In a new partnership between New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) and BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), we’re thrilled to present a collection of groundbreaking contemporary films that delve into science and technology in the modern world. These urgent documentaries and empowering fictions take us from the depths of outer space to the on-the-ground action of a Hasidic women-run ambulance corp and beyond.
Join us for a screening of Space: The Longest Goodbye followed by a conversation with director Ido Mizrahy, producer Valda Witt, and astronaut Cady Coleman. Moderated by NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez.
Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2024
Time: 7:00pm ET
Location: Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, 11217
Price: Free with reservation
About the Film:
Running Time: 87 min
In the next decade, NASA will send astronauts to Mars for the first time. This groundbreaking documentary follows a psychologist tasked with protecting future crew members from the mental toll that the three year journey to Mars would take. A thrilling study of unparalleled isolation, director Ido Mizrahy reconciles the drive for technological progress with our desire to maintain deep, physical connections to our roots and each other.
Panelists
Ido Mizrahy’s narrative and documentary films premiered at Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca and ND/NF, among many other festivals, and went on to win a number of awards. His films have been distributed by AMC, Sundance, Netflix, Filmrise and Greenwich Entertainment and co-produced by ITVS, PBS, BBC, MTV and Arte. Mizrahy is currently co-creating a VR video game with Nir Sa’ar (writing-producing partner on Space: The Longest Goodbye), that’s equal parts family drama and space thriller.
Valda Witt is an independent producer and investor based in New York City. Her narrative and documentary features have premiered at Sundance, Tribeca, Venice, Oldenburg, and Hot Docs. Valda serves as president of the Browning School in NYC and on the advisory board of Zero-G Corporation. She began her career in management consulting at McKinsey & Co. and has an MBA from the Wharton School.
Dr. Cady Coleman is a former NASA Astronaut and Air Force Colonel with more than 180 days in space, accumulated during two space shuttle missions and a six-month expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), where she acted as the Lead Robotics and Lead Science officer. Cady is the Global Explorer in Residence at Arizona State University and co-host of the podcast, Mission: Interplanetary. She’s also a research affiliate at the MIT Media Lab. Cady consults on space-related work for research and for the media. She serves on several boards, including the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Greenfield Community College and Dent the Future.
Cynthia López (moderator) is the CEO at New York Women Film & Television. An award-winning media strategist, and former Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, where she implemented strategies to support film and TV production throughout the five boroughs. López is the recipient of many coveted industry awards including: 11 News and Documentary Emmy Awards, a Special Emmy Award for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking, three Peabody Awards, and two duPont-Columbia Awards. Her ability to forge strategic partnerships among corporate and public interest media has been a signature of her work. Notable partnerships include: New York Times, Reuters, Al-Jazeera Network, Discovery Communications, The Moth, Story Corps, Harpo Studios and ABC News, NIGHTLINE with Ted Koppel. López is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) and is proud to have spent her career collaborating with independent filmmakers across all portions of the film and television industry. She served on the Board of Trustees for the Paley Center, NYC & Company, Museum of the Moving Image, and the Tribeca Film Institute Latin America Fund Advisory Board. Cynthia currently serves on the Board of Directors for Latino Public Broadcasting, Manhattan Neighborhood Network, and Color Congress.
Thanks to our partner:
Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Screening series supported by:
BAM Brooklyn
30 Lafayette Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11217
programs@nywift.org
Join the conversation on social media:
#nywift | @nywift
NYWIFT programs, screenings and events are supported, in part, by grants from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
