women in film Archives - New York Women in Film & TelevisionNew York Women in Film & Television

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Elizabeth “Liz” Bendelac

Welcome to NYWIFT, Elizabeth Bendelac! Liz is a locations professional. She’s managed, key assistant managed, scouted, and coordinated for film and television across New York and New Jersey. Her credits? NBC's New Amsterdam. Paramount’s Smile. Sony’s Goosebumps: The Vanishing for Disney+. Indie? She’s there too. Ponyboi, starring Dylan O’Brien and Victoria Pedretti. She’s everywhere you need her to be—quietly making it all happen. Recent work in the Tri-State area? The Home with Pete Davidson. Insidious 5. Manifest. Disenchanted. Resurrection. The Good Nurse. And a standout collaboration with Edward Burns on his sequel to The Brothers McMullen: The Family McMullen. Outside of production, Elizabeth dedicates her time to Surfers Healing, a nonprofit surf camp for children with autism. It’s a cause close to her heart, combining her love of the ocean with her commitment to community and empathy. Elizabeth is also an adjunct faculty member at the New Jersey Institute of Technology where she developed and teaches a course on location management. Elizabeth: She doesn’t just do locations. She produces. And producing, for her, has rules. Collaborate with directors who share her values. Strong roles for women of color. Fresh takes on stories you thought you knew. Films with the elegance of Merchant & Ivory but the punch to succeed in the real world. Films that leave a mark. To that end, she’s developing two scripts with award-winning playwright Montserrat Mendez. Exploring genre mash-ups. Shaking up narratives. Figuring out new ways to make audiences sit up, pay attention, maybe even gasp. Because whether it’s a location or a story, Elizabeth Bendelac knows how to map the journey. She knows the destination. And she will get you there.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Andrea Ocampo

Welcome to NYWIFT, Andrea Ocampo! Andrea is a first-generation Colombian filmmaker. She is drawn to the quiet forces that have shaped her: obsession, memory, and identity in flux. She is a proud artist who directs with a lens for the psychological and surreal, blending documentary realism with fiction laced in intimate mystery. Her latest short Blackout is a psychological thriller set in the NYC subway, and it premiered to a sold-out crowd on September 13th, 2025, at Imagine This Women’s Film Festival. She navigates global crises and inner landscapes with equal urgency. Her work has a raw, honest, and quietly haunted feel to it. Chances are you’ll feel it before you understand it. We spoke to Andrea in late Summer. She recounts her experience in the film industry, tracing her path from a passionate young filmmaker in her early childhood to the successful professional she has become.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Iris De Vita

Welcome to NYWIFT, Iris De Vita! Iris De Vita is the founder of Golden Iris, LLC, where she combines her talents as a photographer and publicist to help clients shine. She also works as a talent booker for The Donna Drake Show. Specializing in portrait and event photography, as well as PR for artists, performers, and small businesses, Iris brings a creative yet strategic approach to every project. Iris’s work has supported films, festivals, and artistic events, drawing audiences and capturing lasting memories. Based on Long Island and in New York City, she is passionate about telling stories, whether through the perfect photograph or a compelling publicity campaign. In our interview, Iris discusses her photography, her promotional work with artists and events, and her love of connecting audiences with art!

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Olivia Fouser

Welcome to NYWIFT, Olivia Fouser! Olivia Fouser is an award-winning queer writer and director. She's been featured in multiple LGBTQ film festivals such as the LGBTQ+ Toronto & Los Angeles Film Festival and the Seattle Queer Film Festival with her short film The Last Gay In Indiana, and has won numerous awards for her queer Western screenplay Blood On The Saddle. With her work, Olivia aspires to bring diversity both to the screen and behind the camera, and to make viewers laugh, cry, and, in seeing a story or character that's rarely seen on screen, hopefully widen their worldview.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Courtney DeStefano

Welcome to NYWIFT, Courtney DeStefano! Courtney grew up in a small town, where she spent hours devouring old movies and pouring through every indie-film magazine she could get her hands on. She graduated with a BFA in Film & Television from NYU Tisch School of the Arts before embarking on her editing career where she worked with clients like CBS, Bravo, Showtime, BET, NatGeo, Discovery & TLC. She’s spent the last several years dividing her time between chasing after her three young sons and hiding in her home office to write. Her work has been recognized by the Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards, PANO Network, Hollyshorts and the PAGE Awards, among others. In our interview, Courtney discussed her small-town inspirations, how editing informs her writing and directing, and her latest short film.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Alex Kokenis

Welcome to NYWIFT, Alex Kokenis! Alex Kokenis (she/her) is a queer filmmaker and editor living in Brooklyn, NY. Her last short film, A Pickle and a Coke, is currently in its festival run, recently winning Best Script at Chicago Film Frenzy. Through her production company, It’s a Long Story Productions, Alex has co-written and co-directed two short films, Wednesday, and The Root, as well as directed and edited music videos. When she is not creating her own work, she is a passionate editor and loves to bring others’ stories to life. Alex is currently an Assistant Editor for narrative features and a proud member of IATSE Local 700. She cites Steven Soderbergh and the Duplass Brothers as her main inspirations for storytelling. She loves a good vest and to go bowling.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Sara Newton

Welcome to NYWIFT, Sara Newton! Sara is a director and cinematographer based in New York and Los Angeles. She is the creator of the MDR Sketch Comedy Show on PBS and has recently returned from an expedition in Antarctica, where she filmed a documentary. Her digital comedy sketches, produced under brands like Made by Tom and Sara, Nightpantz, and Conservation Comedy, have collectively garnered over 5 million views. With a strong foundation in television production, Sara has coordinated hit reality shows such as Love & Hip Hop (VH1), Bridezillas (WEtv), and Nellyville (BET). Her extensive experience in physical production led her to spend six years at Gunpowder & Sky, where she managed production across various platforms and developed sizzle reels for network pitches. Additionally, she served as the cinematographer for the experimental film Dust Flow: A Meditative Experience, also produced by Gunpowder & Sky. As of 2025, Sara is Head of Content for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and is set to direct a feature film this fall. Sara shares her journey as an unconventional storyteller who is not afraid to explore new platforms and storytelling formats.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Catherine Craig

Welcome to NYWIFT, Catherine Craig! Catherine Craig was George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic's first animation FX camerawoman, later becoming a digital artist at ILM. A highly regarded film archivist, Craig designed the Coppola film archive and implemented Zoetrope's domestic and international film distribution. As an early female entrepreneur, Craig founded her own award-winning, union and guild-affiliated film company, specializing in high-end industrial and commercial productions. Her vast experience spans all aspects of filmmaking: she's worked as a director, producer, camera operator, concept artist, storyboard artist, special FX artist, sound recordist, and more. Her screenplay OddFX was accepted into the NYWIFT-affiliated The Writers Lab. The film follows a mother living in a women's shelter, battling a physically abusive husband and a broken support system, who enlists the help of a special FX film crew. Catherine discusses her groundbreaking work with ILM, her drive to tell her own stories, and her film currently in development, OddFX!

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Faith Trinker

Welcome to NYWIFT, Faith Trinker! Faith Trinker is a virtual production filmmaker and immersive storyteller. She recently graduated from NYU Tisch’s inaugural Virtual Production Master’s program, and has a background in 3D computer art and animation from Syracuse University. In her work, she blends digital worldbuilding with on-set filmmaking, and is passionate about evolving workflows, fast-paced environments, and collaborative creativity. Her credits include projects for ESPN and the 2025 MSC Cruises Super Bowl spot featuring Drew Barrymore and Orlando Bloom. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, drawing, cars, and her dog, Freddie. She’s eager to work with her new NYWIFT creative community. Faith discusses her path to virtual production, favorite projects, and goals for the future!

NYWIFT at Tribeca 2025: In Conversation with Producer and Casting Director Lois Drabkin

New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) is proud to spotlight member Lois Drabkin, a dynamic force in the world of independent cinema. As the Co-Producer and Casting Director of Ride or Die, premiering at the 2025 Tribeca Festival as part of the prestigious U.S. Narrative Competition, Drabkin continues to champion bold, character-driven storytelling. With a career spanning acclaimed features such as Nancy, Colewell, and Glass Chin, and casting credits on groundbreaking projects like HBO’s The Wire and Showtime’s Years of Living Dangerously, Lois shares insights into her creative process, the evolution of Ride or Die, and her enduring commitment to supporting women in film.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Angelica Marciano

Let’s give a warm NYWIFT welcome to our new member, Angelica Marciano. Angela is a location manager and producer who has worked in several different states on narrative feature films and TV. She just recently moved to New York after living in New Mexico, and Boston. She is the person behind the scenes of queerfilmbk and prides herself on being a person who excels at bringing community together. She has a cat named Lewis who acts like a dog. She’s an enthusiastic extrovert who can talk to any stranger and is a self-proclaimed freak in that she hopes that the person sitting next to her on an airplane wants to chat. In our interview, Angelica discusses her winding career path, advice to women filmmakers, and what excites her about the locations department!

NYWIFT Program Recap: “Daughters” at Hamptons Doc Fest

In December 2024, NYWIFT was proud to co-present a screening of the new documentary "Daughters" at Hamptons Doc Fest, followed by a Q&A with filmmakers Angela Patton and Natalie Rae moderated by NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez. In this powerful documentary, four girls prepare to reunite with their fathers through a special dance at a DC jail in this moving documentary about the healing power of love. We offer a recap of the conversation plus a video of the Q&A to watch after you've seen the film, which is now available on Netflix.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member Sydney Giacomazzi

Sydney Giacomazzi is a writer and producer re-cultivating her Idaho roots in Brooklyn, NY. Her pilot script, Hidden Springs placed 2nd at the 2022 Shore Scripts Pilot Competition. It was also featured on Coverfly’s RedList, landing in the top 20 and top 1% for all TV half-hour pilots. Starved, her debut as a director, was nominated for “Best Original Story” at Cannes Shorts and won “Best Experimental Film” at the New York Short Film Festival. When she’s not writing, Sydney spends her time worrying about how she’s not writing. She calms her angst by people watching over a plate of diner pancakes. Get to know her in our latest interview!

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Muriel Omur Ilbas

Welcome to NYWIFT, Muriel Omur Ilbas! After working in television broadcasting, journalism, and advertising over 20 years in France and in Turkey, Muriel specialized in communication strategies and brand management consultancy, executive and intercultural coaching for French, Turkish and global companies as well as NGO’s including the United Nations agencies and the National Democratic Institute based in Washington DC. Since 1997, she produced and directed 10 biographic documentaries of famous Turkish businesspeople, artists and innovators. In recent years, Muriel has prioritized coaching and mentorships, and since 2010, has provided more than 2000 hours of executive, leadership, intercultural and empowerment coaching to worldwide corporate clients. Get to know her in our latest interview!

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Kristin Sisley

Welcome to NYWIFT, Kristin Sisley! Kristin’s journey through the world of film and TV has been shaped by a passion for sustainability, creative collaboration, and uplifting underrepresented communities. With over a decade of experience in the industry, she is now leading the "Made in NY" Production Assistant Training Program, an initiative dedicated to diversifying New York City's film and TV workforce. In this interview, Kristin shares her unique path into the industry, the impact of the program, and her vision for the future of film production in NYC. From tackling challenges in a fluctuating market to inspiring future storytellers, Kristin’s story is a testament to the power of mentorship, perseverance, and fostering inclusivity in the entertainment industry.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Safiya Songhai

Welcome to NYWIFT, Safiya Songhai! Safiya's cinematic journey is a blend of inspiration, resilience, and the drive to bring authentic stories to the screen. Raised by a pioneering mother in the television industry, Safiya's work as a director is deeply influenced by her upbringing and her commitment to telling stories that highlight love, unity, and the power of Black families. As a television anchor, award-winning director, and university professor, she brings a wealth of experience and passion to both her creative endeavors and her mentorship of aspiring filmmakers. In this article, Safiya shares the themes that shape her storytelling, the challenges she’s overcome, and how she empowers the next generation of filmmakers to tell impactful stories.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Elba Sette-Camara

Let’s give a warm welcome to our new member, Elba Sette-Camara. Elba Sette-Camara is an accomplished actor, writer, and psychotherapist, celebrated for her compelling storytelling and dedication to portraying resilient women who have triumphed against the odds. Trained at the prestigious Actors Studio Drama School, Elba’s acting journey has seen her collaborate with iconic directors like Spike Lee and Luc Besson. With over 15 years as a practicing psychotherapist, she brings a deep understanding of human nature to her work, both on screen and on the page. A proud new member of New York Women in Film & Television, Elba continues to inspire through her multifaceted career in the arts and mental health.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Jill Ruby

Welcome to NYWIFT, Jill Ruby! We’re thrilled to introduce Jill Ruby, a seasoned podcast producer and editor whose work spans national organizations and top-tier networks like PBS, A&E, and Nickelodeon. With a background in television production and a strong track record in podcasting, Jill’s expertise and dedication to impactful storytelling have earned her multiple Webby-Anthem Awards and recognition in the industry. Beyond her professional achievements, Jill is a mother, a wife, and a creative spirit who’s equally at home in the editing suite as she is crafting new ideas for her next podcast project. In this interview, Jill shares her journey from television documentaries to podcasting, her approach to editing, and the stories that inspire her to keep pushing boundaries in the world of audio storytelling. Whether you're a fellow producer, a fan of podcasts, or simply curious about what it takes to create high-quality content, Jill's insights and pro tips are sure to resonate. Read on to learn more about her work, her inspiration, and her passion for connecting with audiences through the power of sound.

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