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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Welcome to NYWIFT, Seohee Lee! Seohee is a filmmaker, content curator, and marketer working at the intersection of storytelling, cultural exchange, and audience engagement. Based in New York, she works at the Korea Creative Content Agency New York Center, where she leads international marketing strategies and content-driven programs connecting Korean creative industries with global audiences. Her work spans promotional video direction, film program curation, and large-scale cultural collaborations with institutions such as the Korean Cultural Center New York and the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea. Seohee holds an M.F.A. in Film Directing and an M.A. in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University. Drawing on both creative and strategic experience, she focuses on enhancing the global reach of cultural storytelling and fostering cross-border dialogue through media and programming. In our interview, Seohee Lee discusses her journey as a filmmaker and content curator, her work in international cultural programming, and the projects she hopes to explore next.
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READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Bonnie Gross
Welcome to NYWIFT, Bonnie Gross! Bonnie Gross is a multi-faceted filmmaker whose dynamic expertise has led to an acclaimed career in writing, producing, and post-production. She draws from personal experience and her natural aptitude for comedy writing to create narratives that are at once clever, boundary-pushing, and relatable. Her newest autobiographical film, Lady Parts – which has won numerous international awards – exemplifies her experience and talent. It is also a reflection of her mission to spread awareness for women living with vulvovaginal and pelvic pain, an experience that Bonnie personally lived through. Based in New York City, Bonnie co-owns the NYC boutique finishing house Brainwomb and has worked on numerous media projects, television shows and films.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Jessica Heyman
Welcome to NYWIFT, Jessica Heyman! Jessica is the Founder and Director of Art for Film, a Brooklyn-based company that connects the art world with the film and television industry by providing high-quality, legally cleared artwork for productions. A New York City native, Jessica studied at Barnard College before pivoting from work in social justice and education to the film industry, where she recognized a gap in the market for cleared artwork in New York productions and went on to found Art for Film. Since launching the company in 2006, she has built Art for Film into a trusted resource for set decorators and creative teams, representing a diverse roster of more than 100 artists and placing artwork in thousands of films, television shows, and commercials, including Succession, Mean Girls, and Only Murders in the Building. In our interview, Jessica discussed her path in the film and art worlds, her commitment to artist advocacy, and lessons from building a women-owned business.
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