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On our July 15, 2020, NYWIFT Talks, we joined director Gina Prince-Bythewood and editor Terilyn Shropshire to discuss their latest film – the Netflix hit The Old Guard – and much more. This conversation was moderated by NYWIFT Board Member Gretchen McGowan.
The Old Guard is available to watch on Netflix.
About the Film
Led by a warrior named Andy (Charlize Theron), a covert group of tight-knit mercenaries with a mysterious inability to die have fought to protect the mortal world for centuries. But when the team is recruited to take on an emergency mission and their extraordinary abilities are suddenly exposed, it’s up to Andy and Nile (KiKi Layne), the newest soldier to join their ranks, to help the group eliminate the threat of those who seek to replicate and monetize their power by any means necessary. Based on the acclaimed graphic novel by Greg Rucka and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, Beyond the Lights), The Old Guard is a gritty, grounded, action-packed story that shows living forever is harder than it looks.
Panelists
Gina Prince-Bythewood (Director) is one of the most versatile storytellers working in film and television. Known for her authentic character-driven work, Prince-Bythewood has directed and written such influential feature films as Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees, andBeyond the Lights. Other recent credits for Prince-Bythewood include the special event series, Shots Fired which she and her husband Reggie Rock Bythewood served as series creators and executive producers. The 10-hour series for Fox, examined the dangerous aftermath of two racially charged shootings in a small Southern town. In addition, Prince-Bythewood directed the pilot for Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, which launched to strong reviews and viewers, starring breakout actors Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph as two teenagers with newly acquired superpowers who are mysteriously linked to one another. An advocate for equal representation in film, Prince-Bythewood funds a scholarship for African American students in the film program at UCLA, her alma mater.
Emmy-nominated Terilyn Shropshire (Editor) is well-known for her innovative style, collaborating with some of the industry’s most talented feature filmmakers and television creators. Most recently, Shropshire edited the feature film, The Old Guard. Shropshire has also cut Part 1 of Netflix’s 4-part mini-series When They See Us, directed and written by Oscar-nominee, Ava DuVernay. Shropshire’s creativity and adept skills leads the audience through this true story saga of the five Black teenagers who were wrongly convicted of the rape of a Central Park jogger in 1989. Shropshire’s diverse roster also includes feature films, such as Miss Bala, directed by Catherine Hardwicke and starring Gina Rodriguez, Beyond the Lights, The Secret Life of Bees, and Love And Basketball, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, as well as Kasi Lemmons’ films, Eve’s Bayou, The Caveman’s Valentine, Talk to Me, and Black Nativity. Shropshire has been recognized throughout her career for her stellar work, most notably earning an Emmy nomination for the Lifetime Achievement Award tribute to Sidney Poitier for the 74th Annual Academy Awards and an ACE Eddie Award for Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story, directed by Vondie Curtis Hall. Beyond her work in features, Shropshire maintains a successful career in television, cutting fan-favorite series such as Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, Fox’s Shots Fired, and ABC’s Quantico. Shropshire began honing her craft at the University of Southern California, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism and Cinema.
Gretchen McGowan (moderator) is an award-winning producer and the Head of Production for Goldcrest Features in New York City where she oversees titles such as Carol, Mojave, Slumber, Restrepo, Carrie Pilby and Danger, Close. Gretchen has collaborated with Sebastian Junger on five films and she is now completing Blood on the Wall with Junger and Fisher Stevens, a documentary feature to premiere September 30th on National Geographic. Gretchen independently produced Jim Jarmusch’s The Limits of Control, a Focus Features release and Magnolia Pictures’ American Swing. While Head of Production with Mark Cuban’s HDNet Films, Blow Up Pictures and Open City Films she supervised over 25 features including Redacted, Enron, Broken English, Bubble, Lovely and Amazing and Coffee and Cigarettes. Her work as a freelance producer includes The Dancemaker, Buffalo ’66, Two Girls and a Guy, American Psycho and Heavy.
About NYWIFT Talks
NYWIFT Talks is a new 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.