NYWIFT Talks with Cursed Director Zetna Fuentes

Welcome to NYWIFT Talks, a new weekly series to bring updated news and vital information about the impact of COVID-19 on the media and entertainment industry. Industry professionals will be in conversation discussing what you need to know about theatrical releases, digital advances, virtual tools, festival opportunities, production updates and more. 

This edition of NYWIFT Talks is free for all to attend.

In this NYWIFT Talks, join director Zetna Fuentes to discuss her new Netflix limited series, Cursed. This series premiered Netflix on July 17th, 2020 and you can binge it here. 

The conversation will be moderated by NYWIFT Advisory Board Member Annetta Marion.

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Based on the New York Times bestselling book, Cursed is a re-imagination of the Arthurian legend, told through the eyes of Nimue, a young woman with a mysterious gift who is destined to become the powerful (and tragic) Lady of the Lake. After her mother’s death, she finds an unexpected partner in Arthur, a humble mercenary, in a quest to find Merlin and deliver an ancient sword. Over the course of her journey, Nimue will become a symbol of courage and rebellion against the terrifying Red Paladins, and their complicit King Uther. Cursed is a coming-of-age story whose themes are familiar to our own time: the obliteration of the natural world, religious terror, senseless war, and finding the courage to lead in the face of the impossible.

Panelists

Zetna Fuentes has established herself as one of the industry’s most in-demand directors as she continues to helm episode after episode of many of television’s most notable award-winning shows. Most recently, Fuentes directed and executive produced the pilot and second episode of the  Netflix series Cursed, based on the illustrated novel by Frank Miller and Thomas Wheeler. Her work has been showcased on numerous primetime drama series including: HBO’s The Deuce, Showtime’s Critics Choice-nominee Ray Donovan and Shameless, as well as on multiple award-winning shows such as NBC’s This is Us, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. Other directing credits include FX’s upcoming The Old Man, The Chi, Jane the Virgin, Jessica Jones, Longmire, Bosch, Snowfall, and Pretty Little Liars. Next, she’ll direct multiple episodes of Julian Fellowes’ (Downtown Abbey) The Gilded Age on HBO. Prior to her primetime success, Fuentes first earned recognition for her work on the popular daytime dramas Guiding Light and One Life To Live, for which she received three Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team. Born and raised in the Bronx, she began her directing career in New York theater working on numerous critically acclaimed Off-Broadway productions. Fuentes is an advocate for diversity and inclusiveness in the industry and serves as an alternate on the National Board of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and Western Directors Council. She is also a member of the DGA’s Diversity Task Force and is a former co-chair of the DGA’s Latino Committee. 

Annetta Marion (moderator) is an award-winning director and Primetime Emmy-nominated showrunner who for the last decade has dedicated her life to the craft of making premium television and cultivating a taste for stories that both entertain and inspire. She has created roughly 70 hours of premium television over the past decade. Her work spans high-end branded content, scripted comedy and drama, true crime series for Investigation Discovery, multi-cam episodes for NBC, and docs-series / specials for OWN, MTV, Netflix and NASA; working with talent like Oprah, Amy Poehler, Nicki Minaj, and Dwayne Johnson to aspiring actors to “real people.”

Co-Produced with Cherry Picks and Hilda Somarriba