NYWIFT Blog

Terry’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...

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Terry’s Picks: Reed Morano, Lena Waithe, Silent Revival

Reed Morano: Congrats to The Handmaid’s Tale director Reed Morano, the first woman to win for the Emmy for drama series directing in 22 years. Lena Waithe: Kudos to Lena Waithe, who is the first black woman to win an Emmy for best comedy writing for her spectacular Master of None episode, “Thanksgiving.” (Our own...

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Terry’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...

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Terry’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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Terry’s Picks: Dialogue Study, Rachel Feldman, Dope Queens

Dialogue Study: The Signal Analysis and Interpretation Laboratory at USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering recently released preliminary results of a study on the representation of gender, race, and age in a collection of about 1,000 films. One of the major goals of the study was to determine the extent to which female characters were essential...

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Terry’s Picks: Female Forward, Writers Lab, Honeysuckle Magazine

Female Forward: Kudos to NBC, which just announced it is upping its inclusion efforts with an annual initiative called Female Forward, which will help work toward gender parity among scripted series directors across the network. Writers Lab: Congratulations to the participants selected for this year’s The Writers Lab for women screenwriters over 40, funded by...

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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...

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Terry’s Picks: Casting Couch, Create NYC, Sherry Lansing

Casting Couch: The Guardian sheds light on the all-too-common phenomenon of the “casting couch culture,” featuring important insight from NYWIFT member Meissa Hampton. This has to stop, and kudos to Meissa and all the other women who speak out about it. Create NYC: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom...

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Terry’s Picks: Wrinkle Trailer, Doctor Who, Equality Matters

Wrinkle Trailer: I’m excited to see Ava Duvernay’s A Wrinkle in Time, the Disney adaptation of the 1963 children’s classic by Madeleine L’Engle. The film makes DuVernay the first black woman to helm a $100 million studio feature. Watch the new trailer! Doctor Who: The British cult favorite series Doctor Who announced this weekend that...

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Terry’s Picks: Diversity Reports, Swim Team, Stony Brook

Diversity Reports: In a push to encourage diversity across New York State’s film and television industry, applications for the New York State Film Tax Credit Program now include two new forms that will provide critical information to support that effort. Swim Team: Catch NYWIFT member Lara Stolman’s documentary Swim Team it at its Oscar-qualifying run...

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Terry’s Picks: New Law, #SummerHours, Abigail Disney

New Law: Kudos to the New York State legislature, which passed a new law on Wednesday allocating up to $5 million in new tax incentives to encourage the hiring of women and people of color as TV writers and directors. #SummerHours: Yesterday we launched NYWIFT’s new #SummerHours blog series focusing on content created by and/or...

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Terry’s Picks: Wonder Kids, Female Future, Atomic Homefront

Wonder Kids: Director Patty Jenkins tweeted a screenshot of a list of “cute Wonder Woman related things” that happened in one kindergarten classroom after the superhero film hit theaters. It’s adorable – and poignant. Female Future: Indiewire collected a list of 20 rising women filmmakers to watch. Atomic Homefront: Rebecca Cammisa’s Atomic Homefront was one...

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Terry’s Picks: Film Financing, Designing Women, Women CEO’s

Film Financing: This Friday, June 16, learn how successful indie producers can get their dramatic feature films financed in our intensive all-day seminar presented by our friends at Entertainment Partners. Designing Women: Last week’s Designing Women gala was a joyous celebration of the best and brightest in NYC’s hair, makeup and costume design community. If...

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Terry’s Picks: Nicole Kidman, Band Aid, Crystal Emery

Nicole Kidman: Nicole Kidman, who stars in Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled, has pledged to work with a woman director every 18 months. Band Aid: Here are two great interviews, from The New York Times and Lenny Letter, with actor/director Zoe Lister-Jones, who explains her decision to hire an all-women crew for Band Aid. Crystal Emery:...

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Terry’s Picks: Writers Room, Designing Women, Newbie Showrunners

Writers Room: Congratulations to all those selected for the WGA (East) and Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment’s (MOME) inaugural Made in NY Writers Room. The initiative is designed to help open doors for aspiring writers from diverse backgrounds. NYWIFT was happy to be a community partner. Designing Women: We’re exactly one week out from...

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Terry’s Picks: Wonder Woman, Vanessa Redgrave, Indie Stats

Wonder Woman: Indiewire reports that Wonder Woman may be the best DC universe film yet! Vanessa Redgrave: The legendary actor explains how the refugee crisis inspired her to step behind the camera for the first time…at the age of 80. Indie Stats: Dr. Martha Lauzen of the Center for the Study of Women in Television...

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Terry’s Picks: WIFTI Conference, Thanks BWFF, The List

WIFTI Conference: I’m writing to you from the WIFTI (Women in Film & Television International) Conference in London, where women in film chapters from around the world are gathering to network, share ideas and collaborate on our goals! Thanks BWFF: The Brooklyn Women’s Film Festival has graciously offered to donate proceeds from their ticket sales...

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Terry’s Picks: Apply Now, The Drowning, Liz Garcia

Apply Now: The NYWIFT Spring Membership Drive, during which we offer 50% off the initiation fee for new members, ends this Monday, May 15th. Join today! The Drowning: NYWIFT is proud to co-present (with Film Fatales) the screening of Bette Gordon’s The Drowning on Thursday, May 11th at 8:25 PM at IFC Center. The Drowning...

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