NYWIFT Blog

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...

READ MORE

Terry’s Picks: Swim Team, Shonda Rhimes, Nancy Malone

Swim Team: Tune in or set your DVR for Swim Team’s PBS premiere on POV at 10 PM next Monday, October 2nd! The documentary was a recipient of NYWIFT Loreen Arbus Disability Awareness Grant. Congratulations to director Lara Stolman!  #SwimTeamPBS Shonda Rhimes: The must-see TV mastermind launched a new website, Shondaland. As she notes in...

READ MORE

Terry’s Picks: Suffragette, Shonda Rhimes & Disruptive Women

Still from Suffragette Loving NYWIFT Members: NYWIFT board member Maura Kelly interviewed member Erin Day about her work as the Festival Director of the New York Television Festival. This interview is part of Maura’s “Disruptive Women” blog series for The Huffington Post. Totally Agree: Shonda Rhimes isn’t “diversifying” TV. She’s “normalizing” it. This Has Got My Vote: Focus...

READ MORE

Weekly Roundup: Critics, Criticism & Where Are All the Women?

//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/169386090?et=qqo2WkdoSDF_5TVbbHpyOg&sig=4nRWssE736Soy2vAmH2NNoTznl3ZFl4CTa1MUX4kSuY= New York Times critic Alessandra Stanley defends her article about Shonda Rhimes. The Pioneering Women Directors of the DGA event was filled with celebration and discouraging statistics. In a witty interview, director Nicole Holofcener talks directing features, the casting process, and much more. A sad fact about fiction: Career women are more underrepresented on screen than in real life. ...

READ MORE

Weekly Roundup: Shonda Rhimes Rules, But Diversity Still a Problem

//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/475689039?et=E3ULsU53QnlvMx63S3PD7A&sig=QpyQLEQT3-C02uGwHywv6vYvmaUuzGVeVzL24eZ-1wI= “And nobody asks, ‘How do you write smart, strong men?’” Shonda Rhimes speaks on creating iconic female characters. Six of the best new web series are created by women. President Alexis Wilkinson discusses bringing 138-year-old The Harvard Lampoon into a new age. There’s been “no improvement” in diversity hiring in episodic television. CBS may not have considered a...

READ MORE

Weekly Roundup: Tonys Recap & Shonda’s Life Advice

//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/450314366?et=wfBGImImRLxDbnZrqwyOig&ContextMore=on&sig=A1BBm0oFQUXIgw1UOsqOl4uTY2WGbnrx17-0NOuLdyM= Audra McDonald makes Tony history. Rosie O’Donnell gets the “real” thing. Sophie Okonedo, Lena Hall and Jessie Mueller also win big. Women’s Media Center seeks applicants for its Progressive Women’s Voices program. Shonda Rhimes tells grads about dreams, hashtags and fulfillment. Consider becoming more politely aggressive in your acting career. Comedy Central increases their woman-centered programming. Assistant costume designers discuss their fortunate roles in the industry....

READ MORE

Weekly Film & TV News Roundup

Mad Men photo via theguardian.com. Dear Mr. President, we agree! (Video) Congratulations, Kathy Kelly-Brown, NBC’s new SVP of Global Talent Booking. NYC will certainly benefit from this. Elizabeth Vargas’ return brings winning ratings for 20/20. Universal’s Donna Langley will be the “second most powerful woman in Hollywood” until at least 2017. Casting Director Allison Jones “discovered” our favorite TV/film nerds. Do what...

READ MORE

66th DGA Awards: Female Directors Honored

Congratulations to the female directors honored at the DGA Awards this weekend: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary – Jehane Noujaim, The Square Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series – Beth McCarthy-Miller, 30 Rock, “Hogcock!/Last Lunch” Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Programs – Amy Schatz, An Apology to Elephants The DGA Diversity Award was given to Shonda Rhimes...

READ MORE

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...

READ MORE

Terry’s Picks: August 6

  Check Out: the Kickstarter for Pamela Green’s feature documentary, Be Natural, on the first female director, Alice Guy Blaché. Alice’s story has long been overlooked and I certainly hope Green’s documentary will shine a spotlight on Alice and her contribution to the birth of cinema. Impressed By: the tour de force work of costume designer Ruth Carter (a former...

READ MORE

Weekly Roundup

When does Shonda Rhimes sleep?! Congratulations Cheryl Boone Isaacs! This is worth posting again and again… HBO’s Fall (Documentary) line up has me considering pay cable. Orange is a hit! Taylor Schilling isn’t bad luck after all. Only 1 female? Well, there aren’t any Spike Lee films on his list either. – KELLY GLOVER

READ MORE