NYWIFT Blog

Virtual Event: “Single” Screening + Q&A with Director Ashley Eakin

Single is a relatable, anti-romantic comedy that delivers an entertaining and insightful examination of human connection that also challenges preconceived notions of life with a disability. A girl born with one arm gets set-up on a blind with a guy who has one hand...and she is pissed.

The short film is the recipient of the NYWIFT Loreen Arbus Disability Awareness Grant. 

After the screening, join us for a Q&A with director Ashley Eakin, moderated by NYWIFT Board Member Rachel Watanabe-Batton.

Virtual Panel: The Art and Science of Fashion in Film Panel

Fashion Group International and NYWIFT are joining forces to bring you "The Art and Science of Fashion in Film." The panel will discuss the art of filmmaking and science of marketing fashion through films today, and how film is an essential branding tool for fashion and lifestyle brands. Feature films, web series, short films, branded content, live fashion events and music videos are all powerful ways to interact and create a dialogue with your audience. Taken from the point of view of both the creative and strategic marketing approaches, we’ll discuss the ingredients of a great film or campaign and how different brands are using the medium.

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Andy Hilfiger (Creative Director for Artistix Fashion), Ina Pira (Curator for Vimeo), and Matthew Rowean (MATTE Projects). Moderated by David Swajeski.

NYWIFT Talks with The Cherry Picks Co-Founder Miranda Bailey

In this NYWIFT Talks, join The Cherry Picks Co-Founder Miranda Bailey for a Zoom conversation. We’ll focus on how The Cherry Picks has revolutionized female film critics.

This conversation will be moderated by NYWIFT Board Member Rachel Watanabe-Batton and is free for all to attend.

POSTPONED NYWIFT Talks with IFP Executive Director Jeffrey Sharp

In this NYWIFT Talk, join Executive Director of IFP Jeffrey Sharp for a Zoom conversation. We’ll focus on on IFP and the future of digital learning within IFP.

This conversation will be moderated by NYWIFT Executive Director Cynthia Lopez and is free for all NYWIFT members to attend.

NYWIFT Talks The Writers Lab with Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon

Join The Writers Lab Co-Founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon for a Zoom conversation. We’ll focus on The Writers Lab and their mission to amplify the voices of women screenwriters over 40. 

This conversation will be moderated by NYWIFT Board President Jamie Zelermyer. 

NYWIFT Talks with Costume Designer Dana Covarrubias

Join Costume Designer and 2018 NYWIFT Designing Women Honoree Dana Covarrubias for a Zoom conversation. We’ll focus on on her career, new projects, and what COVID-19 has meant for her as a costume designer.

This conversation will be moderated by NYWIFT Board President Jamie Zelermyer.

(Open to NYWIFT members only. Not a member yet? Go to www.nywift.org/join or email membership@nywift.org to take advantage of our Community Building Membership Campaign discount.)

Virtual Discussion: NYWIFT Talks with Tribeca Film Festival Senior Programmer Lucy Mukerjee

In this NYWIFT Talk, join Tribeca Film Festival's Senior Programmer Lucy Mukerjee. Lucy will discuss Tribeca’s move to digital programming during COVID-19, and how she is continuing her LGBTQ+ advocacy work through her role at the organization

This discussion will be moderated by NYWIFT Board President Jamie Zelermyer.

Virtual Event: Call Your Mother Screening + Q&A

Behind every famous comedian, there’s an infamous mom! In the hilarious new documentary Call Your Mother, the film explores the relationships between comedians and their mothers, and how they have indelibly shaped their craft. Please join us for a special sneak peek and panel discussion before the film debuts on Comedy Central on Mother’s Day...

Webinar: Brave New World: Reimagining Film Festivals in a Time of Crisis

When SXSW cancelled, it sent shockwaves through the indie film world. But the creative forces that have kept independent film vibrant over the decades are rising to meet the current crisis. Until we can once again gather in large crowds, the show is going on. Film festivals are moving online or reviving older forms such as using drive-ins for locations to gather at safe physical distances.

This panel brings together a group of creatives to discuss how people and organizations are responding nimbly and re-imagining ways to connect and support filmmakers and audiences. We will explore the possibilities for evolving out of this crisis to create more fluid and far-reaching concepts of film promotion, audience engagement, and distribution.

Join us for a conversation with Laurie Cheatle, Maori Karmael Holmes, Brian Newman, Alison Willmore, and Jeffrey Winter, moderated by Michelle Materre.

Webinar: Documentary Storytelling with Sound Design

Sound design plays an essential and often unrecognized part of nonfiction filmmaking. It can set a mood, illuminate a point of view, or help set you in a place and time. We speak with sound professionals to see and hear what goes into their decision making and creative process. Join us for a conversation with Jacob Ribicoff, Steve "Major" Giammaria, and Becky Goldberg (Moderator).

Webinar: The Business of Adaptations for Film and TV – 2020

Agents, Hollywood producers and publishers are always searching for the next great story, but not all writers start from scratch. Oftentimes, ideas come from the things we see, read, write and hear. The challenge for many is how to transition these materials from their original form of a book, article, and story into a full-fledged viable screenplay and adaptation material for another medium. Savvy industry professionals love to leverage their time and efforts by capitalizing on a story that can be adapted into many forms. Learn from this experienced panel about ways to locate common sources for your story or script and the power and pitfalls of working with adaptations for your project.

POSTPONED: Women are Funny

In 2018, a frustrating study claimed"researchers found that 63% of men were funnier than the average woman" based on captions attached to a picture of an absurd cartoon. Thankfully, this claim has been shut down by female comedians since its unnecessary birth. Guess what? Women are funny. Our conversation "Women are Funny" brings together some of the funniest women in...comedy! These women have successfully produced numerous shows, are writers for Late Night folks, and starred in TV/film roles. These Queens of Comedy are champions of their craft — and the world should know that.

Webinar: Mental Health and Career Sustainability in the Doc World

To the outsider, the person holding the film camera is a story teller and change maker, living a dream life, filled with travel, awards, honor and recognition. To the documentary filmmaker, the possibility of creating transformational change through art is a calling. Yet it is a calling that exacts deep costs: financial, emotional, psychological, and physical. The documentary business is a long odds game fraught with disappointment and struggle. Underpinning these struggles is the elusive act of making a sustainable living at the career. NYWIFT and The D-Word co-host a panel discussion to shed more light on this much-needed conversation and to explore avenues of greater filmmaker support.  Moderated by Doug Block (The D-Word), panelists include Rebecca Day (Producer/ Psychotherapist), Kelsey Koenig (Impact Partner Films), Heidi Reinberg (Documentary film maker) and Chithra Jeyaram (Documentary film maker).  

The Wrong Kind of Women

Naomi McDougall Jones's new book The Wrong Kind of Women is a brutally honest look at the systemic exclusion of women in film — an industry with massive cultural influence — and how, in response, women are making space in cinema for their voices to be heard. In addition to providing an incisive, data- and human-driven look at where we are, Naomi provides clear and actionable steps to move the industry forward.  Join us for a conversation with Naomi McDougall Jones, Tanya Perez, and Jennifer Betit Yen.

Women Behind the Brush

In "Women Behind the Brush," NYWIFT Member Victoria Bert leads a conversation with some of the most renowned makeup artists in NYC. This discussion will provide makeup artists with ideas for their own career paths including portfolio, networking, and business tips! Makeup artist speakers include Margina Dennis (Director of LA'G Magazine), Jackie Risotto (Fosse/Verdon), Nicki Ledermann (Joker - Academy Award nominee for Best Makeup, Sex and the City, The Greatest Showman, and The Irishman), DeShawn Hatcher (Editorial and Beauty Guru) and NYWIFT Member Jennifer Snowdon (Wonderama). After the panel, a Make Up Forever educator will present a live demo. More details to come.

Destination Co-Star! TV Tips for the Emerging Actor

Are you an actor transitioning from theater, independent film, background work, or just starting out? This workshop is for those seeking practical advice in booking their first television co-star role, and more importantly, building a life-long career. We’ll cover casting directors, agents, creating a network vs. networking, audition best practices (and managing those audition nerves), and more! Please note: If The Secret-power-of-attraction-manifesting approach is your thing—great! But this program offers its polar opposite and might not be for you. Though we will touch upon a few science-based items to maintain a healthy mindset, this will be a simple, no-nonsense primer to get you started on your career.

Funding Your Doc

You've locked in your subject and finished the research, what's next? Production! But, how will you fund it? No worries, we'll help you! In Funding Your Doc, Lara Stolman (Director/Producer of Swim Team), leads a discussion that will provide ideas to create fundraising strategies for filmmakers without significant industry or institutional support/relationships, working on a small budget –even on a controversial topic. We will discuss filmmakers needs including festival circuit and distribution. Guest speakers include Heather White (Director/Producer of Complict and Modern Slavery and Your Devices), Carolyn Hepburn (Motto Pictures), and Mark Rossier (Director of Grants, New York Foundation for the Arts).

Women on the Front Lines: Changing the Game @ Sundance

Sundance Institute reports that 46% of directors competing in this year’s festival are women, up 6% from 2019. While there’s still further to go, these statistics show that progress is possible when concerted efforts are made to address systemic biases. AMC Networks, NYWIFT, WIF LA, and ReFrame will bring together leading women from the front lines in entertainment to discuss gender parity, inclusion and the way forward.