Five Film Festival Takeaways

In 2018, from mid-October to mid-December, NYWIFT member Lauren Anders Brown embarked on a film festival season filled with five very different festivals. These are the valuable lessons she learned from each one.

Terry’s Picks: Life Lessons, Dream Team, Zero Weeks

Life Lessons: Be sure to read Manohla Dargis’ brilliant piece in The New York Times about what movies teach us about being a woman. She says: “Movies get into our bodies, making us howl and weep, while their narrative and visual patterns, their ideas and ideologies leave their imprint.” Representation matters. Dream Team: Thanks to...

Terry’s Picks: Giving Tuesday, Be Natural, Women Mentors

Giving Tuesday: Today is Giving Tuesday, and I hope you’ll consider making a donation to NYWIFT as part of your holiday spending to help support our 2018-19 programming season, which will include more than 40 professional development and training programs and 15+ screening events celebrating the achievements of women filmmakers. Plus, if you give through...

Terry’s Picks: Copyright News, Melissa McCarthy, NYWIFT Presents

Copyright News: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) exemption for documentary films has expanded to include some types of fictional films. Now, filmmakers working on projects like biopics, historical fiction, and parodies can access copyrighted content without fear of liability. This is great news for narrative filmmakers trying to tell meaningful stories on a tight...

Terry’s Picks: Rule Breakers, DOC NYC, Carole Chazin

Rule Breakers: Listen to NYWIFT member Jennifer Fox and Board President Simone Pero, writer/director and producer respectively of The Tale on the “Rule Breakers” podcast. Jennifer and Simone talk about the film, the layered consequences of sexual abuse, what we can do to protect others and the journey to healing. DOC NYC: I am thrilled...

Terry’s Picks: Seven Women, Late Legend, M.I.A.Screening

Seven Women: This Wednesday and Thursday September 26th and 27th, Quad Cinema is having a special screening of Seven Women, Seven Sins, the groundbreaking project by seven legendary female indie film directors whichreceived support from the NYWIFT’s Women Film Preservation Fund. Directors Maxi Cohen and Bette Gordon will do a Q&A after the Wednesday screening. Late...

Terry’s Picks: Love Gilda, Bold Move, Emmy Nominations

Love, Gilda: Lisa D’Apolito’s acclaimed feature documentary Love, Gilda, about legendary comedian Gilda Radner, hits theaters nationwide on September 21st. The film was fiscally sponsored by NYWIFT. Bold Move: Beginning in 2019, works that do not demonstrate inclusivity in their production practices will no longer be eligible for the Outstanding British Film or Outstanding Debut...

7 Tips to Building a Successful Partnership to Create an Oscar-Nominated Film

In the inaugural conversation of NYWIFT’s new series Master Collaborations: The Power of Creative Partnerships on May 23, 2018, director Kahane Cooperman and producer Raphaela Neihausen opened up about how they worked together to create Joe’s Violin – and its road to being nominated for the Academy Awards.

Meet the New Board Members: Yvonne Russo

NYWIFT is governed by an 18 member Board of Directors, elected by the membership in late Spring. This diverse, accomplished group of women are at the top of their game in TV, film and digital media. We get to know producer Yvonne Russo, one of the latest additions to our leadership team.

Exploring Family and the Individual Search for Self

NYWIFT WFPF Co-Chair Kirsten Larvick previews the eighth and final installment of the From the Vault: Women’s Advocacy on Film series, co-presented with UnionDocs. Two documentaries, Joe and Maxi and Anything You Want to Be, explore the nature of womanhood and identity within the contexts of family and society at large.

Terry’s Picks: Love Gilda, Farewell Scandal, Harlem Summit

Love, Gilda: Congratulations to Lisa D’Apolito and her documentary Love, Gilda, which opened the Tribeca Film Festival to phenomenal reviews (and received an emotional introduction from Tina Fey). The film was fiscally sponsored by NYWIFT. Farewell Scandal: Last week we said goodbye to Shonda Rhimes’ groundbreaking series Scandal, which broke barriers, tackled controversial subjects, and...

Terry’s Picks: S.W.A.N. Day, Lena Waithe, Chloë Sevigny

S.W.A.N. Day: Join NYWIFT for our annual screening, Q&A and reception this Saturday in honor of Support Women Artists Now (S.W.A.N Day), co-presented with our friends at SAG-AFTRA, the School of Visual Arts Film Department, FF2 Media, ImageNation Cinema Foundation, Women in the Arts & Media Coalition (WAMC), African-American Women in Cinema (AAWIC), Women Make...

Trailblazing through the Decades: Sandra Osawa (1970s)

Sandra Osawa is a director, producer, and writer. She is a member of the Makah Nation of Washington State. One could argue that news coverage of Native American issues is still vastly lacking today. Thus, Sandra Osawa was a true ground-breaker in 1974 by directing, producing, and writing NBC’s first news program on Native American issues

The Brookside Women’s Club of Harlan County

In 1973 the 13-month Brookside Strike brought almost 200 workers to battle Eastover Coal Company’s Brookside Mine and Prep Plant, a company owned by Duke Power. When filmmaker Barbara Kopple traveled to Harlan County, Kentucky, the resulting Academy award-winning documentary, Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976) captured a historic story. We look back on the film, which screens this Sunday, February 25th at UnionDocs.

How to Work a Major Film Festival: A Report from Sundance

NYWIFT member Jane Applegate recaps the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and offers some key tips on how to make the most of any festival experience.

One Big Union: A History of the Wobblies

Many have never heard of “Wobblies” or the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), but in the early 1900s, The Wobblies were laborers working in a variety of fields, who joined the movement which became known as “industrial unionism” under the IWW organization and they made headlines. 70 plus years following the founding of IWW, filmmakers Deborah Shaffer and Stewart Bird came together to bring the story of early American industrial radical labor reform back into the spotlight. Their documentary, The Wobblies (1979), shows the relevance of this history that still holds true today. The WFPF will screen the film at UNDO on January 28.

Terry’s Picks: Chavela Vargas, The Tale, Working Women

Chavela Vargas: In NYWIFT’s latest column with Honeysuckle Magazine, Communications VP Margarita Sophia Cortes profiles the filmmakers behind the critically acclaimed documentary Chavela, about legendary LGBTQ Mexian singer Chavela Vargas. The Tale: We are bursting with pride for NYWIFT Board President Simone Pero, who produced Jennifer Fox’s harrowing and timely film The Tale, about childhood...

Chavela Director Catherine Gund Shares Lessons on Feminism, Women Filmmakers and Music

We sat down with director Catherine Gund to discuss her personal connection with the artist, how Chavela is still relevant today, and of course, the music.

NYWIFT Blog