By Paige Hapeman
We are pleased to welcome new NYWIFT member, Isabella (Bella) Pechaty!
Bella Pechaty is a young professional working in freelance film journalism programming. She has worked at a number of arts nonprofits, independent publications, and in film publicity. She is interested in pursuing a career in film PR, creative development, and film criticism. She holds a BA in Film Studies from Barnard College of Columbia University, and is currently based in New York City.
Continue reading to learn more about Bella and her creative journey!

New NYWIFT Member Isabella Pechaty (image courtesy of Isabella Pechaty)
Tell us about your creative journey so far.
My creative journey is at its beginning! I got to hone my writing skills and interests a lot while in school, taking classes on film history and theory, screenwriting, and various filmmaking workshops. I’ve also spent a fair share of time on sets in the city, as PA or AD, and helping friends get their projects made.
How did you come across NYWIFT and what about being a member are you most looking forward to?
I encountered NYWIFT while speaking with people whose careers I aspire to and became interested in what it had offered them. I was able to join through the Next Wave Membership. I’m still early in my career, so I’m most looking forward to learning from other members! The film industry is changing so much, and I want to know more about where my abilities and interests will fit in best.
What inspired you to pursue a degree in Film Studies at Barnard?
Barnard has always had a talented community of alumni working in drama and entertainment. I chose to attend because of the many writers and filmmakers that I admired who had come from there, and because of the Athena Film Festival itself.
Barnard and Columbia take a more academic approach to teaching film, but I think there’s such a benefit to approaching it from a liberal arts background. It gives you an appetite for and an understanding of the many mediums that a film can draw from – visual arts, history, philosophy, psychology, and music. I’m so grateful for the foundation it gave me.

Bella backstage during a shoot (image courtesy of Isabella Pechaty)
You are a Postbaccalaureate Fellow for the Athena Film Festival. How did you come across this opportunity and what has your experience been like in this position so far?
The Post-Bacc Fellowship is a valuable opportunity that the festival offers to recent graduates, allowing you to get hands-on film programming and festival operations experience. I’ve found programming and curation to be super rewarding, and there’s a magical quality to making a live event happen.
I enjoy screening and programming short films the most. They’re an often slept-on section of festivals, but include some of the most original, boundary-pushing work out there. Through the fellowship, I’ve had the opportunity to program a short film block for the 2024 festival, to attend Sundance, Gotham Week, and so many other memorable experiences.

Bella at Sundance 2024 (image courtesy of Isabella Pechaty)
What sparked your interest in film criticism and how do you hope to continue to integrate this into your career?
I was always interested in journalism but was specifically attracted to how film and cultural critics have a closer relationship with readers. The lines of objectivity have to be blurred when you discuss art, and the writer’s identity factors in heavily. I like that. I like the dialogue it creates between the writer, reader, and subject. My favorite critics integrate their own lives into their work in this way.
Alongside what I was learning in class, I was also heavily plugged into online discourse, which made me interested in what film criticism will look like in the digital and information age. The Internet has the potential to fully democratize film journalism or overwhelm it entirely. It’s a concept that I think will be increasingly prevalent, and one I hope to continue writing about.
How do you decide which films you would like to write a review for?
I definitely have my favorite genres – horror, science fiction, documentary, and international films. With how much content and criticism is out there, I like to choose films that will be tied to current discourse and intertwine it with political and social life. I think a piece of criticism is most useful when it helps us name larger cultural movements. The speed at which information travels now is incredible, and we can make more direct connections between our media and our world than ever before.

Bella at the 2024 Athena Film Festival (image courtesy of Isabella Pechaty)
What are some of your career aspirations? What are you most excited about with upcoming projects?
In the short term, I plan on improving my writing and growing my connections! In the future, I would like to be a contributing critic to a film publication (or whatever those writing roles will look like in the future), and possibly teaching and programming for festivals and art-house theaters. I’m planning on always being a person who enjoys writing about films, and talking about them too much with people who feel the same.
Connect with Bella Pechaty on LinkedIn, on Instagram at @bella_pechaty, and on Letterboxd at @bella_pechaty.
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Guneet K. Singh
Welcome to NYWIFT, Guneet K. Singh! Former NYWIFT intern Guneet K. Singh is a producer and writer with a passion for diverse storytelling. She was most recently the producer for the poignant play, Irreparable, which premiered at the Act One One-Act Theater Festival. She has worked in television development for NBC and Peacock, working on programs such as That’s My Jam, Password, Joyelle Nicole Johnson: Love Joy and 5 More Sleeps ‘Til Christmas. Her first producing role was as the Digital Producer for the Emmy nominated The Kids Tonight Show. She began her career as an NBC Page, working on shows like Saturday Night Live and The TODAY Show. In our interview, Guneet discusses her exciting time in NBC’s legendary Page Program, the power of networking, and finding her calling as a writer and producer.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Monique Gabriela Curnen
Welcome to NYWIFT, Monique Gabriela Curnen! Monique Gabriela Curnen is an actor and producer known for a string of critical and commercial successes, including Half Nelson, The Dark Knight, Contagion and Birth/Rebirth. While working with Warrington Hudlin at the Black Filmmaker Foundation, she started producing short films. She continued producing independently, including the Joe Holt short Noël, which sold to ShortsHD. She served as executive producer on the award-winning feature documentary, A Run For More (PBS, Amazon) directed by Ray Whitehouse. She’s currently in development on the narrative feature Sheila & the Punk Rock, written and directed by K. Lorrel Manning. Monique discusses the roots of her career, her experience working on large-scale productions, and how she overcomes challenges within these realms. Get to know her in our latest interview!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Angelica Marciano
Let’s give a warm NYWIFT welcome to our new member, Angelica Marciano. Angela is a location manager and producer who has worked in several different states on narrative feature films and TV. She just recently moved to New York after living in New Mexico, and Boston. She is the person behind the scenes of queerfilmbk and prides herself on being a person who excels at bringing community together. She has a cat named Lewis who acts like a dog. She’s an enthusiastic extrovert who can talk to any stranger and is a self-proclaimed freak in that she hopes that the person sitting next to her on an airplane wants to chat. In our interview, Angelica discusses her winding career path, advice to women filmmakers, and what excites her about the locations department!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Herrana Addisu
Welcome to NYWIFT, Herrana Addisu! Herrana Addisu is a multi-disciplinary artist and social impact strategist. Her family's journey to the United States and her personal experience growing up in Ethiopia and immigrating to the U.S. have shaped her career in human rights. She works to uplift marginalized communities through advocacy initiatives, research, and programming. She incorporates her expertise in various human rights issues into her artistry through Chucha Studios LLC, a creative production agency that aims to reduce social disparities within marginalized communities by connecting the art of visual storytelling with systemic change. NYWIFT was proud to present Herrana with the NYWIFT Award for Excellence in Short Film Directing at the 2024 UrbanWorld Film Festival for her short film The River this past Fall. She spoke to us about her short film, upcoming projects, and what types of creative work resonate with her most.
READ MORE
Comments are closed