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!
#26: Charlayne Hunter-Gault
By Mellini Kantayya
Journalist and author Charlayne Hunter-Gault began her career as a reporter to The New Yorker (where she still contributes) and was the Harlem bureau chief for The New York Times in 1986, specializing in coverage of the urban black community. She spent 20 years with PBS NewsHour where she was a national and international correspondent as well as a substitute anchor. She is a former foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, and the Public Broadcasting Service.
During her association with The NewsHour, Hunter-Gault won additional awards: two Emmys and a Peabody for excellence in broadcast journalism for her work on Apartheid’s People, a NewsHour series on South Africa.
She is the author of four books and spent six years as CNN’s Johannesburg bureau chief and correspondent. Amongst her many awards and accolades, Hunter-Gault holds thirty-six honorary degrees and was honored with the Washington Press Club Foundation’s Life Time Achievement Award.
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Eleanore Pienta
Welcome to NYWIFT, Eleanore Pienta! Eleanore is an award-winning screen and stage actor, comedian, dancer, and filmmaker. Pienta has carved out a niche for herself by portraying uncompromising and complex characters in films such as Sundance Award Winner Josephine, A Different Man, Soft & Quiet, and many more. Filmmaker Magazine called her role in See You Next Tuesday: “…one of the most original, indelible, infuriating and truly felt movie characters in some time, a sister to Loden’s Wanda and Rowlands’ A Woman Under The Influence.” Pienta’s directorial debut, Ada, premiered at the New York Film Festival 2018. Her second short, Master of the House, premiered at The New/Next Film Festival 2024. In our interview, Eleanore discusses her motivations for the performing arts, her inspirations, and how her collaborations with others elevate her creative work.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Shannon Denise Evans
Welcome to NYWIFT, Shannon Denise Evans! Shannon Denise Evans is a multidisciplinary creator and Founder of Storycraft Eleven, focused on character-driven stories where the supernatural is hiding in plain sight. She is an award-winning writer/director/actor with over 65 awards associated with her various original works in film, television, theatre, and publishing. Shannon is a member of WGA, SAG-AFTRA, Dramatists Guild, American Federation of Musicians, Society of Composers and Lyricists, and Actors' Equity Association.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Shervonne Brown
Welcome to NYWIFT, Shervonne Brown! Shervonne Brown is a New York-based award-winning actress, writer-director, producer, and science-fiction creator working across science fiction, fantasy, action, and psychological drama. She wrote, directed, produced, edited, and starred in Sureiya: The Eidolon Plane, earning Best Actress at the 2026 WSO Theatre & Film Festival. Her pilot screenplay, Sureiya: Legends of Emperion, was a 2026 finalist in the London International Screenwriting Competition. Before filmmaking, Brown built an international K-pop performance career, co-founded performance groups, created award-winning music videos, appeared on television, and performed across the United States and South Korea, including the K-Pop World Festival broadcast internationally on KBS television. In our interview, Shervonne discusses her creative inspirations, artistic upbringing, and the multiple genres that motivate her work.
READ MORECelebrating Storytelling, Representation, and Independent Voices at the 9th Annual Queen City Film Festival
From October 15–18, the 9th Annual Queen City Film Festival (QCFF) brought filmmakers, creatives, industry professionals, and community members together in Plainfield, New Jersey, for a celebration of cinema, culture, and the power of storytelling. Recognized for its commitment to uplifting underrepresented and marginalized filmmakers, the Queen City Film Festival continues to create opportunities for diverse voices to be seen, heard, and celebrated. Through screenings, special events, and engaging panel discussions, the festival demonstrated how film and media can inspire meaningful conversations, strengthen communities, and help shape the future of entertainment. Tammy Reese and LaKisa Renee bring us the inside scoop!
READ MORE
Comments are closed