delivered a powerful speech just like she did in the Barbie movie.

Margot Robbie presented Ferrera with the accolade, highlighting some of her roles over the years, including Real Women Have Curves, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and Ugly Betty. Robbie noted that in the role of Betty, “she blazed a trail for Latina actresses while teaching everyone we are so much more than what we think we are.”

Ferrera won an Emmy for Ugly Betty, with Robbie mentioning she was the first Latina to do so in the Lead Actress in a Comedy category and continues to be the only one.

Once on stage, Ferrera opened up about receiving the honor at the gala and growing up as a “first-generation Honduran-American girl in love with TV, film, and theater who desperately wanted to be...

America Ferrera is reflecting on the success of Barbie — and why she thinks the race of her character in the film helped her land the part. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter Friday, the actress opened up about the fact that she hadn’t always been considered for non-Latina roles until recently in her career.

“To be frank: For the majority of my career, I have not been considered for roles that weren’t written specifically Latina,” Ferrera said. “And so that, in and of itself, limits what people...

London, England – October 17: America Ferrera arrives at the Glamour Women of The Year Awards 2023 on October 17, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) The Critics Choice Association (Cca) announced today that Emmy award-winning actor, director and producer America Ferrera will receive the 8th annual SeeHer Award at the 29th annual Critics Choice Awards. The honor will be presented to her at the star-studded gala hosted by Chelsea Handler, which will broadcast Live on The CW on Sunday, January 14, 2024. The SeeHer Award honors a woman who advocates for gender equality, portrays characters with authenticity, defies stereotypes and pushes boundaries. SeeHer is a leading global movement for accurate portrayals of women and girls in media. A global collective of marketers, media organizations and industry influencers, SeeHer is committed to creating gender-bias-free advertising and media. Previous award recipients are Viola Davis (2017), Gal Gadot (2018), Claire Foy (2019), Kristen Bell (2020), Zendaya (2021), Halle Berry (2022), and...

America Ferrera has been set to receive the annual SeeHer Award at the 29th annual Critics Choice Awards, with the honor to be bestowed during next month’s ceremony.

The award honors a woman who advocates for gender equality, portrays characters with authenticity, defies stereotypes and pushes boundaries. Previous recipients include Viola Davis, Gal Gadot, Claire Foy, Kristen Bell, Zendaya, Halle Berry and in 2023 Janelle Monáe.

Ferrera had a big year co-starring in the year’s biggest box office blockbuster, Warner Bros’ Barbie, as well as in Dumb Money. She received the Groundbreaker Award earlier this month at the Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Cinema & Television: Honoring Black, Latino and Aapi Achievements.

Sher also was nominated for Critics Choice supporting actress award as part of Barbie‘s haul of a leading 18 nominations. Winners will be revealed in a ceremony set to air January 14 on the CW with Chelsea Handler hosting.

It didn’t take long for America Ferrera to find the personal connection in the speech she delivers as Gloria in the box-office smash “Barbie.”

“I think when we’re not historically meant to be in a room, it’s very difficult to show up in those spaces as your whole self,” she says on Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast. “Because you are taught to be grateful, you’re in the room. When you’re coming from a position of having a debt you owe to whoever opened that door for you and let you in, there’s this unspoken reminder that ‘you’re here somehow as a favor.’ And if we opened the door to let you in, we can open the door and let you out. Getting in the room is not the end of the work; it’s only the beginning.”

On this episode of the award-winning Variety Awards Circuit Podcast,...

Women in Film returned for its annual Wif Honors on Thursday night, once again recognizing the women working on the frontlines to change the entertainment industry for the better.

The event, held at The Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles, kicked off with the presentation of the Jane Fonda Humanitarian Award, selected and presented by the icon herself. Fonda explained that, “there’s great joy in being an artist, an actor — being paid for your work and recognized, fantastic, wonderful; but to be an activist that’s something else again. To act is to put on a performance, but to be an activist is to perform in service of the world.” She continued, “It’s hard to imagine a more perfect recipient of this recognition,” speaking of this year’s chosen honoree, America Ferrera.

“From her very first moment on the screen in Real Women Have Curves it was obvious...

America Ferrera spoke candidly about her Hollywood experience in an essay for Glamour.

The 39-year-old Barbie star was selected as one of the publication’s Women of the Year, and she reflected on her lifelong dream of balancing acting with advocacy work.

In the process, she revealed a time when she considered leaving acting behind. America explained why she was tempted and what ultimately made her change her mind. She also reaffirmed her fight to pursue equality and justice for women.

Read more about America Ferrera…

If you were unaware, America pursued a career in Hollywood while also going to school at University of Southern California, where she studied international relations.

She acknowledged that it was a challenging balancing act that pushed her to the extreme. As a freshmen, America said that she “started to doubt” if acting was worthwhile.

“Was I simply being frivolous and driven by my own ego and ambition?...

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo by watching movies made by and starring Mexican artists that provide a window into Mexican culture and history. From laugh-out-loud comedies to powerful dramas, there are all kinds of films that perfectly encapsulate the cultural voice of Mexico. Explore films like "Coco," "Roma," and "Selena" that not only entertain but also educate and inspire, showcasing the talent and richness of Mexican cinema.

There are plenty of great movies to watch on Cinco de Mayo that explore Mexican culture, holidays, and beliefs in a way that is both nuanced and engaging. Celebrated on May 5th, Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday that celebrates the Mexican victory over France during the Battle of Puebla in 1862. While today the holiday is more popular in the United States than in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is still viewed as a celebration of Mexican-American culture. And while there are plenty of...

The Creative Coalition’s annual Humanitarian Awards takes place the week of the Primetime Emmys — but even though the big show was pushed to January, the benefit luncheon still took place on Thursday, Sept. 14 at the La Peer Hotel rooftop in West Hollywood, attracting a wide range of honorees and presenters.

The Humanitarian Awards recognizes talent who donate their time, resources and their celebrity to promote worthy social causes. This year, honors went to Jason Alexander, Pauline Chalamet, Billy Eichner, Wendie Malick, Arian Moayed and Lena Waithe, as well as Josefina López, who was saluted with the Your Voice Carries Weight award. Presenters included Alyssa Milano, Cazzie David, Lawrence O’Donnell, Gloria Calderón Kellet, Samantha Hanratty, Debbie Levin, Bradley Whitford and Darnell Moore.

Variety co-editor-in-chief Cynthia Littleton hosted the luncheon, which opened with remarks from The Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk; both cited the org’s continued fight for arts funding and education.

Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro has nominated 27 Latino-driven films for inclusion in the National Film Registry. Among the suggestions are films that brought Oscar nominations to Latino actors and artists, including Salma Hayek, as Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in “Frida” (2002); Catalina Sandino Moreno, who portrayed a desperate undocumented pregnant immigrant in “Maria Full of Grace” (2004) and Demián Bichir, who played an undocumented worker in Los Angeles in “A Better Life” (2011). All were nominated for lead acting Oscars.

Other notable titles nominated by the congressman are Peter Sollett’s coming-of-age indie “Raising Victor Vargas,” Alfonso Arau’s romantic drama “Like Water for Chocolate (1992) and Darnell Martin’s “I Like It Like That” (1994), a story of a Puerto Rican family in the Bronx.

“Given the film industry’s continued exclusion of Latinos, we must make a special effort to ensure that Latino Americans’ contributions to American filmmaking are appropriately celebrated and included in the National Film Registry,...

America Ferrera delivers an empowering monologue in the Barbie movie, inspiring viewers with a speech about unfair expectations women face. Ferrera's other roles, such as Ana in Real Women Have Curves and Helen in Cesar Chavez, also inspire audiences with their focus on representation and social issues. Superstore and Ugly Betty showcase Ferrera's talent in portraying strong female characters who challenge societal norms and discrimination in the workplace.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Barbie movie.America Ferrera delivered an empowering monologue that proved highlight of the Barbie movie and her career, but the actress has several other roles under her belt that deserve as much attention as her Barbie performance. In Barbie, Ferrera plays Gloria, an employee of Mattel who helps Margot Robbie's Stereotypical Barbie find her way in the real world. When Barbie realizes the real world does not align with the female-forward convictions of the Barbie brand,...

This post contains spoilers for "Barbie."

David Fincher's adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel "Gone Girl" is undoubtedly one of his best, and its riveting climax has become an all-time great movie moment. The script, also written by Flynn, maintains some of the best dialogue verbatim from the book, including the now-famous "Cool Girl" monologue. Shortly after Nick (Ben Affleck) realizes that his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) faked her own death to set him up for the death penalty, she is shown in a montage going through the steps of her crimes while narrating the ways women are forced to exist in a world that prioritizes men and requires women to behave in archetypal ways to keep them happy:

"Being Cool Girl means I am a hot, brilliant, funny woman who adores football, poker, and dirty jokes, who plays videogames and chugs beer, loves threesomes and anal sex and...

Congressman Joaquin Castro and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have launched a nationwide call for Latino films to nominate for the National Film Registry.

The U.S.’s preeminent archive of films with cultural, historic or aesthetic significance is essential in preserving cinema. Every year, the Librarian of Congress adds 25 new movies to the registry after reviewing titles nominated by the public and conferring with National Film Preservation Board members and Library film curators. As of 2023, there are 24 Latino films on the National Film Registry, less than three percent of the 850 movies in the registry.

“Since the earliest days of cinema, Latino actors, writers, directors, and creatives have made extraordinary contributions to American filmmaking,” said Congressman Castro. “As the Library of Congress works to preserve the films that shaped American culture, public nominations will put a spotlight on the Latino-driven films that have sold out theaters and defined generations.

Thursday’s death of Queen Elizabeth II dominated the news cycle, but the first day of the Toronto International Film Festival was filled with hope for the future. Introducing opening-night entry “The Swimmers” at the Princess of Wales Theatre, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey addressed the two pandemic years that disrupted everything.

“It was artists, storytellers, filmmakers, who were finding ways to move us, inspire us, to remind us what we’re living for,” he said. “I want to thank you, the best movie audience in the world, for being part of this experience again.”

That experience takes many forms. The festival is a beacon for awards-season titles as well as red-carpet galas, documentaries, genre films, and international cinema. It’s also a snapshot of how the industry views commercial movies at a most fragile moment.

Netflix launched “The Swimmers,” the rousing-but-familiar true story of sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini (Nathalie...

"I don't know of a fat Latina who has not seen ['Real Women Have Curves'] and who it hasn't impacted . . . We all talk about it," Jessica Torres tells Popsugar. She's an Instagram influencer and one of the leading voices showing Latinas they can love themselves, no matter their size. Torres does a lot of her work on social media, curating a feed with an inclusive definition of beauty and helping others do the same.

But 20 years ago, when "Real Women Have Curves" came out, that wasn't an option. All we had was mainstream media and Hollywood, which was obsessed with thin, white young people. Jenny Viveros, a licensed clinical social worker (Lcsw) and founder of Latin Burlesque, remembers saving up to buy issues of Latina magazine. "I wanted to look like them," she says of the glossy women featured who were all "very thin, very model, you know, very light skinned, straight hair."

Related: Culture y Recuerdos: 20 Years Later,...

With its second season out on April 29, Amazon's "Undone" is back following Rosa Salazar's Alma as she time travels, addresses her own inadequacies, and tries to heal her family. She's not alone thanks to a largely Latina support system that includes her sister Becca (Angelique Cabral) and her mother, Camila (Constance Marie). This season, we also meet her abuelita Fabiola (Renée Victor) and tia Monse (Ana Ortiz), who also play significant roles in her life.

This season addresses what having so many Latinas in one cast does, which is proves there's no one way of being Latina. Let's start with what side of the border they're on. In the new season, Alma and Becca leave their home in San Antonio to visit their abuela and extended family in Mexico. Along the way, we learn it was their mom who crossed and started an Eeuu-based family. So in "Undone," we...

America Ferrera has signed on to play opposite Margot Robbie in “Barbie,” the upcoming movie from Warner Bros., Mattel and Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment.

Greta Gerwig is directing the movie, from a script she co-wrote with Noah Baumbach, with Robbie playing the titular toy doll and Ryan Gosling playing Ken. It is unknown who Ferrera will play as details of the film’s plot have been kept fantastically wrapped in plastic.

Best known for her Emmy-winning work on screen in projects like “Ugly Betty,” “Real Women Have Curves,” and as a voice actor in the popular “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise, Ferrera expanded her resume by producing the hit NBC comedy workplace comedy “Superstore” (which she also starred in for five of the show’s six seasons) and Netflix’s “Gentefied.” She also stepped behind the camera to direct multiple episodes of both shows.

Ferrera is set to make...

From an early age, America Ferrera knew she wanted to be an actress. "On the red tiles in my family's den, I would dance and sing to the made-for-tv movie Gypsy starring Bette Midler," she recalled during a 2019 Ted Talk. "''I had a dream, a wonderful dream, papa.' I would sing it with the urgency and the burning desire of a 9-year-old who did in fact have a dream." The 37-year-old star has certainly made this dream a reality. From her roles in Real Women Have Curves and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants to her performances in Ugly Betty and Superstore, Ferrera has appeared in several beloved movies and TV shows. And the dream continues. She's also working behind the camera...

Exclusive: Gersh has promoted three women and hired a fourth, all within its Television Literary Department, while tapping Alternative TV vet Collin Reno for the agency’s division in the nonfiction TV space.

The move aims to continue Gersh’s mission to provide opportunities for traditionally underrepresented demographics while bettering the department by bringing in different perspectives and experiences that will translate to developing unique stories.

The female agents are building a diverse roster of clients, with particular interests in writers and directors who are female, Bipoc and/or part of the Lgbtqia+ community.

Katy McCaffrey has been promoted to co-head of the department alongside Ian Greenstein, who has overseen the department since 2018. She joined Gersh in 2014 as an agent in the TV Literary Department. Among McCaffrey’s clients are Anya Adams, two-time winner of the NAACP Image Award for outstanding director in episodic comedy, and Emmy winner Ashley Bradley,...

The Toronto International Film Festival has revealed the slate of titles that will round out its contemporary world cinema and discovery programs.

Among the films playing in the contemporary world cinema lineup include director Wen Shipei’s “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” Lorenzo Vigas’ “The Box,” Manuel Martín Cuenca’s “The Daughter” and Bouli Lanners’ “Nobody Has to Know.” The discovery program will host Tea Lindeburg’s “As In Heaven,” filmmaker Hong Sung-eun’s “Aloners” and Anatolian Leopard from director Emre Kayış.

“TIFF Programmers continue discovering compelling and diverse stories from around the globe,” said Diana Sanchez, TIFF’s senior director of film. “With these two programmes, Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery, audiences can look forward to this stellar lineup to immerse themselves in. TIFF is dedicated to amplifying the voices of Black and Indigenous filmmakers and filmmakers of colour, emerging Canadian talent, and powerful storytellers who identify as women, and...

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures today announced its schedule of inaugural in-person screenings and public programs, which will begin on September 30 when the museum opens. The Academy Museum is the largest institution in the United States devoted to exploring the art and science of movies and moviemaking.

During the first three months of the Academy Museum’s opening, the museum will offer the public a robust, dynamic, and diverse slate of over 115 film screenings, discussions, and programs for film lovers of all ages, beginning with two special presentations of The Wizard of Oz (USA, 1939) featuring live musical accompaniment by the American Youth Symphony conducted by Academy Award®-nominated composer David Newman.

Other highlights of the museum’s first few months of in-person programming include the launch of ongoing series:

Stories of Cinema: featuring screenings of films highlighted in the museum’s core exhibition, including Real Women Have Curves (USA,...

America Ferrera has been cast in the Apple series “WeCrashed,” which tells the story of the rise and fall of WeWork, Variety has learned.

Ferrera joins previously announced cast members Jared Leto, Anne Hathaway, and Kyle Marvin. The series is based on the Wondery podcast of the same name. It is described as following the greed-filled rise and inevitable fall of WeWork, one of the world’s most valuable startups, and the narcissists whose chaotic love made it all possible.

Ferrera will play the role of Elishia Kennedy, a brilliant young entrepreneur seduced into joining WeWork whose life is turned upside down as a result.

On television, Ferrera is known for her starring roles in the ABC series “Ugly Betty” and the NBC series “Superstore.” On the film side, she has starred in projects like “Real Women Have Curves,” “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” films, and the “How to Train Your Dragon” films.

Retrospectives and focuses planned for Jane Campion, Satyajit Ray, Hayao Miyazaki.

Opening day screenings of The Wizard of Oz, and ongoing series highlighting among other subjects Oscar films directed by women and live conversations are among the roster of more than 115 films and events set for the first three months of Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Two performances of the classic 1939 fantasy adaptation The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland will open the museum on September 30, with live musical accompaniment by American Youth Symphony conducted by David Newman.

The inaugural programming schedule of series include ’Stories Of Cinema’ selections from...

Finally, after years of delays, some caused by the pandemic, some not, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on La Brea and Wilshire has revealed its launch schedule of live screenings and public programs to begin on opening day, September 30. The first three months brings over 115 film programs, panels, and events, beginning with two screenings of MGM musical “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) with live musical accompaniment by the American Youth Symphony conducted by Oscar perennial David Newman.

Among the continuing virtual programs leading up to the museum’s opening are a conversation with Oscar-winner Spike Lee and writer-director-producer Shaka King, and a 20th anniversary screening of “Y tu mamá también”. Clearly, the Academy Museum is launching at a time when inclusion and diversity are front and center for curators and programmers. “As with all of our exhibitions and initiatives,” stated Bill Kramer, Director and President of the Academy Museum, “we...

Finally, after years of delays, some caused by the pandemic, some not, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on La Brea and Wilshire has revealed its launch schedule of live screenings and public programs to begin on opening day, September 30. The first three months brings over 115 film programs, panels, and events, beginning with two screenings of MGM musical “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) with live musical accompaniment by the American Youth Symphony conducted by Oscar perennial David Newman.

Among the continuing virtual programs leading up to the museum’s opening are a conversation with Oscar-winner Spike Lee and writer-director-producer Shaka King, and a 20th anniversary screening of “Y tu mamá también”. Clearly, the Academy Museum is launching at a time when inclusion and diversity are front and center for curators and programmers. “As with all of our exhibitions and initiatives,” stated Bill Kramer, Director and President of the Academy Museum, “we...

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has announced its inaugural in-person programming schedule, which features two screenings of “The Wizard of Oz” with a live accompaniment by the American Youth Symphony, conducted by composer David Newman, on opening day.

During the first three months of the museum’s opening, it will offer a diverse and robust slate of over 115 screenings, discussions and programs, along with ongoing special and standalone series

Special series and standalone screenings include:

“Malcolm X“ in 70mm: a screening for Academy Museum Members of the seminal film, with special guests Spike Lee and Denzel Washington. Oscar Frights: featuring screenings of Oscar-winning and nominated horror films, including “Get Out” (2017) and “Psycho” (1960). Hayao Miyazaki: in conjunction with the Academy Museum’s landmark exhibition on Hayao Miyazaki, the Academy Museum will screen the filmmaker’s complete body of work as a feature director, including “My Neighbor Totoro” (1988) and “Spirited Away...

Appropriately, considering one of the key attractions of the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures are Dorothy’s infamous ruby-red shoes, the museum’s official opening screening September 30 will be The Wizard of Oz accompanied by the American Youth Symphony conducted by David Newman.

But there is much more both before and after the museum’s public unveiling at the end of September. The Academy has unveiled a slew of discussions, programs and 115 screenings over the course of the first three months after the doors open on the Los Angeles venue. Other movie-oriented events will include Oscar Sundays featuring Oscar-honored films, and “Oscar Frights” with movies like Get Out and Psycho. Spike Lee and Denzel Washington will be on hand for a 70Mm screening of Malcolm X. A program of movies featuring women composers is also on tap, and are retrospectives of filmmakers Jane Campion and Satyajit Ray among many others.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures‘ inaugural in-person schedule for its first three months will begin on its Sept. 30 opening day with two special presentations of the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz.” Those will feature live musical accompaniment by the American Youth Symphony conducted by composer David Newman, the museum said Wednesday.

MGM

The museum will offer more than 115 film screenings, discussions and programs. According to a museum statement other highlights include the launch of these ongoing series:

Stories of Cinema: featuring screenings of films highlighted in the museum’s core exhibition, including Real Women Have Curves and The Way of the Dragon.Oscar® Sundays: held every Sunday evening in the David Geffen Theater, this series celebrates films that have been honored at the Academy Awards®. For the series’ first iteration, we are celebrating the work of women directors, including Harlan County, U.S.A. and Seven Beauties.Family Matinees:...

Gabrielle Union and Jeremy Pope have been cast in the A24 movie “The Inspection,” based on the life of filmmaker and Marine Corps veteran Elegance Bratton.

Bratton is writing the screenplay and directing the film in his feature debut. It will begin shooting later this summer.

Pope, who received Tony Award nominations for “Ain’t Too Proud” and “Choir Boy,” as well as Emmy recognition for Ryan Murphy’s miniseries “Hollywood,” has landed the leading role in “The Inspection.” He will portray a young gay man who enlists in the Marines. Union will play the mother whose approval he seeks.

Bratton began making films as a U.S. Marine after spending a decade homeless because he was kicked out of his house for being gay. He recently won an Independent Spirit Award for his documentary “Pier Kids,” and has previously directed the short films “Walk for Me” and “Buck.”

A...

Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union have been set to star in The Inspection, a drama that will mark the narrative feature-film debut of filmmaker and photographer Elegance Bratton. He wrote and will direct the pic, an autobiographical tale that will be a co-production between A24 and Passing producer Gamechanger Films. It is set to begin production this summer.

Plot details are few, but Pope, a dual Emmy and Tony nom, will play a young gay man who enlists in the Marines. Union will play his mother whose approval he is desperate to win.

Effie T. Brown will produce and co-finance on behalf of Gamechanger. A24 will also co-finance and handle worldwide distribution. Chester Algernal Gordon will produce via Freedom Principle.

Bratton is coming off Spirit Award and Outfest honors...

Gabrielle Union and Jeremy Pope are set to star in “The Inspection” for A24, a film about a gay man who enlists in the Marines.

“The Inspection” is the narrative debut feature of Elegance Bratton, who last year directed the documentary “Pier Kids” about homeless trans youth, tracking their journey across years as they worked to find homes and stable relationships. The film earned Bratton an Independent Spirit Award.

Bratton wrote and will direct “The Inspection,” and the story is based on his own life experience. Pope will star as the young man enlisting in the Marines, while Union will star as Pope’s mother, whose approval he’s desperate to win.

Effie T. Brown will produce and co-finance on behalf of Gamechanger Films. A24 will co-finance and is handling worldwide distribution. Chester Algernal Gordon will also produce via their Freedom Principle banner.

“Elegance brings authenticity, heart and a fresh...

Exclusive: HBO Publicity veteran Tonya Owens is leaving the WarnerMedia network after 25 years to join Disney Television Studios as VP Talent Relations. Additionally, the Disney TV studio group has promoted longtime awards strategist Kottie Kreischer to VP Awards and Events.

Owens takes over the role previously held by Jen Weinberg, who exited in February to join WarnerMedia as Head of Talent Relations and Events for HBO, HBO Max, TBS, TNT and truTV.

Owens will oversee relationships with talent across series produced by 20th Television, ABC Signature and 20th Television Animation and organizing internal and external events. She’ll also work closely with the studio’s awards team, led by Kreischer, who develops and implements awards strategy in addition to managing submissions, trade advertising, media and FYC events.

At HBO, Owens most recently served as VP Media Relations. During her tenure, she oversaw publicity and awards campaigns for more than 75 HBO...

Gabourey Sidibe is set to make her feature directorial debut with the psychological thriller “Pale Horse” for Gamechanger Films.

The film is being co-developed and financed by Gamechanger, a production company and development fund dedicated to projects by and about women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community and people with disabilities. The film is slated to shoot this fall.

“Pale Horse” is based on a story by Chris Courtney Martin (“The Last Laugh”), with a screenplay by Asabi Lee and Paul Hart-Wilden (“Wolf Town”). Described as a psychological thriller set in the Pacific Northwest, the film follows an African American woman named Naia, who is also a celebrated, reclusive author living with multiple sclerosis. As the story progresses, Naia finds herself ensnared in a diabolical mystery when she shelters the man who escaped captivity with her long-missing brother.

“I’m super excited to work with Gamechanger on my first feature,...

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has unveiled a robust series of programs in the run-up to its planned opening on Sept. 30, highlighting film artists including Spike Lee, Hayao Miyazaki and Satyajit Ray.

The museum held a virtual tour for media Wednesday to discuss the programming and museum’s progress, hosted by Academy governor Laura Dern.

Throughout the presentation, Academy spokespersons emphasized the inclusion of a diverse array of filmmakers and artisans from the U.S. and around the world. The museum will not ignore the industry’s blindspots, the presentation emphasized.

“We will not shy away from problematic moments,” said Dern, “The exhibition also showcases less-proud moments in the history of the cinema.”

Bill Kramer, director and president of the Academy Museum, explained how those moments will be integrated throughout the museum’s exhibits and programming. “We didn’t want these conversations to sit in a separate gallery. We...