NYWIFT member Heidi Philipsen in The Better Angels, starring Diane Kruger, Brit Marling, and Wes Bentley (Photo courtesy of Hickory Pictures, LLC)
What a whirlwind! Though temps in New York matched the biting Park City cold, nothing could beat the heat at the festival. This year, New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) caught up with veterans and fresh faces alike to celebrate the Sundance Film Festival’s 30th anniversary.
Known for its ability to stimulate important conversations within the industry, this year’s program did not disappoint. We counted over 50 directorial debuts, more than 200 films, many projects with women leadership (though less on the director front), and even new and expanded programs to increase awareness about gender disparity in film.
Some highlights:
- The wonderful events and panels at the NY Lounge, which included marketing, distribution, and tax resources for filmmakers in NYC, as well as Women in Film and Television International’s Women in the Director’s Chair breakfast
- Rory Kennedy et al’s cutting honesty at the 8th Women in Film panel, where the six participating directors and producers all pointed to “entrenched industry sexism”
- Updated research and expanded programming from the Women in Film Initiative, which is a joint collaboration between the Sundance Institute and our sister chapter Women in Film Los Angeles
- Anna Kendrick, who had three films premiere at Sundance, looking glamorous at the Women at Sundance Brunch
- Kate Barker-Froyland’s Song One, featuring Oscar winner/producer Anne Hathaway as a PhD candidate in Morocco
- Rose McGowan’s first film as director, the color-punchy Dawn
- The timely Fed Up, a Katie Couric–produced documentary about obesity
- A cinematographer’s conversation about the ongoing film vs. digital debate in a world where even Scorsese has gone digital
- A handful of women-directed films sold at the festival, including Land Ho!, which was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics
And of course, a big congratulations to the NYWIFT members who had projects at the festival:
- Susan Lazarus, Post Production Supervisor, Only Lovers Left Alive (dir. Jim Jarmusch)
- Wendy Blackstone, Composer, Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger (dir. Joe Berlinger)
- Heidi Philipsen, Actress and Production Coordinator, The Better Angels (dir. A.J. Edwards); Actress, Cold in July (dir. Jim Mickle)
— JOYCE CHOI LI
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Claire Englebienne
Don’t hold the applause! It’s time for us to welcome our new NYWIFT member, Claire Englebienne! Claire is currently a Film & TV student at NYU who’s extremely passionate about storytelling and has begun writing and directing her own work. Originally from Argentina, she hopes to tell stories from her home country that move people. Read our full interview with Claire to learn more about her exciting projects, her experience working in the film industry in Argentina and some inspiring advice she’s received!
READ MORENYWIFT’s Annual Meet the Candidates Event: A Night of Nights
On a sunny day in June, member Stephanie Okun took the Metro North up to Yonkers to go to NYWIFT’s annual member meeting at Great Point Studios, which doubled as our 2024 Meet the Candidates Night where we can meet the candidates running for the 2024-25 NYWIFT Board elections. She shares her recap of the inspirational evening.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Nicole West
Welcome to the NYWIFT community, Nicole West! Nicole is a visual effects technical director who has spent her career blending technology with art. She has a great love for the performing arts and is on a creative journey with storytelling. Read our full interview with Nicole below to learn more about her experience working in visual effects, her advice for successful collaborations, and her insights about technology and art.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Willette Murphy Klausner
If you’ve seen a great Broadway show recently, chances are Willette Murphy Klausner had something to do with it. As the founder and owner of WMK Productions in Los Angeles she has produced or co-produced dozens of award-winning theatrical and film projects, including MJ the Musical, Hadestown, Stereophonic, The Wiz. Porgy and Bess, Three Mo’ Tenors, Caroline or Change and Cabaret, just to name a few. For film, she’s co-producing the documentary Liza, which just premiered at the Tribeca Festival. Previous films include Radium Girls and Wakefield with several film and TV projects in development. In 2022 she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Drama League. She has served on the Boards of Directors of the Los Angeles Music Center and the Women in Film Foundation, is a member of the League of Professional Theatre Women, the National Women’s Forum, and NYWIFT. She is currently on the board of Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts.
READ MORE