Terry’s Picks: S.W.A.N. Recap, Women’s Equity, Don’t Blink
S.W.A.N Recap: In case you missed our Support Women Artists Now (S.W.A.N.) Day this Spring, our good friends at SVA have made the Q&A available for viewing online! See filmmaker Sabrina Gordon discuss her documentary BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez with Michelle Materre. Women’s Equity: Kudos to Equity, which opened this weekend and was a New York...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Crystal Emery, Emmy Noms, Netflix Queue
Crystal Emery: Read NYWIFT member Crystal Emery’s piece in Time about how living at the intersection of three marginalized identities – black, female and disabled – has made her stronger. Crystal’s film Black Women in Medicine premieres on public television this Fall. Emmy Noms: Congratulations to all of the NYWIFT members, Muse Award recipients and...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Busting Sexism, Girl Power, Cultural Change
Busting Sexism: Paul Feig’s all-female Ghostbusters reboot premiered this weekend and sparked an important conversation about the importance of women’s voices in film criticism, diversity in Hollywood, and how children are affected by seeing themselves represented on screen. Girl Power: Can’t stop watching the new amazing feminist makeover the Spice Girls’ hit “Wannabe.” Check it...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Women’s Pictures, Underwritten Characters, Stony Brook
Women’s Pictures: This interesting piece in Vulture makes a strong case for the idea that in modern times, the “women’s pictures” of Hollywood’s Golden Age have moved to television. Underwritten Characters: Laugh (or cry) along with Underwritten Female Character: The Movie, a fake trailer for a movie you’ve seen unfortunately too many times. Stony Brook:...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Designing Women, Equality Database, Power Producers
Designing Women: Last week marked NYWIFT’s 17th annual Designing Women gala as we paid tribute to another phenomenal group of costume, hair and makeup designers. See photos from the red carpet, awards presentation and reception, and read a great write-up from Bust Magazine. Equality Database: I am happy to see that some of the brands...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Patricia Clarkson, Grace & Frankie, Ben Kingsley
Patricia Clarkson: 2015 NYWIFT Muse Honoree Patricia Clarkson tells it like it is about Hollywood sexism: “Women have risen,” she said. “[But] we’re still underpaid and we’re still a vast minority in this business.” Grace & Frankie: Deadline ran a great profile on the female-driven success of Netflix’s Grace & Frankie. More than 50% of...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Annetta Marion, Poor Taste, CXX Speaks
Annetta Marion: NYWIFT Board member Annetta Marion, an award-winning director and Primetime Emmy-nominated producer, shared her thoughts on the industry and her career on a recent Film Talk Podcast. Poor taste: 20th Century Fox came under fire for their insensitive adverting for X-Men: Apocalypse, which featured Jennifer Lawrence’s character being strangled on giant billboards. Was...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Screen Tales, Joss Whedon, Michele Spitz
Screen Tales: This month, thanks to our friends at Lifetime Broad Focus and WIF LA, The Writers Lab presented 10-minute readings from the scripts from the inaugural 2015 Lab to audiences of industry movers & shakers in both New York and LA. We’re so proud of all those involved and are looking forward to working...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Equity Trailer, Nancy Drew, Wendy Blackstone
Equity trailer: Loving the new trailer for Equity – starring Anna Gunn and Alysia Reiner – as unapologetic “she-wolves” of Wall Street. Nancy Drew: Deadline reports that even though CBS’ Nancy Drew pilot tested well with viewers, it “skewed too female for CBS’ schedule” and was not picked up to series. Too female – seriously?...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Swim Team, Shots Fired, U.K. Women
Swim Team: Congratulations to 2015 NYWIFT Loreen Arbus Disability Awareness Grant recipient Swim Team, whose all-female creative team has been selected for the 2016 IFP Filmmaker Labs annual yearlong fellowship for first-time feature directors. Shots Fired: Check out the riveting trailer for Writers Lab mentor Gina Prince-Bythewood’s new event series Shots Fired, which examines the...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Goodbye Alicia, Independent Women, Preserving the Legacy
Goodbye, Alicia: This weekend we bid farewell to The Good Wife, a classic made-in-New-York show with a marvelously complex female-driven storyline, starring our own 2009 NYWIFT Muse Honoree Julianna Margulies as power attorney Alicia Florrick. It will be missed. Independent Women: A new study from Martha Lauzen at the Center for the Study of Women...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Cinco de Mayo, Women’s Voices, Spring Drive
Cinco de Mayo: Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with NYWIFT on Thursday at the next installment of our Immigrant Experiences screening series! We’ll screen three films in Queens about local immigrant artist Marela Zacarías, followed by a Q&A and a reception with Mexican food and margaritas. It’s free! Women’s Voices: Through Friday, May 6 you can...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Loving Lifetime, Fox’s Failure, Congrats Katharina
Loving Lifetime: Check out this great read on Buzzfeed about the evolution of Lifetime from “guiltily pleasure” to “groundbreaking television.” Women wrote or directed 73% of the network’s original films from 1994 to 2016, and its new initiative called the “Fempire” will draw together linear, digital, social and community partnerships with the goal of “entertaining...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Tribeca Films, Stuntwomen Survey, Protect Yourself
Tribeca Films: Headed to the festival this week? Consider seeing one of these ten films from talented NYWIFT members. Stuntwomen Survey: An informal poll of Hollywood’s stuntwomen conducted by veteran stuntwoman Julie Johnson has found that nearly two-thirds of the 43 respondents have been bullied or sexually harassed in the workplace. Additionally, nearly 40% of...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Shot Callers, Be Here Now, Negative Numbers
Shot Callers: Listen to NYWIFT’s brand new Shot Callers podcast – a great way to get to know our fabulous members as they talk about their careers and the state of the industry. Be Here Now: NYWIFT member Lilibet Foster talks to IndieWire about her new documentary Be Here Now, which follows the inspiring journey...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Paul Feig, Melinda Gates, The Invitation
Paul Feig: Writer/Director Paul Feig says he wants to add an equity clause to his future film contracts that would require gender-balanced casting for minor roles. Melinda Gates: The renowned philanthropist talked to Lena Dunham’s Lenny newsletter about the gender gap in unpaid labor and why poverty is sexist. The Invitation: Looking forward to the...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Under Pressure, Reverse Renaissance, Hollywood Power
Under pressure: Reese Witherspoon talked to Entertainment Weekly about how, due to lack of opportunities and added scrutiny, women directors aren’t allowed to fail. Reverse Renaissance: A new study from the Writers Guild of America shows that “progress has been slow at best for women and minority writers in an era of television renaissance, while...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Be Yourself, Women in Motion, Making Music
Be Yourself: Costume designer Jenny Beavan talks about her recent Oscar win for Mad Max: Fury Road – and the “drama” sparked by her decision not to glam it up for the awards ceremony. Women in Motion: Kering and the Cannes Film Festival have announced the second edition of the “Women in Motion” program, which highlights...
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