1996-98: Joy Pereths, Board President
- 1996 Muse Awards gala holiday luncheon and presentation to actor Mary Tyler Moore; actor/performer Rita Moreno; comedian/talk show host Rosie O’Donnell; casting director Juliet Taylor; and independent producer Christine Vachon. Again, comedian Elayne Boosler was the emcee. 1,500 guests attended at the New York Hilton and Towers
- NYWIFT hosts the 1997 Women in Film and Television International Summit here in NY. Attending the summit were more than 90 representatives of WIFT chapters worldwide and members from Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI), a global organization with a public voice representing and unifying women in film chapters around the world. WIFTI will provide the foundation for dynamic and vibrant global cooperation, making our rich local resources available to all members
- Executive director Raquel R. Levin resigns, June 1997. Terry Lawler named new executive director
- 1997 Muse Awards gala holiday luncheon and presentation to Ruby Dee, actor/writer; Judy McGrath, president, MTV Networks; Mira Nair, writer/ director/producer; Barbara Walters, broadcast journalist; and Dianne Wiest, actor
- NYWIFT kicks off our 20th anniversary year. The centerpiece of the celebration will be The Feminine Eye, an international women’s film festival. NYWIFT also conducted the “put it in the can!” campaign, to raise additional funds for our Women’s Film Preservation fund.
- Creation of a third NYWIFT scholarship, to a female second-year graduate film student at the City College of New York
- Spring event/annual members cocktail party: “lights, camera, auction!” — a silent auction, cocktail party, and our 20th birthday bash
