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Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Oyiza Adaba

Welcome to NYWIFT, Oyiza Adaba! Oyiza is a Nigerian journalist and producer with over 20 years of experience both on and behind the camera in several multimedia productions. In 2008, she founded Africa-Related, a media and content development company operating in Lagos, Nigeria and New York City. Africa-Related is at the forefront of storytelling from an African perspective, using media platforms to enrich knowledge of the world. In 2019, she founded Ita’i: Our Cloth, a global brand that takes a modern approach to preserving, presenting, and promoting Africa’s cultural heritage. Ita’i encourages community development and empowerment with existing resources. Oyiza tells us about her dedication to community empowerment and her upcoming projects.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Natalie Bailey

Let’s give a big welcome to Natalie Bailey as she joins the NYWIFT community! Natalie is a communication specialist whose career path includes working as the Director of Communications at the Dysautonomia Foundation, as an Advocacy Strategist at UNICEF, and more recently, as a Communication and Advocacy Coordinator at the World Health Organization (WHO). Having received a bachelor’s degree in Writing and Mass Communication from Saint Mary’s College and a Master’s in Journalism from Northwestern University, Natalie has also contributed her freelance writing and editing skills to various publications such as the Forbes Travel Guide, GOOD Magazine, Reader’s Digest, and Boston Globe Sunday. Find out more about Natalie as we discuss the value of Corporate Social Responsibility, some film and television shows that raise awareness on relevant social issues, and that one time when she came to the rescue at work through faking a British accent!

NYWIFT Member Spotlight: Sweta Keswani

Meet NYWIFT Member Sweta Keswani! After starring in some critically acclaimed and hugely popular prime time television series in India which made Sweta Keswani a household name, she moved to New York in 2010 for love. She was seen on The Blacklist with James Spader, was recurring on New Amsterdam and AMC’s supernatural thriller Nos4a2. She had a fun role on Apple TV’s dark anthology series Roar and Mayim Bialik’s first directorial feature, As They Made Us, with Dustin Hoffman and Candice Bergen last year. Sweta also appears in The Beanie Bubble, which was released late July in theatres and globally on Apple TV. Sweta continues to hone her craft as an actor, whether it’s being in a stage combat or acting class, working on plays locally, or helping with R&D and as social media consultant for the Remarkable Women docuseries.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Katherine Allen

Let’s all give a huge NYWIFT welcome to Katherine Allen! Based in Brooklyn, Katherine Allen is a filmmaker whose artistry often addresses the theme of discomfort and include aspects of Magikal Surrealism, horror, and the macabre. Some of her film projects include L’alphabête Noire, The Widow’s Hand, Renaissance of Strings, and several music videos. Outside of filmmaking, some of Katherine’s hobbies are photography and occasionally lurking about during a dark moon. Learn more about Katherine as we converse about her knack for embracing nitty gritty emotions and translating them into art, audiences’ attraction to films that blend fairytale elements with horror, her grandfather’s ongoing influence on her craft, and the spellbinding qualities of seemingly ordinary objects!

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Deniz Cam

After a career as a journalist for Forbes magazine, Deniz is taking her skills as a storyteller the world of film and TV. She is on the research team for The Problem with Jon Stewart on Apple TV+, a talk show about current events including climate change, the economy, and foreign policy. She is also writing and acting in a live reading of her pilot, 60 Days, about a Turkish immigrant who must get married in 60 days to keep her visa status after quitting her job. Deniz tells us about her love of New York, being an immigrant from Istanbul, and her Carrie Bradshaw moment seeing her cover story on a billboard on Fifth Avenue.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Cameron Kit

Let’s give a warm NYWIFT welcome to Cameron Kit! Cameron is an award-winning feminist sci-fi director living in Brooklyn whose short film Chlorine was a big hit at multiple film festivals and won “Best Cinematography” at NYCA. Altogether, Cameron’s projects have been featured at 30+ film festivals across the U.S. and Japan. From 2013 until recently, Cameron was the CEO and Artistic Director at Whiteboard Geeks in Richmond, VA. As her website highlights, Cameron’s overarching goal is to “join in the development of an art that will contribute to a world in which women, people of color, and queer folks are respected as equal citizens on Planet Earth.” To learn more about Cameron, check out her interview as we discuss the triumphs and setbacks that come with leading an animation studio, her ongoing Sci-Fi podcast They Came from Outer Space, the unyielding longevity of radio, how to make the most of your NYWIFT membership, and the magic that becomes possible when pairing feminism with science fiction!

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Evelyn Fogleman

Welcome to NYWIFT, Evelyn Fogleman! Evelyn is an NYC-based intimacy coordinator, writer, and content creator. For the past decade, she has worked on film and television projects for Netflix, Marvel Studios, Amazon Studios, Warner Brothers, CBS, and A24…. just to name a few! Before her current roles, Evelyn enhanced her filmmaking experience by production assisting, assistant directing, and performing stunt work. During this time, she worked as a Second Second AD for the 2016 Oscar-nominated film Jackie. She also earned a Screen Actors Guild nomination as part of the stunt team for her contributions on the Netflix series Daredevil and a Directors Guild Award for working alongside Bo Burnham in the 2018 critically-acclaimed indie hit Eighth Grade. Learn more about Evelyn as we discuss the gradual and much-needed omnipresence of intimacy coordinators on film sets and how she turned lemons into lemonade during the pandemic!

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Florence Montmare

Welcome to NYWIFT, Florence Montmare! Florence is an artist, photographer and director based out of New York, Gotland, and Stockholm, Sweden. Her work is represented by Ivy Brown Gallery and Valerie Goodman, New York, and has been exhibited internationally at Les Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles, Casino Luxembourg, Saarlandmuseum, Centre d’art Contemporain du Luxembourg, Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain Belgium, Färgfabriken Sweden and at Fotografiska New York. Florence spoke to us about her remarkable globetrotting career.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Myra Velasquez

Let’s give a warm NYWIFT welcome to new member Myra Velasquez! Myra Velasquez is an indie filmmaker and playwright whose films have been screened across the country and abroad. Some of her awards include the Lawrence Kasdan Narrative Film Award, the Grand Prize Chicks with Flicks, the BIFF Golden Honu Audience Choice for Best Short, the HIFF Gold Kahuna, and the BIFF Family Favorites. She has also been a finalist for the Sundance Lab, the BlueCat Feature Screenplay Award, the Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference, the Big Apple Screenplay Competition, and a Cinequest Short Screenplay semi-finalist, among other notable mentions. Myra spoke to us about her latest audio drama, the best (and worst) advice she’s received, and what she hopes audiences will take away from her work.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Lisa St. Hill

Welcome to NYWIFT, Lisa St. Hill! Born in Brooklyn, Lisa St. Hill is a multi-talented creator with a strong appreciation for her Barbados heritage. A fashion enthusiast at heart, she has worked as an editorial contributor and designed a recovery belly band for new mothers that caught the attention of some celebrity moms. Furthermore, Lisa also produced Phenomenal Women, which highlights various accomplished women who have achieved success within the realm of film and television. Some of her aspirations include the development of youth-centered projects such as the publication of Beautiful Brown Girl, an inspiring children’s book that she is currently illustrating and writing, and a limited series about her relative, the legendary Shirley Chisholm. Lisa spoke to us about her inspirations, the advice from Idris Elba that drives her day-to-day, and how she defines a phenomenal woman.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Jacinta Hayne

Welcome to NYWIFT, Jacinta Hayne! Jacinta was born in New South Wales, Australia. She has worked in film, commercials & stills productions for over 19 years, both in Australia and internationally. She was 2nd AD on major motion pictures including Titanic, The Quiet American, and Babe: Pig in the City, as well Production Coordinator many other films, TVC’s, and music videos. She is also a stills photographer. She is based in New York and a member of the Directors Guild of America, and is both an Australian and US Citizen. Jacinta’s most recent project as a set photographer was the late Jeff Darling’s short film He Went That Way, which stars Zachary Quinto and Jacob Elordi and premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Festival. Jacinta spoke to us about her most meaningful moments on set, working with George Miller and James Cameron, and her smart techniques for staying organized.

NYWIFT Members at Cannes 2023: Actress, Writer, Producer, Maria Soccor

Longtime NYWIFT member Maria Soccor recently attended the 2023 Cannes Festival ,where we spotted her with our CEO Cynthia López at NYWIFT’s panel event “Women Storytellers from the Arab World - Supporting, Training and Showcasing Emerging Filmmakers” in partnership with the Royal Film Commission – Jordan and WIFT GCC. Maria spoke to Tammy Reese about her 2023 Cannes Film Festival experience.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Marchelle Thurman

Let’s give a warm NYWIFT welcome to new member Marchelle Thurman! Marchelle is originally from the suburbs of Chicago and graduated from NYU with a BFA with honors in Theater. She is a New York-based actor, writer, producer, director, and voice over artist. The 10-time award-winning feature film Black White and the Greys, which she acted in, wrote, directed, and produced, recently became available on Amazon, Google Play, and YouTube. Some of her favorite acting credits include FBI, Law & Order, Dynasty, NCIS: New Orleans, and How to Tell You’re a Douchebag (2016 Sundance Festival). She loves traveling, baking, and rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals. Marchelle shared her insight into her award-winning films, juggling multiple hats on set, and her favorite baking recipes!

2023 Tribeca Festival Recap

After a whirlwind trip to the 2023 Tribeca Festival, Tammy Reese offers highlights from her favorite interviews - including Dan Rather, Billy Porter, Phylicia Rashad, Morris Chestnut, Angela Bassett, Patricia Field, and much more!

The Walking Dead: Dead City Tribeca/NYC Take Over

"One of the best red carpets I’ve ever covered as a journalist hands down to date is the iconic moment of covering The Walking Dead: Dead City world premiere during the 2023 Tribeca Festival," says NYWIFT member Tammy Reese! Our resident The Walking Dead superfan shares her favorite moments - and fun video cast interviews - from the zombie-filled festival premiere.

NYWIFT @ Tribeca: In Conversation with the Team Behind Breaking the News

The new documentary Breaking the News, which just premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Festival, follows the determined efforts of women and nonbinary journalists launching a news “startup,” The 19th*, to foreground voices omitted from mainstream news. Filmmakers Heather Courtney, Princess A. Hairston, and Chelsea Hernandez provide a deep look into bias and inclusion in the ever-shifting media landscape. We spoke to the three co-directors and producer Diane Quon about their communal approach to making this film, and the challenges and triumphs of building a news organization (and making a film about it) during a global pandemic, political strife, and social unrest.

NYWIFT @ Tribeca: In Conversation with Cinematographer Karen Rodriguez

NYWIFT member Karen Rodriguez is naturally drawn to projects that align with her values, which made her latest cinematography outing, Deciding Vote, a perfect fit! The film just premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Festival in the Documentary Shorts category, and follows a landmark moment in New York state politics 50 years ago, when assemblyman George Michaels cast a single vote on New York’s abortion bill that changed the course of American history but destroyed his political career in the process. Rodriguez spoke to us about her work on Deciding Vote and what types of projects inspire her creativity.

NYWIFT @ Tribeca: In Conversation with Location Manager Dana Morgan

NYWIFT Member Dana Morgan is a New York-based stunt woman, actress and director. She has been in the film industry for over 15 years which during this time has afforded her the opportunity to work in front and behind the camera. Her diverse experience has brought unique ideas, concepts and solutions to the table while working with crew, directors, and support teams to bring their vision to life. She has expanded her creative reach to the role of location manager through her production company Going Up? Productions, LLC with business partner Cara S. Liander. Their latest project is Fresh Kills, the feature directorial debut of actor Jennifer Esposito, premiering now at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.

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