Terry’s Picks: Director Talks, Funny Girls, Gender Swapping
Director Talks: Check out filmmaker Pamela Romanowsky’s insightful look at being a female director, and all the pressures that come along with it. Funny Girls: Women’s E-News discusses how teen girls interested in comedy could use a confidence boost – and where they might find it. Gender Swapping: Is remaking male-driven classics with female leads...
READ MOREPreserving the Cultural Legacy of Women in Film: A Conversation with Barbara Moss
In the pitch that would lead to the establishment of NYWIFT’s Women’s Film Preservation Fund (WFPF) in 1995, documentary filmmaker Barbara Moss wore white gloves and held up a 35 mm film canister. She opened it before the NYWIFT Board of Directors and pulled out a decrepit ribbon of film which then disintegrated before their eyes. “Ladies, this is what’s happening to our history,” she warned. Since then, the WFPF has preserved over 100 films. NYWIFT member Terisa Thurman talks to Moss about the fund's inception.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Cameraperson Trailer, VR Women, Pitch Perfect
Cameraperson Trailer: Check out the gorgeous, haunting trailer for the documentary Cameraperson, directed by Kirsten Johnson. Kirsten joined us for a NYWIFT ExperTEAS last year to discuss her work as a DP. VR Women: Marie Claire has a great feature on the burgeoning virtual reality industry and the career opportunities it offers women. Pitch Perfect:...
READ MOREA Review of “Honour: Confessions of a Mumbai Courtesan” by NYWIFT Member Gaudys Laxury
Gaudys Laxury shares her thoughts on fellow NYWIFT member Dipti Mehta's one-woman show "Honour: Confessions of a Mumbai Courtesan," now playing at the New York International Fringe Festival. "Honour" offers a fun and poignant look at the exotic, dangerous life of Mumbai's real-life brothels and why they exist.
READ MORENYWIFT Panel: Streaming Stories: Short Docs for the Web
NYWIFT's Streaming Stories: Short Docs for the Web panel explored how the medium of documentary film is adapting to a marketplace where an increasing number of films are reaching audiences online and viewers’ attention spans are getting shorter. In recent years, both producing documentary content for the web and releasing documentary shorts online have emerged as successful ways to increase mainstream viewership and promote filmmakers' work. Watch the full panel now - for FREE - on NYWIFT's YouTube channel!
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Leslie Jones, Writers Lab, Blockbuster Directors
Leslie Jones: After making a splash with her infectiously joyous – not to mention hilarious – tweets about the Olympics, SNL’s Leslie Jones was invited by NBC to go to Rio to cover the rest of the competition. It’s lovely to watch – especially after Jones had to take a break from Twitter after receiving...
READ MOREMeet the New Board Members: Terra Bliss
As NYWIFT finishes our Meet the New Board Members interview series, we sit down with Terra Bliss, Vice President and General Manager at Panavision New York. Bliss discusses inequality, shaking up the hiring process, and seeking out new partnerships to diversify entertainment industry recruitment.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Mad Libs, Loving Lily, Sophomore Slump
Mad Libs: Magazine profiles of Hollywood women unfortunately often lack depth. Use The Cut’s exclusive Mad Libs men’s-magazine profile generator, and you too can write a profile of a female celebrity. It’s fun…and frightening. Loving Lily: Congrats to NYWIFT Muse honoree Lily Tomlin, who will receive the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award at the SAG-AFTRA Awards...
READ MOREMeet the New Board Members: S. Casper Wong
NYWIFT member S. Casper Wong left a cushy Silicon Valley job as IBM corporate counsel to become a filmmaker, and has since written, directed and produced both shorts and features; founded The Peace Pod Project; and founded (and currently chairs) Asian American Women Media Makers. Now, she brings her passion and activism to the NYWIFT Board. Join us as we get to know one of the new additions to NYWIFT's Board of Directors.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: S.W.A.N. Recap, Women’s Equity, Don’t Blink
S.W.A.N Recap: In case you missed our Support Women Artists Now (S.W.A.N.) Day this Spring, our good friends at SVA have made the Q&A available for viewing online! See filmmaker Sabrina Gordon discuss her documentary BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez with Michelle Materre. Women’s Equity: Kudos to Equity, which opened this weekend and was a New York...
READ MOREMeet the New Board Members: Kathryn O’Kane
What do NASA, The Walking Dead and Maya Angelou all have in common? All have worked with new NYWIFT Board member Kathryn O'Kane! In the next installment of our Meet the New Board Members series, O'Kane talks to us about her 15 year career as a nonfiction producer and director for TV, web and advertising.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Crystal Emery, Emmy Noms, Netflix Queue
Crystal Emery: Read NYWIFT member Crystal Emery’s piece in Time about how living at the intersection of three marginalized identities – black, female and disabled – has made her stronger. Crystal’s film Black Women in Medicine premieres on public television this Fall. Emmy Noms: Congratulations to all of the NYWIFT members, Muse Award recipients and...
READ MOREMeet the New Board Members: Christine Bragan
NYWIFT is governed by an 18 member Board of Directors, elected by the membership in late Spring. This diverse, accomplished group of women are at the top of their game in TV, film and digital media. They steer NYWIFT in advocating for equality, providing unique professional development opportunities, funding women filmmakers, and celebrating women's achievements. In the coming weeks, join the NYWIFT blog as we profile the four newest members of the Board. We start this week with Christine Bragan.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Busting Sexism, Girl Power, Cultural Change
Busting Sexism: Paul Feig’s all-female Ghostbusters reboot premiered this weekend and sparked an important conversation about the importance of women’s voices in film criticism, diversity in Hollywood, and how children are affected by seeing themselves represented on screen. Girl Power: Can’t stop watching the new amazing feminist makeover the Spice Girls’ hit “Wannabe.” Check it...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Women’s Pictures, Underwritten Characters, Stony Brook
Women’s Pictures: This interesting piece in Vulture makes a strong case for the idea that in modern times, the “women’s pictures” of Hollywood’s Golden Age have moved to television. Underwritten Characters: Laugh (or cry) along with Underwritten Female Character: The Movie, a fake trailer for a movie you’ve seen unfortunately too many times. Stony Brook:...
READ MOREThere is No “Right” Way: 14 Things Directors Need to Know about Directing Actors
NYWIFT member Erica Fae is an actor/director/writer who teaches acting at both Yale and The New School, and just wrapped her first feature as a writer/director, called To Keep the Light - so she knows a thing or two about the complex relationship between directors and their stars. She recently wrote a piece for Filmmaker Magazine with great tips on how to direct actors (spoiler alert: there is no "right" way).
READ MOREThe Top 3 Tips to Get Your Documentary Financed and Broadcast to Millions
Advice from the “Opportunities in Public Television for Documentary Filmmakers” panel at NYWIFT’s Documentary Film Financing Day By Terisa Thurman When the public television broadcasters took the stage at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for the “Opportunities in Public Television” panel, part of NYWIFT’s Film Financing Day: Documentary Features on June 4, 2016, practically...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Designing Women, Equality Database, Power Producers
Designing Women: Last week marked NYWIFT’s 17th annual Designing Women gala as we paid tribute to another phenomenal group of costume, hair and makeup designers. See photos from the red carpet, awards presentation and reception, and read a great write-up from Bust Magazine. Equality Database: I am happy to see that some of the brands...
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