Join NYWIFT at the 26th Woodstock Film Festival!
Throughout history, creators have faced the challenge of industry and government censorship, with authorities attempting to control the narratives and themes presented on screen. Despite these restrictions, many filmmakers have bravely pushed the boundaries of artistic expression, using their work to highlight social and political issues, and advocate for freedom of speech. Storytellers have subverted such restrictions using techniques like metaphor or allegory, contributing to the evolution of the medium and preserving cultural heritage.
This panel co-presented with Woodstock Film Festival, will bring together documentary and narrative filmmakers with industry leaders to discuss the complex interplay between artistic freedom and societal values, in both a historical and contemporary context.
Panelists include Julia Bacha, Melissa Leo, Yoruba Richen, and Kim A. Snyder. Moderated by NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez.
Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025
Time: 1:30pm ET
Location: Kleinert/James Center for the Arts (34 Tinker St, Woodstock, NY 12498)
Panelists:
Julia Bacha is a Peabody award-winning filmmaker and the Creative Director at Just Vision. Julia’s directing credits include Encounter Point (Tribeca 2006), Budrus (Berlinale 2009), My Neighbourhood (Tribeca 2012), Naila and the Uprising (IDFA 2017), and Boycott (SXSW 2022).
Melissa Leo is an Academy Award winning actress, as well as a recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and two Critics’ Choice Awards. She is best known for her roles on Homicide: Life on the Street, Frozen River, and The Fighter. Other notable film work includes Conviction opposite Hilary Swank, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, and Hide and Seek.
Yoruba Richen is a Peabody award-winning documentary filmmaker who was awarded the Trailblazer award by Black Public Media. Her work has been featured on multiple outlets, including Netflix, MSNBC, Peacock and FX/Hulu. Her most recent film American Coup: Wilmington 1898, premiered on PBS’s American Experience and was nominated for a Peabody Award. Her film, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks won a Gracie Award and was honored by the Television Academy. Other recent work include the Emmy-nominated films American Reckoning, How It Feels to Be Free; The Sit In: Harry Belafonte Hosts the Tonight Show and Green Book: Guide to Freedom. Her film, The Killing of Breonna Taylor won an NAACP Image Award. Her films The New Black and Promised Land won multiple festival awards before airing on PBS’s Independent Lens and P.O.V. Yoruba’s other work include directing an episode of the award-winning series Black and Missing for HBO and High on the Hog for Netflix. She recently Co-directed The Fall of Diddy for HBO Max/ID . Yoruba is a recipient of the Chicken & Egg Breakthrough Filmmaker’s Award and is the Founding Director of the Documentary Program at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
Kim A. Snyder is an Academy Award® nominee and Peabody Award-winning Director / Producer whose latest feature, The Librarians, premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and will release globally in late 2025. Her Oscar-nominated short Death by Numbers, co-created with gun-violence survivor Sam Fuentes, has won multiple awards. Snyder’s acclaimed films include Us Kids (Sundance 2020), Lessons from a School Shooting (Netflix Original), and Newtown (Sundance 2016, Peabody Award, PBS). Her earlier work includes Welcome to Shelbyville (PBS) and I Remember Me (Zeitgeist Films). She also associate produced the Oscar-winning short Trevor, which spawned The Trevor Project. Snyder holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins SAIS and lives in New York City.
Cynthia López (moderator) is 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. Cynthia 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. Prior to working as Commissioner, Cynthia was Executive Vice President and co-Executive Producer of the award-winning PBS documentary series American Documentary | POV, and was involved in the organization’s strategic growth and creative development for 14 years. 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. Cynthia 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 Color Congress, Latino Public Broadcasting, Manhattan Neighborhood Network, The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors, and Women in Film & Television International (WIFTI).
Presented By:
New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) advocates for equality in the moving image industry and supports women in every stage of their careers. An entertainment industry association for women in New York, NYWIFT energizes women by illuminating their achievements, presenting training and professional development programs, awarding scholarships and grants, and providing access to a supportive community of peers. To learn more about NYWIFT please visit: www.nywift.org. Please become a member and join the movement of women to ensure women gain their rightful place in the media and entertainment industry.
The Woodstock Film Festival (WFF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that nurtures and supports emerging and established filmmakers, sharing their creative voices through an annual festival and year-round programming to promote culture, diversity, community, educational opportunities and economic growth.
WFF provides innovative mentoring and inspired educational programs benefitting filmmakers, students and diverse audiences, while serving as a powerful cultural and economic engine for New York’s Hudson Valley and beyond. Such efforts have consistently resulted in the festival being hailed as one of the top regional film festivals worldwide.
Festival Dates are Oct 15 – 19, 2025 – 26th annual Woodstock Film Festival
(Photo of Leo courtesy of televisionacademy.com; Photo of Snyder by Erik Tanner/Contour by Getty Images)
Kleinert/James Center for the Arts
34 Tinker St, Woodstock, NY 12498
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.
