NYWIFT member Arlette Thomas-Fletcher is a multi-talented filmmaker and production executive. She has handled every creative and technical aspect of media production during her decades-long career, writing, directing, and producing her own projects and those of others.
Arlette’s 2022 western Christian film The Lonesome Trail was released in July 2022 on all VOD platforms and Blu-ray disc, and also as a hardcover book. The Lonesome Trail won 18 awards and has two nominations.
Arlette is a published author and has several books on Amazon, including her children’s book Dreamer’s Journey, which was just released. She is currently working on an animated series called The Cat Faced Cat.
Tell us about yourself – give us your elevator pitch!
I am an award-winning writer, director, and producer of family content. Also, I am an author and singer/songwriter. I love to tell stories! Whether it is writing a children’s book, singing a song, or telling a western story. I just want to entertain and motivate audiences to take a positive journey through a fantastic tale. We all want to be wowed or exhilarated by a story that is different and life-changing. That’s what I love to do for people of all ages whether it is through my books, songs, or my films.
You’re a true multi-hyphenate – directing, writing, producing, and more. Which aspect of the media industry is your favorite and why?
My favorite part of the media industry is directing. I love visually mapping out a story and seeing it come to life first in the actor’s face, and then the audience that sees the end product.
What first brought you to NYWIFT?
I came to NYWIFT because I love being around creative people. I was president of Women in Film and Video in Maryland, and I grew as a filmmaker. I am still growing and learning. I believe NYWIFT can help me expand my knowledge in the film industry and become a better filmmaker.
Congratulations on your new book! What is it about?
Dreamer’s Journey is about dreaming and exploring through a child’s imagination. The purpose of the book is to assist a child with learning what they can become in the future. It allows children to know that they can be anything they want to be in this world. It is a great book for children to read to practice and learn how to plan their dreams. The book also can be a partnership between the parent and child together discovering all the fantastic things that a child can learn and use to make their dreams come true.
You mentioned that you’ve been involved in the NYWIFT New Works Lab and that your colleagues from the Lab helped make this book happen. Can you tell us more about that? How did the NYWIFT community contribute to your creative process?
The NYWIFT New Work Lab was a great place to present my book and get an objective view from the members of NYWIFT. It helped me to rework my book and shape it into a stronger story.
What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I hope the readers will take away that dreaming is wonderful! Also, they will understand that there are so many opportunities for them to be anything they want if only they would dream. I want them to be able to see the manifestation of their dreams come true. This book will help parents and children to see this happen.
What’s next for you?
I am currently working on an animated series called The Cat Faced Cat. I am also in the development of a female-focused action feature film. Further, my new book will be coming out in the coming months which is called Giving God’s Love to Others. My book for my feature western film The Lonesome Trail can be found on Amazon.
Connect with Arlette on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and follow The Lonesome Trail on its Instagram as well.
You can learn more about her personal website www.arlettethomasfletcher.com and the website for her production company, www.fruitsofthespiritproductions.com.
Check out Dreamer’s Journey on Amazon.
Katie Chambers
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Madeleine Rotzler
Welcome to NYWIFT, Madeleine Rotzler! Madeleine Rotzler is an Emmy® Award-winning director and producer of documentaries and narrative feature films. Fiction films include the upcoming O Horizon and O.G., currently on HBO. Non-fiction films include HBO’s Emmy-nominated It’s a Hard Truth Ain’t It, Emmy-winning Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus, and Oscar-shortlisted The Lottery. Her most recent film, O Horizon, was described as “bound to be one of the season's sweetest charmers.” The film premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2025 where it won the Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema. O.G., Madeleine’s narrative feature debut, and It’s a Hard Truth Ain’t It were both filmed inside a maximum-security prison in Indiana in collaboration with men incarcerated there. Most of the cast of O.G. were incarcerated. It’s a Hard Truth Ain’t It marked the first time incarcerated directors were nominated for an Emmy. In our interview, Madeleine discussed her award-winning films and her perspective on the impact of filmmaking.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Samantha Herrera
Welcome to NYWIFT, Samantha Herrera! Samantha Herrera is a queer Filipina artist born and raised in Queens, NY. Her roots began in theatre with training at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, The Neighborhood Playhouse, and LAMDA. Saint Vegas is the first narrative film she has directed, written, and produced. It will internationally premiere in the Philippines hosted by Cine Balikbayan. This November, she played one of the lead roles in Diwata, directed by Shea Formanes. Aside from filmmaking, Samantha works at her alma mater - The Neighborhood Playhouse - and runs a Filipino food pop-up business with her partner. In our interview, Samantha discussed the mentors who shaped her artistry, her inspirations, and her upcoming work.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Joyce Hills
Welcome to NYWIFT, Joyce Hills! Joyce Hills is a recent graduate of NYU Tisch, where she co-wrote and directed the culturally-rich epic Viking short film The Feather, featuring out-of-this-world SFX hair and makeup, practical stunts, and generative workflows on a virtual production volume. She was the First Assistant Director and VFX Supervisor on the Seed & Spark-awarded short film Night of Melancholia, interned in Virtual Production at Gum Studios in Brooklyn, and performed as Sugarsop, The Widow, and assorted household servants in Will Kempe’s Players’ The Taming of the Shrew. Joyce is developing her first feature film, a dark fantasy inspired by mystical quests, heroes’ journeys, and time and destiny in popular culture. She is also developing a science fiction feminist short, and is pursuing additional education in XR mediamaking and STEM. In our interview, she discussed her childhood inspirations, emerging technologies, and the future of storytelling.
READ MORENYWIFT Member Spotlight: Kelcey Edwards
NYWIFT Member Kelcey Edwards found her way into documentary filmmaking through Iron Gate Studios, a nonprofit gallery and artist workspace she cofounded in her early twenties in Austin, Texas. At the time, she was making small narrative films alongside many other Austin-based filmmakers involved in the “mumblecore” scene; her first film, Letter, screened at SXSW in 2006. Since cameras and equipment were always present in the gallery, she began interviewing many of the artists who visited the space. Over time, the habit of recording conversations and documenting artists’ lives became a steady part of her practice. That interest eventually led her to pursue an MFA in Documentary Film at Stanford and later to move to New York, where she continued developing their work. About a decade later, she directed The Art of Making It, a feature documentary about the art world, which won the Audience Award at SXSW in 2022. It’s currently available on most streaming platforms. Kelcey’s films have received support from the MacArthur Foundation, Sundance, and Tribeca Film Institute, among others, have been broadcast internationally, and have screened at top-tier festivals including SXSW, Berlinale, and Hamptons International. In our interview, Kelcey discussed her teaching philosophy, approach to filmmaking, and upcoming projects.
READ MORE
Comments are closed