Trailblazing through the Decades: Sandra Osawa (1970s)
Sandra Osawa is a director, producer, and writer. She is a member of the Makah Nation of Washington State. One could argue that news coverage of Native American issues is still vastly lacking today. Thus, Sandra Osawa was a true ground-breaker in 1974 by directing, producing, and writing NBC’s first news program on Native American issues
READ MORETerry’s Picks: NYC Pilots, Good News, Overlooked Women
NYC Pilots: Business is booming in New York, with 11 hour-long pilots shooting here this year. This ties with the previous record year, 2012. Good News: Although Ava Duvernay’s A Wrinkle in Time wasn’t able to beat Black Panther at the box office, the films still made history, as both the #1 and #2 spots...
READ MORETrailblazing Through the Decades: Ida Lupino (1950s)
British-American actress and producer Ida Lupino, got her start directing when the director of the 1949 film Not Wanted suffered a heart attack during pre-production. Lupino stepped in and shot the film guerilla style to keep the movie on budget and on schedule. Budgeted at just over $150,000, the film grossed $1 million, and Lupino’s reputation spread through Hollywood studios even though the original director retained credit.
READ MORETrailblazing through the Decades: Hedy Lamarr (1940s)
During WWII, a hobbyist inventor worked to help the military come up with a secure communication system to combat the Nazis. By manipulating radio frequencies at irregular intervals between transmission and reception, the invention formed an unbreakable code that prevented classified messages from being intercepted by enemy personnel. This patented form of frequency hopping revolutionized modern communications and formed the foundation for Wi-Fi, cell phone, and Bluetooth technology. The inventor’s name was Hedy Lamarr, and she was also a Hollywood star during MGM’s “Golden Age.”
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Feminist Films, Inclusion Rider, Patty Carey
Feminist Films: Celebrate Women’s History Month by watching these 30 feminist films. Inclusion Rider: Despite record Oscar nominations for women, not as many won as we had hoped – the fewest, in fact, since 2012. But kudos to past NYWIFT Muse honoree and Best Actress winner Frances McDormand, who made of a point of recognizing...
READ MORETrailblazing through the Decades: Esther Eng (1930s)
In honor of Women's History Month, NYWIFT looks back at some of the remarkable women who have shaped the film, television and digital media industries through the decades. We kick off the series in the 1930s. Esther Eng was a film director who also worked as a writer, producer, and distributor. She had an international career, making films both in the United States and Hong Kong. She was the first woman to direct Chinese language films in the U.S.
READ MOREThe Ask for Jane Filmmakers on Telling a Little-Known Story from Women’s History
When NYWIFT member Cait Johnston first heard about the Jane Collective — a real-life group of women who helped others get abortions before Roe v. Wade — at a NYWIFT screening, she knew it was a story she had to tell. She teamed up with fellow member Rachel Carey, a screenwriter and director she know through a NYC theater company called The Shelter, to create Ask for Jane, a narrative feature film that they are currently crowdfunding for on Seed&Spark.
READ MOREWomen in Film & Television History: Meet Tressie Souders, Director, Producer, Screenwriter
The story of Tressie Souders, or perhaps more accurately, the lack of details about Tressies Souders’ life and work exemplifies the need to research and rescue early film-works of women and women of color.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Diana Means, Stacy Smith, Women Editors
Diana Means: When she’s not working her day job in production and creative services at Warner Bros., Diana Means has been running the L.A. Women’s International Film Festival for the past 13 years. Stacy Smith: Social scientist Stacy Smith gives a Ted Talk on how the media underrepresents and portrays women – and the potentially...
READ MOREWomen in Film & Television History: Meet Marion E. Wong, Film Company President, Director, Screenwriter, Producer, Actor, Costume Designer
During the silent film era, Marion E. Wong started the Mandarin Film Company, the first Chinese-American film company. The company’s feature film The Curse of the Quon Gwon: When the Far East Mingles with West (1916) is credited as being the first American film made with an all-Chinese cast and company as well as one of the first films directed by a woman.
READ MOREWomen in Film & Television History: Meet Ethel Payne, Journalist & First Female African-American National Network News Commentator
Ethel Payne was known in as “the first lady of the black press” and was described by journalist Gwen Ifil as “the most influential journalist and activist most people have never heard of.”
READ MOREWomen in Film & Television History: Meet Dorothy Arzner, Director, Editor, Screenwriter, Boom Inventor
Dorothy Arzner is one of the most prolific directors of early American cinema, having worked with some of the biggest stars of the era. She is also the first woman to direct a film with sound. It was during such a project that Arzner is credited with inventing the boom microphone!
READ MOREIna Archer, Custodian and Creator of Distinct Cinema, Picks Five Essential Films Restored by the WFPF
Experimental filmmaker and media preservationist Ina Archer picks her top five films preserved by the NYWIFT Women's Film Preservation Fund (WFPF) - each an important installment in the history of women filmmakers.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Watch It, True Story, Immigrant Series
Watch It: Celebrate Women’s History Month by watching these 40 movies by women directors – all available for streaming. True Story: Are female-fronted biopics finally on the rise? Immigrant Series: NYWIFT is thrilled to partner with the Queens World Film Festival to present the next installment in this year’s Women Filmmakers: Immigrant Stories screening series...
READ MOREWomen in Film & Television History: Meet Lucille Ball, Actor, Comedian, Producer
Most people are familiar with the extensive body of work that made Lucille Ball famous. I Love Lucy is one of the most popular television shows of the 1950s, and she co-starred with her husband, Desi Arnaz, for 10 years. But did you know that Ball was also a savvy business woman?
READ MOREMeet Kahane Cooperman, the Director of Oscar-nominated Short Doc Joe’s Violin
Director and producer Kahane Cooperman discusses the inspiration for her short documentary Joe's Violin, her Oscar nomination, and the support she received from New York Women in Film & Television.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Data Driven, Amal Ramsis, Women’s Movement
Data Driven: With support from Google.org’s Global Impact Challenge, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media teamed up with Google to develop software that accurately measures how often we see and hear women on-screen. Amal Ramsis: Here is a wonderful profile of Amal Ramsis, founder of the Cairo International Women’s Film Festival. Women’s Movement:...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: March 18, 2014
Historical poster courtesy of Wikimedia. Kicking off: Women’s History Month in multiple ways with partner organizations and initiatives! This month, be sure to check out SWAN Day, NoMore.Org (chaired by Joyful Heart Foundation founder and former NYWIFT Muse honoree Mariska Hargitay) and other great projects! Eagerly waiting: tonight’s keynote by Amy Goodman at the Rated SR Socially Relevant...
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