Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Melissa Morales
New York based filmmaker Melissa Morales is a first-generation Puerto Rican Latina alum from CUNY Brooklyn College with a BA in Film Production, holding a magna cum laude GPA. Melissa is an aspiring writer, director, producer and production designer, and multimedia content creator. She has written, directed, & produced four short films in 2022, with her thesis "Bigger" winning a NYWIFT Emerging Female Filmmaker Award at Brookly College and a NYIFA Best Student Director Award both in 2023! Melissa tells us about receiving the NYWIFT Emerging Female Filmmaker Award, her role as a writer, director, and producer, and more!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Bianca Marroquin
Welcome to NYWIFT, new member Bianca Marroquin! Bianca, a triple threat who can act, sing, and dance, became well-known to audiences starring as both Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly in Chicago the Musical on Broadway and alongside Michelle Williams and Sam Rockwell in the Emmy-Winning limited series Fosse and Verdon. Additionally, she has appeared as a judge on Mira Quien Baila (a popular Spanish reality television show similar to Dancing With the Stars) and the telenovela Esperanza del Corazón. These are just a few of her many career highlights! Bianca spoke to us about maintaining her creativity throughout the pandemic, her favorite roles, and expanding opportunities for Latinos on stage and screen.
READ MOREThe Ecuadorian Film Festival in New York Announces Lineup
Maravilla, the New York-based organization dedicated to raising awareness of Latin America through films and the arts, announces its seventh edition of the Ecuadorian Film Festival in New York (EFFNY), with the support of media partner Telemundo and includes Queens Museum, Nuyorican Poets Café, the Barrymore Film Center, and fiscal sponsor New York Women and Film & TV.
READ MORERita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided to Go For It
NYWIFT member Kristin Reiber Harris reflects on life lessons gleaned from the indomitable Rita Moreno after watching the new documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It.
READ MORECynthia’s Picks: Digital Programming, The Writers Lab, Open the Door, Member Survey
Digital Programming: Thank you to the thousands of you who have been tuning in to our NYWIFT Talks and other virtual programs throughout these last few months. Don’t forget, if you missed anything you can catch up with those conversations on our NYWIFT Programming Goes Digital Hub. The Writers Lab: Congratulations to the 12 writers...
READ MOREState of the Industry: A Conversation of Lydia Darly of the Nova Frontier Film Festival and Lab
The voices of Black, Middle Eastern, and Latinx artists have long been marginalized. But at Nova Frontier Film Festival and Lab, they take center stage. Actor, filmmaker, writer, producer, and film programmer Lydia Darly discusses why she co-founded the festival (where NYWIFT is proud to present an Outstanding Female Content Creator Award), and what she hopes to see from the 2020 edition which, like so many recent events, is going virtual.
READ MORECynthia’s Picks: Latinx Representation, Kasi Lemmons, The Kingmaker
Latinx Representation: Good news – the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media has partnered with Universal Filmed Entertainment Group to pilot its “Spellcheck for Bias” digital tool, this time in order to help increase Latinx representation onscreen. Kasi Lemmons: 2019 NYWIFT Nancy Malone Directing Award honoree Kasi Lemmons writes in Variety about why she...
READ MORE#Muse40for40: Victoria Alonso (2015)
Victoria Alonso is the Executive Vice President of Physical Production for Marvel Studios, and her 2015 Muse Awards acceptance speech is among some of our favorites for both its humor and heart.
READ MORECynthia’s Picks: Two Studies, Unequal Pay, Michele Clapton
Two Studies: A study from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative in partnership with National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP, of which I was the founding organizational Chairperson) and Wise Entertainment, shows how Hollywood has failed the Latinx community when it comes to their portrayal in popular movies – in...
READ MORECynthia’s Picks: Latinx Stars, Expanded Opportunities, Listen In
Latinx Stars: The Hollywood Reporter wisely points out…amid the call for diversity in entertainment, particularly inclusive casting, why don’t we have more Latinx movie stars? Part of it, of course, comes down to unconscious bias – which we all need to work on identifying and correcting. Expanded Opportunities: The Academy has voted to expand the...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Vida Writers, Production Workshop, Cannes-do Women
Vida Writers: Vulture takes a look inside TV’s first all-Latinx writers room, for the new Starz series Vida. Production Workshop: We are offering our annual one-day media production workshop for immigrant and first-generation women, taught by our friends at Third World Newsreel, this Saturday, May 12th. Learn more and apply to participate. Cannes-do Women: Meet...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Scary Statistics, GoldieBlox Ad, Zoe Saldana
Scary Statistics: A new study from USC Annenberg reveals how little top-grossing movies have changed when it comes to the on-screen prevalence and portrayal of women, underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, the LGBT community, and individuals with disabilities. GoldieBlox Ad: Girl-focused toy company GoldieBlox’s #BeLikeHer ad campaign is a joyful, in-your-face celebration of all the impressive women...
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