NYWIFT Blog

NYWIFT Industry Screening: ‘Plan C’ at NYU

Join NYWIFT at NYU for an Industry Screening of Plan C, a documentary that features the Plan C campaign activists and providers who began to mail abortion pills during the pandemic, continuing their critically important work in the face of crumbling reproductive rights and access across the US. Screening will be followed by a discussion with director Tracy Droz Tragos, Professor of Law at University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School Kate Shaw, and NYU School of Law, Reproductive Justice Clinic Sarah Wheeler. Moderated by NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez.

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Presentation is Everything: Making Pitch Decks That Hook (NYWIFT Co-Presentation)

Join Film Fatales for an online workshop about Making Pitch Decks That Hook with Film Fatales member Jenny Deller (writer-director of Future Weather and producer of Claire in Motion).

In this workshop filmmaker and designer Jenny Deller will walk you through five simple steps to help you pre-visualize and pitch your film, music video or TV series. Come learn the latest ideas that are helping showrunners, directors and producers advance their projects and walk away with some basic concepts, design tips and resources to get your pitches off to a great start this spring.

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NYWIFT Co-Presents 2022 Gotham Week Conference: The Politics of Filmmaking in the U.S.

Join us on Wednesday, September 21st at 2:30pm ET for a co-presentation of 2022 Gotham Week Conference: The Politics of Filmmaking in the U.S. Featuring Oscar-nominated filmmaker Tia Lessin and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Emma Pildes, the directors of The Janes, to learn how they shaped the storytelling around the history of reproductive rights, and to discuss the tangible impact that documentary filmmaking can have on culture and law.

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NDI & NYWIFT Present: Representation Matters for Climate Justice

Join the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and NYWIFT for this incredible panel that will focus on addressing the power imbalances and gender gap in politics and the media caused by excluding and biased representation. These often male-dominated mechanisms - e.g. media production hiring practices and party candidate selection committees - mean that women are shut out of the storytelling and policymaking processes, therefore they are not in control of their own narrative and empowerment.

A globally representative panel of political leaders, media experts and producers will be asked to discuss why representation matters, and provide examples of initiatives across the media and politics which promote a more diverse and intersectional environment. Speakers include Lydia Dean Pilcher (Film Producer & Co-Founder PGA Green), Rachel Lears (Jubilee Films), Emily Wanja (Impact Producer), and Mwanahamisi Singano (Women's Environment and Development Organization).

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The Business of Adaptations for Film and TV – Fall 2021

Savvy industry professionals love to leverage their time and efforts by capitalizing on a story that can be adapted into many forms.

Learn from this experienced panel of agents, attorneys, managers, producers, and writers about ways to locate common sources for your story or script and the power and pitfalls of working with adaptations for your project.

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NYWIFT Industry Screening + Q&A: ‘Holler’

Hoping to pay for college, a determined young woman lands a dangerous job working in a scrap metal yard during a brutal winter. With her goal in sight, she soon finds herself torn between a promising future and the family she would leave behind.

Join NYWIFT for a screening of Holler followed by a Q&A with Writer / Director, Nicole Riegel. Moderated by NYWIFT Board Member, Joyce Pierpoline.

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NYWIFT Industry Screening: ‘Julia Scotti: Funny That Way’ Screening + Q&A

Decades ago, Julia Scotti performed as Rick Scotti, and appeared on bills with Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock. Now, the trans comedian returns to the stage as “the crazy old lady of comedy,” in this tender, funny, and triumphant comeback story.

Join NYWIFT for a screening of Julia Scotti: Funny That Way followed by a Q&A with Director & Producer, Susan Sandler and Comedian, Julia Scotti. Moderated by Tracy E. Gilchrist, Editor in chief of The Advocate 

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“Power Pitching Virtually and In-Person…,Every Time, Every Situation”

This workshop is all about pitching...whether it's for your services, an informational session, a networking event, or pitching your film/television project. What does it really take to make a powerful pitch? How can you make virtual pitching as powerful as in-person? What are the pitfalls to avoid at all cost? How can you master the art of pitching with your own style, personality and brand?

Certified Career Coach/Talent Agent Consultant/NYWIFT member Jim Arnoff will give you the career coach's top tips for pitching with conviction and results

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NYWIFT Talks with Provincetown Film Society’s Blythe Frank and Lisa Viola

On this week's NYWIFT Talks, join us for a conversation with Executive Producer of Provincetown Film Society, Blythe Frank Artistic Director, Lisa Viola to discuss this year's Provincetown Film Festival taking place from June 16-25. We will be discussing the festivals shift from in-person to virtual to multidimensional as they take on a hybrid approach this year and how the global pandemic affected the festival.

This conversation will be moderated by NYWIFT Board Member, Gretchen McGowan.

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NYWIFT Talks & In Creative Company Discuss Current/Future State of Film Industry in NYC with Lesli Klainberg and Eugene Hernandez

On this week’s NYWIFT Talks, we discuss NYFF 2021, Film at Lincoln Center Virtual Cinema, and what to expect from the current/future state of film in NY and the industry. Panelists include Lesli Klainberg (Executive Director of Film at Lincoln Center) and Eugene Hernandez (Director of the New York Film Festival and Publisher of Film Comment at Film at Lincoln Center).

The conversation will be moderated by Co-Founder and Head of Programming at In Creative Company Mara Webster.

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NYWIFT Industry Screening: ‘In the Same Breath’ Screening + Q&A

Join NYWIFT for a screening of In the Same Breath followed by a Q&A with Nanfu Wang (Director, Producer), NYWIFT Member Carolyn Hepburn (Producer), Jialing Zhang (Producer), Julie Goldman (Producer), and Christopher Clements (Producer).

In the Same Breath recounts the origin and spread of the novel coronavirus from the earliest days of the outbreak in Wuhan to it s rampage across the United States. In a deeply personal approach, Wang, who was born in China and now lives in the United States, explores the parallel campaigns of misinformation waged by leadership and the devastating impact on citizens of both countries.

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The Business of Adaptations for Film and TV – Spring 2021

Savvy industry professionals love to leverage their time and efforts by capitalizing on a story that can be adapted into many forms.

Learn from this experienced panel of agents, attorneys, managers, producers, and writers about ways to locate common sources for your story or script and the power and pitfalls of working with adaptations for your project.

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NYWIFT Talks: NYWIFT Goes to the Oscars: ‘Feeling Through’

Join NYWIFT for a screening of the Academy Award Nominee for Best Narrative Short, Feeling Through. Followed by a Q&A with 1st Assistant Director and NYWIFT Member, Catriona Rubenis-Stevens.

Feeling Through, the first film to star a DeafBlind actor, is a coming of age story that follows Tereek, a teen wandering the streets of New York, desperate for a place to crash when he encounters Artie, a DeafBlind man in need of help getting home. From an awkward meeting between strangers emerges an intimate bond, and a journey that forever changes Tereek.

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NYWIFT Talks: ReelAbilities Film Festival

On this week's NYWIFT Talks with ReelAbilities Director and Co-Founder Isaac Zablocki, Michele Spitz(Woman of Her Word), and Lisa Denker (filmmaker), we discuss the changes that ReelAbilities has instituted for the Disabled Community and what progress still needs to be made. We explore the ways movie theaters need to re-structure to accommodate ADA laws, how filmmakers are paving their way to Hollywood with their original stories, and what Reel Abilities offers for disabled filmmakers.

This conversation will be moderated by Executive Director at the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, Rachel Byrne.

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NYWIFT Talks: COVID-19 Compliance

On this week's NYWIFT Talks, we will discuss how COVID-19 has affected production life and the best practices for preparing for the on-set challenges COVID-19 presents.

Speakers include Producer Blair Breard. Moderated by NYWIFT Board Member Maria Miles.

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Virtual Theatrical Experience: 2021 S.W.A.N. (Support Women Artists Now) Day Screening – ‘Farewell Amor’

Join NYWIFT, SAG-AFTRA, FF2 Media, Women in the Arts & Media Coalition (WAMC), HerFlix, In Creative Company, Gotham and African-American Women in Cinema (AAWIC) for a screening of Farewell Amor in recognition of S.W.A.N. (Support Women Artists Now) Day, an annual event on the last Saturday of March that celebrates women artists. Followed by a Q&A with writer/director, NYWIFT Member Ekwa Msangi. Moderated by NYWIFT Board President Jamie Zelermyer.

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Fierce Women Podcasters Panel

Fierce Women Podcasters: A conversation with several women filmmakers of color and podcasters discussing emerging Afro-Latino voices in the United States who are working to create more visibility for their communities and experiences. In conversation with Rocio Mendez, Mercedes Illarraza, Grasie Mercedes, Ona Oghogho, Sola Adenekan, and Julissa Contreras

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NYWIFT Talks: The Writers Lab 2021

Join us for a conversation with the co-founders of The Writers Lab, Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon to discuss the 7th anniversary of the program, upcoming deadlines, lessons learned from women script writers over 40 and new and exciting opportunities. Moderated by NYWIFT Board President, Jamie Zelermyer.

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