How I Built a Distribution Plan at Film Festivals
NYWIFT member Lara Stolman reflects on her unique path to success with her documentary "Swim Team" - using film festivals to expand her audience and find unique opportunities, even after the film's television debut.
READ MORENYWIFT Members use filmmaking to support the next generation of women running for political office
On November 12, 2018, just one week after a record 117 women won their races for seats in Congress, seven NYWIFT members came together with She Should Run, a non-partisan nonprofit with a mission to expand the talent pool of women running for office in the United States, hosted by HBO. NYWIFT member Kristina Teschner, who participated in the program, recently signed on as the Co-Director of Creative Strategy & New Media at the Cabán for Queens campaign, and shares more about the natural evolution between filmmaking and political campaigning.
READ MOREFive Film Festival Takeaways
In 2018, from mid-October to mid-December, NYWIFT member Lauren Anders Brown embarked on a film festival season filled with five very different festivals. These are the valuable lessons she learned from each one.
READ MOREMy Film Angels
It takes a village to make a film. Here, NYWIFT member Jane Applegate give thanks to all those who lended a hand - literally and figuratively - over the years.
READ MORECelebrating the Spirit of NYC Artists at the Greenwich Village Film Festival
Alessia Gatti is a true "woman calling the shots," having grown the Greenwich Village Film Festival from a single night showcase to a multi-day, sold-out event that’s starting to get the notice of A-list actors and entertainment execs alike over the course of just four years. Stephanie Cole speaks to her about how the festival pays tribute to New York's most famous neighborhood for creatives.
READ MOREMeet the New Board Members: Yvonne Russo
NYWIFT is governed by an 18 member Board of Directors, elected by the membership in late Spring. This diverse, accomplished group of women are at the top of their game in TV, film and digital media. We get to know producer Yvonne Russo, one of the latest additions to our leadership team.
READ MOREGaia Visnar on channeling her own search for home into her character in The Basis of Intimacy
NYWIFT member Katrina Medoff spoke with fellow member Gaia Visnar, an actor and producer for the short film The Basis of Intimacy, which was made by a female-driven and largely international crew. They spoke about the power of a silent film and what conversations Visnar hopes to spark with the film.
READ MOREYou’re The Pest creator Taylor Coriell on collaboration, inclusion and her new comedy web series
NYWIFT member Taylor Coriell is the executive producer, co-creator and co-star of the new comedy web series You’re The Pest. Fellow member Leah Curney, who is currently developing her own web series, sat down with Coriell to chat about the joys and challenges of being a multi-hyphenate creator.
READ MOREReport from Tribeca: Isabella Olaguera on AD’ing, Celeb Encounters and Breaking into the Biz at 14
New Jersey-based assistant director Isabella Olaguera has worked professionally on over 50 feature films, television shows and commercials since 2010 – including an Oscar-nominated short. She has every right to brag, but she’s been keeping a big secret: she’s only 20 years old! She may very well be the youngest member of New York Women in Film & Television. Isabella discusses her work as the 2nd AD on the indie feature film All These Small Moments, a coming-of-age tale shot entirely in NYC, which premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival this month.
READ MOREWriter Patty Carey Gets the #Greenlight from NYC
NYWIFT member Patty Carey discusses MOME, her #GreenlightHer pilot competition win, life as a multi-hyphenate, the NYWIFT New Works Lab and more!
READ MOREMisha Calvert on creating her relatable dating web series Tinder is the Night
NYWIFT member Katrina Medoff speaks to fellow member Misha Calvert about creating, executive producing and starring in her new series Tinder is the Night, which explores the joys - and horrors - of online dating.
READ MORENYC Indie Filmmaker Vigil Chime Wins the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting
The Writers Lab, presented by New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) and IRIS and funded by Meryl Streep and Oprah Winfrey, pairs twelve women screenwriters over the age of 40 for a weekend of one-on-one mentoring and script development with accomplished film industry leaders. One of this September’s participating writers may be on the path to becoming one of those leaders herself: Vigil Chime has been awarded the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for her script Bring Back Girl, about a Nigerian teen kidnapped by Boko Haram – the same project she took to The Writers Lab.
READ MOREHeather Taylor on Crowdfunding for Pay to Stay and the Importance of Onscreen Diversity
"I want to have representation across different sexualities and different races in my films because that is the world I see when I walk down the streets of New York," says NYWIFT member Heather Taylor. Katrina Medoff sat down with Taylor to talk diversity in filmmaking (both onscreen and off) as her crowdfunding campaign for her horror short Pay to Stay draws to a close.
READ MOREThe Ask for Jane Filmmakers on Telling a Little-Known Story from Women’s History
When NYWIFT member Cait Johnston first heard about the Jane Collective — a real-life group of women who helped others get abortions before Roe v. Wade — at a NYWIFT screening, she knew it was a story she had to tell. She teamed up with fellow member Rachel Carey, a screenwriter and director she know through a NYC theater company called The Shelter, to create Ask for Jane, a narrative feature film that they are currently crowdfunding for on Seed&Spark.
READ MOREMeet Kahane Cooperman, the Director of Oscar-nominated Short Doc Joe’s Violin
Director and producer Kahane Cooperman discusses the inspiration for her short documentary Joe's Violin, her Oscar nomination, and the support she received from New York Women in Film & Television.
READ MORENYWIFT Member Jill Rosen Talks Entertainment Publicity and Sundance Success
At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Focus Features, Amazon, Fox Searchlight and Netflix were among the buyers in a bidding war for Michael Showalter’s dramatic comedy The Big Sick. Amazon won, paying $12 million for the U.S. rights. And NYWIFT member Jill Rosen was right there at the heart of the action building buzz for the breakout film. Rosen explains what goes into being a marketing and publicity consultant, and discusses some of the highlights from Sundance.
READ MOREComing Soon: PA TVee Will Teach Production Assistant 101
Producer and NYWIFT member Jane Applegate offers a sneak preview of PA TVee, her new online video series that teaches young people the ins and outs of being a production assistant. Inspired by a real life 16-year-old PA (who also hosts), the videos offer a humorous but educational take on paying attention, the film set chain of command, and the importance of craft services.
READ MOREMeet the Creators of Inappropriate Jane Austen
What were the Regency ladies of Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility really thinking? The bold, hilarious new web series "Inappropriate Jane Austen" tackles that question head on. Actors and co-creators Katie Gibson and Alex Trow discuss their creative process, the joys and perils of being first-time indie filmmakers, and their great success at the New York Television Festival.
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