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NYWIFT @ Woodstock Film Festival - "Creative Control: Censorship, Film Audiences and Free Speech"

NYWIFT @ Woodstock Film Festival - "Creative Control: Censorship, Film Audiences and Free Speech"

18 Oct 2025 @ 01:30pm

Throughout history, creators have faced the challenge of industry and government censorship, with authorities attempting to control the narratives and themes presented on screen. Despite these restrictions, many filmmakers have bravely pushed the boundaries of artistic expression, using their work to highlight social and political issues, and advocate for freedom of speech. Storytellers have subverted such restrictions using techniques like metaphor or allegory, contributing to the evolution of the medium and preserving cultural heritage.

This panel co-presented with Woodstock Film Festival, will bring together documentary and narrative filmmakers with industry leaders to discuss the complex interplay between artistic freedom and societal values, in both a historical and contemporary context. 

Panelists include Julia Bacha, Melissa Leo, Yoruba Richen, and Kim A. Snyder. Moderated by NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez.

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Latest news

Congrats to the NYWIFT members with films at the 2025 Woodstock Film Festival!

Check out the lineup…

Congrats to the NYWIFT members with projects at the 2025 Chelsea Film Festival!

Get tickets…

Congrats to the NYWIFT members with projects at the 2025 SOHO International Film Festival!

Learn more…

NYWIFT is on the road and hitting the festival circuit! The latest letter from NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez details all the latest happening in programming and festival partnerships. 

Read it now!

NYWIFT members are encouraged to submit their projects for consideration for the NYWIFT Member Screening Series!

Learn more…

Congrats to the NYWIFT Members with films screening at the 2025 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival!

Check out the lineup…

Congratulations to the 12 NYWIFT Members nominated for the 2025 News & Documentary Emmy Awards!

See the nominees and winners…

NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez shares recaps of recent NYWIFT happenings at Tribeca, the Made in NY Awards, and our Meet the Candidates Night, plus previews upcoming programs and pays tribute to two special members of our community who have passed. 

Read the latest… 

 

In her latest letter from the CEO, Cynthia Lopez shares behind-the-scenes highlights from the 45th Annual NYWIFT Muse Awards!

Check it out…

Congrats to the six NYWIFT members involved in Oscar-nominated projects this year!

Check out the list… 

Catch the special broadcast for the 44th Annual NYWIFT Muse Awards on NYC Life March 1 and 21!

Check out the promo and local listings…

We’re proud to share that 10 NYWIFT members had projects selected for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival!

Check out the lineup…

NYWIFT has compiled a list of resources for members in need following the California wildfires, and for those in NYC looking to send support. 

See the list…

There are several NYWIFT Members involved in projects nominated for the 2025 Golden Globes!

Check out the full roster…

NYWIFT presented 11 awards to women filmmakers across six New York-area film festivals in 2024.

Meet who we supported…

NYWIFT presented scholarships to eight filmmaking students in 2024 as part of our ongoing commitment to nurturing the next generation of women in media.

Meet the students…

Congrats to the NYWIFT members with films at DOC NYC 2024!

Check out the festival highlights…

NYWIFT is proud to announce the new Nancy Mysel Scholarship Fund for students dedicated to the art and science of film preservation. The scholarship is named for the late UCLA preservationist.

Learn more.

Four NYWIFT Members have been nominated for Artios Awards for casting theater and television – including former Board Member Destiny Lilly, who has nine nominations! Congrats to all.

Read about the nominees…

Four NYWIFT members have films screening at the 2024 Urbanworld Festival – congrats to all involved!

See the lineup…

Congrats to the ten members with projects at the Chelsea Film Festival!

Check out the lineup…

We are proud to have five NYWIFT members with projects at this year’s NewFest, NYC’s LGBTQIA+ film festival!

Learn more about the films…

Congrats to the NYWIFT members with films screening at the 25th Anniversary Woodstock Film Festival!

Check out the full lineup…

In her latest letter from the CEO, Cynthia Lopez recaps NYWIFT all around New York: from The New School to Greenpoint to NYC TV Week, DCTV, Queens, the Hamptons, and beyond…

Read all about it…

Congrats to all of the NYWIFT Members with films at the 2024 Hamptons International Film Festival, including Past NYWIFT Board President Simone Pero and Lilly, recipient of the NYWIFT Ravenal Foundation Feature Film Grant! 

See the full lineup.

NYWIFT is proud to announce new Board President Kim Jackson, along with several other new and returning board members for 2024-2025.

Get to know them here!

New York Women in Film & Television is proud to announce its continued partnership with the Hellenic Film Society in 2024, including two October screenings at the NY Greek Film Expo.

Read the details…

Congrats to the 25 NYWIFT Members featured in the 15th Annual SOHO International Film Festival, as well as festival Executive Director and Head of Programming, NYWIFT Board Member Sibyl Reymundo-Santiago!

See the full lineup…

NYWIFT is proud to share that seven of our members were nominated for 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards, for shows including The Gilded Age, Only Murders in the Building, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Telemarketers, Saturday Night Live, True Detective: Night Country, and Girls State.

Check out the nominees…

The Writers Lab today announced that renewed support from steadfast champion Meryl Streep will enable 14 writers across 12 projects to attend its tenth annual lab. With Labs now operational in the US, Canada, UK and Europe, The Writers Lab is still the only program in the world dedicated exclusively to elevating the work of women and nonbinary screenwriters over 40. 

Learn more!

Congratulations to the NYWIFT members who had projects at the 2024 Tribeca Festival!

See the full list.

Visit our NYWIFT Boutique to shop for Muse Awards mugs and apparel!

Check it out!

  • "As always and even more so today, women in our business are taking up the mantle of courage and truth-telling and consciousness, and they move and inspire me. We are awake now in a way we have never been before."

    - Actor Judith Light, accepting her 2017 NYWIFT Muse Award

  • "My faith is renewed by the way I experience this vanguard moving through the world with such grace at such a complex time. Speaking truth to power and creating a legacy for the women and the men who follow."

    - Actor Judith Light, accepting her 2017 NYWIFT Muse Award

upcoming events

  • NYWIFT @ Woodstock Film Festival - "Creative Control: Censorship, Film Audiences and Free Speech"

    01:30pm
  • NYWIFT Co-Presents NewFest Closing Night Film "Christy"

    06:00pm
  • NYWIFT Member Screening: Familiar Touch

    06:00pm
  • NYWIFT Night Out with HRTS at the National Arts Club

    07:00pm

 

LATEST blogs

Meet the New NYWIFT Member
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Andrea Ocampo

Welcome to NYWIFT, Andrea Ocampo! Andrea is a first-generation Colombian filmmaker. She is drawn to the quiet forces that have shaped her: obsession, memory, and identity in flux. She is a proud artist who directs with a lens for the psychological and surreal, blending documentary realism with fiction laced in intimate mystery. Her latest short Blackout is a psychological thriller set in the NYC subway, and it premiered to a sold-out crowd on September 13th, 2025, at Imagine This Women’s Film Festival. She navigates global crises and inner landscapes with equal urgency. Her work has a raw, honest, and quietly haunted feel to it. Chances are you’ll feel it before you understand it. We spoke to Andrea in late Summer. She recounts her experience in the film industry, tracing her path from a passionate young filmmaker in her early childhood to the successful professional she has become.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Toni Manohar

Welcome to NYWIFT, Toni Manohar! Toni is a passionate creative and writer, working on fiction and non-fiction works, screenplays, and original piano compositions. By day, she is a technical writer and project manager in the pharmaceutical industry, but her creative endeavors occupy her nights and weekends. Writing and creating good stories has been a dream of Toni’s since she was a child, and one that she continues to pursue. She’s excited to be a part of this community and to connect with the like-minded filmmakers of NYWIFT!

Meet the New NYWIFT Member
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Iris De Vita

Welcome to NYWIFT, Iris De Vita! Iris De Vita is the founder of Golden Iris, LLC, where she combines her talents as a photographer and publicist to help clients shine. She also works as a talent booker for The Donna Drake Show. Specializing in portrait and event photography, as well as PR for artists, performers, and small businesses, Iris brings a creative yet strategic approach to every project. Iris’s work has supported films, festivals, and artistic events, drawing audiences and capturing lasting memories. Based on Long Island and in New York City, she is passionate about telling stories, whether through the perfect photograph or a compelling publicity campaign. In our interview, Iris discusses her photography, her promotional work with artists and events, and her love of connecting audiences with art!

Film Festivals
NYWIFT Member Spotlight
Maria Miles Previews the 2025 New York Greek Film Expo

As former NYWIFT Board Member Maria C. Miles finishes up her first year as President of the Hellenic Film Society, we sat down with her on the eve of the New York Greek Film Expo to discuss her time with the organization and what we have to look forward to at this year’s fest. Mary is the founder of an entertainment law practice with offices in New York. Maria’s practice focuses on all areas of entertainment law, including film (narrative and documentary), music, literary publishing, and digital media. She has represented award-winning producers, directors, writers, actors, television hosts, multi-platinum recording artists, and corporations in the fashion and sports industries related to their entertainment matters. Maria is the Executive Director of the Hellenic Films Society, USA, and served as Secretary of the board of New York Women in Film & Television. She continues to serve NYWIFT as their legal counsel. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema and the School for Visual Arts, as well as an Adjunct Instructor at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

 

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