Copyright News: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) exemption for documentary films has expanded to include some types of fictional films. Now, filmmakers working on projects like biopics, historical fiction, and parodies can access copyrighted content without fear of liability. This is great news for narrative filmmakers trying to tell meaningful stories on a tight budget.
Melissa McCarthy: I saw Marielle Heller’s Can You Ever Forgive Me? about celebrity biographer-turned-forger Lee Israel. (NYWIFT gave Marielle the Nancy Malone Marketing and Promotion Grant for her first feature film, Diary of a Teenage Girl.) Melissa McCarthy is absolutely amazing (and in a dramatic role!). Go see it!
NYWIFT Presents: NYWIFT is proud to co-present two films at DOC NYC this year: The Feminist, distributed by member Adriana Shaw’s Herflix, and This Changes Everything, directed by member Tom Donahue, produced by member Ilan Arboleda, and executive produced by member Madeline Di Nonno, Board President Simone Pero, and NYWIFT Muse honoree Regina K. Scully. DOC NYC begins Thursday.
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READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Nira Burstein
Welcome to NYWIFT, Nira Burstein! Nira Burstein is an award-winning filmmaker based in New York City. She is one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film and DOC NYC’s 40 Under 40. Her documentary debut Charm Circle won the Audience Award at Sheffield DocFest, is a New York Times Critic’s Pick, and had its streaming premiere on the Criterion Channel. Nira is a Gotham Fellow, and her work has been supported by the Jerome Foundation and Jewish Story Partners. She has made several narrative short films, including Gangrenous (Nantucket Film Festival) and Off & Away (Brooklyn Film Festival). Her latest short film, Dear Shop Girl, premiered at Woodstock Film Festival. She is currently in post on the documentary short Handymen.
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