Welcome to NYWIFT Talks, a weekly series to bring updated news and vital information about the impact of COVID-19 on the media and entertainment industry. Industry professionals will be in conversation discussing what you need to know about theatrical releases, digital advances, virtual tools, festival opportunities, production updates and more.
NYWIFT Talks are free for all to attend.
NYWIFT’s signature program The Writers Lab (TWL) is now accepting applications for their 7th annual retreat! TWL is a four-day workshop that gives woman-identifying writers over age of 40 the opportunity to work intensively on their scripts with the mentorship of established industry professionals. For the first time, TWL is accepting pilot scripts in addition to features.
On this week’s NYWIFT Talks, we’ll discuss upcoming deadlines, what The Lab looks for in their applicants, and what to expect for this year’s lab. Learn about this year’s lab during our conversation with TWL founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon.
Moderated by President of the NYWIFT Board of Directors, Jamie Zelermyer.
Date: Wednesday, March 10th, 2021
Time: 1:00pm EST
Location: Zoom (Links can be found in confirmation email)
Cost to attend: Free
Panelists
Elizabeth Kaiden co-founded The Writers Lab with Kyle Ann Stokes and Nitza Wilon, and is a founding partner of Women in the Script Trade (WIST) with Nitza. WIST runs the script development labs in NY and LA for the Athena Film Festival and The Writers Lab with NYWIFT, and provides individual support for exceptional women screenwriters. Elizabeth has served as Head of Development for Tangerine Entertainment, an independent production company that produces films directed by women, and has mentored at Stowe Story Labs. She is a former theater and film critic, editor, and theater administrator, and a graduate of Princeton and the Yale School of Drama. She lives in New York with her family.
Nitza Wilon co-founded The Writers Lab with Elizabeth Kaiden and Kyle Ann Stokes in 2015 and is a founding partner of Women in the Script Trade (WIST) with Elizabeth. WIST runs the script development labs for the Athena Film Festival (NY and LA) and The Writers Lab with NYWIFT, and provides individual support for exceptional women screenwriters. Prior to committing to script development for women, Nitza was an actor, journalist, and magazine and book editor. She earned her BA from the Annenberg School of Communications at Penn. In addition to her work advocating for women in film, Nitza is a writer and voice actor. She lives in New York City with her family.
Jamie Zelermyer (moderator) is the President of the NYWIFT Board of Directors and has been a New York-based Producer and Production Executive for the past 20 plus years. Currently she is Producing IFP Week 2019 which is a signature program of the Independent Feature Project (IFP). Most recently she was the Program Manager of Made In New York: Pilot Competition, a program founded by The Mayor’s Office of Film Media and Entertainment to tackle gender inclusivity in the television industry. Jamie Executive Produced the two winning half hour pilots and Executive Produced season 1 of the winning show entitled Half Life starring Larisa Oleynik and Nancy Giles. Prior to this she produced Ratter starring Ashley Benson and Matt McGorry which was released by Sony Worldwide in March 2016.
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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.
