Susan Steiger (third from the right), the rest of the NYWIFT board, and Muse honorees take the stage at the 2012 Muse Awards.
At the 2001 Muse Awards, Dede Allen — the first editor to get an exclusive credit on a film — received a standing ovation from a packed house. It’s those moments that make Susan Steiger, NYWIFT’S VP of Special Events, proud to be a part of the popular event year after year.
This year marks the 34th Muse Awards for Outstanding Vision and Achievement and Susan’s third as its chief organizer. She has volunteered at the event since 1998.
NYWIFT’s Muse Awards are full of “extraordinary women from all walks of life and in different professions,“ says Susan. “That makes it really fun.”
A native New Yorker, Susan has worked in politics and network news. She has a law degree, and today, focuses on helping and promoting women in the arts, volunteering with organizations like NYWIFT. “It’s all about what women can do for women,” she says.
Putting together a flagship fundraising event is quite the job. But the chance to honor the women who have been pioneers keeps her motivated, says Susan. (Check out the full list of honorees.)
This year, NYWIFT will honor actors Ellen Barkin (The Big Easy, Broadway’s The Normal Heart), Connie Britton (Nashville), Robin Wright (House of Cards), Sonia Manzano (Sesame Street), Frances Berwick (president of Bravo and Oxygen Media), and Nancy Malone (co-founder, Women in Film and director/producer/actor).
Tickets are now on sale for Muse 2013, being held on December 12 at the New York Hilton.
— MIMI SPILLANE (@mimispillane)
nywift
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Khrystyna Komarovska
Welcome to NYWIFT, Khrystyna Komarovska! Khrystyna is a New-York based filmmaker, actress, and digital strategy leader, where her work touches on the intersection of storytelling, audience growth, and social impact. Her projects explore human connection, contemporary relationships, and mental health through narrative film and digital projects. Alongside her creative work, she leads digital strategy for brands and founders, informing how projects are positioned, distributed, and scaled. Khrystyna is the creator of the short series Nina’s Files, which has received festival recognition and media attention. She is also currently developing new narrative work focused on Gen Z audiences and intentional storytelling. In our interview, Khrystyna discusses her background, recent projects, and what she has learned from working in the media industry.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Belén Vilarrasa-Corriero
Welcome to NYWIFT, Belén Vilarrasa-Corriero! Belén is a Spanish-American documentary filmmaker making her directorial debut with Entre Las Paredes (Within the Walls), an intimate, feature-length project in development that follows her Abuela’s final days. Born and raised in New York City in a bilingual household, Belén brings a deeply personal lens to her work, believing that some of the most powerful stories live within our own families. Alongside her own projects, Belén works as an assistant director across narrative and commercial productions, where her focus, adaptability, and collaborative spirit help keep sets running smoothly. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts, she continues to grow her craft through diverse filmmaking experiences, driven by a dedication to emotionally resonant, visually compelling storytelling. In our interview, Belén reflects on documenting her family’s history, navigating grief and memory through film, and the projects she’s most excited to explore next.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Delfine Paolini
Welcome to NYWIFT, Delfine Paolini! Delfine is a multifaceted filmmaker whose critically recognized work explores themes of life and loss. Her unique and powerful visions draw from an intimate familiarity of cinematic storytelling, philosophy, and a deeply thoughtful reflection of self. Her feature debut, A Wonderful Way with Dragons, has won numerous international awards. Its distinct style and emotional evocations are reflective of Delfine’s creative journey. Coming from a background of photography, she is highly attuned to expressive visuals. Community and mentorship have remained essential values to Delfine, who has faced both hurdles and victories on her directorial path. Delfine’s resolve and creative momentum have led to the development of multiple exciting projects. She is a director to watch; her upcoming films Le Rouge Originel, Reds Hearten, and Sky, Zyprexa, Night will continue to push boundaries and explore the profound power of the film medium. In our interview, Delfine discusses her background and inspirations.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Sophia Baldassari
Let’s welcome screenwriter, script supervisor, and playwright Sophia Baldassari to NYWIFT! She was most recently an Associate Producer on the Radio Silence thriller LOSER, directed by Colleen McGuinness. Her plays and pilots have been developed/produced at Luna Stage, George Street Playhouse, the McCarter Theatre Center, Haddonfield Plays and Players, and Manhattan Repertory Theatre, and have received accolades from the O’Neill Center Young Playwrights, Theatremania Young Playwrights, Beardance International Playwriting Festival, the Neil LaBute New Theatre Festival, the Austin Film Festival, among others. She’s studied Writing at Sarah Lawrence and Egyptology at the University of Oxford, an experience she used to write a buddy comedy about the mummy of a Pharaoh’s 29th Favorite wife. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America East, The New York Script Supervisors Network, and IATSE Local 111. In our interview, we discussed uniting accessible and female driven stories with comedy and surrealism, the structural switches between playwriting and screenwriting, and the unexpected comedy of life in ancient Egypt. Let’s dive in!
READ MORE
