Join us for this month’s virtual NYWIFT Member Screening of When We Were Apollo, produced by NYWIFT member Giovanna Aguilar and directed by Zach Weil. The film shines a light on the massive – and diverse – workforce behind the Apollo Space Program. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers moderated by NYWIFT Community Engagement Director Katie Chambers.
Watch the film: Any time Thursday, May 19 at 3 PM through Tuesday, May 24 at 11:59 PM
Watch the Q&A: Tuesday, May 24 at 5 PM ET
Cost to attend: Free for NYWIFT Members; $2 for Non-Members
Please register in advance in order to receive the links.
The NYWIFT Member Screening Series provides members with the opportunity to show their work in a theatrical setting (or in this case, a virtual theatrical setting). We hope you will join us in celebrating the work of our talented NYWIFT members!
Please note: if you would like to “bring” a guest, the guest must be registered separately with a separate email address – links to view the films are individually crafted for each registered email.
About the Film
When We Were Apollo
Zach Weil (Director)
Giovanna Aguilar (NYWIFT Member, Producer)
Documentary
2019, 80 min
Half a century later, the Apollo Space Program remains the single greatest initiative in peacetime the world has ever known. Its story speaks to the most beautiful characteristics of our humanity: a metaphor for our ability to rise to challenges once thought insurmountable and push past them with even bigger and bolder solutions. Behind every astronaut who set foot on the moon and every figurehead who inspired us to get there was Apollo’s massive workforce: A team of men and women over 400,000 strong––spanning race, socio-economics, culture, company and country––who came to understand that the overall program was only as good as the effort they put into it.
This dedication and the “can-do” attitude behind it––the Spirit of Apollo––carry invaluable lessons about our potential as a species as we chart a course into the 21st century. Like Apollo, our world is too big, diverse and complex for any one person, group or nation to tackle. Only by working together––by taking a truly cooperative approach and empowering one another to become the best versions of ourselves––will we truly be able to overcome the seemingly insurmountable challenges of our day. Such a future is within our grasp. The story of Apollo can help us get there…if we listen.
Panelists
Giovanna Aguilar is a bilingual award-winning filmmaker and multimedia content creator passionate about sharing stories celebrating the human spirit through universal themes. She is a published author of feature articles on distinguished community leaders and high-profile personalities covering a wide range of industries including sports, entertainment, public policy, public education and thought leadership. Aguilar is producing the first online Transmedia Public Activation conference for the world’s leading transmedia expert – CEO Jeff Gomez of Starlight Runner Entertainment. As a filmmaker, she works on documentaries and narratives that shed light on compelling and inspirational stories with universal themes celebrating the human spirit. As a producer, she works on socially-minded productions such as When We Were Apollo, which world premiered in 2019 at the U.S. Space Center and Rocket Center in Alabama and broadcast internationally on PBS and the History Channel. She also produced the award-winning documentary DreamTown, an international soccer film that follows Afro-Ecuadorian player Anibal Chala as he strives to make it to the professional league. DreamTown can be seen in short form on PBS’s Frontline World Rough Cut. Line producer credits include: Happy Hour, narrated by Academy Award-winner Julianne Moore, and the PSA “Between Two Plates/Entre Dos Plato’s,” a written and directed by Pamela Aguilar for Public Health Solutions to help educate low-income Latinos about healthier eating choices. Aguilar served as the Public Relations Chair of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP). She holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and energy and environmental studies from Hunter College of the City University of New York.
Zachary Weil (Director) is the founder and operator of Contact Light Films, which was founded in 2015 to share stories that inspire and motivate younger generations toward positions of public service and leadership. This led to producing hundreds of short-form programs highlighting the philanthropic efforts of Fortune 500 companies from Toyota and Target, to campaigns for nationally recognized non-profits like the 20MM Foundation and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. In 2019, Zack produced and directed his first feature-length documentary, When We Were Apollo, which received a national release on PBS before winning an Emmy in the historical documentary category. In 2021, Zack served as festival producer for the Camden International Film Festival in Camden and Rockport, Maine. Currently, he’s producing and directing When We Were Shuttle for PBS Member Station WLRN in South Florida, highlighting the experiences of individuals who worked behind-the-scenes on the Space Shuttle Program. Anticipated release date is Spring 2023.
NYWIFT Community Engagement Director Katie Chambers (moderator) guides and manages NYWIFT’s presence both online and off; institutes membership drives; programs monthly screenings and networking parties; builds partnerships with like-minded organizations; co-produces the Muse Awards and Designing Women; and implements strategic communications initiatives for special projects. She received national recognition for her work at NYWIFT as one of Association Trends’ top “Young and Aspiring Executives” at their Salute to Excellence in Washington, DC, in October 2021, and was recognized by New York Society of Association Executives with their “Rising Star” award at the Synergy Awards in August 2020. She was named Communications Chair of one of New Jersey’s leading volunteer organizations, the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Club, in Spring of 2022. Prior to joining the NYWIFT team, Katie was a talent agent in the Youth & Young Adult Theatrical division at Abrams Artists Agency in New York City, representing young actors in theatre, film, and television, and worked for leading entertainment companies including Buchwald, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Scott Rudin Productions. She has served on the Next Generation Committee of the NY Television Festival, produced a critically acclaimed play at the NY Fringe Festival, and her writing has appeared in Huff Post, Honeysuckle Magazine and several printed essay collections. Katie graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from Drew University with a double major in English and Theatre Arts.
The NYWIFT Member Screening Series is produced by Katie Chambers
Special thanks to Carlina Rivera and the New York City 2nd Council District
for discretionary funding for the NYWIFT Member Screening Series.
Virtual Member Screening
Watch the film on Vimeo and Q&A on Zoom.
Please register to receive links.
membership@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.
