Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Melisa Ramos
Welcome to NYWIFT, Melisa Ramos! Melisa is a filmmaker and professor from Puerto Rico, bringing 14 years of post-production and motion graphics experience to New York. Her first production, Puerto Rican Voices, a docu-series about the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Following Puerto Rican Voices, Melisa continued to share Puerto Rican and Latin American stories. In 2020, she directed and produced From Performers to Spectators, a doc-series showcasing New York City performers during lockdown. She is currently in production on Hoop Warrior, her first feature film. Read all about Melisa’s journey as an editor and artist here!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Seeley Björkstén
Welcome to NYWIFT, Seeley Björkstén! Seeley is an NYC-based filmmaker and digital artist who is mostly interested in telling impactful nonfiction stories through film. Their passion for incorporating animation and other types of unconventional creativity into their work is reflected in their short film Who I Wasn’t, among other projects. Having studied at American University and FAMU, one of the oldest film schools in the world, Seeley is currently the Marketing & Social Media Manager at the Bushwick Film Festival. As someone who believes that art has the power to change the world, they consider their creations to be a form of activism. Seeley spoke to us about what drew them to animation, their creative journey, and their most personal project to date.
READ MORENYWIFT @ Tribeca: In Conversation with Filmmaker Signe Baumane
Signe Baumane’s "My Love Affair With Marriage" is a brilliant animated film for a decidedly adult audience. It’s a semi-autobiographical musical exploration of love, sex, romance, and gender as viewed through the lens of neurochemistry – not your average animated love story! New York Women in Film & Television was proud to present Baumane with a NYWIFT Ravenal Foundation Feature Film Grant for the film, and even prouder to then see it premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Festival! We sat down with Signe to discuss her wildly inventive, intelligent, and very fun film.
READ MOREOpinion: Hank Azaria apologized for playing Apu on ‘The Simpsons.’ I accept.
"As an Indian American actress, for me the shadow of Apu loomed larger in my life than I realized." NYWIFT Member Mellini Kantayya offers her take on the controversial "Simpsons" character - and subsequent fallout - in an insightful op-ed published in The Washington Post.
READ MOREWhat’s in Your Toolkit: Kristin Reiber Harris
Artist, animator, and educator Kristin Reiber Harris shares with us what's in her animation toolkit, and how she's staying centered while sheltering in place during COVID-19.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: 2017 Preview, Women Animators, Melina Matsoukas
2017 Preview: Onward and upward! Women and Hollywood and Film School Rejects have both compiled great lists of films by and about women to look for in 2017. (It’s worth noting that the top movies of the last four years star women!) Women Animators: In response to The Hollywood Reporter’s all male – and all...
READ MORETo Save & Project Features Preserved Works by Jane Aaron
Next month, the Museum of Modern Art’s 14th annual To Save and Project series will celebrate the art of Jane Aaron with screenings of two films preserved by NYWIFT’s Women’s Film Preservation Fund. WFPF co-chair Kirsten Larvick gives us a sneak preview of the program and discusses Aaron's prolific and groundbreaking career.
READ MOREWeekly Roundup: Awards, Animation & An Absence of Women Directors
//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/461167944?et=fzmEQGH0Rn1a6eQqvwNMPw&socialOnLoad=off&sig=UzXAoUBJoRWvhGfK152hUWgKWmc-MlAm3MfmEdAvIok=&caption=true Lots of great moments at the People’s Choice Awards. The January “Call for Writers” topic on btchflcks.com is…Black Families. DreamWorks Animation hires two women to take the lead! Hayley Atwell loves being Agent Carter and the “Yes, and?” world of LA. It’s 2015 and there’s still a 4% problem for female directors. Here’s helpful advice if you’re moving to LA...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: December 3, 2013
Susan Sontag, Quai des Grands Augustins, Paris, 2002, chromogenic print. Photograph by Annie Leibovitz (via The Australian). Reflecting on: Susan Sontag’s thoughts on stereotypes and their negative impact on culture, highlighted this week by Maria Popova on Brain Pickings. Surprised but satisfied by: the inclusion of five women in Variety’s annual 10 Directors to Watch list....
READ MORETerry’s Picks: November 26, 2013
How far do we still have to go? Check out NYFA’s infographic (link below) STILL PORING OVER: This incredibly comprehensive infographic about gender inequality in film sent to us by the New York Film Academy. From pay rates and movie portrayals to awards and ages, this is a definitive tool for understanding the state of women in...
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