NYWIFT.org
Women in ... Horror Filmmaking
While many associate the term "horror" with high-pitched screaming, the women on this panel embrace and excel in this cult genre.

Taking charge in front and behind the camera and at events internationally, these panelists have been actively changing the stereotype of what makes a woman valuable in this thrilling industry. So, take a walk on the dark side as we hear from a variety of women about how they are turning the tides of terror.

Letitia Guillory is a multidisciplinary mixed-media performance artist, writer and educator. Guillory’s solo performances, The Further Adventures of Gussie Mae in America, MAE, and THE (beginning of the End), have received productions throughout the U.S. MAE was chosen by the Eugene O'Neill Playwright's Conference 2002 to be part of its festival. She has received awards and grants from the Puffin Foundation and NYU, among others. Guillory’s writing credits include the plays Dust of Life, SHELTER: A Photograph of Hope, Dancing in Her Head: The Life of Katherine Dunham, and the horror screenplays LIGHTS OUT!, Hotel California and Grace.

Emily Hagins has directed three feature films as well as several short films and music videos. She was the first teenage girl in the U.S. to make a feature film, at the age of 12, with Pathogen. She was also the subject of the documentary Zombie Girl: The Movie. Her third feature, My Sucky Teen Romance, was picked up for distribution by Dark Sky Films, and can be found on DVD/Blu-ray/VOD. She is also one of the directors for Chiller's upcoming 5 Senses of Fear anthology project.

Ashley Havey joined the Tribeca Film Festival in 2004 and has served on the Festival programming team since 2010. Havey received her BA in Philosophy from Bryn Mawr College and completed her MA in Cinema Studies at NYU. A native of Pittsburgh (aka "the Land of Romero"), she credits the rust belt for her deep appreciation of all things abject.

Renee Huff is currently an Associate Manager at HBO in the Domestic Network Distribution department where she assists in the execution of HBO and Cinemax online and social promotions in partnership with HBO affiliates.began her career as an Account Executive for Campbell-Ewald, where she helped launch a Chevrolet campaign in promotion with Transformers. Next, she was an Associate Digital Marketing Manager for Simon & Schuster, handling a cross-promotion with The Walking Dead board game. Huff developed marketing campaigns for paranormal romance authors and TV tie-in editions. She was a Freelance Marketing Specialist for Maxim Media Intl., a horror film production company. She is Marketing Director for the Gotham Screen International Film Festival and evaluates scripts for Triboro Pictures.

Kimberly Magness has been an actress and model since childhood, making appearances on Rachael Ray, Nate Berkus, The Daily Show and E! News. She was the lead in the horror film Devil’s Grove, working alongside Michael J. Hein, who she also worked with on Generation UM. Recently, she can be seen as the victim on the shows Scorned, Stalked, and Mysteries at the Museum. She has been honored with the Scream Queen award and listed on IMDb as one of the hottest actresses in horror movies. Magness has been a judge and filmmaker liaison for the renowned New York City Horror Film Festival.

Jane Rose got her start in filmmaking as a member of Reel Sweet Betty, a Brooklyn-based guerilla filmmaker collective, and branched out into makeup FX after making several short horror films of her own. Rose’s makeup work has been seen on The History Channel, The Today Show, and Conan O'Brien, and in many local film and theater productions. She has won several awards for her work on Gotta/Enk’s feature-length werewolf movie The Big Bad.

Cindy Sanabria formed WriterScene, a group of aspiring NYC video/film artists devoted to making no/low-budget guerilla films. From 2010-2011, Sanabria put together the WriterScene Variety Show highlighting short film screenings from the WriterScene team, combined with performances. In 2010, she made a documentary about the  horror magazine Fangoria. She has taught film, video and TV studio production at the Pequeno Teatro theater program in an NYC Housing Authority community center. She is currently in post on her first feature-length film Feral Child. She is also working on a suspense/thriller short Second Hand Smoke and a horror-based web series.

Produced by Rachel Gordon and Susan Adriensen.

NYWIFT programs, screenings and events are supported, in part, by grants from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Last updated: Oct. 23, 2012