representation Archives - New York Women in Film & TelevisionNew York Women in Film & Television

Cynthia’s Picks: Latinx Representation, Kasi Lemmons, The Kingmaker

Latinx Representation: Good news – the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media has partnered with Universal Filmed Entertainment Group to pilot its “Spellcheck for Bias” digital tool, this time in order to help increase Latinx representation onscreen. Kasi Lemmons: 2019 NYWIFT Nancy Malone Directing Award honoree Kasi Lemmons writes in Variety about why she...

Cynthia’s Picks: Two Studies, Unequal Pay, Michele Clapton

Two Studies: A study from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative in partnership with National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP, of which I was the founding organizational Chairperson) and Wise Entertainment, shows how Hollywood has failed the Latinx community when it comes to their portrayal in popular movies – in...

Cynthia’s Picks: Nancy Schwartzman, Maybe Representation, Audition Inclusion

Nancy Schwartzman: Last week NYWIFT hosted a Twitter chat with director Nancy Schwartzman of Roll Red Roll, available now on PBS’ POV. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s a must-watch, especially if you have kids. Its harrowing look at rape culture in a high school is unusual for a true-crime doc in that it...

Cynthia’s Picks: Barbara Hammer, Self-Advocacy Skills, Rotten Reviewers, Provincetown Summit

Barbara Hammer: Our industry lost a legend this week, pioneering queer experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer. A recent Vanity Fair interview highlighted the inclusive spirit that was a hallmark of her work: “There is room for everyone.” Self-Advocacy Skills: Five powerhouse women offer advice on how to advocate for yourself – how to speak up about...

Cynthia’s Picks: Black Agents, Children’s Media, Female Representation

Black Agents: Of the hundreds of talent agents working at the major Hollywood agencies, only a few dozen are black. The New York Times ran a great interview with several of the reps, who discussed the systemic barriers they have faced and the change they hope to see. Children’s Media: The Geena Davis Institute conducted...

Terry’s Picks: Life Lessons, Dream Team, Zero Weeks

Life Lessons: Be sure to read Manohla Dargis’ brilliant piece in The New York Times about what movies teach us about being a woman. She says: “Movies get into our bodies, making us howl and weep, while their narrative and visual patterns, their ideas and ideologies leave their imprint.” Representation matters. Dream Team: Thanks to...

Terry’s Picks: Sandra Oh, Hannah Gadsby, Yvonne Russo

Sandra Oh: Congratulations to Sandra Oh, who became the first woman of Asian descent nominated for a lead actress in a drama series Emmy last week with her nomination for her stellar work in BBC America’s Killing Eve. Hannah Gadsby: If you haven’t watch Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette on Netflix yet, do it. It’s deserving of...

Terry’s Picks: Role Reversal, Designing Women, Immigrant Series

Role Reversal: IndieWire looks into the ways that gender swapping characters in television can re-shape perspectives and gain parity for women on screen. Designing Women: Get your tickets for NYWIFT’s Designing Women on Monday, May 21st, honoring the best and brightest of hair, makeup and costume designers. Honorees for this year are: costume designer Dana...

Terry’s Picks: Spring Drive, Sandra Oh, Cool Kids

Spring Drive: If you’re not a NYWIFT member yet, now is your chance! Join NYWIFT by May 18 to take advantage of our Spring Membership Drive discount. Sandra Oh: Former Grey’s Anatomy star Sandra Oh discusses her return to television as the star of BBC America’s Killing Eve and the importance of Asian representation on...

Terry’s Picks: Easmanie Michel, The 94%, Man’s World

Easmanie Michel: Congratulations to NYWIFT Finance and Special Events Associate Easmanie Michel, who is the winner of the Fifteenth Annual American Zoetrope Screenplay Contest! From more than 1600 entries received, judge Francis Ford Coppola and the Zoetrope staff have selected Easmanie’s Caroline’s Wedding as the winning script. We are proud to say “we knew her...

Terry’s Picks: Scary Statistics, GoldieBlox Ad, Zoe Saldana

Scary Statistics: A new study from USC Annenberg reveals how little top-grossing movies have changed when it comes to the on-screen prevalence and portrayal of women, underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, the LGBT community, and individuals with disabilities. GoldieBlox Ad: Girl-focused toy company GoldieBlox’s #BeLikeHer ad campaign is a joyful, in-your-face celebration of all the impressive women...

Heather Taylor on Crowdfunding for Pay to Stay and the Importance of Onscreen Diversity

"I want to have representation across different sexualities and different races in my films because that is the world I see when I walk down the streets of New York," says NYWIFT member Heather Taylor. Katrina Medoff sat down with Taylor to talk diversity in filmmaking (both onscreen and off) as her crowdfunding campaign for her horror short Pay to Stay draws to a close.

Terry’s Picks: Representation Matters, Sheila Nevins, Box Office

Representation Matters: Kathryn O’Kane was among the five NYWIFT board members who joined me at the Women’s Media Summit in Provincetown, MA, last month. She recaps it for our Huffington Post column, as we look ahead to what’s next. Sheila Nevins: NYWIFT member Sheila Nevins, President of HBO Documentary Films, sat down with Lesley Stahl...

Moving Forward: Representation Matters: NYWIFT at the Women’s Media Summit

NYWIFT Board member Kathryn O'Kane was among the six NYWIFT representatives who attended the historic Women's Media Summit in Provincetown, MA, last month. She offers a recap, including the opinions and takeaways of fellow board members, and looks ahead at what's next.

Terry’s Picks: Celluloid World, Script Intros, Pregnancy Portrayals

Celluloid world: Dr. Martha Lauzen’s latest study shows a significant increase in female protagonists in the top grossing feature films of last year. But it’s all relative – this “big” jump was from only 12% to only 22%. And ethnic and racial diversity is still startlingly low – 76% of all female characters were white....

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