All In: The Fight for Democracy – A Conversation with Lisa Cortés (Part II)
The second part of Christina Kiely's two-part interview with All In: The Fight for Democracy co-director Lisa Cortés, conducted on Zoom in anticipation of her participation at the NYWIFT 2020 Creative Workforce Summit: Documentary Makers, Industry and Funders in Conversation next week.
READ MOREAll In: The Fight for Democracy – A Conversation with Lisa Cortés (Part I)
All In: The Fight for Democracy is the essential new documentary the LA Times called “an eloquent history lesson on voting rights.” Co-directed by Lisa Cortés and Liz Garbus, the film tells the painful history of voter suppression in America as it traces the story of gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and her 2018 run in Georgia. Oscar-nominated producer NYWIFT Member Lisa Cortés (Precious, The Apollo, Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion) joined NYWIFT Board Member Christina Kiely to discuss All In: The Fight for Democracy, why it matters so much right now, how they pulled it off during the pandemic, and why Stacey Abrams’s story needed to be the spine of the film – apart from the fact that we love her.
READ MORE“Work” Re-Tells the Mythical Story of Lilith with a Modern Feminist Twist
Two NYWIFT members have joined forces with a team of immigrant women filmmakers to tell the story of WORK, a short film written and directed by Aoife Williamson. WORK, a comedy-drama, follows Lilith, a musician scrambling to create a song in one day to submit for a job that could sky-rocket her music career. It just so happens that this day is a very busy day at her money job... and it just so happens that her “money job” is as a sex worker, named Eve.
READ MOREAmeRican Poet Tato Laviera: Affirmation in the words, rhythms and blended language of an influential Nuyorican poet
Poet Tato Laviera pushed the boundaries of language, inspired the spoken word movement, and defined the Nuyorican experience. As an artist he innovated: he combined music, theater, poetry, dance, the power of dramatic contrasts and a commitment to social activism to create a new type of poetry. As both a poet and performer, he documented his own experience and affirmed his community’s worth, redefined its sense of identity. NYWIFT member Vivian Hernandez Ortiz discusses her film about Tato's legacy, which screens as part of this weekend's NYWIFT Member Screening.
READ MOREA Conversation with Roberta Friedman on the Art and Business of Movie Making
NYWIFT member Roberta Friedman’s three-pronged moviemaking career - spanning experimental filmmaking, commercial work, and academia - has been on an upward trajectory for decades. She sits down to discuss her particular path and her advice for those looking to carve their own.
READ MORENYWIFT Member’s MicroMania Film Fest Channel Reaches 80,000 Views in First Two Months
In response to Covid-19, NYWIFT member and film festival creator/founder Lukia Costello decided to take advantage of social-distancing by taking her film festival online. MicroMania Film Festival was created to be more than a one-off event and actively participates in amplifying quality independent short films
READ MOREMichele Remsen’s First Feature Film Defies the Odds
Great ideas, even when plentiful, can have a short shelf life when confronted with sobering realities. But NYWIFT Michele Remsen knows how to persevere. As co-star, producer, director, and screenwriter of an anti-romantic comedy that defies expectations, Michele was the force that made it happen: in 12 days, on a shoestring budget.
READ MOREState of the Industry: A Conversation with Adriana Shaw of Herflix
Adriana Shaw is the Founder and President of Herflix, an online movie theater curating and streaming films by, for & about women, with 32 years of experience as a successful executive in home video and film distribution. Now sheltering at home, she discusses how she is coping during the COVID-19 pandemic and how her Herflix is adjusting to the challenging times.
READ MORENYWIFT Member Crystal R. Emery’s THE DEADLIEST DISEASE IN AMERICA Screens May 7th
Intended to reduce systemic negligence creating barriers of access to health care, Producer/ Director Crystal R. Emery will livestream her documentary film, The Deadliest Disease in America on Thursday, May 7, 2020 at 7PM ET on Streamyard, YouTube and Facebook Live – with a special film introduction by Broadcast Journalist Soledad O’Brien.
READ MOREDeath Row Stories Season 5 Features Work of Six NYWIFT Members
Season 5 of Death Row Stories premieres this Sunday, April 19 at 8 PM ET/CT on HLN. Told by current and former death row inmates, each episode of Death Row Stories seeks to unravel the truth behind a different capital murder case and poses tough questions about the U.S. capital punishment system. This season, the series features work by six NYWIFT members.
READ MOREState of the Industry: A Conversation with Film Production Freelancer Isabella Olaguera
Throughout the coming weeks, NYWIFT will sit down with members of the film and television community for a look at how the global COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the industry, particularly those who work in the indie and art house world. Our first conversation is with NYWIFT Member Isabella Olaguera, a 1st AD who is organizing an initiative to help feed freelancers who are struggling. She shares her insight into how life has come to a halt with so many productions on hold.
READ MORENYWIFT’s Ekwa Msangi Tells Her Sundance Success Story
For Ekwa Msangi, the journey to Sundance was relatively fast. While her TV and movie-making career was moving along, it was arguably easier to get a footing for some of her East African-inspired TV projects in Kenya and South Africa than in the U.S. But thanks to the generous support of difficult-to-get awards from the Tribeca Film Festival, IFP and others, her career as a filmmaker catapulted into action when Farewell Amor, Ekwa’s feature film directorial debut, screened in the 2020 Sundance Film Festival U.S. dramatic feature competition. Ekwa talked to us about her experience at the fest.
READ MOREPennhurst: A Story that Needed to be Told
NYWIFT member Jodie Alexandra Taylor's documentary Pennhurst, which screens at the Member Screening Series on February 25th, was inspired by her visit to what remains of one of the largest and oldest institutions for the intellectually and developmentally disabled. One chapter of the story ended when the institution closed, but the fight for equitable treatment and representation for the disabled continues to this day. Making the movie inspired a fervent commitment on Taylor’s part to continue that dialogue and, in so doing, change the future narrative. Taylor sat down with us to discuss the film and its potential impact.
READ MOREOscars, Take Note: Women’s Weekend Film Challenge Arrives in LA
On January 13, 2020, the same day that the 2020 Oscars nominations were released — with not a single woman nominated for Best Director for the 87th time in 92 years — the founders of Women’s Weekend Film Challenge (WWFC) opened up applications for their first Los Angeles-based event to advance women in the film industry. The organization’s goals are to provide an intensive networking opportunity for female filmmakers while telling women’s stories on screen. WWFC founders say that the reason so many women apply to the challenge is because they know that the film industry revolves around connections — and WWFC provides the perfect opportunity to make them. Co-founder (and NYWIFT member) Katrina Medoff explains why the group is more relevant than ever.
READ MORE“Ask for Jane” Producer and Star Cait Cortelyou Brings Women’s History to Life on Screen
NYWIFT member Cait Cortelyou has performed on stage or film since childhood but makes a breakthrough debut as producer (and star) of Ask for Jane, which screens at the NYWIFT Member Screening Series on November 19th. Cait sat down with us to discuss how a slice of women's history inspired her to make her producing debut, and what opportunities she sees for women working in the industry today.
READ MORETalya Tibbon’s “Sky and Ground” Puts a Human Face on the Refugee Crisis
NYWIFT Member Talya Tibbon's Sky and Ground tells the harrowing tale of one Syrian family's three-month journey from Greece to Germany feeling violence in their homeland. Facing setbacks, heartaches and threats of deportation, their determination propels them towards a better future. In advance of the film's screening as part of the NYWIFT Member Screening Series, Talya discusses her process and how being an "outsider" is an asset to documentary filmmaking.
READ MORERoundtable with Misha Calvert and the Creative Team of “Step Into My Office”
NYWIFT member Misha Calvert’s latest series, Step Into My Office, is a new dark comedy that reimagines workplace harassment with sexist female bosses interviewing aspiring young male employees. After the series launch on August 29, 2019, fellow NYWIFT member Leah Curney interviewed Calvert and her collaborators about their experiences and insights.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Board Members: Kerry Fulton
With her company Evenfield Entertainment, producer Kerry Fulton is looking to do just that: even the playing field. That's a mission we can certainly get behind. She brings her experience working in the global TV and film market to NYWIFT as one of the newest additions to our Board of Directors.
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