March on Washington Film Festival will take place both virtually and in-person in Washington, D.C. This year’s theme explores the role of the Church, its preachers and protest leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, and the impact on activism today. The festival will run Sept 24 – Oct 1. Learn more.
The festival is offering limited FREE All-access codes that grant attendees access to all in-person events and virtual films/content during the festival. Use code MOWFFNYWFTV23. The first 25 people to use that free pass code can access free all-access in person and virtual passes. See full instructions on how to enter limited access code. If you’re not the first 25, the fest is also offering a FREE Virtual code that grants access to all virtual events. Use code VIRTUAL2023.
Awake, a short film co-directed by NYWIFT Member Andrea Cordaro, will be screening at 3 upcoming NY festivals. Farmers, John and Betty, can sense something’s not quite right on their farm in New York’s Wallkill River Valley. They are disturbed to discover their beloved cow has been mutilated and a crop circle has appeared in their corn – all while someone (or something) stalks them just out of reach. On a hot night, when Betty cannot sleep, she turns to her knitting, a glass of whiskey and a presidential radio address. As light enters her bedroom, she desperately tries to wake her husband before she is abducted. The film will be screening at Soho International Film Festival, the Brooklyn SciFi Film Fest and the New York State International Film Festival. Click within links to learn more about screening dates and times.
Jess Plus None, from NYWIFT Member and NYWIFT Writers Lab alum Mandy Fabian, is premiering in NYC as part of the Imagine This Women’s International Film Festival. A reluctant maid-of-honor must attend her best friend’s off-the-grid wedding in the woods, where she’s forced to confront her ex-girlfriend, all her more successful college friends, and every bad choice she’s made in her life so far. But when someone in the wedding party goes missing, a mysterious park ranger drags Jess into the woods to search for him and Jess discovers that the strongest force of nature at this wedding…might be her. The film will screen Sept 24. Learn more and purchase tickets.
Regular passes for Urbanworld Film Festival are on sale. Immerse yourself in the world of cinema and experience a lineup of amazing films that you won’t want to sleep on. Grab your passes now and get ready for an unforgettable cinematic journey. The festival will run Nov 1-5. Learn more and purchase tickets.
Barbie will stream on Herflix beginning next week – with a special rental discount for NYWIFT Members. Barbie, the all-time box office winner by a film directed by a woman, and all-time best grossing film ever for Warner Bros, comes to Herflix for Premium VOD Rental next week. NYWIFT members are offered discounted NYWIFT rental days. No Subscription ever. NYWIFT member Adriana Shaw is the Founder and President of Herflix, the online streaming platform for films about, for and by women. Sign up to receive the discount.
Amerikatsi, a beautiful and poignant film about a displaced Armenian man finding his way home, is opening at two theaters in NYC. The film will open in NYC on Sept 8 at AMC Empire 25 and The Quad Cinema.
A special Q&A, featuring Michael Goorjian (writer, director, actor) and moderated by Former NYWIFT Board President Alexis Alexanian will be held at AMC Empire 25 on Sept 9 at 7:15pm ET. Learn more and purchase tickets.
The 10th annual NYC Web Fest has announced their festival jurors – including NYWIFT Member Judith Davis. Judith Davis is a published freelance writer and web content manager with a 20-year career. She has been a content freelancer for Disney, Time Warner, Viacom, News Corporation and various other media sites. She has been hired by independent production companies to rewrite and polish scripts, and she has worked as press for multiple high-profile film festivals. NYC Web Fest 2023 will take place Nov 10-12. Learn more.
Early bird tickets for Urbanworld Film Festival are on sale. Urbanworld is a five-day festival, based in New York City, showcasing narrative and documentary features, short films, web originals, music videos, spotlight screenings and conversations, and live staged screenplay readings. The Urbanworld Film Festival, founded in 1997 by Stacy Spikes, is one of the largest internationally competitive festivals of its kind. Since inception, Hollywood studios, indie film distributors, and established and emerging filmmakers have consistently chosen Urbanworld to premiere box office and award-winning hits. The deadline to purchase Early Bird tickets is Aug 31. Learn more and purchase tickets.
Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg will be screening Nancy Savoca’s The 24 Hour Woman (1999). Grace (Rosie Perez) is a motivated career woman, married to the co-host (Diego Serrano) of a show she produces on television. When she finds out that she’s pregnant, she is surprised, apprehensive and immediately shoved into the spotlight when her boss, Joan, (Patti LuPone) uses Grace’s pregnancy to draw in viewers. Grace must struggle to be the ideal wife and mother, all the while maintaining her sanity at work with the help of her assistant, Madeline (Marianne Jean-Baptiste). The screening will take place on Aug 29 at 7pm ET. Learn more and purchase tickets. Enter discount code 24HourWomen for $10 tickets.
The 48th Toronto International Film Festival will run Sept 7–17, offering 11 days of exceptional international and Canadian cinema, informative talks with exciting guest speakers, and events that will allow you to develop projects, buy and sell content, and connect with the international film community. TIFF’s Industry registration is now open! Secure your pass for keynotes from industry leaders, networking events, film screenings, and more. Online registration closes on Aug 25. Learn more and register.
TIFF is offering NYWIFT Members a 30% discount code off the purchase of either a conference or an industry pass. To take advantage of this discount email registration@tiff.net with code NYWIFT23TIFF.
United Space of America will premiere on Nov 16 on BRIC TV. Two elderly astronauts. One mission. Find a new planet to retire to, after political extremists destroyed the old one. The animated series is directed by NYWIFT Member William D Caballero. NYWIFT Board Member Kuye Youngblood is the General Manager at BRIC TV. Watch the trailer.
Lakota Nation vs. United States, executive produced by NYWIFT Member Sarah Eagle Heart, is now playing at IFC Center in NYC. It is the most sacred place on earth, the birthplace of the Lakota that has shaped thought, identity and philosophy for the Očéti Šakówiŋ since time immemorial–the life-giving land known as the Black Hills. Yet with the arrival of the first Europeans in 1492, the sacred land has been the site of conflict between the people it has nurtured, and the settler state seeking to exploit and redefine it in its own image. This powerful new documentary is a searing testament to the strength of the Oyate and a visually stunning rejoinder to the distorted image of a people long shaped by Hollywood. Lakota Nation vs. United States is a lyrical and provocative testament to a land and a people who have survived removal, exploitation and genocide–and whose best days are yet to come. Learn more and see the full schedule of screenings.
Our Body, directed by Claire Simon, opens on Friday, Aug 4 at Film Forum. Acclaimed French documentarian Claire Simon goes inside a Parisian gynecology clinic, her camera weaving in and out of quiet, ordinary visits between doctors and their patients (including Simon herself), capturing powerful moments of joy, frustration, and pain. The result is a compassionate, absorbing, and deeply personal tapestry, with an acute and timely political resonance. Learn more. Enter promo code NYWIFT for discounted $13 tickets to screenings of the film. Limited discounts available. Directions for discount code use:
- Go to https://filmforum.org/film/our-body
- Scroll to your desired screening(s) and click BUY TICKETS
- In the top right corner of the screen, click PROMO CODE
- Enter NYWIFT, then click submit
- Select 1 or 2 General $17.00 tickets (Note: you may purchase multiple tickets, but discount will apply only to the first 2)
- Click Add to Cart – the discount will be applied at checkout
Austin Film Festival is offering NYWIFT a special discount off of their Producer’s Badge. The Producers Badge is your key to experiencing all the best the Austin Film Festival & Conference has to offer. Gain entry into the panels, parties and networking events – plus be first in line for all eight days of the screenings that make the AFF the not-to-miss” event of the fall season! The festival will take place Oct 26 – Nov 2. Learn more and register. Enter code WIFT50 for $50 dollars off the Producer’s Badge. The Producers Badge is located at the very bottom of the page.
NYWIFT Moms Network leader Tonya Mollineau was recently featured on the podcast Baby in the Wings. This week the hosts chat with the founder of Mom Film Fest, Tonya Mollineau. Tonya Mollineau is a New York-based single mother, filmmaker, and director who writes and produces a lot of her own content. Her work showcases layered Black female characters while shedding light on social issues as they relate to the human experience. Listen now.
A new episode of the podcast First Online with Fran, hosted by NYWIFT member Fran McGarry, is now streaming. In the new episode, “Maleni Chaitoo: Breaking Through the Silence”, Fran sits down with consultant, filmmaker, and actor Maleni Chaitoo to discuss her new comedy web series, Don’t Shoot the Messenger. Listen now.
Jelly Roll: Save Me, directed by NYWIFT member Bari Pearlman, is now streaming on Hulu. The feature documentary is about the unlikely meteoric rise of Jelly Roll, a self-made rap-to-country artist from Nashville who traded his criminal records for platinum ones. Bari followed Jelly Roll throughout the fall of 2022 to tell a story that critics have called “emotionally driven and absolutely gripping.” She collaborated with a very talented creative team of mostly women including ABC News Studios EP Claire Weinraub and Senior Entertainment Producer Monica Escobedo, DP Mary Stamm-Clarke, Producer Netsanet Negussie, Story Producer Kyle Cadotte, and APs Yi Xie and Susan Shea. Learn more.
Women and Hollywood has launched a new podcast, In Her Voice which takes people behind the scenes with women filmmakers, actors, producers and others for an intimate look at the creative process. The podcast also covers the latest entertainment news and issues that focus on women and non-binary creatives. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Music.
Cherry, a feature film by NYWIFT Member Sophie Galibert, is now available to watch on multiple major streaming platforms. A driftless and uncommitted 25-year-old in Los Angeles discovers she has only 24 hours to make one of the most consequential decisions of her life, what to do about an unplanned pregnancy. Fired from her menial job at a costume shop, she putters around town, looking for insight from her boyfriend, friends, and family. Instead, she is constantly challenged and confronted with what it looks like to finally face adulthood and how others view her as constantly running away from it. Watch now.
The SR Socially Relevant Film Festival NY online section has been extended through May 31. SRFFNY is a film festival that focuses on socially relevant film content, and human interest stories that raise awareness to social problems and offer positive solutions through the powerful medium of cinema. SR believes that through raised awareness, expanded knowledge about diverse cultures, and the human condition as a whole, it is possible to create a better world free of violence, hate, and crime. Learn more and purchase tickets.
NYWIFT Member Joanna Rudolph recently sat down for a conversation for the podcast Just Screen It. The episode features Joanna discussing her experience self-releasing the indie feature film Burning Annie with producer Randy Mack. Burning Annie tells the story of a college student, obsessed with the Woody Allen movie, Annie Hall, trying to navigate the waters of romance and friendship. Learn more and listen.
Now, Let’s Talk! The Podcast with NYWIFT Members Vanessa Corwin and Kathleen Kaan has a new episode available to stream. “There Is a Home for Filmmakers in Brooklyn” features NYWIFT Board Member Emelyn Stuart – an indie film producer and the first Black Latina to own a movie theater. Emelyn sits down to discuss her journey to success. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Google Podcasts.
NYWIFT Board Member Audrey Rosenberg was recently interviewed for the podcast She’s Big Time Now. Audrey Rosenberg is a Peabody award-winning and Emmy nominated producer who has dedicated her career to using storytelling to create social change. In this episode, Audrey talks about how self-awareness and collaboration have played a role in her success, where her passion for social change comes from and how it motivates her work, and why networking and staying authentic are critical for success. Listen now.
The Couple Next Door, a short film directed by NYWIFT Member Abbesi Akhamie, is streaming on The Criterion Channel. A single woman’s feelings of loneliness begin to stir when an eccentric African couple moves in to her building. The was also a part of the Women Calling the Shots showcase at Hamptons International Film Festival in 2021. Watch now.
LIT Video Books is offering NYWIFT Members free access to the video book Unapologetically Ambitious by Shellye Archambeau. LIT turns bestselling nonfiction books into 1-hour, highly produced videobooks that feature the author, expert interviews, animation, live action & more to make reading as entertaining as watching a movie. Full of empowering wisdom from one of Silicon Valley’s first female African American CEOs, this inspiring leadership book offers a blueprint for how to achieve your personal and professional goals. Shellye Archambeau recounts how she overcame the challenges she faced as a young black woman, wife, and mother, managing her personal and professional responsibilities while climbing the ranks at IBM and subsequently in her roles as CEO. The book was named a Best Business Book of 2020 by Fortune and Bloomberg.
Access the free video book: Unapologetically Ambitious Videobook
1. Click ‘Buy’ button
2. Go to your cart to check out to create an account
3. Enter code NYWIFT at checkout. Codes are limited and are first-come first-serve.
Join MUBI for a free 30-day trial and watch their newest release – Léa Mysius’s The Five Devils. Vicky has a mysterious gift: she can recreate any scent she comes across, even that of her beloved mother Joanne. When her estranged aunt suddenly returns to town, the invocation of her fragrance plunges the young girl back in time to unravel a past replete with family secrets and queer romance. Starring Palme d’Or winner Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Colour), this spellbinding Fantastic Fest selection forges an unforgettable supernatural fable out of family secrets and queer romance. Watch the trailer and sign up to watch the film.
Launching 2023, Climate ChangeTheatR brings the joy of puppets and music to the very immediate and serious topic of climate change. Filmmaker and NYWIFT Member Nancy Cohen-koan and Composer Dave Ogrin illuminate the growing problems of peril to our planet through the performances of singing, homemade puppets. Tongue-in-cheek and often ironic, these quick TikTok and Instagram vignettes illustrate the growing issues on our planet and offer solutions on how to deal with them through the antics of characters from Moses and Pharoah to Barbie and Ken. Please help CCT by following their show and practicing green think. Follow them on TikTok and Instagram.
We Don’t Dance for Nothing, produced by NYWIFT Member Huilin Katrina Chen, is now streaming on Prime Video, Tubi in the US, and Vimeo on Demand worldwide. We Don’t Dance for Nothing is an experimental doc and a photo-montage love letter to the Filipina Domestic Workers of Hong Kong. This visual recreation of true memories shared by this community of 400,000 women (millions globally) follows one woman’s plan to run away. Captured on Super-16 amidst Hong Kong Protests, it blends stills with motions to highlight the passionate Street Dancing of these marginalized women, and touch upon LGBTQ+ themes, issues of Workers’ Rights, and Hong Kong’s changing political landscape.
Strangers to Peace, a documentary from NYWIFT Member Laura Angel Rengifo, is now available to stream on AT&T U-Verse, DirecTV, Dish Network, Amazon, iTunes, Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play, and YouTube Movies. This documentary takes viewers on a journey to Colombia and delves into the stories of three former child soldiers as they attempt to rebuild their lives after leaving the Colombian Conflict. The film received the NYWIFT Excellency in Documentary Directing Award at the New York Latino Film Festival. Learn more and stream the film.
The pilot episode of Drama Mama News, a new web series from NYWIFT member Cathleen Campbell is now on YouTube. Drama Mama News takes a serious and satirical look at today’s issues from a Black woman’s point-of-view. This show isn’t only for Black women: It’s thought-provoking, funny and inspiring. Watch now. Cathleen is currently crowdfunding for the web series – see more information in the Crowdfunding section below.
Move When the Spirit Says Move: The Legacy of Dorothy Foreman Cotton, a film from NYWIFT Member Deborah C. Hoard, will have its world premiere at the Pan African Film Festival in LA. Dorothy Foreman Cotton was a bold and highly effective civil rights leader, who educated thousands in their citizenship rights and inspired generations of activists with her powerful freedom songs. The only woman on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s executive staff, Dorothy was a charismatic, courageous and consistently overlooked key player in the Civil Rights Movement, whose freedom schools, freedom songs and inspiring messages of the power within us all are profoundly needed today. Learn more.
NYWIFT Member Lisa Romagnoli‘s short film How To Open A Clam, is now streaming online. The film, after completing its 2021-22 festival run, during which it played at the Woods Hole Film Festival, the Coney Island Film Festival, the New Faces New Voices Festival, and was a semi-finalist in the Rhode Island International Film Festival is on Vimeo. This comedic drama is about a young man (Adam) and his two friends, who are on a weekend beach trip at Adam’s family house. But after a clamming expedition, Adam becomes frustrated by his inability to open a clam, and his growing obsession threatens to destroy friendships. Watch now.
NYWIFT Member Kristin Reiber Harris is the recipient of a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts. The grant will fund Reiber Harris’s Life’s in the Balance – a series of drawings documenting various ecosystems in a New York City Park. These new drawings will be a continuation of the body of work she has created for over 50 years to celebrate and explore the interdependence of all life, all in the context of sacred geometry. Reiber Harris has her work available for purchase on Amazon and Artsy. Learn more.
How My Grandmother Won WWII, a 6-part podcast series from NYWIFT Member Enid Zentelis, is now streaming everywhere you find podcasts. A granddaughter’s journey to discover the truth about her Hungarian Jewish grandmother’s covert work for the British Special Operations during WWII. What does it look like when fascism turns your country upside down? How do you fight bigotry and hatred when hopelessness and apathy have set in? Learn more and listen now.
Nkosi Eclipsed, a short documentary from NYWIFT Members Candice Delevante and Tamara Daley, is now available to stream via PZAZ.TV. The documentary follows the saga of Nkosi Gray-El, and his journey before, throughout, and after incarceration. By rediscovering an early childhood practice, Nkosi uses yoga to help his fellow inmates endure intense physical, mental, and emotional suffering behind bars. Learn more.
A brand-new, special episode of podcast I Was Never There is available to stream! In this series, take a trip into the countercultural movements swirling through West Virginia in the 1970s and 80s. NYWIFT Advisory Board President Jamie Zelermyer and her mother Karen investigate the shocking disappearance of their friend Marsha “Mudd” Ferber and explore her evolution from suburban housewife to back-to-the-land hippie to drug-dealing bar owner. As mother and daughter venture deeper into the mystery of Marsha’s disappearance, the two process their own history: Jamie reflects on her nontraditional upbringing and Karen reckons with the joyful and complicated consequences of her decisions. Listen now.
Around the Sun Podcast, co-produced by NYWIFT member Suzanne Ordas Curry, is available to stream. Looking for something new to listen to? How about a series of fun, engaging and thought-provoking short stories? Around the Sun Podcast, the popular podcast series is back for a second season starting October 2022 with new episodes throughout the fall. It stars iconic and well-known actors from stage and screen. Created by Brad Forenza and presented via the Broadway Podcast Network, you’ll hear fictional stories (under 10 minutes) about love, relationships, coming of age, identity, retirement, life choices, sustainability, and even a few aliens. Learn more and listen.
The Tollbooth, a film by NYWIFT Member Debra Kirschner, is now streaming on Tubi. The film follows a struggling painter as she makes her way through her first year out of art school in this comic exploration of a Jewish family’s life in Brooklyn. Watch now.
Monk Arsenije, directed by NYWIFT Svetlana Cemin, is streaming on Prime Video UK. Monk Arsenije, once a Belgradian cult figure from the ’80s who has been living as a monk for the past 30 years, is engaged in restoring and creating a spiritual and cultural center in the Monastery of Ribnica, central Serbia. Watch the film now. Svetlana was recently interviewed about the film at the Swedish International Film Festival. Listen now. Adam Fuss: A Landscape of Imagination, another film directed by Svetlana, is currently available to stream on Prime Video in both the UK and US!
NYWIFT Board Member Okema T. Moore recently ran creative and directed the new HERTAKE commercial for Lifetime. The commercial, airing on Lifetime for Hispanic Heritage Month, features art therapist Athena Castillo, and was produced by Octavia Pride for HollandWest Productions. Watch now.
A new episode of Mentors on the Mic, a podcast hosted by NYWIFT Member Michelle Miller, is now streaming. For the latest episode Michelle sits down with filmmaker Winter Dunn. Winter Dunn is an award winning producer, director and actress. She produced Numa Perrier’s debut feature film, Jezebel which premiered at SXSW 2019 and was awarded Best Narrative Feature at the American Black Film Festival that same year. Jezebel has been acquired by Ava DuVernay and is currently streaming on Netflix. Plus, NYWIFT screened Dunn’s short film Dear Mama at the Hamptons Film Festival Women Calling the Shots showcase earlier this month. Listen now.
Black Public Media presents their new short film series Be Heard: I Am Who I Say I Am. Commemorate LGBTQ History Month by watching the 3 part mini-series which explores stories around gender identity and affirmation. Whether you’re new to understanding the nuances of gender identity or have been advocating gender affirmation for years, check out BPM’s new short film series celebrating three feel-good stories of gender affirmation. The series is one of many BPM programs leading up to Transgender Awareness Week. Watch now on YouTube.
In Fidelity, a feature film executive produced by and starring NYWIFT Member Eve Austin, has cast Chris Parnell, Cara Buono, Dennis Haysbert in lead roles. Rob Margolies’ New York-set film follows a happily married husband who permits his terminally ill wife to sleep with their rock star neighbor. Read the Hollywood Reporter article
NYWIFT Member Jean Criss was recently interviewed for The Burn Podcast. Each week, April Stearns and the writers of Wildfire Magazine share their experiences of being diagnosed with breast cancer under 50. The Burn is about telling cancer stories like you’ve never read, or heard, before. Jean Criss is an author, digital media entrepreneur, festival and multimedia producer, tech innovator, post-surgical fashion designer, and a certified bra fitter. She was diagnosed with both Stage 0 and Stage 1 ductal breast cancer in her mid-40s. Since treatment, 15 years ago, Jean has had no evidence of disease. Today she reads her piece “My Million Dollar Boobs Led to a Million Words” from Wildfire Magazine’s 2022 “Money and Cancer” issue. April and Jean discuss transforming from patient to owning your own voice by sharing your story, advice for people who don’t consider themselves writers, and Jean’s entrepreneurial work turning pain into purpose by creating a line of post breast surgery bras. Learn more and listen now.
Hell of a Cruise, produced by NYWIFT Board Member Gretchen McGowan, is streaming on Peacock. The documentary feature tells the harrowing tale of a cursed cruise ship in the early days of COVID-19, from frightened passengers and an oppressed crew to venal corporate powerbrokers and hapless government officials. Watch now.
The African Desperate is now screening in select NYC theaters and is available to stream on MUBI. The riotous coming-of-age comedy from acclaimed artist Martine Syms, tracks one very long day for Palace Bryant (Diamond Stingily), a newly minted MFA grad whose final 24 hours in art school become a real trip. Through a hazy night-long odyssey from academic critiques to backseat hookups, The African Desperate sparkles with razor-sharp satire and vivid aesthetic invention. The film is currently screening at BAM and Quad Cinema in NYC. Learn more and watch now.
The Only Woman In The World, by NYWIFT Member Debra Markowitz, is now available on Amazon Prime Video. The film follows an up-and-coming film director who is torn between forgiving the lover who broke her heart and risking it all for her leading man. Watch now.
From first-time filmmaker and New Orleans native Edward Buckles, Jr., Katrina Babies offers an intimate look at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and its impact on the youth of New Orleans. NYWIFT Board Member Audrey Rosenberg produced the Tribeca Festival award-winning film, which is now available to watch on HBO Max.
Sixteen years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, an entire generation still grapples with the lifelong impact of having their childhood redefined by tragedy. New Orleans filmmaker Edward Buckles Jr., who was 13 years old during Katrina and its initial aftermath, spent seven years documenting the stories of his peers who survived the storm as children, using his community’s tradition of oral storytelling to open a door for healing and to capture the strength and spirit of his city. Katrina Babies details the close-knit families and vibrant communities of New Orleans whose lives were uprooted by the 2005 disaster. These American children who were airlifted out of the rising waters, evacuated from their homes to refugee-like centers, or placed in makeshift, temporary living situations, have been neglected. As families were tasked with reintegrating into new communities, having experienced loss, displacement, and lack of support from government officials, the children were left to process their trauma in a wounded, fractured city.
Now Let’s Talk Podcast, hosted by NYWIFT Members Vanessa Cordova-Corwin and Kathleen Kaan, has a new episode available to stream. Don’t miss this special episode, “Everything You Need to Know About Monkeypox.” Jason Cianciotto, VP of Communications and Public Policy for Gay Men’s Health Crisis, provides a comprehensive overview of this disease and explains all aspects of this public health emergency, including how to protect yourself and what to do if you think you have been exposed. Jason has also appeared on CNN and other news outlets. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, anchor.fm, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. Listen now.
The second season of Only Murders in the Building is now streaming on Hulu. Only Murders in the Building follows three strangers (Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. When a grisly death occurs inside their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building, the trio suspects murder and employs their precise knowledge of true crime to investigate the truth. Former NYWIFT Board Member Destiny Lilly served as a casting director on the new season. Watch on Hulu.
Andrea Dworkin: INTERVIEWS is available to watch on YouTube. The series of interviews with feminist icon, Andrea Dworkin, was produced, directed, and edited by NYWIFT Member Roberta Pyzel. Dworkin challenges us to rethink our most deeply imbedded ideas about the hierarchies of domination and submission that infuse our sexual, social and economic relationships. Her courageous commitment to elevating the voices of people, especially women, who are suffering, was born out of a deep compassion and a belief that another kind of world is possible… a world that disavows cruelty and embraces a truly egalitarian society. Watch now.
Slayer, a short film from NYWIFT Member Eileen McQueen, is available to watch on YouTube. Three friends, a shortcut, and a monster – Teesh, Monet and Yuko, give up on the bus and take a shortcut through Forest Park in Queens, NYC and they are determined to get to the other side, no matter WHAT gets in their way. Watch now.
Being Bebe, directed by NYWIFT Member Emily Branham, is now available to stream on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video. Just in time for PRIDE, the award-winning doc film Being Bebe captures the incredible rise of the first ever winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race: the legendary BeBe Zahara Benet. The film intimately charts 15 years for the drag performer, an immigrant from homophobic Cameroon, first champion on iconic LGBTQ+ reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race and a leading artist celebrating Queer Black Excellence today. Learn more and watch.
Drown the Clown, starring NYWIFT Member Amy Renée Garcia, is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Claire Sable (Amy Renée Garcia), who recently lost her daughter, Lily, in a drowning accident, struggles to cope and insists on preserving her daughter’s belongings; however, when Lily’s clown doll begins popping up in several places, Claire is spooked. For her performance in the film, Amy was awarded Best Actress in a Feature Film Award from the Culver City Film Festival (2020.) Watch now.
The Courtney Harmel Collection has been featured in the Global Image Works newsletter. Video artist, filmmaker and NYWIFT Member Courtney Harmel was a key player in New York’s downtown video scene, producing work that documented the ‘No Wave’ retail and performance culture of the mid-1980s. The performers and artists in her work include Joey Arias, Charles Busch, Alexis del Lago, Divine, John “Lypsinka” Epperson, Tony Frere, Keith Haring, Grace Jones, John Kelly, Tanya Ransom, Gerard Little, Ann Magnuson, Wendy Wild, John Sex, Andy Warhol, and Madonna. A program of her videos of performance and fashion from the 1980s in downtown New York was in the Club 57exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. Her work is in the museum’s permanent collection. Learn more.
Sneakerella, executive produced by NYWIFT Board Member Rachel Watanabe-Batton, will be available to stream on Disney+ next month! The movie, set in the avant-garde street/sneaker culture of New York City, follows El, an aspiring designer from Queens who works as a stock boy in the shoe store once owned by his late mother. With an overburdened stepfather and two mean-spirited stepbrothers coming between any opportunity that comes his way, a chance meeting with Kira King, the daughter of former NBA star/sneaker tycoon Darius King, may be the spark that ignites El as they bond over their shared love of sneakers. With help from his best friend and some “fairy godfather” magic, El finds the courage to pursue his dream. Sneakerella drops Friday, May 13 on Disney+. Watch the trailer.
Lucy and Desi, a new documentary directed by Amy Poehler, is now streaming on Prime Video. Lucy and Desi explores the unlikely partnership and enduring legacy of one of the most prolific power couples in entertainment history. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz risked everything to be together. Their love for each other led to the most influential show in the history of television, I Love Lucy. The documentary features interviews with Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, Norman Lear, Desi Arnaz Jr., Carol Burnett, and Bette Midler. NYWIFT Member Michele Spitz sponsored and produced the audio-description, and NYWIFT member Sara Bernstein was Executive Producer on the film. Watch the film.
Asking For It is now available on all major streaming and VOD platforms. After a small town waitress is sexually assaulted on a date, she meets Regina and Beatrice and is recruited into their vigilante group of badass women. Together they strive to take down a society overpowered by corrupt men and seek the ultimate revenge while getting their own version of justice. Asking For It was recently given the ReFrame Stamp, a distinction for projects that have demonstrated gender-balanced hiring. NYWIFT member Jendra Jarnagin was cinematographer on the film. Watch the trailer.
NYWIFT Member Nancy Cohen‘s new short play The Best is Yet To Come or Else is available to watch through the Library Equity Theatre of New York and on YouTube. The play, which Nancy wrote many years ago, was accepting to Library Equity’s Winter 2022 Virtual Play Festival and was shot in a few weeks at Nancy’s local pub. The short play stars fellow NYWIFT member Olivia Welch – who Nancy found and cast through the NYWIFT Member Directory! Watch the short play and make sure to check out the NYWIFT Member Directory whenever you’re looking to hire or connect.
