NYWIFT Blog

Cynthia’s Picks: NY Women, Gender Parity, Captain Marvel

NY Women: Congratulations to the NYWIFT members selected to receive some of the first round of grants in the Mayor’s Office of Entertainment and Media’s “Made in NY” Women’s Film, TV & Theatre Fund.

Gender Parity: Kudos to the Tribeca Film Festival, whose 2019 lineup for competition films achieved gender parity for the first time. Shout out to Jane, Paula, Amy, Jill and all of the women that make it happen at Tribeca!

Captain Marvel: Captain Marvel smashed the box office this weekend, making $153 million domestically and $455 million globally – the biggest worldwide opening of all time for a female fronted film. It’s also the highest grossing film featuring a female composer (Women in Film LA member Pinar Toprack – who hired a full orchestra to audition for the job!).

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Cynthia Lopez

Cynthia Lopez Cynthia Lopez is the Executive Director of New York Women in Film & Television and an award-winning media strategist.

View all posts by Cynthia Lopez

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