Members in the News - New York Women in Film & TelevisionNew York Women in Film & Television

Below are just a few of the most recent accomplishments of our talented members! If you would like to join this dynamic community, we invite you to consider applying for NYWIFT membership.

NYWIFT members, do you have an upcoming screening, event, campaign or other news to share? Tell us! Contact communications@nywift.org.

In a full-circle moment for NYWIFT member Tami Gold, her first film, My Country Occupied, will be screening at the DOK Leipzig Film Festival in Germany, where she received her first film award. Stateside, the film will also be shown at BAM on November 12 at 9:15 PM, as part of BAM’s Newsreel Retrospective (1968—1972). The program features newly digitally preserved films from Third World Newsreel (TWN) centered on social issues in New York in the late 60s and early 70s, from transit to healthcare to direct action of the Young Lords. Tami Gold made My Country Occupied while a member of the Newsreel Collective in 1971 and will be present at the screening for a Q&A. Get tickets.

To mark its 10th anniversary, the Al Larvick Conservation Fund presents In Another Light: Cinema of Memory, a screening series celebrating the artistry and cultural significance of home movies on November 5 at 8 PM. These rarely seen amateur films have been given new life through digitization grants from the Fund, and further transformed through curation, editing, and original scores—revealing how personal archives illuminate shared histories. The featured program, Artistic Impulses: Homemade Narratives & Life is a Cabaret is curated by NYWIFT member Kirsten Larvick and Kelly Burton original scores will be performed live by Gene Pritsker (composer/guitar/DJ), with Franz Hackl on trumpet. Join the event at New York City’s Kite Club and get tickets.

NYWIFT member Joanna Zippel invites you to watch the trailer, find a theater and buy tickets for her film, After All. After All centers on Ellen, who returns home to care for her ailing mother and estranged teenage daughter. The three generations of women are confronted by buried secrets and the path toward love and forgiveness. You can pre-order the film on Apple TV on November 7.

Women Make Movies is thrilled to announce a FREE three-part webinar series, Unlocking Your Creative Power: Strategies to Fund, Build, and Lead Your Filmmaking Career. This dynamic learning opportunity is designed to help independent artists and filmmakers elevate every aspect of their creative journey. Join Emmy-nominated impact producer and past NYWIFT Board President Simone Pero as she shares how to resource your art for maximum impact on October 30. Learn how to leverage tax credits to fund your projects on November 6 with Fanshen Cox, DEIA Manager for the California Film Commission’s Tax Credit Program and founder of Sista Brunch Podcast. Finally, we will be guided by film producer, executive career coach, and WMM Board Member, Kisha Imani Cameron, on how to overcome imposter syndrome and lead with confidence – date TBA. Save your spot.

NYWIFT members Joanna Rudolph and Jesse Ash are inviting our community to a work-in-progress screening of a feature documentary they are producing on November 9 at 1 PM. The Co-op: The Kids of Dorie Miller, explores the unique history of the director’s (Paulina Davis) childhood home while examining an old solution to today’s affordable housing crisis. Following the work sample screening, producer Tara Latorre, founder of Tara’s Call Sheet, will moderate a discussion with the team. Light refreshments will be served. Location: The Colony (22 Rock City Rd, Woodstock, NY). Get tickets.

Stage Fright, from Mia Lastrella‘s production company, Western Star Entertainment Group, is a spooky showcase happening October 17 and 18, 6 PM at artXnyc. Stage Fright offers an industry-focused platform for artists to showcase their work before an audience, while providing exposure, professional opportunities, and networking opportunities. The showcase will feature the following new works:

October 17: Abby, Abby, Abby by Aidan La Poche (Modelland, Daughters of the Ruling Class), Fearless by Diana Rendon (Wigs!), Boutonniére by Cael Sullivan (previous premiere at Brooklyn Center for Theater Research), and Bloodline by Molly Longwell (Bad Mother, winner of NY International Shorts).

October 18: Summer of Sin by Emily Wilson (Danny’s Girl at Sundance and SXSW), Chainsaw Tits by Nicole Streger (The Suitcase Play, Young Arts Winner), Rip Her to Shreds by Isabelle Barbier (Ladies in Waiting, Actual People), and The Game by Orly Lewittes (Upright Citizens Brigade’s Maude Night). Get tickets.

Tired of giving your power over to your co-writer, producer, editor, the person you’re pitching? Think there are only certain ways to make it in the entertainment industry? Join Entertainment Career Coach/Talent Agent Consultant/NYWIFT member Jim Arnoff for Creating Your Own Momentum…Taking Control Of Your Entertainment Career, a FREE, immersive and interactive workshop that will give you the insider’s strategies for owning your vision, blazing your personal journey and taking charge of building the entertainment career you truly desire. On October 28 at 6:30 PM, learn the coaching tools to articulate your vision with precision, circumvent those blocks that have been holding you back and design an action plan that will achieve the entertainment career you deserve on your terms. Location: 16 Madison Square West (25th. Street, 12th. floor). RSVP.

Andrea Ocampo’s Blackout, which had its sold-out world premiere at the Imagine This Women’s International Film Festival, has been officially selected to screen at both the SoHo International Film Festival and the Queens World Film Festival this fall. See the film at SIFF‘s Shorts Program N: Grand Street Series on October 12 at 8:40 PM(Regal Union Square Theater 10) or at Queens World Film Festival Take This: 7 Films that Don’t Back Down showcase on November 10 at 7 PM (Kaufman Zukor Theater). Blackout is a NYC Subway thriller about a woman and a duffel bag she can’t get rid of— a story about the baggage we all carry and the demons we can’t outrun. Watch the official trailer.

Director, screenwriter and NYWIFT member Lisa Romagnoli will premiere her film The Delivery Guy at the New Hampshire Film Festival on October 16, with a second screening October 19! Logline: A date is interrupted when the food delivery guy is an ex-boyfriend. Get tickets.

Festival Founder and member Ingrid Jean-Baptiste encourages NYWIFT members to attend the 13th annual Chelsea Film Festival — from emerging filmmakers to seasoned voices, this is where stories that matter take the spotlight. Join this year’s edition! Get tickets at www.chelseafilm.org

Costume designer and NYWIFT member Rosemary Forman has a new film coming to theaters this month. 30 years after Edward Burns’ The Brothers McMullen wowed audiences with its exploration of the lives and struggles of three Irish American brothers from New York, the family returns in the long-awaited follow-up, The Family McMullen. In theaters for one day only, October 15. Watch the trailer and learn more.

NYWIFT member Janet Hyojo Oh warmly welcomes support for her most personal project: We Meet Again, a Korean-American fantasy-drama proof of concept short film. This Korean-American historical drama explores inherited strength, dual identity, and female power across centuries. Logline: When a mystical bronze mirror awakens the vengeful spirit of a Korean queen silenced at the height of her power, a Korean-American teenager is forced to confront a legacy of pride, pressure, and power. Please consider supporting this film that celebrates female strength and legacy and amplifies Korean-American voices here.

Documentary filmmaker and NYWIFT member Cionín Lorenzo is honored to be a moderator for the Documentaries That Change The World: Storytelling For Social Impact panel at the Reel Magic Hour during the 13th annual Chelsea Film Festival on October 18 at 2:45 PM. Meet at Trinity Broadcasting Network of New York (111 E 15th Street) to join an inspiring discussion with filmmakers Hannah Rafkin, Ronnie Kay, Harvey Hubbell V, and Jane Centofante! RSVP.

Member Pamela Gaye invites members in the New Hampshire area to her reading at Mariposa Museum & World Culture Center. Part comedy, part drama, Little Big Mouth introduces us to Penelope, an actress determined to pass down her stories, resilience, and hard-earned wisdom to her granddaughter. Through eighteen characters — from family members to famous spirits like Georgia O’Keeffe — Penelope revisits her theatrical past, the challenges of misogyny in show business, matrilineal trauma, and the triumph of still being able to create, no matter the obstacles. No registration needed. A Q&A with Pamela will follow the reading. Learn more.

Kristina Libby invites fellow NYWIFT members to the premiere of her solo show, Holy Shit I Almost Died for This?, as part of the United Solo Fest on November 12 at 7 PM. The show explores how the narrative of the good girl oppresses women and shares the journey of one woman as she nearly dies attempting to live up to those ideals, and how she eventually escapes. A funny, touching and heartwarming story from a Moth StorySlam winner, New Yorker humorist, and 2021-awarded Top Artist for Social Change. Get tickets.

NYWIFT member Yixin Cen is producing Mottainai, a bold 10-minute short film directed by Kimberly Han. The film is a surreal, subversive exploration of the deep anxieties around what society says a woman’s role should be. Think Everything Everywhere All At Once meets Being John Malkovich. This project is for all women, mothers, and anyone who has ever felt like they were not “enough.” They are launching their Kickstarter today to raise $25K. Supporting this campaign would amplify the voices of their team of filmmakers of color, working together to tell stories that matter during such a difficult time in our industry and society. Yixin extends a thank you from the bottom of her heart for your continued support of women filmmakers.

NYWIFT member and director Chloë Levine‘s short film Bloom is coming to Bushwick Film Festival on Saturday, Oct 4 at 1:45 PM. Bloom follows a teenager with violent tendencies who is forced to reconcile with her past after a particularly volatile and random outburst. See the film at Williamsburg Cinema (217 Grand St, Brooklyn). Get tickets.

NYWIFT member Janet Hyojo Oh‘s Delicates, which she produced and executive-produced, will have its world premiere at Bushwick Film Festival on Saturday, October 4 at the Williamsburg Cinemas. Delicates is a romance drama about Colin, fresh out of a relationship, who shuffles through the motions of his life and his laundry. When his treasured sock is left behind in the wash, it is taken in by a promising new love, Megan. They soon discover they can communicate telepathically whenever they each wear their half of the pair. Attend the premiere and get tickets.

NYWIFT member Roberta Pyzel‘s Dworkin, her documentary about the life and work of writer-activist Andrea Dworkin, will be featured at the FiLiA Women’s Liberation Now Conference on October 10, followed by a panel discussion. Gloria Steinem called the film “a gift.” Pyzel also recently discussed the documentary on FiLia’s podcast. Listen to the episode and learn more about FiLia.

The Unburdened will have its world premiere at SOHO International Film Festival on October 9 at 9:35 PM, as part of the festival’s The Spring Street Series Shorts Program B. The Unburdened tells the story of a dedicated mother who is racing to assemble a Holocaust memorial program for her daughter’s school while facing opposition from an anonymous parent. Amidst preparations, a faded friend from childhood interrupts with news that the land containing their buried time capsule is about to be sold. As the women hurriedly dig it up, buried secrets emerge. NYWIFT Member Eve Austin stars and is an Associate Producer. The film’s line producer is NTWIFT Member Jen Plotzke. Get tickets and use this code at checkout for a discount on VIP passes: 19SDLV9E31US5U2.

Kim Snyder’s The Librarians opens October 3 at Film Forum. Book banning is as old as public libraries, but the battlegrounds are freshly polarized and the stakes as high as ever, as witnessed by Oscar-nominated Kim A. Snyder in her paean to librarians, and the parents and students who flank them, on the frontlines. Film Forum’s run of The Librarians is presented in association with Banned Books Week (October 5 – 11, 2025). Members Ruth Ann Harnisch (Executive Producer), Cynthia Kane (Co-Producer) and Janique L. Robillard (Producer/Second Camera) also helmed the film. Get tickets.

Kristina Libby invites fellow NYWIFT members to the premiere of her solo show, Holy Shit I Almost Died for This?, as part of the United Solo Fest on October 23 at 7 PM. The show explores how the narrative of the good girl oppresses women and shares the journey of one woman as she nearly dies attempting to live up to those ideals, and how she eventually escapes. A funny, touching and heartwarming story from a Moth StorySlam winner, New Yorker humorist, and 2021-awarded Top Artist for Social Change. Get tickets.

Christiane Arbesu‘s The Weight of Memory: I Am Bernie Furshpan is a deeply personal and timely documentary that follows Dr. Bernie Furshpan, son of Holocaust survivor Moshe Furshpan, as he travels the country educating younger generations. Through a powerful blend of historical fact and personal testimony, Bernie shares his family’s story to inspire action against hatred and its devastating consequences. It is with a sense of urgency that he delivers his mission to empower a new generation to stand against intolerance and ensure that history’s lessons are never forgotten. You can watch the film online now.

New York Women in Film & Television is excited to share that seven of our members are involved in films that have been selected for the 37th annual NewFest New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Congratulations to Monica Anderson (Christy), Emily Friedman (Purple Patrol!), Stephanie Holbrook (Other People’s Bodies), Shaina Holmes (Mamma Mia!), Sheila Nevins (The Celluloid Closet) and Joumana Rizk and Lisa Thomas (The Misadventures of Bucky & Beene). Read more about NYWIFT members at NewFest.

This year’s NewFest will take place October 9-21, 2025 in person at venues throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn and streaming virtually throughout the US. Tickets and passes are currently on sale and can be purchased here.

New York Women in Film & Television is happy to announce that 19 of our members are involved in films that have been selected for the 33rd annual edition of the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF). Congratulations to Abbesi Akhamie (The Incredible Sensational Fiancée of Sèyí Àjàyí), Monica Anderson (Christy), Sophia de Baun (Born 2 Lose), Jacqueline Christy (Magic Hour), Katarina Dedicova (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Kate DiRienzi (Nun’s Beach), Peggy Eisenhauer (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Leslie Fields-Cruz (Seeds), Ruth Ann Harnisch (Ask E. Jean, Natchez, The Librarians), Stephanie Holbrook (Fantasy Life), Cynthia Kane (The Librarians), Gilana Lobel (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Sheila Nevins (Ask E. Jean), Lizbett Perez (All the Empty Rooms), Janique L. Robillard (The Librarians), Rehema Imani Trimiew (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Deborah Wallach (Love+War), Trevite Willis (The President’s Cake) and Cara Yeates (The New Yorker Theater: A Talbot Legacy). Read more about NYWIFT members at HIFF.

The 33rd annual Hamptons Film Festival takes place Friday, October 3 through Monday, October 13, 2025. HIFF screenings and events happen throughout the East End. Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased here.

Click to see the full program of films and events at the festival!

Baby Steps, executive produced by NYWIFT members Marchelle Thurman and Lana Young, recently wrapped filming in Atlanta over Labor Day weekend. Written by Maggie Stiggers and directed by Erika Miranda, this sharp, heartfelt short film uses humor to explore infertility, identity, and the messy road toward parenthood. The film stars Stiggers and her husband, features TV star Marilu Henner as the main character’s mother, and is shot by female DP Hilda Mercado with a full female camera department. Backed by an all-female producing team and supported by NYWIFT as its fiscal sponsor, Baby Steps aims to spark conversation, spread awareness, and make women navigating infertility feel seen and less alone. If you feel inclined, please donate here.

Producing Associate at Parity Productions and NYWIFT member Meg Gilbert invites fellow members to a free reading of My Mother The Sun by Paloma Monfiletto on September 26 and 27. My Mother The Sun follows Solana after her mother goes missing in the desert between the US/Mexico border, and she must journey out with a group of activists to bring her back. My Mother the Sun is a meditation on the way borders arrest grief, the transformative power of empathy, and the need for unconditional hospitality in the face of institutional cruelty. Attend the reading at New Perspectives Theatre Company (458 West 37th Street). Get free tickets and learn more about the show.

NYWIFT member Myrakel Baker invites you to The Gotham Week Shorts to Features Showcase: Turning Points, where her short film Bittersweet will screen at Nitehawk Cinema (Prospect Park) on October 1 at 7 PM. Eighteen short films will be shown in their entirety for film lovers, filmmakers and industry players. Each of the blocks will be followed by a brief Q&A with the filmmakers. Bittersweet is an immersive, non-linear look at a timeless love that is cut short by maternal mortality. Get tickets.

Former NYWIFT Board member Yvonne Russo has won the Humanitas Prize for the second episode of Vow of Silence, “Wounded Knee 73” on September 7. on Humanitas honors and empowers film and television writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way. It’s a tremendous honor for Russo and her team – Executive Producers/Producers Amy Kaufman, Caroline Waterlow and Ezra Edelman and Co-Executive Producer Mark Becker. The awards ceremony took place . Congratulations on this milestone, Yvonne! Learn more.

Variety announced that NYWIFT Member Lily Hayes Kaufman‘s documentary Occupy Cannes, will have its New York Premiere as part of the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival lineup, screening on October 18. Featuring a post-screening Q&A with Kaufman and cast/crew, the film takes place in 2017, where Lloyd Kaufman and his faithful Troma team are once again storming the streets of the Cannes Film Festival to promote their latest work. Surrounded by costly studio billboards and installations, Troma’s signature attention-stealing street-level marketing tactics are now being met with constant opposition by police, leaving this found family wondering if their days of championing independent film are over. Get tickets.

NYWIFT member Catherine C. Ryan invites you to the Northeast premiere of her film, Lifesaver at Lady Filmmakers Festival on September 28. After hearing “boys will be boys” one too many times, 6-year-old Daisy makes a dangerous discovery and decides to take matters into her own hands with a schoolyard bully. See the film as part of the festival’s “Ladies Illuminate” Block #15. Get Tickets.

Join us at Harlem’s Schomburg Center for the 25th anniversary screening of NYWIFT member Pam Sporn’s Cuban Roots/Bronx Stories, on Wednesday, September 24 at 6:30-8:30 PM. Now restored in 4K, the film documents an Afro‑Cuban family’s personal history, tracing their migration from Jamaica to Cuba to the South Bronx. The Foster family recounts pivotal historical moments throughout the documentary — from the Bay of Pigs and the Vietnam War to settling into a multilingual, racially diverse Bronx neighborhood. Through these intergenerational oral histories, Cuban Roots/Bronx Stories explores the complexities of Afro-Latinx diasporic belonging. The film will be followed by a Q&A with director Pam Sporn and writer Rosed Serrano. Get tickets.

Caper, the feature-length comedy from NYWFT member Elizabeth Wiseman‘s production company 17D Productions, has had its theatrical run at LOOK Dine-In Cinema (W 57th St) extended until September 19. The film premiered at SXSW’s 2025 Narrative Spotlight block and follows a group of clueless men racing against the clock after a friend’s disastrous sext accidentally lands in his boss’ phone, embarking on an all-night odyssey through New York City’s underbelly to hack, bribe, and bluff their way to deleting the evidence. Over the course of seven hours, this misguided, toxically masculine mission to save a friend from ruin exposes their own fears, flaws, and misconceptions about women. Get tickets.

Entertainment Career Coach/Talent Agent Consultant/NYWIFT Workshop Facilitator Jim Arnoff is teaching “Pitch Your Scripted Television Series to the Industry Experts” online at the School of Visual Arts, 10 classes, Wednesday nights, 7:30 – 9:30 PM ET/4:30 – 6:30 PM PT, starting 9/24 through 12/10. Tuition is $350. Access to industry pros – showrunners, network development executives, production companies. Learn the in’s and out’s of development, networking, pitching and writers rooms. This is a Continuing Education course so you don’t need to go for a degree or have a pilot script – all you need is a passion for scripted television. If you miss any classes, each one is recorded.. Each student that enrolls will receive a complimentary 30 minute coaching session. Register now at sva.edu/ce and enter Course #CFC-1334-OL or the course name, “Pitch Your TV Series.”

MOM Film Fest 2025 returns online August 22–24, showcasing independent films created by moms from around the world. The festival was created by NYWIFT Member Tonya Mollineau. With a $35 all-access pass, audiences can stream the full lineup of films all weekend. 30% of ticket sales go directly to the winning filmmakers, turning every ticket into both access and impact. The festival concludes with an awards ceremony and community mixer at Stuart Cinema & Cafe in Brooklyn on Sunday, August 24 at 4 PM. Learn more.

Claire Jamison invites fellow members to contribute to the shoot and post-production of her narrative short film, Celeste & the Cyan Sun. This MFA thesis film is Claire’s most intimate, ambitious, and personally evocative project yet. The premise: Prince meets Celeste on her last day in Italy. What begins as a liberating and joyful experience becomes corrupted when Celeste won’t respect Prince’s boundaries, and the two hurtle towards a breaking point on the edge of the rocky Italian coast.

Contributors can receive thank-you gifts, including handmade cyanotype prints, photos from set, and producer credits for larger contributions. Learn more and support the film.

Join Poster House on August 26 for a special screening of the newly restored 4K edition of Building Bombs (1990), the Academy Award–nominated documentary by Mark Mori and Susan Robinson at 6 PM. This event is presented in conjunction with the museum’s exhibition Fallout: Atoms for War & Peace.

Building Bombs is a powerful investigation into the human and environmental costs of the atomic age, centering on South Carolina’s Savannah River Plant, the nation’s largest Cold War–era facility for the production of hydrogen-bomb materials. Through rare archival footage, personal interviews, and narration by four-time Academy Award nominee and activist Jane Alexander, the film traces the impact of the nuclear weapons industry on American lives and landscapes—while offering an eloquent message of hope through stories of ordinary people working to change the course of history. The 4K restoration was produced by NYWIFT member Kirsten Larvick with Mark Mori, Susan Robinson and Bob Judson.

This screening will be followed by a live conversation with Emmy-nominated Executive Producer Mark Marabella and Building Bombs Director Mark Mori. Arrive early to enjoy light bites and a cash bar. After the Q&A, don’t miss our pop-up featuring complimentary wine and restoration posters for sale, with the opportunity to have yours signed by Academy Award–nominated director Mark Mori. RSVP.

NYWIFT member and multi-disciplinary artist Shoshanna Gleich invites NYWIT member to see her painting featured in a group show at The Long Story Short Gallery (52 Henry Street, NYC). The reception for the show is August 7, from 5 PM-8 PM. Shoshanna is selling her newest series of paintings to raise funds for her one-woman show. Anyone interested can contact her on Instagram @shoshannagleich or through email shoshannayawannaproductions@gmail.com.

Congratulations to the NYWIFT members included in the 2025 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival lineup! We are thrilled to see 10 members of our community with projects featured at the festival this year.

The festival takes place August 1–9, in-person at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center. Tickets and packages can be purchased from the official website. Showings of different films, both full-feature and short, are presented throughout the day, starting at 11 AM. Congratulations to members Lianne Becker (Producer, Harlem Fragments), Evolyn Brooks (Director & Co-Executive Producer, Good Home Training), Emily Fleischer (Casting Associate, Highest 2 Lowest), Imani Garner (Music Supervisor, Jean & I), Tiffany Ann Jackman (Director, I Hate My Love Life), Emily Kordovich (Director of Photography, Sugar Honey), Kimberly Mayhorn (Co-Producer & Editor, Good Home Training), Okema T. Moore (Director, Laundry; Producer, Chocolate with Sprinkles), Geneva Peschka (Director, Black Longevity), Stacey Smith (Additional Crew: Business Affairs, Hoops, Hopes & Dreams)!

Check out the films!