From everyone at World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation, we would like to wish director Tamar Simon Hoffs a very Happy Birthday! The inspirational Tamar Simon Hoffs is an award-winning director, writer, and producer who was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Director Tamar Simon Hoffs became the first woman to receive the triple director, writer, producer credit in 1987 for The Allnighter, a major studio feature film. Hoffs began her directing career when she was selected to participate in the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women in 1980. She debuted a short film, The Haircut, starring John Cassavetes which was later acquired by Universal Studios in 1983. The film went on to be the official selection at Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, and Sundance Film Festival.

According to San Diego State’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, presented by the Hollywood Reporter, women make up only 7% of all directors on the top 250 films. As an established filmmaker, Tamar Simon Hoffs is a great inspiration for women in the industry and I had the pleasure to speak with her. To make it in the film industry, Hoffs advised women to get involved in film festivals and make short, quality films to establish a reputation. Hoffs also advised that your work must be personal and you must love what you do; if not, it is just a lot of work.

Today, Tamar Simon Hoffs is best known for directing independent films Red Roses and Petrol (2003) and Pound of Flesh (2010), starring actor Malcolm McDowell. Red Roses and Petrol won first place at the Avignon Film Festival in 2005. It was also an official selection at AFI, Bangkok, Galway and Deauville Festivals, and Toronto’s Film Circuit.The Irish film is “a story about love, life, and loss… with a splash of whiskey,” and can be found on indiemoviestore.com.

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March is not only a time to welcome the springtime but also a month to celebrate women worldwide as it is Women’s History Month! There have been a lot of women who have contributed to the film industry―whether through directing, screenwriting, etc. A great example would be Tamar Simon Hoffs, who is well-known for her work in the film Red Roses and Petrol (2003) that was distributed by World Wide Motion Pictures (WWMPC). Hoffs is particularly interesting as she is the first woman to receive credit for playing all three roles of director, writer, and producer for the major studio film, The Allnighter (1987).

Despite the great strides women in the film industry have accomplished, there has been a problem for both genders in Hollywood―diversity. As a result, to commemorate Women’s History Month, why not discuss the growth in diversity amongst actresses throughout the years? Here are two amazing actresses that have made significant contributions to the diversity in Hollywood!

First off would be Academy Award Golden Globe and Emmy award actress, Viola Davis! Since 2014, Davis has been in the popular TV drama How to Get Away with Murder, and in 2015 she became the first black woman of any nationality to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Her portrayal in the TV drama also won her two SAG Awards in 2015 and 2016. In 2012, she was listed by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. And Sunday she won her first Academy Award, for her role in "Fences."

Another actress that promotes diversity would be Constance Wu! Wu is known for her role as Jessica Huang in the ABC comedy series Fresh Off the Boat. It is a known fact that there is a limited number of Asian actors in Hollywood and Wu is well-known to speak her thoughts regarding this matter. For instance, in one of her interviews with Entertainment Weekly, she stated “[Diversity] doesn't mean we want the white people to write Asian stories. What I want is to foster the Asian-American writers and directors and producers and actors...foster their stories to come into the spotlight a little bit.”

It is great to see the growth that women in the film industry, especially in Hollywood, have accomplished. Although there still exist problems and obstacles actresses have to face, they have indeed come a long way! Let’s clap our hands for the actresses out there who continue to push through these obstacles and help pave the way for other women in the industry or those interested in joining.

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