NYWIFT Blog

Julie Dash and Nina Menkes First Recipients Selected To Receive Funds To Bring Two Unique Feature Film Projects To Global and Underserved, Untapped Audiences

By Margarita Sophia Cortes

At the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, Eos World Fund announced its newly formed Global initiative to finance visionary female filmmakers around the world in an effort to galvanize innovative stories told by women.

Gwen Wynne, director / producer / writer, CEO and Artistic Director of Eos World Fund, is spearheading this multi-million dollar initiative launching with two filmmakers and their projects during its inaugural launch event.

The first two recipients are acclaimed directors and their projects are Cypher by Julie Dash and Minotaur Rex by Nina Menkes.

The launch event, hosted by The Blackhouse Foundation, includes Nina Menkes’ anticipated talk “Sex and Power: The Visual Language of Cinema.” Set alongside iconic film clips, the presentation discusses the ways the current crisis of sexual harassment and abuse along with the lack of women in leadership positions in industries around the world directly connects to the prevalent visual language of cinema.

Immediately following is “Women in Charge: Through a New Lens” with Julie Dash and Nina Menkes and moderated by producer, president of Contradiction and Struggle, and NYWIFT board member Rachel Watanabe-Batton. The discussion will include how to make the female point of view dominant in the visual language of cinema as well as how to activate more women taking leadership positions in the creation and business of cinema and storytelling throughout the world.

“Both of these powerhouse filmmakers embody the Eos point of view and are Eos 

Gwen Wynne, CEO & Artistic Director of Eos World Fund

Women,” says Gwen Wynne, CEO and Artistic Director of Eos World Fund. “Both Nina and Julie are genuinely respected for taking cinema in new directions and it’s only fitting they be the first directors to receive Eos World Fund support. Audiences are hungry to see more films from them as they are both pioneers in feminist cinema and inspirations to filmmakers around the world.”

The launch event also brings an example of that leadership presented by Bridget Pickering (Moon Valley Studios) and Adetoro Makinde (Hyphenate Partners) who have joined forces in launching a women-led South African film studio, dedicated to empowering the new generation of African talent and the Diaspora. “As co-sponsors of this important conversation, we strongly believe in the vision of women owning their voice and leveling the playing field. The MVS and Hyphenate partnership is a step towards ensuring that vision with women drives the agenda of change.”

Talk about women taking charge! It’s a whole new ball game at Sundance.

The Eos World Fund Inauguration Launch will be hosted by Blackhouse Foundation and be held Friday, January 19th from 11:00am – 1:00pm in Park City, Utah.

Sponsored by:

Moon Valley Studios; Hyphenate Partners; California Institute of the Arts and New York Women In Film & Television