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Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Sheherzad Raza Preisler

Let’s welcome Sheherzad Raza Preisler to NYWIFT! She is a native New Yorker who attended undergrad at Columbia University, where she majored in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African studies and followed the pre-medical track. After an identity crisis, Sheherzad fell in love with all things filmmaking and is now an MFA candidate at Brooklyn College’s Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema. Much of Sheherzad’s work deals with growing up Muslim in post-9/11 America. She spoke to us about her unusual path from pre-med to science writing to filmmaking, how storytelling is innate to her culture, and her post-graduation plans.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Tavia Mapp-Deterville

Let’s give a warm NYWIFT welcome to new member Tavia Mapp-Deterville, the CEO and Founder of the TaviaMD (TMD) Agency! TMD, founded in 2005 and based in New York City, is a premier voice in the public relations industry, launching successful and creative campaigns for a diverse clientele of entertainment, music, fashion, and lifestyle professionals. Mapp-Deterville also founded The Future is Female, a 501(c)3 organization that empowers women entrepreneurs through networking and events. We spoke with her about her business – and got some great advice for media entrepreneurs and working moms!

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Samantha Alvarez

Welcome to NYWIFT, Samantha Alvarez, an independent documentary and narrative filmmaker born and raised in the Bronx with six years of camera operating and video editing experience. Alvarez started her career as a multidisciplinary teaching artist. She now works as a video freelancer and recently won the 2022 NYWIFT Outstanding Woman Content Creator at the Nova Frontier Film Festival for her short mixed media documentary, "In the Body." We sat down with her to discuss her latest film, her career, and her inspirations.

Snapshots from the 2022 Tribeca Festival

Judith Davis recounts her experience volunteering at, and later covering, the Tribeca Festival over the last 20 years, and shares highlights and photos from the star-studded 2022 event.

NYWIFT @ Tribeca: In Conversation with Producer Steffie van Rhee

Cynthia Lowen’s latest documentary "Battleground" offers an eye-opening window into the anti-choice movement, featuring three women from varying walks of life who have dedicated themselves to rendering abortion illegal. Per the Tribeca website: “Told with restraint and balance, director Cynthia Lowen seeks to clarify rather than condemn, and presents a new point of entry for this challenging topic.” While the film itself clearly aligns with progressive pro-choice advocates (who also appear throughout) it offers a fascinating perspective on the sheer systemic power of the anti-abortion movement and the perilous future, felt painfully today, of Roe v. Wade. "Battleground" was Executive Produced by NYWIFT member Ruth Ann Harnisch and co-produced by member Steffie van Rhee, who sat down with us to discuss the premiere and how this film – from this particular perspective – came to fruition.

NYWIFT @ Tribeca: In Conversation with Filmmaker Violet Du Feng

Violet Du Feng’s "Hidden Letters" tells the story of Chinese women trying to balance their lives as independent women in modern China while confronting the traditional identity that defines but also oppresses them. Connected through their love for Nushu—a centuries-old secret text shared amongst women—each of them transforms through a pivotal period of their lives and takes a step closer to becoming the individuals they know they can be. Hot off her 2022 Tribeca Festival premiere, Director Violet Du Feng, an Emmy-award winning documentarian, spoke to us about Nushu, modern-day China, women’s equality, and her filmmaking process.

NYWIFT Women’s History Month Spotlight: Janine McGoldrick

Janine McGoldrick is a veteran entertainment executive who has created and implemented strategic distribution and communications campaigns for television and film, including for the 2017 Academy Award-winner "The Salesman." She discusses her work on that campaign, her initial transition from politics to entertainment, and making her first documentary, about an invisible disease that confounds doctors.

NYWIFT Women’s History Month Spotlight: Tammy Reese

Tammy Reese is a multimedia content creator who loves everything theatre, entertainment, media, and film. She is an award-winning actress, writer, and journalist, and the Founder & Lead Publicist of Visionary Minds Public Relations and Media. She discusses her inspirations, balancing work and family, her favorite interviews and more.

NYWIFT Women’s History Month Spotlight: January Green

Happy Women's History Month! At NYWIFT as we continue to celebrate our creative members who are making innovative impacts throughout entertainment, media, film, and television, we would like to spotlight our NYWIFT Women Crush Wednesdays Podcast team members. Today's spotlight is January Green, a Manager of Digital Marketing Copy, SEO & product description pages, aspiring screenwriter, and imaginative feature film writer.

Self-isolation is Not So Alone

These past few weeks of self-isolation have been eye-opening, regarding the notion of being alone and isolated from peers, loved ones, family, and friends. In our struggle to find a new equilibrium and routine, we appear to have stumbled into a period of connectivity, which is different but perhaps even greater than before. NYWIFT member Cassandra Seidenfeld reflects on how social distancing in the time of COVID-19 has encouraged her to connect in new ways.

What’s in Your Toolkit: Jean Criss

NYWIFT member Jean Criss shares how she turned "bitter grapefruits into sweet ‘ole lemonade" - when tough times inspired her to reinvent her career and launch several new businesses.

Creator Misha Calvert on power dynamics, pitching and her latest series, All Hail Beth

In advance of the Fall 2019 premiere of her new BRIC TV series "All Hail Beth," showrunner and NYWIFT member Misha Calvert sits down with Leah Curney to discuss power dynamics, how to pitch your project, and how she makes connections in the business.

Cynthia’s Picks: Female Grips, Killing Eve, Thrones Queen, Lesley Stahl

Female Grips: The New York Times pays tribute to the few women who work as grips – one of the most grueling and important tasks on set. Killing Eve: This Glamour headline puts it best: Killing Eve is made for women by women…and it shows. Thrones Queen: Game of Thrones owes much of its success...

Cynthia’s Picks: Spring Drive, Career Summit, Marvel-ous Teamwork

Spring Drive: Now through May 13th is our Spring Membership Drive! Become a NYWIFT member and save 50% off the initiation fee. If you’re not yet a member of our supportive, dynamic community…what are you waiting for? Apply now! Career Summit: NYWIFT is thrilled to participate on the Center for Communication’s Women + Media Career...

NYWIFT Members use filmmaking to support the next generation of women running for political office

On November 12, 2018, just one week after a record 117 women won their races for seats in Congress, seven NYWIFT members came together with She Should Run, a non-partisan nonprofit with a mission to expand the talent pool of women running for office in the United States, hosted by HBO. NYWIFT member Kristina Teschner, who participated in the program, recently signed on as the Co-Director of Creative Strategy & New Media at the Cabán for Queens campaign, and shares more about the natural evolution between filmmaking and political campaigning.

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.

Terry’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...

NYWIFT’s Statement on Sexual Harassment and Abuse in the Entertainment Industry

NYWIFT's thoughts on Harvey Weinstein, systemic sexism, community support and legal guidance.

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