Reel Equity: Tell the entertainment industry that you support members of historically female crafts in their demand for Pay Equity by signing your name to this Open Letter to the Entertainment Industry.
Film Registry: The Library of Congress accepts 2019 recommendations from the general public for its National Film Registry via their online form through September 15th. To date, over 700 films have been selected to the Registry. Only approximately 40 of these films on the list are women directed works (seven of which were preserved by our Women’s Film Preservation Fund). Public recommendations play a key role in the their final selection, so every vote counts. Please consider nominating a film by a woman – our Women’s Film Preservation Fund has some suggestions, including Deborah Shaffer’s The Wobblies (1979)!
Good News: A new DGA study has found that the pool of first-time episodic TV directors “is more inclusive than ever,” with women and minorities seeing dramatic employment gains and setting record highs for the second year in a row. This is good news, but not perfect – women need a representation of more than 50% to get true equality.
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READ MOREFrom Set to Screen: Katherine Filaseta and Ellie Sachs Celebrate Lucy Shulman at Tribeca
The 25th anniversary of the Tribeca Festival is shining a spotlight on bold storytelling, unforgettable voices, and films that capture the spirit of New York City — and Lucy Shulman is doing exactly that. Premiering as part of the festival’s prestigious U.S. Narrative Competition, the sharply funny and deeply heartfelt feature follows a young woman navigating heartbreak, family dynamics, bad dates, and the complicated journey of finding herself again. Written, directed by, and starring filmmaker Ellie Sachs, the film blends humor with emotional honesty in a way that feels both intimate and universally relatable.
Behind the scenes, NYWIFT member Katherine Filaseta played a vital role as Second Assistant Director, helping keep the ambitious production moving while supporting the creative vision that brought the story to life. In this exclusive conversation, Ellie Sachs and Katherine Filaseta open up about collaboration, creative trust, independent filmmaking, the realities of balancing multiple roles on set, and what it means to premiere a deeply personal New York story at one of the city’s most celebrated film festivals.
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Alyssa Lomuscio
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READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Maria Giese
Welcome to NYWIFT, Maria Giese! Maria Giese is an American film director, screenwriter, and longtime advocate for equity for women directors in Hollywood. She wrote and directed the feature films When Saturday Comes (starring Sean Bean) and Hunger (based on the classic Knut Hamsun novel). A member of the Directors Guild of America for over 25 years, Giese is widely recognized for her role in initiating the 2014 ACLU and 2015 EEOC investigations into systemic discrimination against women directors. Her work is featured in the documentaries This Changes Everything (2018 Netflix), Half the Picture (2018 Amazon), and the Sundance hit Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power (2022 Kino-Lorber). Maria spoke to us about her career trajectory, her turn to advocacy, and what she sees for the industry moving forward.
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