NYWIFT Blog

Terry’s Picks: Great Gifts, Online Festival, Yvonne Russo

Thank you to everyone who attended the 39th Annual Muse Awards on Thursday! It was such an honor to receive the Made in NY Award from the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment, and I was touched by how many of our members came out to support our organization (and give me a hug). My...

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Terry’s Picks: Board Buzz, 62 Writers, Top Performers

Board Buzz: Great news from several NYWIFT board members! The Tale – produced by Simone Pero – continues to rack up award nominations, including a Golden Globe nom for last year’s Muse honoree Laura Dern and a Critics Choice nom for this year’s Muse Ellen Burstyn; Annetta Marion was selected for NBC’s Alternative Directors Program...

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Terry’s Picks: Life Lessons, Dream Team, Zero Weeks

Life Lessons: Be sure to read Manohla Dargis’ brilliant piece in The New York Times about what movies teach us about being a woman. She says: “Movies get into our bodies, making us howl and weep, while their narrative and visual patterns, their ideas and ideologies leave their imprint.” Representation matters. Dream Team: Thanks to...

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Terry’s Picks: Giving Tuesday, Be Natural, Women Mentors

Giving Tuesday: Today is Giving Tuesday, and I hope you’ll consider making a donation to NYWIFT as part of your holiday spending to help support our 2018-19 programming season, which will include more than 40 professional development and training programs and 15+ screening events celebrating the achievements of women filmmakers. Plus, if you give through...

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Terry’s Picks: Cynthia Lopez, Muse Honorees, Triple Nominations

Cynthia Lopez: I am so thrilled that Cynthia Lopez will be my successor as Executive Director of NYWIFT starting January 1st.  I will miss my colleagues dearly, but I know I leave the organization in highly competent hands. Muse Honorees: Join us at the Muse Awards on December 13th! This year’s incredible slate of honorees includes Sarah Jessica...

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Terry’s Picks: Copyright News, Melissa McCarthy, NYWIFT Presents

Copyright News: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) exemption for documentary films has expanded to include some types of fictional films. Now, filmmakers working on projects like biopics, historical fiction, and parodies can access copyrighted content without fear of liability. This is great news for narrative filmmakers trying to tell meaningful stories on a tight...

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Terry’s Picks: Rule Breakers, DOC NYC, Carole Chazin

Rule Breakers: Listen to NYWIFT member Jennifer Fox and Board President Simone Pero, writer/director and producer respectively of The Tale on the “Rule Breakers” podcast. Jennifer and Simone talk about the film, the layered consequences of sexual abuse, what we can do to protect others and the journey to healing. DOC NYC: I am thrilled...

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Terry’s Picks: Caregiver Crisis, NewFest Screening, Photo Display

Caregiver Crisis: Our sister chapter WIFT Australia just released an interesting study, called “Honey, I Hid the Kids!” which details the significant challenges parents and other caregivers in the film and television industry in Australia. 74% of respondents reported the impact of caring work on their role in the industry as negative; anecdotes include people...

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Terry’s Picks: KitSplit Mentors, Superhero Study, Confidence Gap

KitSplit Mentors: Our friends at KitSplit are offering free coaching sessions for women in film and video. Superhero Study: A new study from BBC America and the Women’s Media Center reveals the lack of female representation in sci-fi – and posits how seeing more female superheroes could affect the confidence of young girls. Confidence Gap:...

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Terry’s Picks: Catherine Hardwicke, Hamptons Award, Queens World

Catherine Hardwicke: This profile of Catherine Hardwicke will and should make you angry. It proves the rampant sexism that is still alive and well in our business. After breaking box office records with Twilight, Hardwicke should have been in demand. She was thanked with a cupcake (yes, really), labeled as “difficult,” and her career was...

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Terry’s Picks: Hamptons Fest, ReFrame TV, Added Protection

Hamptons Fest: NYWIFT is delighted to partner once again with the Hamptons Film Festival for our Women Filmmakers Brunch and Women Calling the Shots Showcase on Sunday. We hope to see you there! ReFrame TV: ReFrame, which has recognized 34 recent films with its gender-parity stamp, is now seeking submissions for television projects to honor...

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Terry’s Picks: Seven Women, Late Legend, M.I.A.Screening

Seven Women: This Wednesday and Thursday September 26th and 27th, Quad Cinema is having a special screening of Seven Women, Seven Sins, the groundbreaking project by seven legendary female indie film directors whichreceived support from the NYWIFT’s Women Film Preservation Fund. Directors Maxi Cohen and Bette Gordon will do a Q&A after the Wednesday screening. Late...

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Terry’s Picks: Casting News, Women’s History, Boxed In

Casting News: Tony Award Nominee Eva Noblezada (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables) led the cast of Diane Paragas’ musical drama film Yellow Rose along with Tony Award Winner Lea Salonga (Once On This Island, Miss Saigon). The film, which wrapped production in Texas last month, received the NYWIFT Ravenal Foundation Feature Film Grant. Women’s History: This...

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Terry’s Picks: Love Gilda, Bold Move, Emmy Nominations

Love, Gilda: Lisa D’Apolito’s acclaimed feature documentary Love, Gilda, about legendary comedian Gilda Radner, hits theaters nationwide on September 21st. The film was fiscally sponsored by NYWIFT. Bold Move: Beginning in 2019, works that do not demonstrate inclusivity in their production practices will no longer be eligible for the Outstanding British Film or Outstanding Debut...

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Terry’s Picks: Reel Equity, Film Registry, Good News

Reel Equity: Tell the entertainment industry that you support members of historically female crafts in their demand for Pay Equity by signing your name to this Open Letter to the Entertainment Industry.  Film Registry: The Library of Congress accepts 2019 recommendations from the general public for its National Film Registry via their online form through September...

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Terry’s Picks: Disability Inclusion, Crazy Good, New Website

Disability Inclusion: Be sure to read this fantastic guest column in Variety by NYWIFT member Crystal R. Emery about the need for inclusion of those with disabilities both in front of and behind the camera. Crazy Good: Crazy Rich Asians, the first contemporary-set studio film with an all-Asian lead cast since The Joy Luck Club...

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Terry’s Picks: Harassment Statistics, Equal Pay, WE Legal

Harassment Statistics: Two new surveys reinforce what we all know: the Center for Talent Innovation’s study, “What #MeToo Means for Corporate America,” shows that the media and entertainment industry has the highest rate of sexual harassment among white-collar industries; and a survey from the Writers Guild of America, West, finds that 64% of female writers...

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Terry’s Picks: Thumbs Down, Marvel-ous Director, Photo Exhibit

Thumbs Down: The latest study from Dr. Martha Lauzen from the Center for the Study of Women in Film & Television at San Diego State University shows that male reviewers dramatically outumber female reviewers, which can in turn affect how female-driven content’s visibility.  Marvel-ous Director: Cate Shortland will be the first woman to direct a...

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