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Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Jamie Kiernan O’Brien
Welcome to NYWIFT, Jamie Kiernan O’Brien! Jamie is a filmmaker based in New York City and a current M.F.A. candidate at New York University’s Graduate Film program. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., she began her career as an actor before shifting her focus behind the camera. Jamie’s films have screened at Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival, Wicked Queer Boston, and TRANSlations Film Festival in Seattle. She loves highly stylized work that plays with and subverts genre, having made films inspired by horror, screwball comedy, erotic thriller, and melodrama. Her debut short film, an adaptation of The Yellow Wallpaper (in which she also stars), won several awards in the festival circuit and premiered at TRANSlations Film Festival in Seattle in 2022. Her most recent short, Egg, debuted at Wicked Queer in Boston, and went on to screen at Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival and World Pride DC. She received her B.A. in English Literature from New York University. Jamie is an openly trans woman. In our interview, Jamie discusses her transition from acting to directing, recent projects, and the filmmakers who have inspired her work!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Sophie Ostrove
Welcome to NYWIFT, Sophie Ostrove! Sophie is a thoughtful and funny storyteller who graduated with honors from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she earned her BFA in Film and Television with a focus on comedy. As a queer, disabled, and Jewish writer, Sophie is passionate about creating stories that center joy and offer authentic representation. Based in New York City, she splits her time between writing, freelancing, background acting, teaching filmmaking, ushering — and watching as much TV as possible (a job requirement she’s more than happy to meet). In our conversation, Sophie reflected on her creative journey, the role of comedy in her work, and why representation truly matters.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Rita Marcocci
Welcome to NYWIFT, Rita Marcocci! Rita Marcocci is founder of Verus Studios, LLC a female-owned, award-winning production studio based in Westport, CT. She is a former executive at FOX Television with an accomplished background in revenue growth and strategic partnerships. Her most recent project, the Oscar and BAFTA shortlisted film The One Note Man, is currently available on Amazon Prime. Next up is a short film collaboration with award winning director, Daniel Deville and the Oscar-winning team at Slick Films. Rita brings a strategic perspective to projects, offering a full understanding of successful operational knowledge as well as diverse, hands-on experience in the entertainment industry. In our interview, Rita discusses her current projects and the process of running Versus Studios!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Cassie Rubio
Welcome to NYWIFT, Cassie Rubio! Cassie Rubio is a Brooklyn-based screenwriter, educator, and community organizer. Whether it’s running free art labs for QTBIPOC youth or teaching guerrilla filmmaking workshops aimed at documenting climate change, Cassie believes in the transformative power each of our creative voices have. A recent graduate of Stony Brook’s MFA in Television Writing program and a 2024 Television Academy Drama Writing Fellowship Finalist, they use their voice to author stories about the harm and healing found in collective spaces. In our interview, Cassie discusses the intersections between activism and filmmaking, their writing inspiration, and an upcoming project!
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