This week please join us in welcoming new NYWIFT Executive Director Cynthia Lopez! Cynthia will offer her top picks of NYWIFT and industry news to share with you every Tuesday.
Natural Leader: Inspirational words to kick off your 2019! NYWIFT Board Member Flo Mitchell-Brown shared her “start story” with StartTV, explaining why women make great leaders.
Sobering Statistics: The good news: In 2018, a record number of black directors (16) helmed the top-grossing 100 films, up from only six the year before, according to the “Diversity in the Director’s Chair” study from the University of Southern California Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. However, this diversity growth wasn’t intersectional – there was little if any improvement for women or other minority groups. In fact, the “Celluloid Ceiling” report from Dr. Martha Lauzen of San Diego State University showed that despite recent high-profile breakthroughs and increased media attention, the number of women directors in the top 250 films of 2018 was only 8% – down from 11% in 2017.
Regina King: During her Golden Globes acceptance speech, Regina King vowed that everything she produces will hire 50% women and she issued a challenge for everyone in every industry to do the same. It’s this type of solidarity that will bring actual change; whenever women are in positions of power, the chance of more women getting hired greatly increases.
Cynthia Lopez
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READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Dominique Debroux
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READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Ariana Marie Luque
Welcome to NYWIFT, Ariana Marie Luque! Ariana is an award-winning director/cinematographer from The Bronx, NY. She is a NYU Tisch alum, having graduated with a Bachelor's in Film/TV production. Her work is often rooted from her Latin background, prioritizing culture and interpersonal relationships in her work. Her goal is to amplify stories from underrepresented communities and diversify the entertainment industry in front and behind the camera. She has gained international experience working in Iceland, Italy, and Puerto Rico, and has collaborated with major studios including Amazon Prime, Walt Disney, and Paramount under production roles. Most recently, she completed a film fellowship at the Bronx Documentary Center and is currently developing a short narrative film and is in production on two short documentaries. In our interview, Ariana discusses her background, what she’s learned from working in the industry, and the importance of film.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Vanessa Hope
Welcome to NYWIFT, Vanessa Hope! Vanessa Hope is an award‑winning filmmaker whose work sits at the intersection of cinema, foreign policy, and human rights, with a focus on women’s leadership in volatile political landscapes. She has directed and produced fiction and nonfiction films across the United States, China, Afghanistan, and Taiwan that have premiered at major festivals such as Sundance, Cannes, and IDFA. Her latest documentary, Invisible Nation, offers intimate, unprecedented access to Taiwan’s first female president, Tsai Ing‑wen, and has been embraced as a landmark portrait of a small democracy confronting mounting authoritarian pressure. She co‑founded Double Hope Films with producer Ted Hope. She also writes the Substack newsletter Dream of a Better World and hosts the podcast vHopeful Conversations, where she champions the independent film and documentary community through in‑depth, craft‑driven dialogues.
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