Goodbye, Alicia: This weekend we bid farewell to The Good Wife, a classic made-in-New-York show with a marvelously complex female-driven storyline, starring our own 2009 NYWIFT Muse Honoree Julianna Margulies as power attorney Alicia Florrick. It will be missed.
Independent Women: A new study from Martha Lauzen at the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University shows that though women directors fared better in the independent realm than with major studios, the percentage of women behind the camera is “stagnant.” Women account for 28% of all directors working in indie film during the past year, a five-point increase over 2014-15 and slightly below the historical high of 29% in 2011-12. We must translate the growing awareness of gender disparity into actual change.
Preserving the Legacy: Did you know the NYWIFT Women’s Film Preservation Fund (WFPF) has preserved more than 100 films since its inception 21 years ago? Get to know this history of this amazing organization, and apply for a WFPF grant by June 1.
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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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