NYWIFT Blog

NOW ON VOD – FEBRUARY 2016

NOW ON VOD

Indie Films available to watch now from #NYWIFT Members

This month, NYWIFT members are offering some feature length film suggestions to your VOD queue – plus a film screening in NYC today, one coming up very soon, and one film you can pre-order for digital download while simultaneously supporting its Kickstarter campaign for wide release. So show some love to members of New York Women in Film & Television and check out these films below:

 

about scout

About Scout  by Laurie Weltz

Website: http://www.scoutthemovie.com/

Synopsis: A rebellious young girl convinces a suicidal young man to go on a road trip across Texas to track down her little sister, who’s been taken by their father. Cast includes: India Ennenga, James Frecheville, Onata Aprile, Jane Seymour, Nikki Reed, Tim Guinee, with Danny Glover and Ellen Burstyn.

Featuring music by John Dragonetti, The Heligoats, Jack and Eliza, Bright Eyes, Josh Ritter, Lauren Mann, Noah Gundersen, The Joker & The Thief and more.

About Scout opens in NYC and LA on March 11

ARVE Error: need id and provider

 


 

black-and-cuba-poster

 

Black and Cubawritten, directed and produced by Dr. Robin J. Hayes

Website: BlackandCuba.org.

Synopsis: Black and Cuba follows street-smart Ivy League students who are outcasts at their elite university, as they band together and adventure to Cuba to see if revolution is truly possible. Intent on sharing their experiences, the students film their journey through the streets of Havana and Santiago. They observe the literal signs of revolution—“¡Venceremos! We Will Overcome!”—as well as moving hip-hop performances. A stirring block party at a racially integrated housing project impacts the travelers in surprising ways.

Black and Cuba is available now via DVD, Vimeo on Demand and VHX.

[Coming to ITunes, GooglePlay and Amazon this March]

Rent now on Vimeo!

 

ARVE Error: need id and provider


 

grass is always greener

 

“The Grass Is Always Greener” by Meredith Post

Synopsis: When the first medical marijuana dispensary opens in CT, the lives of 20 strangers will change in ways no one expected. “Grass” got it’s start as a reading at NYWIFT and features NYWIFT member, Dawn Young, as pharma C.E.O., Blue Wilson.

Written by six-time Emmy nominee and Writer’s Guild Award winner Meredith Post (As The World Turns, Days of Our Lives), “The Grass Is Always Greener” is a new series in the vein of Weeds and “High Maintenance” on the ensuing chaos that follows the opening of the first medical marijuana dispensary in Connecticut.

Watch now on Vimeo!

 

ARVE Error: need id and provider


 

Screening today!

Chief-DarrylMontanaHeirs

 

Heirs  by Sascha Just

The New Orleans documentary Heirs is premiering in NYC today at the Segal Center Film Festival on Theatre and Performances.

 

WHEN: Friday, February 26 at 7:30 PM followed by a Q & A.

WHERE: Martin E. Segal Theatre Center (part of the Graduate Center), Elebash Hall, 365 Fifth Avenue @ 34 Street

Free and open to the public!

 

Synopsis: New Orleans, city of jazz and Mardi Gras at the shores of the Mississippi river, is the setting for Heirs. Between French flair and African rhythms, ballrooms and street parades, Heirs explores the Crescent City’s heritage of racist injustices—and the roots of its famous arts.

Heirs follows three New Orleanian artists—percussionist Jason Marsalis, theatre artist / former Carnival Queen Lisa D’Amour, and Mardi Gras Indian Chief Darryl Montana—on journeys to their families’ artistic histories and struggles through racial segregation, resulting in footage of Mardi Gras preparations, Indian drum practices, and a traditional carnival ball from the D’Amour family archives. Jason Marsalis revamps long-forgotten music by the first musician in his family, Creole clarinetist Alphonse Picou.

Jason Marsalis wrote the film music. Inspired by the various New Orleans music traditions his modern jazz score reflects the film’s motif of how the past shapes the present, how the old creates the new. The soundtrack Heirs Of The Crescent City is now available on CD (Elm Records).

More info here: http://thesegalcenter.org/event/sascha-just-heirs/

Watch the trailer!

 


 

11010910

 

Thank You For Playing – NYWIFT member Laura Vigilante is the Impact Producer

Website: http://www.thankyouforplayingfilm.com/

 

Synopsis: When Ryan, a video game designer, learns that his young son Joel has cancer he and his wife begin documenting their emotional journey in the form of an unusual and poetic video game. The result is a game called “That Dragon, Cancer” – an astoundingly honest and innovative work of art about the universal complexity of grief. Thank You For Playing follows Ryan and his family over two years offering an intimate revolutionary glimpse into how the fusion of art and technology – in this case a video game – can document profound human experiences in the modern age.

You can pre-order the film for digital download (arriving in April) via Kickstarter. Their Kickstarter campaign has only seven days left, so please take a look for your support consideration: http://kck.st/1WXAzLN

 

 

 

 

 

ARVE Error: need id and provider

 

 

PUBLISHED BY

nywift

nywift New York Women in Film & Television supports women calling the shots in film, television and digital media.

View all posts by nywift

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

*

Related Posts

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Laci Joseph

Welcome to NYWIFT, Laci Joseph! Laci Joseph is a graduating senior at Temple University, earning her B.A. in Film and Media Arts in Spring 2025. She is passionate about production design and visual storytelling, with a focus on African American culture, history, and uplifting marginalized communities. Her creative interests include themes of love, romance, identity, and global exploration.  Laci aspires to design for music videos, short films, and documentaries, while also bringing her own passion projects to life. Through her work, she aims to build immersive visual worlds that inspire connection, celebrate culture, and reflect powerful, underrepresented stories. Laci discusses what brought her to film, projects she is currently working on, and the themes she conveys through her work!

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Sara Beneke

Welcome to NYWIFT, Sara Beneke! Sara Beneke is an actress and model, born and raised in Minnesota. There, she discovered her love of the arts through community theater and studio dance. Since moving to New York, she’s had the opportunity to work in a variety of theater and film production while studying at HB Studio.  Passionate about the crossover of arts and education, she has recently partnered with a local elementary school developing “Readers Theater” productions. Sara is eager to be joining the NYWIFT community through the Next Wave Program. Sara discusses her roots, her experiences as an actress and model, and upcoming projects she is working on!

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Jayson Simba

Welcome to NYWIFT, Jayson Simba! Jayson Simba is a Cuban-American actor, director, writer, and producer who hails from Forest Hills, Queens. After attending LaGuardia H.S. of Performing Arts, Jayson enrolled at the Acting Studio NYC, where he studied the Meisner Technique under renowned acting teacher James Price. As an actor, Jayson has starred in over 40 films and television roles. In 2002, Jayson founded One Man Show Productions to help produce the work of independent filmmakers and writers. In 2007, he was hired to write and direct his first feature film, What Matters Most. As an independent filmmaker with 15 films under his belt, Jayson founded Festival of Cinema NYC with the aim of giving emerging filmmakers a platform to showcase their work to further their careers. Jason discusses his experiences as a filmmaker and the foundations of the Festival of Cinema NYC.

READ MORE

Tribeca Festival 2025: Celebrating Stories, Icons, and Impact with NYWIFT

With this article, our coverage of the 2025 Tribeca Festival comes to a close — and what an unforgettable experience it has been. NYWIFT members LaKisa Renee and Tammy Reese had the incredible opportunity to represent the organization on the ground, capturing exclusive red carpet moments, world premieres, and powerful conversations highlighting the festival’s spirit of storytelling, advocacy, and artistic excellence. One of the most moving moments came when EGOT icon and past NYWIFT Muse Honoree Whoopi Goldberg gave a heartfelt shoutout to New York Women in Film & Television. Her support meant the world to our team. 

READ MORE
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
css.php