Below are just a few of the most recent accomplishments of our talented members! If you would like to join this dynamic community, we invite you to consider applying for NYWIFT membership.
NYWIFT members, do you have an upcoming screening, event, campaign or other news to share? Tell us! Contact communications@nywift.org.
The Get Set! Podcast sat down with NYWIFT Board President Kim Jackson for their Indie Producing episode. The episode explores the ever-evolving nature of the industry and what that means for Indie Producers now, how to be adaptable, and where to go to create a network of trusted filmmakers to build your career with. Listen on Apple Music, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
NYWIFT member Gabrielle Lansner is an associate producer for Movies TV Mayhem, a new play by Dean Taucher running at Theatre Row (42nd St) from April 23-May 9. The play is directed by Richard Caliban, former Artistic Director of the Cucaracha Theater and features Jason Donovan Hall, Grant Neale and Oneika Phillips. This dark-comedic, ironic, and wonderfully weird stage play is inspired by the four decades of experience of renowned production designer Dean Taucher who worked on Law & Order, SVU, The Sopranos, Miami Vice, New York Undercover and more. Drawing on his extensive work behind-the-scenes on major films and television series, Dean delivers a no-holds-barred look at the idiosyncratic personalities and chaotic situations he encountered throughout his career. The play serves as both an homage to the entertainment industry and an irreverent critique, filled with biting humor, unexpected twists, and unforgettable characters.
Tickets are $25 and $20 dollars for students with promo code: STUMTM5. Tickets.
NYWIFT member Christine McBurney wrote and performs in DNA Doesn’t Lie But My Mother Did! at Tada! Theater/28th Street Theater (15 W 28th Street) on April 24 at 7 PM-8:15 PM. DNA Doesn’t Lie But My Mother Did! follows an interrupted childhood in Brooklyn as Christine is sent to her grandparents in Ohio. She moves back to NYC, traipses around Europe, and lands back in Ohio, married with a child. Deciding to become an actress, a surprising DNA test leads her back to New York to claim the role of her life. Get tickets.
NYWIFT Member Wendy Richardson‘s recent short documentary is now on Amazon Prime. The Lone Star Three are a trio of courageous University of Texas twenty-three-year-olds who started a campus birth control information center in 1969, but their mission turned to helping women obtain safe, illegal abortions under the surveillance of the FBI, risking felony charges, their educations and initiating the lawsuit that became Roe v. Wade. A true story. Rent or buy the film.
Teddy’s Doll House, the recent short film written by NYWIFT member Kathleen Kaan, directed by Daryl Denner, and produced by NYWIFT member Vanessa Corwin, will screen at the Hang On To Your Shorts Film Festival in Red Bank, NJ. Get your tickets to see the film on May 1 during the festival’s 5-6:21 PM block.
NYWIFT member Linda Manning‘s short film Deborah at Work is screening today, April 23 at the Ashland Independent Film Festival. Logline: After throwing a birthday party for her boss, Deborah finds herself in an unexpected sparring match with the office’s intelligent cleaning robot, unearthing startling revelations about her past, and the possibility of a remarkable new future. Get tickets. See the festival program. Learn more info about the movie.
Wait List: A Love-ish Story is a new feature film by NYWIFT member Debra Markowitz. It follows the story of Carter Morgan who has always had a crush on his childhood friend’s mother, Lisa Chase. When Carter finds out that Lisa has gotten divorced, he decides to go for it despite the obstacles that are placed in their way. Wait List stars comedian actor, Travis Grant, Bec Fordyce, Robert Clohessy, Abigial Hawk (Blue Bloods), Kim Director (The Deuce), Lukas Hassel (The Blacklist) and Tara Westwood (The Grudge). Wait List: A Love-ish Story has been released on its first platform. Support Debra by watching and reviewing the film on Prime Video. Reviews on IMDb (and eventually rottentomatoes.com) are also greatly appreciated. More information and additional platforms can be found on the film’s website.
NYWIFT member Karen Goeller is proud to share that her anti-bullying film, Missy’s Voice, is now available to watch on YouTube. Missy’s Voice is about a talented young singer whose love of music is tested when she becomes the target of relentless bullying. As the pressure builds, Missy must find the courage to reclaim her voice. It’s an intimate, moving story about finding light in dark moments and the power of being heard. Follow and watch to support a film with an anti-bullying message.
NYWIFT member Akiva Penaloza is an award-winning screenwriter who creates dynamic film content with diverse and inclusive storytelling. She’s currently crowdfunding for her film Awakening Georgie. After a devastating car accident leaves Georgie with a traumatic brain injury, the world no longer sees her the same way—and she struggles to see herself at all. Hoping to reclaim a piece of dignity, Georgie, her loving wife, and her charismatic mother-in-law enter a small Mexican barbershop with a difficult request: will anyone cut her hair, scars and all? Inside the shop sits a cross-section of a divided America—immigrants living in fear, customers wrestling with their own prejudices, and a barber unsure if he is brave enough to say yes. But as Georgie’s story unfolds, something shifts. Fear softens. Barriers fall. And one simple act of care becomes an act of courage and transformation. Awakening Georgie, inspired by a true story, is a moving tale about reclaiming dignity, challenging prejudice, and rediscovering the humanity that connects us all. Featuring an all Latinx cast. Filmmakers are women over 40!
EP/Writer is NYWIFT Member Akiva Peñaloza (Hannah Henri, La Chiva)
Producer is NYWIFT Member Claudia Murdoch. (Sora)
Directed by Nancy Schreiber (P Valley, Station 19)
Starring Paula Andrea Placido (Hacks, L Word, Grey’s Anatomy)
Casting Director Carla Hool (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Emilia Perez)
Production Design by Astrid Anderson
Make a tax-deductible contribution.
NYWIFT member Christine McBurney asks fellow members to contribute to the crowdfunding campaign for her upcoming film, Tutto. The premise: Surprising DNA results reveal Christine’s Italian heritage, sending her to her first Sunday family dinner, where her biggest wish comes true. Amid the chaos and pathos, secrets are revealed, a life-long wish comes true, and she learns la famiglia really is tutto, everything. See the campaign.
Shanda is a romantic comedy with just a sprinkle of arthouse–irreverent, ironic, and Jew-ish, made with a diverse cast and crew in Ridgewood, Queens. We had to ask: What if the non-Jewish partner cares more about the Jewish aspects of a wedding than their Jewish partner? And what’s the worst way someone could object to a wedding in 2026? Shanda is about an interfaith couple attempting to elope, but the past has a way of catching up with them. Co-writers Aaron Gold and NYWIFT member Christine Stoddard are a real-life romantic couple and Shanda draws on Aaron and Christine’s real-life interfaith relationship as inspiration. Make a contribution.
Bottled Up is a darkly comedic crime thriller produced by NYWIFT member Lana Young and Rogue Donkey Productions. The film follows a gentle young man who releases a volatile genie from a mysterious bottle, freeing him from his sadistic ex-master. Together they form an unexpected alliance that challenges power, control, and moral agency.
They’re currently raising development funds on Seed&Spark to attach key creatives, finalize their budget, and package the film for production. The campaign supports women-led independent storytelling and a bold, character-driven feature that blends grit, heart, and dark humor. Contribute to the campaign.
Order My Steps, written by NWIFT member Kathryn Grant and produced by Mulberry Queens Films (NWIFT members Dolores Diaz & Eva Minemar), will be screened as part of the NYC Short Film Showcase on March 27 at 7 PM at New Plaza Cinema. The premise: An incarcerated woman reaches out to her daughter after twenty years of silence. Watch the trailer. Get tickets.
HAUS of Infinity Studios presents the inaugural Euphoria Salon Series: an intimate four-part gathering centering women’s creativity, joy, and storytelling. In honor of Women’s History Month, Session I features an all-women film showcase. This evening brings together five distinct voices exploring themes of identity, resilience, creativity, and freedom through the art of film. Each filmmaker will be present to share their vision and connect with the audience in an intimate salon-style setting. Featured Filmmakers: Sonia Bekam, MéLisa Best, Raven Irabor, Jadea Knight, Nedgé Victome
Euphoria: In Session Series supports Black Women Euphoria, a film and multimedia experience that debuted in 2025 and continues to expand. A portion of the proceeds from this event will support future chapters of Black Women Euphoria and the filmmakers featured in this showcase. Join host MéLisa Best, Founder of HAUS of Infinity Studios & NYWIFT member Friday, March 27 in Brooklyn, NY at Fabrik in Dumbo (20 Jay St Suite 218, Brooklyn). For press inquiries or partnership opportunities, contact HAUS of Infinity Studios. As a thank you to the NYWIFT community, members can get reserved special pricing on tickets. Use discount code coupon NYWIFTLOVE.
NYWIFT members Oriana Cyprus and Mirra Bank, along with producer Shareen Mitchell, are proud to announce that their film, A Tantalizing, is screening at the Big Apple Women’s Spotlight Edition on March 26 at 9:45 PM at the Angelica Village East.
Based on the play by William Mastrosimone. Starring two-time Tony winner John Cullum, and lifetime Actor’s Studio member Shareen Mitchell. Directed by Katie Prael.
Dafne, grieving the loss of her father to hypothermia, is reminded of him by the sight of Ambrose, a homeless man. As the temperature in New York City drops, Dafne feels a growing sense of urgency to protect Ambrose from the same fate as her father’s. She strikes up a tenuous relationship with this stranger and, on impulse, invites him home for dinner. A precarious dance begins. Ambrose takes on the position of the critical and controlling patriarch, frustrating Dafne’s every attempt to please him, and calling forward her rage. Get your ticket.
See the documentary Viva Verdi! with a talkback, food, drink, and networking. The free event will be at the SVA Theatre on
Saturday, March 28, starting at 2 PM. Past NYWIFT Board Members Yvonne Russo (director and writer) and Simone Pero (executive producer), along with NYWIFT members Regina K. Scully (executive producer), Christine La Monte (executive producer, writer and producer) and Ruth Ann Harnisch (executive producer) are the team behind this intimate glimpse into the lives of the celebrated opera singers and musicians currently living out their ‘third act.’ Viva Verdi! features “Sweet Dreams of Joy,” Academy Award nominee for Best Song, by Nicholas Pike, performed by Soprano Ana María Martínez. RSVP for Women Arts Day.
New York Women in Film & Television is proud to announce that 9 of our members are involved in 9 films selected for the 2026 South by Southwest Conference & Festivals.
The SXSW Film & TV Festival & Conference will take place in Austin, Texas from March 12 – March 18. Badges and packages are currently on sale and can be purchased here.
See the full Film & TV lineup!
Congratulations to Sara Eolin (Visitors), Luchina Fisher (The Dads), Ruth Ann Harnisch (Cookie Queens), Jess Jacobs (Freedom At Stake), Gilana Lobel (Visitors), Sheila Nevins (Manhood), Jamie Kiernan O’Brien (Gender Studies), Clara Peterson (Stairs) and Elivia Shaw (One Another, The Oldest Person in the World)!
In addition to being an early NYWIFT member, costume designer Ruth Morley was behind the iconic looks of several characters now considered legendary in cinema history. A child refugee from Vienna, in the 1950’s she studied under German-American painter Hans Hofmann and went on to design costumes for opera and ballet before moving into theater, film and television. Her work can be seen in such iconic films as The Hustler (1961), The Miracle Worker (1962), Taxi Driver (1976), Kramer vs Kramer (1979), One from the Heart (1981), The Chosen (1981), Tootsie (1982) and Ghost (1990). In the 1980’s, she began teaching and mentoring costume design graduate students at Brandeis and NYU. Today, on March 12, join esteemed panelists Deborah Nadoolman Landis and Susan Gammie (Emmy award-winning costume designer, protege and friend of Ruth Morley), with moderator Julie Salamon (author of The Devil’s Candy, Net of Dreams) for a discussion about Ruth Morley’s career and her impact on the field of costume design. RSVP.
NYWIFT member Karen Goeller is proud to share that her anti-bullying film, Missy’s Voice, will be screened at the Garden State Film Festival! Asbury Park, NJ’s Berkeley Continental will host the screening on Saturday, March 28 at 12:30 PM. Missy’s Voice is about a talented young singer whose love of music is tested when she becomes the target of relentless bullying. As the pressure builds, Missy must find the courage to reclaim her voice. It’s an intimate, moving story about finding light in dark moments and the power of being heard. This film is already sparking conversation and emotion. Get tickets & details.
Join Marilyn Horowitz in the next free Word of the Day Webinar, where the focus is on using your writing time effectively.
Explore how to take a large writing project, such as a novel, screenplay, memoir, or article, and break it into manageable pieces that fit the time you truly have available. Monday, March 16, at 7 PM EST. Register.
NYWIFT member Dani Hanks‘ AFF-winning pilot, The G.Y.M., is being performed live with a full cast for Table Read Podcast, on the official podcast stage at South by Southwest 2026. Logline: When a neurotic woman spends her life savings to rescue her hometown’s infamous gym, she and her ragtag employees must turn their shithole into shinola to compete with the fancy fitness chain across the street. The reading is March 13 at 6 PM at Skybox on 6th. RSVP.
NYWIFT member Carolyn Butts invites you to join BAM and Reel Sisters for an evening of family-centered films in honor of Women’s History Month on March 25 from 7-9 PM. Enjoy a powerful selection of award-winning and notable films from Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series, including their 2025 Oscar-qualifying short Shallow End, Laundry, directed by NYWIFT Board member Okema T. Moore and the highly acclaimed Superman Doesn’t Steal directed by Tamika Lamison. Get tickets and information.
See the documentary Viva Verdi! with a talkback, food, drink, and networking. The free event will be at the SVA Theatre on
Saturday, March 28, starting at 2 PM. Past NYWIFT Board Members Yvonne Russo (director and writer) and Simone Pero (executive producer), along with NYWIFT members Regina K. Scully (executive producer), Christine La Monte (executive producer, writer and producer) and Ruth Ann Harnisch (executive producer) are the team behind this intimate glimpse into the lives of the celebrated opera singers and musicians currently living out their ‘third act.’ Viva Verdi! features “Sweet Dreams of Joy,” Academy Award nominee for Best Song, by Nicholas Pike, performed by Soprano Ana María Martínez. RSVP for Women Arts Day.
NYWIFT member Karen Goeller is proud to share that her anti-bullying film, Missy’s Voice, will be screened at the Garden State Film Festival! Asbury Park, NJ’s Berkeley Continental will host the screening on Saturday, March 28 at 12:30 PM. Missy’s Voice is about a talented young singer whose love of music is tested when she becomes the target of relentless bullying. As the pressure builds, Missy must find the courage to reclaim her voice. It’s an intimate, moving story about finding light in dark moments and the power of being heard. This film is already sparking conversation and emotion. Get tickets & details.
NYWIFT member Alexis Alexanian invites you to join her 2-Day Making the Independent Feature Film online workshop on February 21 and 22. Learn the dynamics of indie filmmaking right now and what makes a film truly independent with this course. With over twenty years of industry experience as a producer and consultant to major industry players, Alexis Alexanian has produced low and big-budget films among her credits. In this two-day workshop, Alexis will provide students with a real-world view of how to assemble a successful team, how to prepare and read a budget, where and how to spend the money, insurance and legal issues, the art of troubleshooting problems and potential pitfalls, and how to navigate the divide between budgetary limitations and the creative needs of the production. Sign up.
NYWIFT member Karen Goeller is proud to share that her anti-bullying film, Missy’s Voice, will be screened at the Garden State Film Festival! Asbury Park, NJ’s Berkeley Continental will host the screening on Saturday, March 28 at 12:30 PM. Missy’s Voice is about a talented young singer whose love of music is tested when she becomes the target of relentless bullying. As the pressure builds, Missy must find the courage to reclaim her voice. It’s an intimate, moving story about finding light in dark moments and the power of being heard. This film is already sparking conversation and emotion. Get tickets & details.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) announced the nominations for the 57th annual NAACP Image Awards, which will be presented on Saturday, February 28, 2026 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California.
Congratulations to Jade Edwards-Lovell (Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.), Danielle Genet (Hurricane Katrina: 20 Years After the Storm With Robin Roberts), Holly M. Kaplan (Number One on the Call Sheet), Veronica Mulero (Harlem), Geneva Peschka (Black Longevity); Liat Rubin (Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015) and Anna Wild Toomey (Left Behind)!
See the full list of nominees.
Seeking: Mapping Our Gullah Geechee Story is written and directed by NYWIFT Muse Award filmmaker Julie Dash and produced by NYWIFT member Rachel Watanabe-Batton and Umma Chroma Creative Partners. As the centering film for the launch of the International African American Museum (IAAM), Seeking features rich cinematography by Bradford Young and score by Tamar-Kali. Seeking: Mapping Our Gullah Geechee Story follows children as spiritual travelers in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, guided by ancestral maps and living landscapes to claim collective memory, survival, and continuity at a pivotal moment of change in 1966. The 34th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF), is the first public screening outside of the museum in Charleston. PAFF the nation’s largest and longest-running global Black film and arts festival, returns to Los Angeles February 7–22, 2026, celebrating global Black stories through film, art, and culture.
Seeking: Mapping Our Gullah Geechee Story (15 mins) will screen on February 19 at 11 AM and February 20 at 4:15 PM in PAFF Short Series 2, along with Dash’s new short Homegoing, honoring the Emmanuel Nine as part of the MONUMENTS exhibition co-presented by MOCA Geffen and The Brick. Get tickets.
For the Love of Strippers, a short documentary directed by NYWIFT member Julia Reagan Dubray, is coming to Kinema this Friday! The film is an intimate portrait of two L.A. strippers and activists (Selena and Natshoney) fighting to protect their art, safety, and livelihoods during a critical inflection point for the industry and in their own lives. Shot over the course of four years, the film begins as an invitation into the warm, witty and intimate lives of the two protagonists, and builds to a righteous outrage at the injustices of an industry long overdue for reform. Culture House presents For the Love of Strippers this Friday, February 13 at 8 PM ET on Kinema. Get tickets, with 50% of proceeds benefiting Strippers United.
You’re invited to the world premiere of NYWIFT member Rudaba Zehra Nasir’s one-woman show, HALALish, opening at The Tank on Valentine’s Day! HALALish is a deeply personal show about love, loss, longing, labels, and (potentially) getting laid on Valentine’s Day, aka The Hunger Games of dating in NYC. It’s a love story with a twist, told through humor, heartbreak, and a chorus of unforgettable characters and live music. HALALish centers healing our shadows and expanding how immigrant women are seen on stage. Think Sex and the City but with a Muslim edge. HALALish runs February 14, 15, 21, and 22. The show is fiscally sponsored by mental health non-profit Healing TREE, making donations to the show tax-deductible. Learn more about the team and vision behind HALALish.
Entertainment Career Coach/Talent Agent Consultant/NYWIFT member Jim Arnoff is inviting all NYWIFT members and their guests to 16 Madison Square West (@ 25th St, floor 11) for a complimentary in-person career development workshop on Monday, February 23, from 7-9 PM. Does unhealed trauma in your professional or personal life hold you back from trusting others? Have you experienced loss that still holds you back from living your life fully? Are you still holding on to trauma and unsure how to release that experience to reach your true potential? Join Entertainment Career Coach/Talent Agent Consult Jim Arnoff for Healing Trauma And Loss In Your Professional And Personal Life…Setting Yourself Free, an immersive, interactive and safe space where you will hear coaching skills to make peace with loss and reclaim your inner strength. Learn techniques that will help you forgive others (and yourself), create safe relationships, take control of your life and set yourself free to pursue relationships and passions that you truly deserve. RSVP.
Emerging Artists Theatre presents a Fox Meadow Films & Constellation Moving Company production created, written by and starring NYWIFT member Caytha Jentis. In Freedom For A Night – The Untold Story of the Real Housewives of Ancient Greece, the iconic bad-ass women of Greek Mythology reclaim their narrative and power. This feministically fun circus stage play will run February 19-22 at the Theater For A New City. Learn more and get tickets.
New York Women in Film & Television is proud to announce that ten of our members are involved in 10 films that have been selected for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival Program.
Congratulations to members William David Caballero and Louis E. Perego Moreno (TheyDream), Katherine Filaseta and Katarina Dedicova (Bedford Park), Ruth Ann Harnisch (Cookie Queens, Seized), Carolyn Hepburn (The Brittney Griner Story), Laela Kilbourn (Run Amok), Jamie Kiernan O’Brien (Crisis Actor, Gender Studies), Clara Peterson (Stairs) and Elivia Shaw (The Oldest Person in the World).
The upcoming Sundance Film Festival will take place in person January 22 – February 1, 2026. Online festival screenings will be available from January 29 – February 1, 2026. Passes and packages are currently on sale and can be purchased here.
Congrats to the NYWIFT Member Projects Nominated for Children’s & Family Emmy Awards!
New York Women in Film & Television is excited to celebrate our members with projects nominated for the fourth annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards, which will be presented on Sunday, March 1, 2026 (Creative Arts) and Monday, March 2, 2026 (Technical Arts) at the Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Congratulations to Sirad Balducci and Stephanie Holbrook (Girl Haunts Boy); Nicole Compas (Harlem Ice); and Angelica Marciano (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip).
