NYWIFT Blog

#Muse40for40: Lauren Bacall (1994)

We’re counting down the 40 days to NYWIFT’s 40th Anniversary Muse Awards with a look at some of our favorite honorees, all women of vision and achievement who have contributed to the film and television industry. Join us as we look back at #Muse40for40, and buy your tickets for the Muse Awards on Tuesday, December 10th at nywift.org/muse!


#34: Lauren Bacall

By Margarita Sophia Cortes

Lauren Bacall is legendary actress from the Golden Age of motion pictures with at least 35 films under her belt. She received a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award nomination for The Mirror Has Two Faces. Bacall garnered two Tony Awards for Broadway musicals Applause and Woman of the Year and received an Academy Honorary Award in 2009. Her fame started with the film To Have and Have Not where she and co-star Humphrey Bogart fell in love and eventually married, becoming the most popular Hollywood couple at the time. Despite their age difference, they were married for 12 years before Bacall became a widow. Lauren Bacall received a Kennedy Center Honors in 1997 and authored 3 books.

“I think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that.”

PUBLISHED BY

Margarita Sophia Cortes

Margarita Sophia Cortes For more than 15 yrs, Margarita has worked on countless PR campaigns including independent feature films, documentaries, foreign language and arthouse indies, not to mention festivals and television, music, art and events. She currently serves on the board of directors for New York Women in Film & Television. See more at www.MSophiaPR.com

View all posts by Margarita Sophia Cortes

Comments are closed

Related Posts

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Kaitlyn Diehl

Welcome to NYWIFT, Kaitlyn Diehl! Kaitlyn is an actor, producer, and screenwriter based between Philadelphia and NYC. She has starred in 25+ shorts, features, web series, and commercials in lead and supporting roles. Her first foray into filmmaking began when she co-wrote, co-produced, and co-starred in a short film with her sister, Jackie Diehl, titled Willow. The short was accepted into 13 festivals up and down the East Coast and won Audience Choice at the Media Film Festival. Inspired by the positive reception of Willow, Kaitlyn has since produced another short, Stand Up, and her first feature film, TINO. Both began their film festival circuits this spring. Kaitlyn continues to write and is currently in pre-production for a few exciting film projects. Stay tuned!

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Persia White

Welcome to NYWIFT, Persia White! Persia White is an actor, director, writer, visual artist, musician, and activist best known for her lead roles on Girlfriends and The Vampire Diaries. A passionate filmmaker, she co-produced the award-winning documentary Earthlings, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix. Her directing work includes acclaimed music videos such as Vampire, NOLA, and Robot Love, earning international festival recognition. She has also produced and co-written award-winning short films for Russell Simmons and Ovation. Persia co-founded Morgan White Productions with Joseph Morgan, and in 2026, Persia is launching Always and Forever, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting diversity and amplifying female voices in film, TV, and the visual arts.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Dominique Debroux

Welcome to NYWIFT, Dominique Debroux! Dominique is a producer, entrepreneur, and nutritional chef whose work bridges storytelling, science, and women’s empowerment. A former fashion executive turned filmmaker, she produced the documentaries 40 Weeks and recently Wise Women – Humanity’s Untold Origins, which reframes menopause as the evolutionary foundation of women’s leadership. Partnering with Oscar-winner Jonathan Sanger and Madeline Di Nonno of the Geena Davis Institute, she advocates for rewriting women’s midlife narratives—on screen, in culture, and in how we nourish ourselves to thrive.

READ MORE

Meet 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.

READ MORE
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
css.php