Women Laughing
A documentary about the women cartoonists of The New Yorker, past and present, and the power of their work to help us see differently.
Liza Donnelly
WOMEN LAUGHING is a documentary about the diverse women cartoonists who have graced the pages of The New Yorker from the first issue to the present day, as well as a fun, insightful journey into how women's humor reflects their struggles and helps us to see differently.
In WOMEN LAUGHING, New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly sets out to explore her lifelong passion for humor and cartooning by talking with, and sometimes drawing with, other funny women. These fantastic and groundbreaking women will include the iconic Roz Chast; Amy Hwang, the magazine's first Asian woman cartoonist; stand up cartoonist Emily Flake; and Bishakh Som, the magazine's first trans woman cartoonist, among others.
For centuries, in fact until very recently, women and people of color were mostly kept away from the gates of humor. In this entertaining and eye-opening film, Donnelly also draws on her acclaimed book, Very Funny Ladies, which tells the little-known story of the women cartoonists who have appeared on the pages of the celebrated magazine since it was founded nearly 100 years ago.
From the pioneering cartoonists like Barbara Shermund and Helen Hokinson in the 1920s, to the artists of the second wave of feminism in the 1970s, right up to the present, the film will look at how far women have come in a field long dominated by men.
Like good comedians, cartoon artists hold up a mirror, reflecting the good, bad and the ugly bits of our culture right back at us, while making us laugh. Today at The New Yorker, there are more diverse artists who are women and non-binary. Yet the struggle is far from over.
New Yorker cartoonists Roz Chast, Amy Hwang, Emily Flake, Liza Donnelly This film will explore how women's humor is changing the narrative by helping us see the world differently.
Donnelly's journey is to understand the lure of humor, especially for women cartoonists. What are they working towards? The next laugh, or something more profound?
The film is currently in pre-production, and we plan to begin filming this summer.
The New Yorker Magazine is turning 100 years old in 2025, and our goal is to complete and premiere the film next year in time for the many anniversary celebrations for the iconic publication.
Liza will be working with director Kathleen Hughes, a three time Emmy-award winning filmmaker, whose most recent films include THE AMERICAN DREAM AND OTHER FAIRY TALES with Abigail Disney, and TWO AMERICAN FAMILIES with Bill Moyers, as well as with producer Judith Mizrachy whose recent films include the BOOKSELLERS, UNCROPPED, and the Oscar-nominated THE MARTHA MITCHELL EFFECT. Combined, our team has deep knowledge and passion for telling these women's stories.
Some of the women cartoonists at the Society of Illustrators in NYC We would love to have you as part of the team! Make sure to be following us on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date with the project!
Risks and challenges
The challenge for this film is to show the amazing creativity of these artists and the nuance of what they do. Liza plans to talk and draw with the cartoonists and we hope to make it a deep and funny conversation as we draw. Since Liza is friends with the artists, we hope this will come naturally so that the viewer can experience it with her.
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