In celebration of Black History Month, let’s shine a light on the artists and changemakers in media:
NYWIFT Interviews: Be sure to check out NYWIFT blogger Tammy Reese’s series of interviews that shine a spotlight on Black artists in the NYWIFT community, discussing their favorite inspirational figures and career highlights.
NYWIFT Talks: On next week’s NYWIFT Talks, we return with part 2 of our conversation with NY Media Arts Organization that represent diversity artists with “Making a Way Out of No Way: The Importance of Amplifying BIPOC and Black Women Voices with Visionary New York Media Arts Organizations” on February 24. Learn more and register.
Watch List: There are many Black History Month film and TV recommendations to choose from, but this list of six essential films from Time is a great starting point. It also happens to feature two films with NYWIFT ties: member and our first-ever Nancy Malone Directing Award Muse honoree Julie Dash’s Illusions, which candidly explores racism and sexism in Hollywood both present and past, was recently named to the National Film Registry. It was preserved with support from the NYWIFT Women’s Film Preservation Fund and we screened it in our Member Screening Series in the Fall. NYWIFT Muse Kasi Lemmons’ Eve’s Bayou (pictured above), with its nuanced portrayal of family life in the segregated 1960s South, also made the list.
Cynthia Lopez
Related Posts
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 MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Alice McFaul
Welcome to NYWIFT, Alice McFaul! Alice is a producer, assistant director, and musician based between New York and Ireland, working in feature documentaries and unscripted television. Her work includes some of Netflix’s biggest true crime feature docs as a drama producer, and Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy and Tucci in Italy shows as assistant director. Alice is also a professional harpist and singer, playing since the age of three in Northern Ireland. In our interview, Alice tells us more about her experience working across these platforms, and how these are shaping her future goals.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Isabella Medina Sarria
Welcome to NYWIFT, Isabella Medina Sarria! Isabella is a New York–based film producer originally from Colombia, known for developing and producing internationally-recognized projects. Her award-winning short films include Delusion, which won at the Berlin Indie Film Festival and earned recognition at the LA Indie Film Festival and New York Shorts International Film Festival. She has expanded into feature films, working on Up in the Hills (starring Dylan Walsh and Paris Berelc), Tox (starring Margaret Colin), and Higher Love (starring Dennis Haysbert and Joe Pantoliano), which wrapped production in August 2025. Her work is driven by a strong creative vision, championing well-represented female characters and immigrant stories.
READ MOREDisney’s Tiana’s Joyful Celebration: An Interview with Ms. Stella Chase-Reese and Carmen Smith at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture 2026
Penni Malloy-Harper visits Tiana’s Joyful Celebration, an immersive, bilingual museum exhibit produced by Walt Disney Imagineering. It follows the storyline of Tiana's Bayou Adventure, inviting children to use their imagination and teamwork to help Tiana and her friends prepare for a Mardi Gras season parade. The exhibit is immersive and tailored for children ages 6-10, bringing the sights, sounds, and flavors of New Orleans to life. This traveling exhibition had its kickoff at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture in July 2026.
READ MORE
Comments are closed