The NYWIFT fall membership drive is almost over. So, it’s a perfect time to check in with new member Imoya Monroque and find out why she joined NYWIFT.
Imoya, would you tell us a bit about your acting career?
I am a member of SAG/AFTRA and have appeared in several national commercials and TV shows and pilots, such as Ugly Betty and Law & Order. I’ve worked on a number of feature films too—most recently, Protocon, Stranger in Paradise, and Can a Song Save Your Life. I also do some modeling and have been featured in several US and international magazines, including Essence.
What motivated you to join NYWIFT?
In 2011, I wrote a marketing plan to take my acting career to the next level. I realized that being a union member was not enough for me. This is a lonely career, and I wanted to be part of a creative group of people who were writers, directors, and producers to collaborate with and learn from.
I heard about NYWIFT from a friend who had attended some workshops and told me about the tremendous opportunity for networking with women working in the business.
You joined NYWIFT as a Gold Member. Why did you choose that membership level?
At a screening of Nigerian films in 2013, I met a NYWIFT board member who explained that for just a few dollars more monthly, I could be become a Gold Member. This level would entitle me to attend most events at no cost, unlike basic membership. I think this is a bargain.
What do you hope to get out of your involvement with the NYWIFT community?
Joining NYWIFT has been one of the most important career decisions I have made lately. I have access to new information, and I love attending the workshops and screenings, and the new connections I have made. The members are welcoming, and some of the people I have met have even invited me to participate in their projects.
Join NYWIFT by Wednesday (December 4, 2013) and get 50% off the initiation fee (usually $135, reduced to $67.50). Already a member? Encourage your friends and colleagues to join. The member who refers the most applicants during the drive will receive 5 free raffle tickets at the Muse Awards this year.
Maura Kelly serves on NYWIFT’s Board of Directors as the Vice President of Membership and Committee Chair.
nywift
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Joyce Hills
Welcome to NYWIFT, Joyce Hills! Joyce Hills is a recent graduate of NYU Tisch, where she co-wrote and directed the culturally-rich epic Viking short film The Feather, featuring out-of-this-world SFX hair and makeup, practical stunts, and generative workflows on a virtual production volume. She was the First Assistant Director and VFX Supervisor on the Seed & Spark-awarded short film Night of Melancholia, interned in Virtual Production at Gum Studios in Brooklyn, and performed as Sugarsop, The Widow, and assorted household servants in Will Kempe’s Players’ The Taming of the Shrew. Joyce is developing her first feature film, a dark fantasy inspired by mystical quests, heroes’ journeys, and time and destiny in popular culture. She is also developing a science fiction feminist short, and is pursuing additional education in XR mediamaking and STEM. In our interview, she discussed her childhood inspirations, emerging technologies, and the future of storytelling.
READ MORENYWIFT Member Spotlight: Kelcey Edwards
NYWIFT Member Kelcey Edwards found her way into documentary filmmaking through Iron Gate Studios, a nonprofit gallery and artist workspace she cofounded in her early twenties in Austin, Texas. At the time, she was making small narrative films alongside many other Austin-based filmmakers involved in the “mumblecore” scene; her first film, Letter, screened at SXSW in 2006. Since cameras and equipment were always present in the gallery, she began interviewing many of the artists who visited the space. Over time, the habit of recording conversations and documenting artists’ lives became a steady part of her practice. That interest eventually led her to pursue an MFA in Documentary Film at Stanford and later to move to New York, where she continued developing their work. About a decade later, she directed The Art of Making It, a feature documentary about the art world, which won the Audience Award at SXSW in 2022. It’s currently available on most streaming platforms. Kelcey’s films have received support from the MacArthur Foundation, Sundance, and Tribeca Film Institute, among others, have been broadcast internationally, and have screened at top-tier festivals including SXSW, Berlinale, and Hamptons International. In our interview, Kelcey discussed her teaching philosophy, approach to filmmaking, and upcoming projects.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Therese Cayaba-Jones
Welcome, Therese Cayaba-Jones, to NYWIFT. Therese is a filmmaker with over 15 years of experience with films, documentaries, and series across the Philippines, Singapore, and the U.S. She just finished the feature screenplay for UnMarry, which was recently announced as one of the entries for the Metro Manila Film Festival 2025. Currently, Therese is producing the film Tales My Father Told, and raising money through NYWIFT fiscal sponsorship. Read on to see Therese’s story of moving to New York, her role in the 48 Hour Film Project, and her take on the state of independent filmmaking in the Big Apple.
READ MORENYWIFT Member Spotlight: Kristen Golden
Kristen Golden is a writer and producer whose creative work runs the gamut of genres. She wrote the screenplay AWE, for which she won the 2023 Athena Film Festival’s Chinonye Chukwu Emerging Writer Award, and was selected as a 2025 Screenplay Semi-finalist by the Cordillera International Film Festival. Kristen is a producer of the narrative short film Irving Berlin’s View of the East River, shot in Spring 2025. She is the co-author with her wife, Barbara Findlen, of the book Remarkable Women of the Twentieth Century: 100 Portraits of Achievement. Kristen is the speechwriter for the Women's Media Center. In our interview, Kristen discussed her award-winning screenplay AWE, the connection between advocacy and storytelling, and her advice for future female leaders.
READ MORE
