Women Calling The Shots – A swinging pendulum over an active volcano
NYWIFT Board VP Margarita Sophia Cortes wrote about the recent Hollywood sexual harassment firestorm in our HuffPost column - addressing the importance of speaking out, supporting one another, and no longer letting the boys club get its way.
READ MOREFive Takeaways – True Crime Stories: Relationships and Responsibilities
True crime producer Dana Rossi shares insights from NYWIFT's panel on the relationships and ethical responsibilities of true crime documentary filmmakers.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Changing Times, Tiffany Haddish, Agnès Varda
Changing Times: Every day brings another story of sexual harassment (and worse) in Hollywood, from Louis C.K., to Kevin Spacey to Supergirl’s Andrew Kreisberg. Kudos to all the women and men who continue to speak out and support one another. Tiffany Haddish: Tiffany Haddish made Saturday Night Live history on Saturday by becoming the first...
READ MOREPositive News for Filmmakers at the New York Film Conference
Entertainment industry experts speaking at the first annual New York Film Conference on October 10, 2017 had some great news for attendees: It’s getting easier to sell your content directly to consumers, consumers are more open to watching films with subtitles and big digital platforms are spending billions on buying new content. NYWIFT member Jane Applegate shares insights from the conference.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Shorts Festival, Alias Grace, Culture Shift
Shorts Festival: NYWIFT’s first-ever online film festival is underway! Watch 74 short projects by NYWIFT members now through November 17 on our Fall Shorts Festival on Indevue – you can even log in and live chat with the filmmakers and fans during select “live screenings.” See the schedule for details. Alias Grace: I’m looking forward...
READ MORENYC Indie Filmmaker Vigil Chime Wins the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting
The Writers Lab, presented by New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) and IRIS and funded by Meryl Streep and Oprah Winfrey, pairs twelve women screenwriters over the age of 40 for a weekend of one-on-one mentoring and script development with accomplished film industry leaders. One of this September’s participating writers may be on the path to becoming one of those leaders herself: Vigil Chime has been awarded the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for her script Bring Back Girl, about a Nigerian teen kidnapped by Boko Haram – the same project she took to The Writers Lab.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Vicious Cycle, #BYkids PSA, Questionable Casting
Vicious Cycle: The LA Times published a great piece on how “Hollywood’s man problem may be a matter of simple math,” taking an in-depth statistical look at Hollywood’s gender imbalance and how it paves the way for discrimination and harassment. #BYkids PSA: BYkids, a global movement that uses storytelling through film to inform, engage and...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Ravenal Grant, Wonder Women, Nancy Schreiber
Ravenal Grant: NYWIFT is seeking additional submissions for the Ravenal Foundation Feature Film Grant, which supports a woman second-time feature film director who is over 40 years of age in the production of a dramatic feature film. Learn more here, and submit your project to us by November 1st. Wonder Women: Director Angela Robinson discusses...
READ MORETrue Crime: Relationships and Responsibilities
There is no doubt that the “true crime” documentary genre is thriving and that such film and television projects are enjoying unprecedented buzz. Studies show that women are their biggest audience, and broadcasters are taking notice. By the nature of their work, non-fiction storytellers are always considering how to present and represent their subjects through the creative process. But how is that further complicated in the “true crime” space, when the stakes might literally be life or death? Where do they draw the line between journalism and entertainment?
READ MOREWomen’s Stories in Film and the Need for an Authentic Ending
Why is it that when men make poignant films about a male’s coming-of-age, they are allowed to explore the pain, heartache, betrayal, danger, and the need for getting even or choosing a lesser evil to right a wrong—while women-centric films are expected to carry out a fairy tale romance? NYWIFT member Heidi Philipsen tackled this question as she made her first feature film.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Fall Drive, VR Jobs, Legal Help
Fall Drive: Now through December 1st is our Fall Membership Drive, during which we offer 50% off the initiation fee when you apply to join NYWIFT! Becoming a member now also lets you attend the star-studded Muse Awards in December at the member rate of $165. Apply now at www.nywift.org/join. VR Jobs: New York City...
READ MORENYWIFT’s Statement on Sexual Harassment and Abuse in the Entertainment Industry
NYWIFT's thoughts on Harvey Weinstein, systemic sexism, community support and legal guidance.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Inexcusable Behavior, Frances McDormand, Timeless Issue
Inexcusable Behavior: Hollywood was rocked by a New York Times exposé of on decades of sexual harassment allegations leveled at producer Harvey Weinstein. This story is pervasive at all levels of the industry, and we’ve heard similar stories from many of our members. While Weinstein may be the most hypocritical and highest profile, this type...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Swim Team, Shonda Rhimes, Nancy Malone
Swim Team: Tune in or set your DVR for Swim Team’s PBS premiere on POV at 10 PM next Monday, October 2nd! The documentary was a recipient of NYWIFT Loreen Arbus Disability Awareness Grant. Congratulations to director Lara Stolman! #SwimTeamPBS Shonda Rhimes: The must-see TV mastermind launched a new website, Shondaland. As she notes in...
READ MOREIntroducing the New WFPF Series From the Vault: Women’s Advocacy on Film
History is perfectly capable of repeating itself. Issues from the past that seem dated have a way of rearing their ugly heads once more to become present-day concerns. In an age when our collective memory can be short, and in the era of “disposable media,” the NYWIFT Women’s Film Preservation Fund (WFPF) and UnionDocs (UNDO) present FROM THE VAULT: WOMEN’S ADVOCACY ON FILM, a series of nine programs of preserved documentary films, screened monthly. The series considers the relationship of these films to contemporary nonfiction storytelling and makes a strong case for their preservation and continued study.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Ambitious Woman, Big Inspiration, Sarah Polley
Ambitious Woman: Reese Witherspoon wants to change the idea that a woman with ambition is only out for herself. Big Inspiration: Check out Time’s “46 Women Leaders who are Changing the World.” Sarah Polley: Actor, writer, and director Sarah Polley talks frankly about sexism on set (which she experienced as early as age nine) and...
READ MOREShe Said She Said: Director Lauren Anders Brown and Composer Daisy Coole
NYWIFT member and director Lauren Anders Brown met composer Daisy Coole at a networking event for Women in Film & TV UK, our sister chapter across the pond and are now collaborating on a short documentary together. They discuss early career beginnings, working for "free" and more.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Big Difference, Pitch Perfect, Sound Women
Big Difference: ABC News shines a light on one of the age-old problems of film: pay inequity. They spoke with experts in both Hollywood and the field of economics to break down the disparity and see why there’s a $40 million difference between the highest paid actor and actress this year. Pitch Perfect: Reed Morano...
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