Anna Hozian: Congratulations to Anna Hozian, whose screenplay Anchor Baby, about a 13-year-old growing up in the Arizona Border Militia, has been acquired by Lynmar Entertainment (The Lost City of Z, Pawn Sacrifice). Hozian developed the script at The Writers Lab in 2015.
Nicole Kidman: In an interview with The New York Times, the star discusses her commitment to bringing complex female characters to the screen as both an actor and a producer. She is currently nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of an adoptive mother of a lost Indian boy in Lion. The mini-series Big Little Lies, which she co-produced and stars in, is about to premiere on HBO.
Download Now: The documentary Do You Dream in Color?, which received the NYWIFT Loreen Arbus Disability Awareness grant, is now available on VOD, digital and select PBS stations.
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