NYWIFT Blog

NYWIFT’s Statement on Sexual Harassment and Abuse in the Entertainment Industry

Dear NYWIFT Members,

The entertainment industry was rocked by a New York Times exposé of decades of sexual harassment allegations leveled at producer Harvey Weinstein and, as the days unfold, accounts of abuses by other top men in the industry are surfacing rapidly. To NYWIFT, and to so many of our members, this type of abusive behavior, while appalling, is anything but “breaking news.” Such stories are pervasive at all levels of the industry, and we’ve heard similar accounts from many of our members. While Weinstein may be the most hypocritical and highest profile at the moment, the industry is rife with sexism across the board, not only from ‘head honchos’ but it is also occurring in all positions, whether a woman is crewing a film or show, performing a scene on set, participating in a corporate board room meeting, or at her desk in everyday work environments. From the most overt to the insidious subtle nuanced overtures, in front of the camera or behind the scenes, sexual harassment is real and we commend all those who have spoken out so far.

We are glad The Weinstein Company, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Producers Guild of America took decisive action. Now, we need to band together and shed further light on how this type of abusive and harassing behavior is being addressed down the line or in companies where women don’t feel they are able to speak out. This horrifying, all-too-prevalent behavior reminds us of the importance of solidarity, how women have to share knowledge to protect each other, how some predators unfortunately disguise themselves as “allies,” and how we need to keep the conversation going.

NYWIFT was formed on the premise of supporting and empowering women in their profession and craft. In keeping with this long tradition, we call on you today to stand together, support each other, and share your stories. We encourage you to engage with your fellow NYWIFT members by posting on our social media channels, submitting a blog story, producing a short film, or perhaps you’d like to help us create an educational program. Send your ideas and stories to communications@nywift.org.

We would would also like to make our members aware of the National Women’s Law Center‘s new Legal Network for Gender Equity to address the unprecedented number of threats to women’s rights. The Legal Network for Gender Equity has initially recruited more than 75 attorneys from across the country who stand ready to provide an initial free legal consultation and, when appropriate, represent women and girls who experience sex discrimination on the job, at school, and in the health care system. The Center is assembling the infrastructure for the network to become fully operational later this year with the goal of attorneys participating in every state. At this time, if you are an attorney interested in taking part in this Network, we encourage you to please fill out your information at http://www.nwlc.org/legalnetworksignup. You can contact NWLC’s Legal Director, Sunu Chandy at schandy@nwlc.org with any questions.

In solidarity,

Simone Pero, President

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

1 Comment

John P. Murray

I’m a 72 year old white single male who has struggled with my honesty and integrity towards women and yet my experiences have somehow made me more aware and attuned to the constant abuse that women face even after all the revelations. Why the culture persists till today with very little change or sensitivity to the truth, seems to be exhausting. The courage of women like Paula to speak up is admirable and yet sad that she has to bring this forward. The culture of women in the media and the workplace has to change in order for women and men to stand together as equal partners (actors).

Leave a Reply

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

*

*

*

Related Posts

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Christy Veeder

Welcome to our new NYWIFT Member, Christy Veeder! Christy is a screenwriter, former climate scientist, and erstwhile bureaucrat whose first major work of fiction, a personal interpretation of The Dark Crystal, was written in response to not being allowed to see Jim Henson’s fantasy epic in the theater with her other third grade friends. But what Christy really loves is 30-minute comedy and the ways in which it can illuminate our hopes, defang our fears, and help us keep going in this thing called life. Christy’s screenplays culminate a career spanning years of editing and writing about the culinary arts, publishing academic journal articles, handing out coupons at the Port Authority while dressed as a box of cough syrup, impersonating celebrity cats on Twitter, and drafting federal legislation in the U.S. Senate – all of which have been rich preparation for the process of creating worlds on the page. Christy discusses her diverse career background, her experience as a writer, and how she first got into the field.  

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Guneet K. Singh

Welcome to NYWIFT, Guneet K. Singh! Former NYWIFT intern Guneet K. Singh is a producer and writer with a passion for diverse storytelling. She was most recently the producer for the poignant play, Irreparable, which premiered at the Act One One-Act Theater Festival. She has worked in television development for NBC and Peacock, working on programs such as That’s My Jam, Password, Joyelle Nicole Johnson: Love Joy and 5 More Sleeps ‘Til Christmas. Her first producing role was as the Digital Producer for the Emmy nominated The Kids Tonight Show. She began her career as an NBC Page, working on shows like Saturday Night Live and The TODAY Show. In our interview, Guneet discusses her exciting time in NBC’s legendary Page Program, the power of networking, and finding her calling as a writer and producer.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Monique Gabriela Curnen

Welcome to NYWIFT, Monique Gabriela Curnen! Monique Gabriela Curnen is an actor and producer known for a string of critical and commercial successes, including Half Nelson, The Dark Knight, Contagion and Birth/Rebirth. While working with Warrington Hudlin at the Black Filmmaker Foundation, she started producing short films. She continued producing independently, including the Joe Holt short Noël, which sold to ShortsHD. She served as executive producer on the award-winning feature documentary, A Run For More (PBS, Amazon) directed by Ray Whitehouse. She’s currently in development on the narrative feature Sheila & the Punk Rock, written and directed by K. Lorrel Manning. Monique discusses the roots of her career, her experience working on large-scale productions, and how she overcomes challenges within these realms. Get to know her in our latest interview!

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Angelica Marciano

Let’s give a warm NYWIFT welcome to our new member, Angelica Marciano. Angela is a location manager and producer who has worked in several different states on narrative feature films and TV. She just recently moved to New York after living in New Mexico, and Boston. She is the person behind the scenes of queerfilmbk and prides herself on being a person who excels at bringing community together. She has a cat named Lewis who acts like a dog. She’s an enthusiastic extrovert who can talk to any stranger and is a self-proclaimed freak in that she hopes that the person sitting next to her on an airplane wants to chat. In our interview, Angelica discusses her winding career path, advice to women filmmakers, and what excites her about the locations department! 

READ MORE
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
css.php