In a new partnership between New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) and BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), we’re thrilled to present a collection of groundbreaking contemporary films that delve into science and technology in the modern world. These urgent documentaries and empowering fictions take us from the depths of outer space to the on-the-ground action of a Hasidic women-run ambulance corps and beyond.
Join us for a screening of To the End followed by a conversation with director Rachel Lears and producer Sabrina Schmidt Gordon. Moderated by NYWIFT Board Member Kim Jackson.
Date: Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Time: 7:00pm ET
Location: Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, 11217
Price: Free with reservation
About the Film:
Running Time: 104 min
Filmed over four years of hope and crisis, To the End captures the emergence of a new generation of leaders and the movement behind the most sweeping climate change legislation in U.S. history. The award-winning team behind Knock Down the House follows four exceptional young women— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, activist Varshini Prakash, climate policy writer Rhiana Gunn-Wright, and political strategist Alexandra Rojas— as they grapple with new challenges of leadership and power and work together to defend their generation’s right to a future. From street protests to the halls of Congress, these bold leaders fight to shift the narrative around climate, revealing the crisis as an opportunity to build a better society. Including up-to-the-minute footage that culminates in 2022’s landmark climate bill, To the End lifts the veil on the battle for the future of our world, and gives audiences a front seat view of history in the making.
Panelists
Rachel Lears is an award-winning documentary director, producer and cinematographer based in Brooklyn, NY. Rachel’s films include To the End (Roadside Attractions, Hulu), which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and won multiple awards on the festival circuit, and Knock Down the House (Netflix), which won the US Documentary Audience Award and the Festival Favorite award at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, and was shortlisted for an Oscar and nominated for an Emmy in 2020. Rachel received the IDA Emerging Filmmaker Award in 2019, and also holds a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from NYU.
Sabrina Schmidt Gordon is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and impact strategist from NYC. Her films employ provocative, nuanced storytelling to center marginalized voices, illuminate diverse experiences, and inspire around the issues that affect our global society. Since her Emmy-winning editing debut for WGBH, she has distinguished herself as a producer, editor, and director. In October, Sabrina was honored with this year’s Reel Sisters Trailblazer Award, joining previous honorees Issa Rae, Jessica Williams and Julie Dash. She is also a Women at Sundance Fellow, recipient of the Dear Producer Award recognizing excellence in independent filmmaking, and is an inducted member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Sabrina’s latest film, Victim/Suspect, is a Netflix investigative documentary about police handling of sexual assault cases, that premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Produced with the Center for Investigative Reporting, it was in the US competition for Best Documentary. Last year, Sabrina was also at Sundance with To the End, which follows four young women of color, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, on the front lines of the fight to end the climate crisis. She is also the producer of Quest, an intimate portrait of a North Philadelphia family, from the 2008 election of Barack Obama through to the 2016 nomination of Donald Trump. It also premiered at the Sundance 2017, receiving critical acclaim and awards on the festival circuit and beyond. It is a New York Times Critics Pick, a Rolling Stone Top 10, and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, a Peabody Award, and two Emmys. In an interview with VOGUE magazine, Sabrina discusses authorship, collaboration, and authentic storytelling in Quest, a Documentary Disrupts American Narratives About Race. Sabrina’s directing debut was the Emmy-nominated BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez, which she co-directed, co-produced, and edited, winning the Best Film Directed by a Woman of Color award at the African Diaspora International Film Festival in 2016. She is also the co-producer and editor of Documented, the story of Pulitzer Prize-winning undocumented journalist, Jose Antonio Vargas.
Kim Jackson is recognized for producing dozens of notable independent films. Her early creative expression began with dance and choreography, and that has remained the spark that ignites her creative passions. Majoring in environmental science, she has a natural curiosity for how things work. “Producers begin food chains which feed all life.” Technology is of special of interest to Kim, as it relates to serving and advancing humanity. She’s the co-founder of the creative studio Evotion, and is active on several boards, including New York Women in Film & Television, ACE Programs for the Homeless and The Gwen Ifill College of Media, Arts and Humanities at Simmons University. Kim is a member of the p.g.a. and Producers Union.
Thanks to our partner:
Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Screening series supported by:
BAM Brooklyn
30 Lafayette Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11217
programs@nywift.org
Join the conversation on social media:
#nywift | @nywift
NYWIFT programs, screenings and events are supported, in part, by grants from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
