NYWIFT Blog

Advice from an Indie Producer: Script Breakdown & Budgeting

What is the real purpose of a budget? In my experience, it’s the road map of the production. The amount of money you have will dictate the majority of the decisions that are made in pre-production, principal photography, post-production and beyond (festivals, marketing, social media campaigns, etc). You may have used a “development” budget, usually...

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NYWIFT Success Story: ‘In Montauk’ and the Value of PR

Lukas Hassel and Nina Kaczorowski in a scene from In Montauk, written and directed by NYWIFT member Kim Cummings. Photo by Aja Nisenson. Independent filmmaking on a micro-budget is a lonely business. People come and go throughout the process. As the filmmaker, you’re the only constant day in and day out. It’s not that you...

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New Opportunities From NYTVF, Disney, Tribeca, IFP

We’re highlighting some of the latest, most innovative competitions and programs for film, TV, digital, and writing: For the second year in a row, the Tribeca Film Festival has launched the #6SECFILMS Competition. Choose from one of the categories — #GENRE, #DRAMA, #COMEDY, #ANIMATION — and enter as many Vines as you want by March 27, 2014. Just...

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Women-Directed Films at Queens World Film Festival

Katia, directed by Anna Shishova, is a nominee for Best Documentary Feature and Best Cinematography at the Queens World Film Festival. The Queens World Film Festival runs March 4-9, 2014, in New York. Opening night will be held at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, with the rest of the films screening at...

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NYWIFT Recap: Member Screening of Sister Italy

On January 28, NYWIFT members and supporters gathered for our monthly member screening at the Anthology Film Archives. This month’s feature was Sister Italy, a heartfelt cultural comedy. As an aspiring filmmaker, I admire creators — those who defy expectations to represent new ideas and innovate storytelling. Sister Italy boldly met that admiration. Directed by Angelo Bonsignore, the film is...

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The 2014 Athena Film Festival Is This Week

//player.vimeo.com/video/84185523?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0 The fourth annual Athena Film Festival kicks off this Thursday (Feb. 6) and runs through Sunday (Feb. 9) on the Barnard College campus in NYC.  The lineup includes feature films (Short Term 12, In a World…), documentaries (Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth), a variety of shorts, as well as panels (A Conversation With Lexi Alexander, The Women...

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WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Photo via Fox Searchlight 12 Years A Slave’s Lupita Nyong’o’s portrayal of Patsey is superb. And, Costume Designer Patricia Norris discusses the movies costume challenges. The Conde’ Nast internship news is major! Will this influence TV/Film internships? Aspiring female Directors should consider becoming a Gamechanger. Octavia Spencer talks sin, karaoke and the “magical negro” concept. Does comedian Aparna Nancheria’s New York...

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