NYWIFT Co-Presents “Women in Film Night” at Montauk Film Festival

Mohana Rajakumar – Me Against The World

Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar is a South Asian American who has lived in Qatar since 2005. Moving to the Arabian desert was fortuitous in many ways since that’s where she met her husband, had two sons, and became a writer. She has since published eight e-books, including a momoir for first time mothers, Mommy But Still Me; a guide for aspiring writers, So You Want to Sell a Million Copies; a short story collection, Coloured and Other Stories; and a novel about women’s friendships, Saving Peace.

Jacqueline Xerri – Monkey Bars

Jacqueline Xerri is a writer, director and editor from Long Island, New York and now resides in Brooklyn. She received a BFA from the College of Motion Picture Arts at Florida State University. Her past work includes When She Speaks (2019) which premiered at National Film Festival for Talented Youth and was nominated for the ACS Student Heritage award, Teen Night (2018) which was nominated for Best Long Island Film at the Long Island International Film Expo and Ruckzuck (2017), an official selection of the American Documentary Film Festival. Her past experiences along with some of her favorite directors, Andrea Arnold and David Lynch, have inspired her work and her desire to tell immersive and daring coming-of-age stories. She recently assistant edited the feature documentary, Don’t Try to Understand: A Year in the Life of Earl ‘DMX’ Simmons, an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival 2020. As Xerri continues making narrative short films and observatory documentaries, she is currently developing her first feature.

Ju Martins – Na Kama Kai

After having worked for 7 years traveling around the world looking for untouched waves and wild landscapes, from Sri Lanka, passing through Africa and Patagonia Argentina, Ju decided to get focused on projects that could inspire people and motivate them to be their best version. It was from her past experiences that she felt the need to try to make a positive change in the world. Now she’s trying to expand her focus to include more environmentally conscience projects. Visiting so many different cultures has encouraged her to want to give back to the local communities somehow, so using the tools she has in her hands everyday , like cameras and her inspiration, is the way she found to do that.

Cynthia López – Moderator

NYWIFT Executive Director Cynthia López is an award-winning media strategist, and former Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, where she implemented strategies to support film and TV production throughout the five boroughs. López is the recipient of many coveted industry awards including: 11 News and Documentary Emmy Awards, a Special Emmy Award for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking, three Peabody Awards, and two duPont-Columbia Awards. In addition, she received the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) Award for Commitment to Corporate Diversity. Prior to working as Commissioner, López was Executive Vice President and co-Executive Producer of the award-winning PBS documentary series American Documentary | POV, and was involved in the organization’s strategic growth and creative development for 14 years. Her ability to forge strategic partnerships among corporate and public interest media has been a signature of her work. Notable partnerships include: New York Times, Reuters, Al-Jazeera Network, Discovery Communications, The Moth, Story Corps, Harpo Studios and ABC News, NIGHTLINE with Ted Koppel. López is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), and is proud to have spent her career collaborating with independent filmmakers across all portions of the film and television industry. She served on the Board of Trustees for the Paley Center, NYC & Company, Museum of the Moving Image and the Tribeca Film Institute Latin America Fund Advisory Board. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Latino Public Broadcasting, Manhattan Neighborhood Network and Hunter College IMA Program.