LATEST blogs
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Aayushi Shah
Welcome to NYWIFT, Aayushi Shah! Aayushi is an award-winning South Asian screenwriter/filmmaker based in New York. Her screenplays have gained recognition from Oscar-qualifying festivals across the USA, while her filmmaking work (directing/producing/assistant-directing) includes shorts and features that’ve been showcased at festivals around the world or have streamed on Netflix and other platforms. Throughout her film career, she has worked for leading organizations like Bloomberg, The Juilliard School, PVH Corp., Industrial Scripts, and the Berlinale. Recently, she served as a juror for the FOLCS International Short Film Competition. Her writing has been published online and her work has been featured in the press.
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Kaitlyn Diehl
Welcome to NYWIFT, Kaitlyn Diehl! Kaitlyn is an actor, producer, and screenwriter based between Philadelphia and NYC. She has starred in 25+ shorts, features, web series, and commercials in lead and supporting roles. Her first foray into filmmaking began when she co-wrote, co-produced, and co-starred in a short film with her sister, Jackie Diehl, titled Willow. The short was accepted into 13 festivals up and down the East Coast and won Audience Choice at the Media Film Festival. Inspired by the positive reception of Willow, Kaitlyn has since produced another short, Stand Up, and her first feature film, TINO. Both began their film festival circuits this spring. Kaitlyn continues to write and is currently in pre-production for a few exciting film projects. Stay tuned!
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Persia White
Welcome to NYWIFT, Persia White! Persia White is an actor, director, writer, visual artist, musician, and activist best known for her lead roles on Girlfriends and The Vampire Diaries. A passionate filmmaker, she co-produced the award-winning documentary Earthlings, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix. Her directing work includes acclaimed music videos such as Vampire, NOLA, and Robot Love, earning international festival recognition. She has also produced and co-written award-winning short films for Russell Simmons and Ovation. Persia co-founded Morgan White Productions with Joseph Morgan, and in 2026, Persia is launching Always and Forever, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting diversity and amplifying female voices in film, TV, and the visual arts.
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Rosa Arredondo
Welcome to NYWIFT, Rosa Arredondo! Rosa is a multi-hyphenate, native New Yorker. Most recently, she originated the role of John Leguizamo’s sister in The Public Theater’s premiere of his original play The Other Americans. Other credits include: two seasons as Francey Jones, on CBS’s So Help Me Todd, opposite Marcia Gay Harden, as well as four seasons as Sheriff Valenti, on The WB’s Roswell New Mexico. Other television credits include Mare of Easttown, opposite Kate Winslet; Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us; Blue Bloods; The Equalizer; Blindspot; The Blacklist; and The Good Wife, to name a few. She has also enjoyed recurring roles on Ordinary Joe, Gone, opposite Chris Noth; and Quantico, opposite Blair Underwood. Her film credits include Academy Award Winner Still Alice, opposite Julianne Moore; The Secret Art of Human Flight, which received a Best Feature nomination at The Tribeca Festival; and Tribeca Festival pick Baby Girl by award-winning director Macdara Vallely. Rosa Arredondo founded Seven Sister Productions to provide a platform for stories from the female perspective. She wrote, produced, and starred in her solo show I Walked Across the Ocean Floor, which premiered Off-Broadway with Royal Family Productions, and, which received a Best Short nomination at the Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto.
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