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!
#7: Madhur Jaffrey
By Natascha Bodemann
Actress, food and travel writer, cookbook author, and television personality Madhur Jaffrey began her illustrious career in Delhi, India, where she performed in school Shakespeare plays and dramas on All India Radio, eventually appearing in acclaimed theatrical productions on the Indian stage. After winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Jaffrey moved to England where, disappointed in post-war British cooking, she begged her mother to send recipes for her favorite Indian dishes. A few years later, in New York, director Ismail Merchant would cast Madhur in Shakespeare-Wallah, earning her the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival.
Other notable films include Six Degrees of Separation, Wolf, and Vanya on 42nd Street. Madhur has appeared in TV series such as EastEnders and Law and Order, and starred in theater productions including the Royal Court’s Last Dance at Dum Dum, Medea at the Lyric, Hammersmith, and Bombay Dreams on Broadway. Jaffrey has authored several acclaimed cookbooks, including An Invitation to Indian Cooking (1973), which was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame. In 2004 she was named an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
“When you are on television, say cooking, you need all your acting a bit. You need that confidence that you get to stand alone, speak sentences without being afraid, have the ability to reach somebody that you’re talking to, take your pauses when you want to take your pauses. That comes from training, the training for an actress.”
Natascha Bodemann
Natascha Bodemann’s career has spanned production and promotion for film, television, and the arts. She co-produced the American independent film "Please Be Normal," an acclaimed psychological drama by Haik Kocharian starring Sam Waterston opposite his daughter Elisabeth Waterston and son-in-law Louis Cancelmi that was a New York Times Critic’s Pick. She has also produced and developed reality and documentary series for Bravo, TLC, and Discovery among other networks, as well as national television news. She recently completed her first screenplay, that she is currently in the process developing and producing.
She has worked as Director of Public Relations for the French Institute Alliance Française in New York City, and as a publicist for foreign and independent films in the United States, representing a diverse roster of clients.
Natascha began her career in film at The French Film Office / UniFrance USA, a French government office for the promotion of French cinema in the United States. There she directed publicity and communications, acted as a liaison between the French and American film industries, and produced Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, the popular annual festival at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater.
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: Rhona Silverbush
Welcome to NYWIFT, Rhona Silverbush! Rhona’s windy career path led to her co-writing the award-winning pilot for Dark Ladies, a series she and Sami Plotkin are poised to take into the marketplace. Rhona studied psychology and theater, acted regionally, became a lawyer representing asylum seekers, and worked with the Roosevelt Institute before returning to her first loves – theater and writing. She co-produced/co-directed Conversations with Shakespeare with Daniela Varon at Symphony Space. She’s written Speak the Speech! Shakespeare’s Monologues Illuminated with Sami Plotkin; ‘wichcraft: craft a sandwich into a meal–and a meal into a sandwich’ for chefs Tom Colicchio and Sisha Ortuzar; and the Terrific Toddlers picture books with Carol Zeavin. She’s also a story consultant for documentarian George Nierenberg. In our interview, Rhona shares insight on pivoting careers, the lessons she’s learned along the way, and all things Shakespeare.
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: 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
Comments are closed