Below are just a few of the most recent accomplishments of our talented members! If you want to join this dynamic community, we hope you will 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.
Teatro Maria Teresa in Guadalajara, MX, in partnership with AMT Theater, NYC has invited NYWIFT member Stephanie Trudeau to bring a bilingual production of her musical play, Becoming Chavela, to Guadalajara for a three-week run. As the daughter of a Puerto Rican migrant, Trudeau proudly highlights both Mexican culture and Latina culture in this play about legendary queer Mexican singer, Chavela Vargas. Chavela defied conventions by singing corridos – songs traditionally sung by men. She was audacious in her determination to be heard and be seen; to become an artist. Help Trudeau foster cultural exchange and tell Chavela’s story by giving a tax-deductible donation here. Or mail a check to AMT Theater, 354 West 45th Street, NY, NY 10036. AMT Theater is a 501 (c)(3) tax deductible organization. For more information contact Stephanie at stevietrudeau@msn.com.
NYWIFT member Susan Jennifer Polese will premiere her short film drama Under the One-Time Sky at the Big Apple Film Festival, Spring Edition on May 14 at 8:30 PM. The premise: under swaying trees, two childhood friends careen into a past that has long been preserved in a tiny backyard. One has traveled the world. One has never left this town. Together, they will learn something today: How long can a moment stay with you? It may be just as long as you hide from it. Catch the film at Look Dine-In Cinemas: Theater #5. Get tickets.
NYWIFT member Mari SanGiovanni‘s first feature film, The Sibling Rule, is streaming on Lesflicks, an LGBTQ platform. The Sibling Rule centers two women who fake a marriage to take advantage of the sibling rule, which will keep their kids in the same school, but complications arise when the marriage becomes real. Watch now.
This summer, NYWIFT member, Atlantic Theater Company founding ensemble member, Off-Broadway director, documentary filmmaker, author, Tennessee Williams scholar and senior teacher at Atlantic Acting School Karen Kohlhaas teaches her 18th annual Summer Directing Class from June 2-August 5. The comprehensive, practical, and creatively inspiring class covers how to audition actors effectively, throughline script analysis for directors, creating compelling and suspenseful staging, working effectively with actors, leadership and time management. Lecture and guest classes on working with designers, collaborating with writers on new works, and more will be included. The techniques are equally effective for stage and film. There are 3 ways to take the class: Full Director, Active Auditor, and Guest Class Only. Full Directors analyze an entire play, bringing in scenes of increasing length, culminating in a live performance. Active Auditors do a paper project on a full length play of their choice, and participate actively in class discussions. There will be 4 guest classes which are included for Full Directors and Active Auditors, and it’s possible to register just for the guest classes. The class is held online but directors have the option to work with actors online, or in person and join online from their rehearsal room. (That can be discussed in the interview). For complete information please email Karen@monologueaudition.com and/or sign-up online.
From NYWIFT members Sarah LaVerne (writer/director) and Nadia Delisfort (producer), I Am So Lucky follows the plight of Maddison, a 30-something broke singleton who believes nabbing a rich, handsome man will fix all of her problems. She puts in the hard work to achieve this dream by getting spritz-drunk and chanting manifestation mantras at her best friend Henry’s café, all while spying on the rich men who live in the building across the street. Maddison’s plan hits new levels of delirium when she spots an identical woman already living her dream life. The question is… Is it Maddison’s future-self showing her how to achieve the soft life of a wealthy wife? Or has Maddison just reached new stalker levels of desperate delusion? Contribute to the film.
Bull Street is available to stream online! Written and directed by NYWIFT member Lynn Dow, Bull Street follows LouEster Sadie Gibbs (played by newcomer Malynda Hale), a 39-year-old small-town personal injury lawyer whose mother died in childbirth. Her grandmother, Mrs. Big-Gal (Loretta Devine), has raised her in their humble family home with love and a rich spiritual tradition. When an entitled Ivy League lawyer questions their ownership of the home and its surrounding land, the stage is set for a clash of privilege against family. Watch the film.
Female Voices Rock Film Festival will screen Sunflower Girl by writer/director and NYWIFT member Holly M. Kaplan on Saturday May 3 at 4:30 PM. The film centers on Rosie, a 13-year-old Chinese-American girl, as she embarks on a skateboarding escapade through the streets of New York with her crush and his best friend – at the cost of abandoning her little sister and never delivering a forgotten lunchbox. See the film at LOOK Dine-In Cinemas W 57 (657 West 57th St, New York, NY). Get special discounted tickets.
Former NYWIFT Board member Yvonne Russo will be an honored guest at the CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival this week. Her film, Viva Verdi! will make its Pacific Northwest Premiere on April 25 at the Mount Baker Theater in WA. The documentary centers on opera singers and musicians living out their “third act” in a Milan retirement home, founded by noted Italian opera singer Giuseppe Verdi. Congratulations, Yvonne! Buy tickets.
Unbroken is now available on Netflix! Produced by NYWIFT member Christine Cirker, this documentary feature tells the story of seven Jewish siblings who survived Nazi Germany through their own resilience and the courage of strangers. Watch on Netflix. Congratulations, Christine!
The Bureau of General Services—Queer Division will present a scripted performance of an award-winning new stage and film project by NYWIFT Member, writer, director and producer Ann P Meredith. This event will take place in person on May 2 at 7 PM at The LGBT Community Center. Registration is not required. Seating is first come, first served. Also live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel. Learn more.
The JHRTS NY Writers Room Program is back for Season 3! NYWIFT Member and JHRTS Board Member Janet Hyojo Oh encourages fellow members to apply and spread the word. This unique opportunity offers aspiring writers the chance to experience an authentic replication of a working Writer’s Room. Over the course of eight sessions (June-September 2025), participants will collaborate, develop original scripts, and receive real-world feedback to build a professional portfolio. The program’s showrunners are also looking for a Writers Room Assistant (Unpaid Intern)–a current college student or recent grad–to support the room and gain the behind–the–scenes exposure to the TV development process. Apply to the Writers’ Room or apply to be a Writers Room Assistant by Thursday, May 15. Writers’ Room applicants must be JHRTS NY members–learn more about joining!
Rachel Feldman’s Lilly, starring Patricia Clarkson and produced by past NYWIFT President Simone Pero, tells the true story of Lilly Ledbetter’s courageous fight for equal pay. Get tickets to the opening (with special Q&As) at Quad Cinema on May 9 and 10. Sign up for email updates or visit the website to find the film at a theater near you. Watch the trailer. The film is a recipient of the NYWIFT Ravenal Feature Film Grant.
The 6th annual MOM Film Fest is now accepting submissions for short documentary or narrative films and series that include a mom in a key leadership role on the project. As a grassroots, volunteer-led nonprofit, MOM Film Fest is both a career development hub and an advocacy platform for mothers working in film and television. The festival is a key part of MOM’s mission to amplify content made by moms and create real opportunities to get #momsbackonset and back to work. NYWIFT Member Tonya Mollineau – leader of the NYWIFT Mom’s Network – created the festival.
Submission deadlines:
• Regular – April 21
• Final – May 12
Critics and Feminist activists alike have shared praise for NYWIFT member Roberta Pyzel‘s Dworkin, her documentary about the life and work of writer-activist Andrea Dworkin. Gloria Steinem called the film “a gift.” Critic and life partner of Andrea Dworkin, John Stoltenberg, said the documentary has a “wonderfully moving dimensionality: It becomes at once personal and public, living and remembered.” Watch the trailer. Congratulations, Roberta!
This May, the vibrant heart of the East Village becomes home to Donald Margulies’ captivating drama Collected Stories, featuring acclaimed performer and NYWIFT member Grace Kiley in an intimate theatrical experience that delves into the rich, complex relationship between two extraordinary writers. The limited engagement runs May 4–18, with opening night slated for Thursday, May 8 at 7 PM at The East Village Basement. Award-winning actor Lori Triolo directs. Get tickets.
NYWIFT member Selma Ducanovic invites you to attend the 21st annual Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival (BHFF) in New York City from April 23-26. Bosnian-Herzegovinian modern cinema is blooming with female filmmaker representation everywhere from the actors, the writers, directors, and beyond! This year, they are proud of their strong, award-winning line-up, including a recent Oscar nominee. BHFF’s audience includes people with Bosnian heritage, people from other Balkan expatriate communities, as well as a wide cross-section of all New Yorkers who cherish international and independent film productions. After 21 years, BHFF is still going strong.Check out the program and RSVP!
Emergent City will be in theaters April 25 at DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema NYC! An observational civic epic co-directed by NYWIFT member Kelly Anderson, Emergent City revolves around Industry City, New York’s largest privately owned industrial property. As global developers aim to transform the waterfront complex into an “Innovation District,” the film explores conflicts involving local immigrant communities, the city council, and developers over the neighborhood’s future. Called “the best NYC documentary in a decade” by Hell Gate, the film illustrates a microcosm of American democracy and offers a front row seat to the public and private spaces where the city is shaped. Get your tickets today.
Founder and Festival Director (and NYWIFT Member) Ella Mische invites you to submit to Croatian International Film Festival (CIFF). CIFF is celebrating its 2nd year in Sibenik, Croatia from August 8-11 and focuses on international films and highlights works by women filmmakers. CIFF is not just a celebration of cinema; it is a vehicle for positive change. Through the art of film, the festival strives to make a lasting impact on society and elevate Croatia’s standing in the international film landscape. By attracting the industry’s finest talents and showcasing the best of global cinema, CIFF aims to position Croatia as a premier destination for culture and art through the power of film. The festival offers awards in categories including Best International Film, Best Domestic Film, Best Screenplay, Best Student Film and more. Regular deadline is April 30. Submit your film.
NYWIFT member Sweta Keswani plays the lead in short film Tabassum, which follows a day in the life of a housekeeper working for an influential Indian family in New Jersey. On the eve of a grand wedding in her client’s family, Tabassum meets Tommy, a waiter, who learns that she’s never been to New York City, despite living on the other side of the Hudson for 22 long years. The film’s Seed & Spark campaign is now live and filming starts in May. Don’t miss this opportunity to amplify South Asian voices in film. Contribute to the film.
After three Best Documentary Feature festival wins and a fourth nomination at the Big Apple Film Festival, producer and NYWIFT member Allyson Rice is thrilled to announce that Banned Together is available to stream on AppleTV+ and Amazon Prime. NYWIFT members on the filmmaking team also include producer Jennifer Wiggin and editor Cha Quallis.
NYWIFT Board Member Okema T. Moore’s short film Laundry was among the winners of this year’s American Black Film Festival (ABFF), presented by Nice Crowd and Walmart as part of the third annual Black & Unlimited Fatherhood Project Director’s competition. The director’s showcase awards winners with a directing mentor and the world premiere of their film at this year’s festival. Read on to learn more about Okema’s win. Congratulations, Okema!
Join entertainment career coach, talent agent consultant and NYWIFT member Jim Arnoff on May 6 at 6:30 PM for an immersive, interactive coaching workshop for one-on-one coaching, group coaching, networking and resourcing to accelerate your entertainment career. Open Career Coaching: Recharging Your Entertainment Career in Manhattan’s Flatiron District is a space to bring all those challenges that are getting in the way of moving forward powerfully in your entertainment career. Whether it’s how to pitch yourself/your projects powerfully, learning what it takes to build your truly aligned career step-by-step, how to craft compelling biographies/emails, how to collaborate effectively, how to nail every meeting or wherever else you need coaching for support. You’ll learn coaching techniques to envision your ideal entertainment career with precision, release those career blocks holding you back and create a powerful action plan to create the passion entertainment career you deserve. Join members of other NYC entertainment organizations to network and resource. RSVP at jim@jimarnoff.com for the venue details.
NYWIFT President’s Circle Member Annetta Marion‘s spoke to Film Daily about her new nonfiction series, First to the Finish, now available on Amazon Prime Video. She also discussed working with Michael J. Fox on Still: A Michael J. Fox and other career highlights. Read the article and watch all six episodes directed by Annetta. Congratulations, Annetta!
NYWIFT member Maura Campbell‘s film, Maura and Maggie Get Callbacks (to play themselves) was an official selection at Cinequest and won the Kaiser Permamente Thrive Award for most inspirational film. Watch the trailer. Congratulations, Maura!
Tickets are now available for Seussical, starring NYWIFT member Shoshanna Gleich as the Cat In The Hat. The show is playing Off-Broadway May 8-18. Step into the vibrant, colorful world of Dr. Seuss as EPIC Players, New York’s premiere neurodiverse theatre company, brings Seussical the Musical to life! This heartwarming, high-energy production celebrates individuality, friendship, and the power of imagination—all through the lens of inclusion and diversity.NYWIFT members can use the early bird discount code EPICEARLY for 20% off tickets. This special is available until April 9. Get tickets.
NYWIFT Member Juliette Fairley’s feature-length screenplay Adult Children of the American Revolution won Best Dramedy at the 2025 Golden State Film Festival and the Grand Jury award at the 2024 Sherman Oaks Film Festival. Adult Children of the American Revolution is a comedy about a genealogist helping a young man discover his enslaved ancestors while completing his family tree on a popular ancestry mobile app. Congratulations, Juliette!
NYWIFT member Caitlin McCarthy was selected as a 2025 Writing Fellow for the inaugural Sundance Institute Cultural Impact Residency on Sundance Collab. As part of the program, she’ll receive mentorship, creative support, and access to industry resources to develop her crime thriller, A Native Land. Learn more about the residency and fellows. Congratulations, Caitlin!
NYWIFT member Annetta Marion‘s new nonfiction series First to the Finish is now available on Amazon Prime Video. The series follows the journey of two women racers and one female team owner through the exhilarating 2024 Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship Season. Watch all six episodes directed by Annetta. Congratulations, Annetta!
Here’s Yianni!, a new feature film written and directed by NYWIFT member Christina Eliopoulos, is screening at Garden State Film Festival on March 30 at 12:30 PM. In the film, Plousia (Julia Ormond) is a loving wife who runs a little Jersey Shore diner with her husband Yianni (Joe Cortese). Her strength is tested when Yianni, whose mind and memory is fading, imagines himself to be the host of a late-night TV talk show. With humor, warmth and Plousia’s whimsical inventiveness, the couple faces the greatest challenge of their lives. Visit the link below and click AL9 / 3.30.25 to order the correct tickets. Get tickets.
NYWIFT member Myra Velasquez is delighted to share that her short animation film Godzilla’s Day Off! will have its world premiere at Silicon Valley’s Premiere Film Fest on March 21 at 7:05 at 3Below in San Jose CA. The film will also have an online premiere on Cinequest in their Shorts Program 7: Something Funny virtual screening March 24-31. The film is Myra’s first foray into animation working with animators Jaime Sunwoo and Shayna Strype, whose expertise in puppets and paper are featured heavily in the film. Watch the film.
Phoebe Zimmerer is launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund her MFA first-year short film, a gothic-comedy historical satire titled Ghost Stories. The gist: an unexpected death amidst their nightly ghost stories sends the real-life residents of the Villa Diodati into a dangerous spiral of paranoia that turns history on its head. With your pledge, Phoebe will be able to secure a historical location to film in, props, set decoration, and historical costumes–everything needed to bring the world of 1816 Geneva to life. Support the film.
NYWIFT member Kristin Samuelson invites fellow members to see her performance in Save the Penguins on March 12-26 at 24 Bond Arts Center. Save the Penguins is a roller coaster of a comedy that explores nonprofits, queerness, and scandals at Bertucci’s. Winner of ’15 Minutes of Frame’ Playwrights Competition. Get tickets.
2024 NYWIFT Muse Honoree Michèle Stephenson has a series of documentaries now available on the Criterion Channel. American Promise is a deeply personal film by Michèle Stephenson and husband Joe Brewster, following their son Idris and his friend Seun as they navigate the challenges of the American educational system, grappling with the pressures of feeling othered, academic performance, familial changes, puberty, and everything in between. Other films available include Stephenson’s solo effort, Stateless, which combines gritty hidden-camera and magical realism to reveal the depths of institutionalized oppression on Dominicans of Haitian descent and Slaying Goliath, an unflinching look into the world of amateur youth basketball. Watch the films.
Celebrate Women’s History Month with this episode of LATiNAS, where correspondent Elena Romero sits down with Inspiracíon Latina and NYWIFT Board Member Zenaida Mendez, the director of MNN El Barrio Firehouse. Watch on to see host Tinabeth Piña visit Hunter College’s Center for Puerto Rican Studies – aka – CENTRO and learn about their exhibit on Antonia Pantoja. Plus CENTRO shares their segment on boxing sensations the Serrano sisters and correspondent Isabel Ortiz gives a crash course on Latina Nail culture. Watch the episode.
NYWIFT member Kristin Samuelson invites fellow members to see her performance in Save the Penguins on March 12-26 at 24 Bond Arts Center. Save the Penguins is a roller coaster of a comedy that explores nonprofits, queerness, and scandals at Bertucci’s. Winner of ’15 Minutes of Frame’ Playwrights Competition. The show on Saturday, March 15 at 7 PM will be followed by a talkback with the creative team. Get tickets.
NYWIFT member Heidi Elizabeth Philipsen-Meissner‘s solo directorial debut and social impact feature film, Love & Vodka, will be celebrating its New York Premiere at the SR Socially Relevant Film Festival on March 15 at 7:20 PM. If you have donated to the film’s GoFundMe, Seed and Spark or NYWIFT Fiscal Sponsorship campaigns, and would like to join us at our in-person screening, please reach out to heidi@personaeentertainmentpictures.com for your ticket. Don’t miss your chance to get early bird tickets for the super price of $5! Get tickets.
Award-winning short film, Keepers of the Flame, co-produced by NYWIFT members Messeret Stroman Wheeler, Shari L. Carpenter and Tia Dionne Hodge, will screen in NYC. Keepers of the Flame, a drama about the impact of African-American sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta, as they fight for women’s suffrage and against exclusionary practices within the suffrage movement. See the film at New York African Diaspora International Film Festival’s Black History Month Film Series on March 1, 6:30 PM at Columbia University’s Teachers College here.
In honor of Women’s History Month, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Reel Sisters will screen Oscar-qualifying and curated shorts from Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series on March 6 at 7 PM. The evening will feature four Oscar-qualifying shorts by Black women filmmakers and NYWIFT members including Reunion by Zainab Jah and Ro & the Stardust by Eunice Levis. The event will kick off with Eboni Price’s Blaque, an experimental short lionizing poet Nikki Giovanni’s iconic poem “Ego Trippin’.” Kim Singleton, producer of Consider It Blacklit, will host an exciting Q&A with the filmmakers. Get tickets.
NYWIFT member Christine Cirker invites you to the theatrical release of Unbroken, a compelling, new feature documentary she co-produced. In the film, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor embarks on an international quest to uncover answers about the plight of her mother and her six siblings who, as mere children, escaped Nazi Germany relying solely on their own youthful bravado and the kindness of strangers. Unbroken opens at Quad Cinema tomorrow, February 21 at 7 PM. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Beth Lane moderated by film critic Joe Neumaier, host of the weekly “Movie Minute” on New York’s 710 AM-WOR radio. See more showtimes and get tickets.
NYWIFT Board member Gretchen McGowan joined James Lott Jr. for the In Between the Pages podcast, where they discussed her recently released memoir, Flying In. Currently the head of production at GoldCrest films in NYC, Gretchen discussed her award-winning career in producing indie film projects and experience working with the likes of Shelley Winters, Debbie Harry and Wu-Tang Clan and superstar directors like Brian De Palma, Jim Jarmusch and James Ivory in an informative conversation. Tune in.
New York Women in Film & Television is delighted to share that seven of our members are involved with films nominated in a variety of categories for the 97th Academy Awards! Members associated with nominated films (and/or nominated themselves) include Val Dowd, Rebecca Eskreis, Cynthia Kane, Gina Limbrick, Sheila Nevins, Janique L. Robillard and Lauren Wimbush. Learn more about their work on this year’s Oscar-nominated films.
Did we miss you? Email us at communications@nywift.org ASAP so we can add you to the list.
The ceremony will air live on Sunday, March 2 at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT on ABC. Viewers can also watch the awards live on ABC through streaming services like DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Hulu, or Sling.
Producer and NYWIFT Board Member Okema T. Moore will have her NAACP Image Award-nominated short film, Chocolate With Sprinkles, screened at the Winter Film Festival on February 20 and February 21. The premise: on their 25th wedding anniversary, a bickering couple is given one day to do something they haven’t done in 25 years – work on their marriage. Get tickets.
NYWIFT member Teja VanWicklen invites fellow members to the Guggenheim Museum‘s Peter B. Lewis Theater on February 27 at 6 PM for A special Learning & Development speaker event. Featuring a new and radical exploration of Mike Kelley’s installation Riddle Of The Sphinx, with a musical composition based on the exploration by Rieko Aizawa and Jesse Mills of the Horszowski Trio. A panel discussion will follow featuring Naomi Beckwith, Chief Curator, Mary Clare Stevens, Executive Director of the Mike Kelley Foundation, Aizawa, Mills, and Russell Carmony, Gallery Guide. The event is free and open to the public with reservation. RSVP.
Join trained intimacy choreographer/coordinator and NYWIFT member LySaundra Janeé for a journaling workshop that will help you reconnect with your most authentic self. Audre Lorde taught us that the erotic is more than sensuality—it’s a source of joy, power, and liberation. It’s a force that has been used to shame and silence us, but it’s also a tool for reclaiming our wholeness. Whether you’re a writer, a dreamer, or simply someone who needs to feel more alive, this workshop is for you. This is a space to: release emotional blockages, reconnect with your intuition and increase your capacity for joy and creativity. When: Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays in March. Register today and use code NYWIFT10 for 10% off. Write, feel, and heal together! Register today.
NYWIFT member Pamela Sporn presents the 25th anniversary screening of Cuban Roots Bronx Stories, recently remastered in 4K, at the beautiful Bronx Music Hall on February 8 at 6 PM. The screening will be followed by a panel moderated by the AfroLatin@ Forum, and feature a musical set by Bobby Sanabria and his Sexteto. One of the few films to explore AfroLatinidad from a Black Cuban-American perspective, Cuban Roots Bronx Stories celebrates its 25th anniversary with a 4K digital restoration. This unique film traces the historical journey of one family from Jamaica to Cuba in the early 20th century during the sugar boom, to the turbulent 1960s Bronx shortly after the Bay of Pigs Invasion, and their re-encounter with Cuba in the 1990s. The tender personal stories reveal nuanced and complex ways to consider migration, Blackness, and US-Cuba relations. Get tickets.
Filmmakers Chiara Padejka (NYWIFT member) and Evan Friedmann share the new trailer for their debut feature Rope Tied starring Carl Nowak and Dimiter D. Marinov (2019 Academy Best Picture for The Greenbook). Relegated into irrelevance after a controversial exhibit, an avant-garde artist searches to win back the favor of his bombastic longtime art dealer. As he prepares a new collection, his eccentric muse proposes a more extreme concept – to tie themselves together by rope for a year. As a member of NYWIFT, Chiara prioritizes finding distribution with an inclusive team that champions female filmmakers. To anyone who is in that space, committed to the same mission, and interested, please connect with ropetiedfilm@gmail.com or chiarapadejka.com for the full film and further details. Watch the trailer.
NYWIFT member Brooke Berman‘s film, Ramona at Midlife, launches on streaming February 11. The premise: Working mom and former Literary It Girl Ramona learns her life is the subject of a hot filmmaker’s newest project. As Ramona faces her disappointments and wrecked friendships, she finds true creative power and finds her best self. Watch it on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.
NYWIFT member, Producer and Co-Director Peggy Kennedy received the IndieFEST Film Award of Excellence: Documentary Short for her film, MIA: Stories of the Vietnam War Bracelet. The short film honors missing-in-action soldiers from the Vietnam War through the perspectives of their families who suffered and the individuals who wore their POW/MIA memorial bracelets. Congratulations, Peggy!
