NYWIFT Blog

‘Monster-Fighting Feminists’

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Over at RogerEbert.com, Bob Calhoun discusses the liberated women of 1950s sci-fi cinema — classics like Them! (1954) and The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) — and why the woman scientist archetype waned in later decades: In her October 8, 2013 RogerEbert.com piece, “Visual Pleasure and Voodoo Demographics: a Reflection on...

Weekly Film & TV News Roundup

Photo by Joe Pugliese Finally, a truly diverse actress roundtable. New York Film Academy’s article on gender inequality in film. Wow. HBO’s getting a show created by Diablo Cody and someone named Oprah. Winona is back. And starring in an action flick. Meet director Dennie Gordon, made in the USA—in demand in China! Indie producer Alison Owen controls the only...

Notes from a Screenreader: The Deep Freeze Script

Photo via Go Into the Story. Scripts that feel rote turn readers off right away even though rote scripts are written by people who know exactly what they’re doing. The plot moves forward, the conflicts are in place, the beats come and go like clockwork. Scoring high marks for plot and structure, these scripts still feel...

NYWIFT December Programs: Pitch Fest, Muse Awards + More

December programs are filling up fast so make sure to RSVP soon. Bullets, Bios, Resumes, and Interviews Monday, Dec 2, 6:30 pm, NYWIFT Offices (6 East 39th St) Learn to write, pitch, and interview for high impact. TV Pitch Fest Wednesday, Dec 4, 6 pm, NYWIFT Offices (6 East 39th St) An amazing opportunity! NYWIFT members...

Terry’s Picks: November 26, 2013

How far do we still have to go? Check out NYFA’s infographic (link below) STILL PORING OVER: This incredibly comprehensive infographic about gender inequality in film sent to us by the New York Film Academy. From pay rates and movie portrayals to awards and ages, this is a definitive tool for understanding the state of women in...

Out of 300 Scripts, Only 30 Written by Women

That number comes from a fascinating infographic created by a script reader who says they’ve covered 300 spec scripts for 5 different companies. See the full infographic. Given the record-breaking success of female-protagonist-led Hunger Games and Twilight series, we hope stats like “out of 300 scripts, only 77 had a female hero” will be changing soon. What do you think of...

L-R: Alessandra Stanley, Delia Ephron, Fran Drescher, Samantha Bee, and Whitney Cummings at NYWIFT’s Women in…Comedy panel. Photo via CINEMATIQ magazine.  Women in…Comedy: Changing Times A few weeks ago, NYWIFT brought together Samantha Bee (The Daily Show), Whitney Cummings (co-creator, 2 Broke Girls), Fran Drescher (Happily Divorced), and Delia Ephron (writer, You’ve Got Mail) to discuss the changing landscape for...

L-R: Alessandra Stanley, Delia Ephron, Fran Drescher, Samantha Bee, and Whitney Cummings at NYWIFT’s Women in…Comedy panel. Photo via CINEMATIQ magazine.  Women in…Comedy: Changing Times A few weeks ago, NYWIFT brought together Samantha Bee (The Daily Show), Whitney Cummings (co-creator, 2 Broke Girls), Fran Drescher (Happily Divorced), and Delia Ephron (writer, You’ve Got Mail) to discuss the changing landscape for...

L-R: Alessandra Stanley, Delia Ephron, Fran Drescher, Samantha Bee, and Whitney Cummings at NYWIFT’s Women in…Comedy panel. Photo via CINEMATIQ magazine.  Women in…Comedy: Changing Times A few weeks ago, NYWIFT brought together Samantha Bee (The Daily Show), Whitney Cummings (co-creator, 2 Broke Girls), Fran Drescher (Happily Divorced), and Delia Ephron (writer, You’ve Got Mail) to discuss the changing landscape for...

L-R: Alessandra Stanley, Delia Ephron, Fran Drescher, Samantha Bee, and Whitney Cummings at NYWIFT’s Women in…Comedy panel. Photo via CINEMATIQ magazine.  Women in…Comedy: Changing Times A few weeks ago, NYWIFT brought together Samantha Bee (The Daily Show), Whitney Cummings (co-creator, 2 Broke Girls), Fran Drescher (Happily Divorced), and Delia Ephron (writer, You’ve Got Mail) to discuss the changing landscape for...

Weekly Film & TV News Roundup

Still from Lucky. I got goosebumps from the trailer for NYC filmmaker Laura Checkoway’s Lucky. The WGA or Fashion Police writers—whose side is Joan Rivers really on? Conservative commentator and author Monica Crowley discusses her career, Nixon, and the hypocrisies woman journalists still face. (video) Guinevere Turner’s new project is called Creeps. I’m sold! Here are the best women in...

Wendy Williams & Andy Cohen to Co-Host 2013 Muse Awards

Wendy visits Andy at the Bravo clubhouse during season 6 of What Happens Live! (photo via Bravo). What’s better than one groundbreaking television host emceeing our 2013 Muse Awards? Two of ‘em: friends Wendy Williams and Andy Cohen have just confirmed for this year’s event. We feel like the luckiest folks in the world! Order your ticket for the 2013 Muse Awards on December 12.

Road to Muse 2013: Flashback to 1983

Meryl Streep rocks her embroidered NYWIFT jacket as a Muse Award nominee in 1983. Who else thinks we should bring back the NYWIFT jacket?! Fun fact: The early Muse Awards in the1980s often only had one honoree, sometimes two. It wasn’t until 1989 that there were three Muse honorees, and the number has grown ever...

Notes from a Screenreader: Lie to Me

Photo via Go Into the Story. Lie to me. Most spec scripts have an importance of being earnest problem. They tell the reader the truth, all of it, all the time. All the backstory, all the exposition, all of what everyone is doing and precisely why, before it even happens. Lying to the reader in your...

Terry’s Picks: November 19, 2013

The five women doc directors qualifying for Oscars (image via IndieWire). Championing: Veena Sud’s mystery drama The Killing, which has just been picked up by Netflix for 6 final episodes. Feeling Triumphant About: Women filmmakers and filmmakers of color racking up the awards. Women filmmakers swept half the AFI Awards last week, and at least five feature-length...

Flix Not to Miss: Stories We Tell

One of the best documentaries this year comes from Sarah Polley, already an accomplished narrative director (if you haven’t already, go watch Away From Her and Take This Waltz). In Stories We Tell, Polley turns the lens on her own family secrets and potentially devastating personal revelations. It is a fantastic film that seamlessly uses actors and old family movies to tell...

Road to Muse 2013: Meet Awards Show Organizer Susan Steiger

Susan Steiger (third from the right), the rest of the NYWIFT board, and Muse honorees take the stage at the 2012 Muse Awards. At the 2001 Muse Awards, Dede Allen — the first editor to get an exclusive credit on a film — received a standing ovation from a packed house. It’s those moments that make Susan...

Weekly Film & TV News Roundup

Photo by Google photos Need to finance your project? Check out these grant writing secrets. Maya’s coming back! Maya’s coming back! Well played, Lorne. WIE Network founder Dee Poku on taking risks, entrepreneurship & the state of women. This Lena Dunham & Mindy Kaling interview is FUNNY and very important. “Older guys” at ABC couldn’t steal Shonda Rhimes’ creative thunder. Soledad...