NYC Pilots: Business is booming in New York, with 11 hour-long pilots shooting here this year. This ties with the previous record year, 2012.
Good News: Although Ava Duvernay’s A Wrinkle in Time wasn’t able to beat Black Panther at the box office, the films still made history, as both the #1 and #2 spots were held by studio films directed by people of color with black leading actors. Black Panther is also doing exceptionally well overseas. Not only do diverse voices matter – but they also make money!
Overlooked Women: The New York Times acknowledged that of the thousands of obituaries it has published since 1851, the vast majority have been of white men. Even in the last two years, only one in five obituary subjects have been female. In honor of Women’s History Month, they are launching Overlooked, a new series that will provide obituaries for important women in history previously overlooked by the paper.
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READ MOREDisney’s Tiana’s Joyful Celebration: An Interview with Ms. Stella Chase-Reese and Carmen Smith at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture 2026
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READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Marianna Olinger
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READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Helen Huang
Welcome to NYWIFT, Helen Huang! Helen Huang (Haitong Huang) is a New York–based creative director, filmmaker, and curator working across film, moving image, and immersive media. She has served as Creative Director for the SOHO International Film Festival and is a core member of Vermilions Theater. Her work explores how cinematic storytelling evolves across new formats, bridging traditional film language with emerging technologies. A fellow at the Harvard Innovation Lab, she has received multiple international awards, with her work featured in Forbes, ELLE, and Harvard Gazette.
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