New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) was proud to present 11 NYWIFT Festival Awards to emerging and established filmmakers across six New York-area festivals throughout 2024. The organization provides cash prizes and complimentary association memberships to filmmakers as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting women content creators in narrative and documentary filmmaking.
NYWIFT presented festival awards for Excellence in Directing across various categories to:
Tracie Laymon (Bob Trevino Likes It) and Sue Kim (The Last of the Sea Women) at the Hamptons International Film Festival; Wendy Bednarz (Yellow Bus) at the New York Indian Film Festival; Ella Glendining (Is There Anybody Out There?) and Violeta Ayala (La Lucha) at ReelAbilities Film Festival; Dana Conroy (Broken Eyes) and Sadie Bones (If That Mockingbird Don’t Sing) at SOHO International Film Festival; Catherine Gund (Paint Me a Road Out of Here) and Herrana Addisu (The River) at Urbanworld Film Festival; and Jessica Blank & Erik Jensen (Brooklyn, Minnesota) and Eunice Lau (Troll Storm) at the Woodstock Film Festival.
“Making a film at any time is challenging – but especially in 2024, coming out of COVID restrictions, industry strikes, and economic challenges. We at NYWIFT are proud to be able to support these phenomenal women filmmakers in their creative endeavors, welcoming them to our community where they will find further collaboration and inspiration to achieve their goals,” said NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez.
The organization’s festival awards initiative was first established in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide cash support and association memberships to filmmakers demonstrating remarkable achievements in narrative and documentary directing. Past recipients have included Jennifer Esposito for Fresh Kills, Madeleine Gavin for Beyond Utopia, Zainab Jah for Reunion, Signe Baumane for My Love Affair with Marriage, and Ellie Foumbi for Our Father the Devil, among many others.
Read more about the 2024 award winners below.
About the 2024 NYWIFT Festival Award Winners
Hamptons International Film Festival
Tracy Laymon – Bob Trevino Likes It
Lily Trevino (Barbie Ferreira, ‘Euphoria’) longs for familial connection, having been abandoned by her erratic and self-centered father Bob (French Stewart). When Lily stumbles across another Bob Trevino (Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo) online who is as lonely as she is, the two strike up an unexpected friendship that quickly becomes a vital source of healing in both their lives. Inspired by writer/director Tracie Laymon’s own story, and winner of the Narrative Feature Jury and Audience Awards at SXSW, Bob Trevino Likes It is a funny and tender testament to the extraordinary power of small acts of kindness when you least expect them.
Tracie Laymon is an award-winning writer and director from Texas. Their early work includes a segment of “Girls! Girls! Girls!” featuring Elaine Hendrix and Octavia Spencer, which won the Jury Award for Short Film of the Year from the Women’s Image Network. Tracie directed the first half hour series for Hulu, Goodnight Burbank, starring Dominic Monaghan, and their film Mixed Signals, which premiered at LA Shorts in 2018, earned them multiple Best Director awards. Their short film “Ghosted” garnered Best Director awards at Big Bear Film Summit, Big Sur Film Festival, Seattle Film Festival and the Hollywood Gold Awards. It also won Best Short Film at Seattle, the audience award for Best Short Film at Big Bear Film Summit, Best Writer at the Seattle Film Festival and more. Tracie’s debut feature, Bob Trevino Likes It, starring Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo, premiered at SXSW 2024, winning the Grand Jury and Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature.
Sue Kim – The Last of the Sea Women
Often called real-life mermaids, the haenyeo divers of South Korea’s Jeju Island are renowned for centuries of freediving to the ocean floor—without oxygen—to harvest seafood for their livelihood. Today, their way of life is in imminent danger from a changing climate and a modern world, but these fierce, funny and hardworking grandmothers refuse to give an inch, aided by a younger generation’s fight to revive their ancestral lifestyle through social media. Peering into what drives haenyeo young and old, THE LAST OF THE SEA WOMEN documents the women’s tight-knit friendships, savvy independence, and wonderfully infectious sense of empowerment.
The daughter of Korean immigrants, Sue Kim was raised in Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in English Literature. Before moving into documentary filmmaking, she spent 20 years as a commercial producer, making award-winning content for brands like Nike and Adidas.
Her directorial debut, The Speed Cubers, follows the lives of two Rubik’s Cube-solving champions, Max Park and Feliks Zemdegs and the friendship that ensues. The film premiered on Netflix in July 2020, and has been nominated for a Critics Choice Award and was shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject.
New York Indian Film Festival
Wendy Bednarz – Yellow Bus
After discovering that her daughter was abandoned to perish in the blistering desert heat on a school bus, an Indian woman residing in the Arabian Gulf sets out on a quest for the truth and justice.
Wendy Bednarz’s career began with New York’s fashion industry, working for Stephen Sprouse in the old Andy Warhol Factory. There she developed a taste for the offbeat and a love of both still and moving images. Today, her work crosses over storytelling forms: film, photography and video installation. Her passion for visual language is underpinned by its power to transcend boundaries and touch on the pulse of what it means to be human. Having spent over a decade living in multicultural environments, including SE Asia and The Gulf, Wendy believes that there are infinite lenses through which to view the world. One initiative that Wendy is proud is Syrian Children’s Storybook in which where she worked with refugee children to write/illustrate their own stories, culminating in the book The Pistachio Tree. Yellow Bus is Wendy’s debut narrative feature film (writer/director), a story in five languages: English, Hindi, Arabic, Urdu and Tagalog and produced by Screen Project, coproduced by Sikhya Entertainment and OSN. The film premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and has since played at festivals around the world, winning 18 awards.Her award-winning short films Leaving Gussie, On Crystal, Aurora, and Burning Money, have screened at venues worldwide including New York MoMA, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Montreal World Festival and St. Petersburg Film Festival. Currently Wendy is developing the feature films Yahoo Boy – a story of an American widow who falls in love with an online scammer and goes to Nigeria to meet him – and Shahana – a story of a couple living in Singapore who faced with having to return their adopted baby to the Muslim birth mother, convert to Islam. Wendy splits her time between New York City and The United Arab Emirates where she is an Arts Professor of Film and New Media at New York University Abu Dhabi.
ReelAbilities Film Festival
Ella Glendining – Is There Anybody Out There?
After years of living with mysterious symptoms, a young girl from Brooklyn and a Duke University scientist are diagnosed with a disease said to not exist: Chronic Lyme disease. Their search for answers lands them in the middle of a vicious medical debate. What begins as a patient story evolves into an investigation into the history of Lyme disease, dating back to its discovery in 1975. A paper trail of suppressed scientific research and buried documents reveals why ticks—and the diseases they carry—have been allowed to quietly spread around the globe.
Ella Glendining is a Writer/Director dedicated to telling authentic disabled stories, drawing on her own experience with a congenital, rare leg disability. Her first feature film, Is There Anybody Out There? will be premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2023 as part of the World Cinema Documentary competition.
Ella has written/directed short films with backing from Film4, the BFI, Arts Council England, Screen South, and the National Paralympic Heritage Trust. Ella was named one of Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow 2020. She is currently writing a feature fiction film called Curiosities of Fools for the BFI.
Violeta Ayala – La Lucha
When a group of people with disabilities in Bolivia unite in protest for a pension, they never imagined what was to come. Trekking the Andes in their wheelchairs, they’re forced to confront a government that tries to silence them and a society indifferent to their struggle. La Lucha is a tribute to all those who fight for change.After years of living with mysterious symptoms, a young girl from Brooklyn and a Duke University scientist are diagnosed with a disease said to not exist: Chronic Lyme disease. Their search for answers lands them in the middle of a vicious medical debate. What begins as a patient story evolves into an investigation into the history of Lyme disease, dating back to its discovery in 1975. A paper trail of suppressed scientific research and buried documents reveals why ticks—and the diseases they carry—have been allowed to quietly spread around the globe.
Violeta Ayala is a filmmaker, AI innovator, and creative technologist. As the first Quechua member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Ayala combines traditional narrative with cutting-edge technologies like XR, VR, and AI. Her notable works include the critically acclaimed interactive VR animation Prison X (Sundance, Cannes, SXSW) and the AR experience Las Awichas displayed on London’s Strand. Ayala has directed powerful documentary films such as La Lucha (2023), which helped secure disability pensions in Bolivia, and Cocaine Prison (2017). Her films have premiered at major festivals and broadcast globally.
Ayala’s work drives social progress, earning over 50 awards, including a Walkley, and nominations from IDA and Rory Peck Awards. Her Woven Worlds won the XR Innovation Award at Games For Change 2023, and she has created innovations like a 3D Indigenous Futurism Gallery and co-designed Expylab to expand access to immersive storytelling in the Global South. She was selected as one of the leading voices on AI for “Creating Future: Art and AI for Tomorrow’s Narratives” at the Salzburg Global Seminar. Currently, Ayala combines storytelling, indigenous futurisms, AI, and new mediums to redefine narratives. Projects include a personal documentary on building a Feminist AI and the Cyberpunk Tinkus feature film. She is the co-founder of film.
SOHO International Film Festival
Dana Conroy – Broken Eyes
When Lasik eye surgery destroys a filmmaker’s vision, she decides to make a movie about it. What starts out as an attempt to hang onto her lifelong passion turns into a harrowing investigation into a multibillion industry and the discovery of an underground network of thousands of patients permanently scarred by Lasik, the so-called “safest elective surgery on the market.” Minnesota filmmaker Dana Conroy’s debut feature is an intimate and explosive documentary that demands to be seen.
Dana Conroy is a graduate of Willmar Senior High and Pepperdine University in Los Angeles where she earned degrees in film and TV production and sociology. As the senior producer for Pioneer PBS, Conroy has created hundreds of stories since joining the organization in 2012. In the past 10 years, 22 regional Midwest Emmy Awards have been received by Conroy and the Pioneer PBS Postcards production team, which includes Videographers and Editors Ben Dempcy and Kristofor Gieske.
She has traveled to 30 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America, giving her a unique multicultural and global perspective to her work.
Sadie Bones – If That Mockingbird Don’t Sing
After being brutally dumped, 17-year-old Sydnie discovers she is pregnant. Seeing this as an opportunity to get her ex back and give her life direction, she decides to keep the baby. She soon realizes that this won’t be the quick fix she had hoped for and finds herself caught in a complicated love triangle and totally lost.
Sadie Bones, a 19-year-old triple threat in the world of filmmaking as a screenwriter, director, and actor, brings a fresh and youthful perspective to the industry. Sadie’s exposure to literature, theater, art, and music from an early age shaped her creative sensibilities. As the only child of actor Kevin Corrigan, renowned for his roles in films like True Romance, The Departed, and Pineapple Express, Sadie’s childhood was infused with the magic of cinema. From the tender age of five, Sadie’s fascination with filmmaking blossomed when her cousin introduced her to the wonders of iMovie. Holiday gatherings became opportunities to collaborate on short films with her family, igniting her passion for storytelling. At just eight years old, she wrote and directed her first short film. Sadie pursued her passion through formal education, attending the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts and majoring in Film during her freshman and sophomore years of high school. Eager to enhance her skills, she graduated early and enrolled in the two-year conservatory program at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, where she took acting classes to complement her directing abilities.
At 17, Sadie penned her first feature film, If That Mockingbird Don’t Sing, initially conceived as a no-budget passion project. However, private financing, fueled by confidence in Sadie’s talent and dedication, transformed it into a reality. Sadie also created the short film The Vanishing Point, which earned accolades such as “Most Promising Filmmaker” and “Best Young Filmmaker.” Sadie’s commitment to diverse storytelling is evident in another earlier short documentary, Existential Hokey Pokey, which explores her best friend’s experience being adopted from China and living with cerebral palsy Sadie’s filmmaking style is characterized by its cynicism, wit, and youthful exuberance, exploring themes of independence, personal growth, and girlhood with a touch of spirituality. Through her work, Sadie advocates for the importance of amplifying young voices, particularly those of young women, challenging stereotypes, and reminding the world that everyone, regardless of age, has a story worth telling.
Urbanworld Film Festival
Catherine Gund – Paint Me a Road Out of Here
Featuring artists Faith Ringgold and Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter, Paint Me a Road Out of Here uncovers the whitewashed history of a masterpiece, finding its journey from Rikers Island to the Brooklyn Museum in a heartbreaking, funny and true parable for a world without mass incarceration.
Founder and Director of Aubin Pictures, Catherine Gund is an Emmy-nominated and Academy-shortlisted producer, director, writer, and activist. Her media work focuses on strategic and sustainable social transformation, arts and culture, HIV/AIDS and racial, reproductive and environmental justice.
Her films have screened around the world in festivals, theaters, museums, and schools; on PBS, HBO, Paramount+, Discovery, Sundance Channel, Free Speech TV, Netflix, and Amazon. Her films include: Paint Me a Road Out of Here, Meanwhile, Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices From a Plantation Prison, Primera, Aggie, Chavela, and Born to Fly. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. An alumnus of Brown University and the Whitney Independent Study Program, she has four children and lives in NYC.
Herrana Adisu – The River
The River is a film that pays homage to culture and the experiences of women through the lens of Ethiopia and draws inspiration from the Director’s childhood home, Kebena. The film not only celebrates the art of beauty but will also highlight the systemic barriers women face in the context of forced marriage, education, and water access.
Herrana Addisu is a multi-disciplinary artist and social impact strategist. Her family’s journey to the United States and her personal experience growing up in Ethiopia and immigrating to the U.S. have shaped her career in human rights. She works to uplift marginalized communities through advocacy initiatives, research, and programming.
She incorporates her expertise in various human rights issues into her artistry through Chucha Studios LLC, a creative production agency that aims to reduce social disparities within marginalized communities by connecting the art of visual storytelling with systemic change. She is currently working to support programs to embed SDG-aligned practices deep into business operations and across the value chain to accelerate progress and impact for the 2030 Agenda.
Woodstock Film Festival
Jessica Blank & Erik Jensen – Brooklyn, Minnesota
Brooklyn, Minnesota follows a father, Kurt (played by Erik Jensen) and his daughter Maisie (played by his real-life daughter Sadie Jensen-Blank), on a cross-country trip to Kurt’s childhood home. Following the death of her grandfather she didn’t know existed, Maisie uncovers a wealth of deep dark secrets that are destroying her family. Channeling her Riot Grrrl roots instilled to her by her late Mother, Maisie brings the family together at a time it matters most. Filmmaking duo and Woodstock alumni Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen (Almost Home) introduce their real life daughter Sadie Jensen-Blank in her first leading role. Co-starring Amy Madigan (Gone Baby Gone, Field of Dreams) this family drama is a story of profound forgiveness and a reminder for all of us to take accountability and love even harder than we think possible.
Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen are a multi hyphenate creative team in film, television and theater. Plays include The Exonerated (Outer Critics Circle, Lortel, Drama Desk Awards), Aftermath (NYTW; two Drama League noms), How To Be A Rock Critic (CTG, Steppenwolf, Public Theater), The Line (Public Theater), and Coal Country (Public Theater, Cherry Lane/Audible; Lortel, two Drama Desk noms; original music by Steve Earle).
They’ve written TV for Fox, 20th TV, Gaumont, Levinson/Fontana, David Simon/Blown Deadline, and Ed Burns. Their first feature, Almost Home, was released in 2019 by Vertical; they are currently developing a biopic of legendary rock critic Lester Bangs.
Eunice Lau – Troll Storm
What are the limits of free speech? Troll Storm is the story of a Jewish woman in Montana, Tanya Gersh, who was the victim of an unrelenting social media campaign of antisemitism and her decision to fight back in court. “The second I decided to fight, I started to heal,” she says in this powerful film. And although the crux of this story takes place several years ago, the new swarm of antisemitism currently crossing our country makes this story feel extremely relevant. Gersh uses interviews with a holocaust survivor as a brutal reminder of where we could end up again if this culture of hate is not faced by our country. In Accept the Call (WFF 2019) director Eunice Lau’s latest film, the parallel between Europe before the rise of the Nazi party and what happened to Gersh is frightening.
A former journalist, Eunice Lau’s works have appeared on networks such as Discovery Channel and Al Jazeera, and she is supported by eminent arts organizations such as the Film Independent, Tribeca Film Institute, Jerome Foundation, ITVS, Chicken & Egg Pictures, and Women Make Movies. Her first independent feature documentary Accept the Call screened at Woodstock Film Festival in 2019, and she is an alumni of Woodstock’s Filmmakers’ Residency. A graduate of New York University’s MFA film program, her TV series inspired by her documentary A-Town Boyz is selected for the 2024 Film Independent Episodic Lab.
