Welcome to NYWIFT Talks, a series that brings updated news and vital information on current events in media and entertainment. Industry professionals will be in conversation discussing what you need to know about theatrical releases, digital advances, virtual tools, festival opportunities, production updates and more.
NYWIFT Talks are virtual and free for all to attend.
Join us as we celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a candid conversation about navigating the writers strike in the midst of our momentum, about our representation in the U.S. and the diaspora, and about telling stories that represent us. Let us explore how our cultures are represented here and abroad, while simultaneously discussing how our unique cinematic and nuanced cultural strategies impact our creative writing, directing and performances.
Speakers include Shruti Ganguly, Miranda Kwok, and Martha Millan.
Moderated by NYWIFT Board Member Sibyl Reymundo-Santiago.
Date: Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Time: 12PM ET
Cost: Free
Event Platform: Zoom
Panelists
NYWIFT Board Member Shruti Ganguly is a filmmaker and writer based between New York City and Oslo. Shruti was a member of the Obama Administration’s ECCO committee of 30 leaders and creators in entertainment, chairing its Asian Caucus, and is on the Creative Council for Emily’s List. She has produced several feature and short films (including Spirit-winner H., and the Nora Ephron Prize-winner Initials SG) that have premiered at Sundance, Venice, Tribeca, Telluride, and Berlin. Ganguly is currently writing for Secret Daughter for Amazon Studios, which will star Priyanka Chopra and Sienna Miller, directed by Cannes-winner Anthony Chen. Ganguly developed and will EP Flossy, a half-hour comedy with writer/comedian Kerry Coddett, and EP Robin Thede, set up at Warner Bros and Showtime, and she will be an EP and writer on the half-hour TV series Brown Baby, which is in development with Bad Robot/Warner Bros and will star Himesh Patel. Ganguly has directed and produced commercials, short and feature docs, music videos and branded content, ranging from clients like Nike, Netflix, Michael Kors, MUNCH, and so on, through her production company honto88. In addition, Ganguly started Prism Entertainment with producers Megha Kadakia and Priya Giri Desai to focus on high-quality, South Asian-focused film and TV content. Previously, Ganguly worked at NYLON, MTV, and Conde Nast, producing the Clio-winning 73 Questions series. She is a co-founder of the Resistance Revival Chorus, a collective born out of the Women’s March that brings together artists and activists to use music and joy as an act of resistance. Ganguly is a published writer (Nevertheless We Persisted, Penguin) and a contributing writer for The Juggernaut. Ganguly received her Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, and went to NYU’s dual MFA/MBA program at Tisch and Stern. She hails from India, by way of Oman.
Miranda Kwok is a writer-actor-producer best known as the Creator, Showrunner, and Executive Producer of the U.S. television series adaptation The Cleaning Lady, based on the Argentine series La Chica Que Limpia. Produced by Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment, Miranda wrote the pilot script and developed The Cleaning Lady for the Fox Network.
Previously, Kwok served as a Writer/Supervising Producer for The 100 on the CW Network, working on the Warner Bros. series for four years from Season 4 to Season 7. Miranda is a member of the Television Academy, an alum of the WGA Showrunner Training Program, the WGA Writer Access Project, the CBS Writers Mentoring Program, and Film Independent’s Project: Involve, through which she earned a full tuition scholarship at The Los Angeles Film School for their Feature Development Program. Miranda is also a 76th-generation descendant of the Chinese philosopher Confucius.
An Australian Filipino raised in Sydney, Martha Millan most recently was seen in the feature film The Drummer, with Danny Glover, and prior to that, on the network anthology series Two Night Horror Stories and premium cable series Succession. Enthralled after doing her first play in high school, Millan studied at The University of Sydney and then New York City, where she graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She made her daytime television debut on the soap opera As The World Turns. She also was seen on Strong Medicine and in a memorable role on Third Watch. Additional TV credits include Madam Secretary, The OA, Entourage and “S.I.S,” as well as the Law & Order franchise, including Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order. On film, she appeared in My Dead Boyfriend, opposite Heather Graham. Other film credits include The Great New Wonderful, opposite Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jim Parsons, and Falling for Grace.
For over 30 years, Sibyl Reymundo-Santiago (Moderator) has been involved in film, television and stage production both in the US and Asia working with major studios such as MyxTV, Regal Films, Star Cinema, Metro Style and ABS-CBN Int’l. As President of Sitting Cat Productions, Sibyl has had several films released since 2015 including the feature film SAM with Executive Producer Mel Brooks and casts that include Morgan Fairchild, Tom Pelphrey & Bryan Batt, directed by Nicholas Brook, ALONE TOGETHER with Philippines star Liza Soberano, directed by Antoinette Jadaone, and most recently, the feature film FOLLOW HER starring Luke Cook & Dani Barker, directed by award winning director Sylvia Caminer. Having successfully tackled roles ranging from acting, producing and directing, Sibyl knows firsthand what it takes to bring a story from script to screen. She is a Member of the Board of the NY Women in Film & Television and currently serves as VP of Events. She is an active member of the Producers Guild of America and is Co-Chair of the AAPI Working Group as part of the One Guild Initiative. Sibyl is a recipient of The Outstanding Filipino Americans in New York, Arts & Culture Award at Carnegie Hall. Sibyl also remains an active member of both SAG-AFTRA and Actor’s Equity, and has appeared in several film, television, and stage productions in New York City. She is in post on the documentary “Nomad Cowboys” where she received the p.g.a. mark, and is developing her own series. Sibyl serves her 13th year as the Executive Director and Head of Programming for the SOHO International Film Festival. www.sittingcatproductions.com www.sohofilmfest.com
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NYWIFT programs, screenings and events are supported, in part, by grants from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
