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!
#21: Julie Dash
By Kathryn O’Kane
Director Julie Dash has written and directed five feature length narrative films including Love Song, Funny Valentines, Incognito, The Rosa Parks Story, Daughters of the Dust, as well as part of the Subway Stories: Tales From the Underground HBO anthology feature; television commercials and documentary films. In addition to her work with television films, Dash has also directed episodes of television shows such as Women: Stories of Passion and Sax Cantor Riff. Currently, Dash is one of the directors working on Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar.
In 2017 she was the inaugural recipient of NYWIFT’s new Nancy Malone Directing Award at the Muse Awards, given to an outstanding female director in film, television, and/or digital media each year.
“There’s magic in the details.” – Julie Dash at the 2017 Muse Awards
busyk
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Maria Eleni Zollo
Welcome to NYWIFT, Maria Eleni Zollo! Maria is a writer, actor, director, and musician based in Astoria, Queens. As a singer, she has performed at the Norwegian National Opera House in Oslo, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, and on Saturday Night Live. She works as an adjunct professor at CUNY Baruch, and as a Greek Orthodox Church chanter at St George in Hell's Kitchen and St Nicholas National Shrine at the World Trade Center. Maria Eleni also performs as a stand-up comedian in NYC. Her first short film was a semifinalist in Stage 32's 8th Annual Short Film Festival.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Sydney Sidner
Welcome to NYWIFT, Sydney Sidner! Sydney is an award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter and educator with an impressive resume of work appearing on TV, film and in the theater. In our interview, she encourages creators to be both passionate and flexible. Read on to learn more.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Jennifer Sklias-Gahan
Welcome to NYWIFT, Jennifer Sklias-Gahan! Jennifer is a New York-based actress, writer, and filmmaker. She is the founder of Demivoula Studios and 18 Bleecker Films, an award-winning production house. She is known for her work in The Urban Ghost Story: Matilda, a short film she wrote and stars in with actor Sean Avery, produced by Academy Award-winner Christine Vachon and 18 Bleecker Films. Matilda took home several honors on the festival circuit, including Best Short Film. She recently completed the indie feature The Cutting Room Floor, and has two other features filmed in 2025 (The Wingers and Windows) being released in 2026. Jennifer’s gothic ghost story book, The House in the Middle of the Street, the first in a series of dark tales, is now available worldwide, distributed by Simon and Schuster. A gorgeous vinyl version, beautifully illustrated by Myles Mullen, is available through Rare Bird publications. The audio version, narrated by Jennifer herself, will have a worldwide release this summer. She’s currently writing the next book in her gothic series, The Last Days and Nights of Ellie Boread. Jennifer plans to create this ancestral narrative into a feature film. In our interview, we discuss her career through acting, directing, writing, and owning a production company; gothic aesthetics; and her upcoming projects.
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 MORE
Comments are closed