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NYWIFT at Tribeca 2025: In Conversation with Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen

The 2025 Tribeca Festival is set to thrill audiences with the world premiere of Last Resort, a bold new thriller/sci-fi podcast series blending razor-sharp satire and psychological suspense. Among the dynamic cast are longtime collaborators and NYWIFT members Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen — an award-winning creative duo known for their boundary-pushing work across stage and screen. In this exclusive interview, the real-life couple opens up about their experience working together as actors on Last Resort, a project helmed by fellow NYWIFT member Melanie Armer and writer/creator Chance Muehleck. From their reflections on artistic community and inspiration, to the impact of premiering at Tribeca, Blank and Jensen give us a heartfelt, humorous, and deeply insightful glimpse into what makes Last Resort such a resonant and genre-defying story.

Olympia Premieres Online July 9th

The feature length documentary, Olympia, celebrating the life and career of Academy Award-winning actress Olympia Dukakis, will have a national LIVE streaming premiere in North America on July 9th at 8pm ET, followed by a Q&A, with a special premiere screening in Greece and Europe at 1pm ET on July 10th and an exclusive ‘virtual cinema’ release beginning Friday, July 10th.

“Ask for Jane” Producer and Star Cait Cortelyou Brings Women’s History to Life on Screen

NYWIFT member Cait Cortelyou has performed on stage or film since childhood but makes a breakthrough debut as producer (and star) of Ask for Jane, which screens at the NYWIFT Member Screening Series on November 19th. Cait sat down with us to discuss how a slice of women's history inspired her to make her producing debut, and what opportunities she sees for women working in the industry today.

#SummerHours Summer Reading: Books for Actors (That Have Nothing to Do with Acting)

Mellini Kantayya shares the books about mindfulness, presence and intention that can inform the acting and audition process.

Terry’s Picks: Lena Waithe, Chloë Sevigny

Lena Waithe: I’m loving Vanity Fair’s cover story on groundbreaking actor, writer and producer Lena Waithe. Chloë Sevigny: The actor calls for women to “smash the patriarchy.”

Trailblazing Through the Decades: Ida Lupino (1950s)

British-American actress and producer Ida Lupino, got her start directing when the director of the 1949 film Not Wanted suffered a heart attack during pre-production. Lupino stepped in and shot the film guerilla style to keep the movie on budget and on schedule. Budgeted at just over $150,000, the film grossed $1 million, and Lupino’s reputation spread through Hollywood studios even though the original director retained credit.

Trailblazing through the Decades: Hedy Lamarr (1940s)

During WWII, a hobbyist inventor worked to help the military come up with a secure communication system to combat the Nazis. By manipulating radio frequencies at irregular intervals between transmission and reception, the invention formed an unbreakable code that prevented classified messages from being intercepted by enemy personnel. This patented form of frequency hopping revolutionized modern communications and formed the foundation for Wi-Fi, cell phone, and Bluetooth technology. The inventor’s name was Hedy Lamarr, and she was also a Hollywood star during MGM’s “Golden Age.”

Misha Calvert on creating her relatable dating web series Tinder is the Night

NYWIFT member Katrina Medoff speaks to fellow member Misha Calvert about creating, executive producing and starring in her new series Tinder is the Night, which explores the joys - and horrors - of online dating.

Terry’s Picks: Vicious Cycle, #BYkids PSA, Questionable Casting

Vicious Cycle: The LA Times published a great piece on how “Hollywood’s man problem may be a matter of simple math,” taking an in-depth statistical look at Hollywood’s gender imbalance and how it paves the way for discrimination and harassment. #BYkids PSA: BYkids, a global movement that uses storytelling through film to inform, engage and...

#SummerHours Memoirs: Mellini Kantayya

Kathryn O'Kane praises fellow #NYWIFT #SummerHours blogger Mellini Kantayya's brave essay collection on making it in the entertainment business.

Terry’s Picks: Casting Couch, Create NYC, Sherry Lansing

Casting Couch: The Guardian sheds light on the all-too-common phenomenon of the “casting couch culture,” featuring important insight from NYWIFT member Meissa Hampton. This has to stop, and kudos to Meissa and all the other women who speak out about it. Create NYC: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom...

10 Takeaways from the NYWIFT “Casting Comedy: Funny People On-Camera” Panel

NYWIFT member Mellini Kantayya shares the top 10 nuggets of wisdom from NYWIFT's panel on TV comedy casting. Learn whether or not to ad-lib, button it, stalk (answer: definitely no), and self-tape.

Starless Moonlight’s Lesson on Making Your Production Shine Brighter: Q & A with Casting Director Angela Mickey

After Moonlight won the Oscar for best picture, casting director and NYWIFT member Angela Mickey had some insights on what independent filmmakers and can learn from its casting.

11 Things I Learned While Producing My First Short Film

Actor and writer Katrina Medoff took on a third role - producer - for the first time with the short film Lovestuck, which premieres Sunday, March 19th at the Queens World Film Festival. She shares her top takeaways from the experience.

She Said, She Said: Denise Rogers, Cait Johnston and Sarah Elisabeth Brown

NYWIFT members Denise Rogers, Cait Johnston and Sarah Elisabeth Brown discuss the NYWIFT New Works Lab affinity group, which brings together actors, writers and directors to collaborate on readings throughout the year. Hear how they developed their stories, and how their involvement in NYWIFT helped them take those stories to the next level.

Terry’s Picks: #FreeTheBid, Aging Out, Female Veterans

#FreeTheBid: As part of a new #FreeTheBid pledge, some of the major ad agencies have promised to include at least one woman director in every bid put forward for ad campaigns. Aging Out: A new California law will force IMDB to take down actor’s ages (on the actor’s request only). This is a great step...

There is No “Right” Way: 14 Things Directors Need to Know about Directing Actors

NYWIFT member Erica Fae is an actor/director/writer who teaches acting at both Yale and The New School, and just wrapped her first feature as a writer/director, called To Keep the Light - so she knows a thing or two about the complex relationship between directors and their stars. She recently wrote a piece for Filmmaker Magazine with great tips on how to direct actors (spoiler alert: there is no "right" way).

For Indie Projects: An Actor’s Table Read Offers Best Results

On an indie film set there is little to no time to rehearse and most of the times the story is shot out of sequence, so it makes sense to have an actor table read before you start shooting.

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