NYWIFT Blog

NYWIFT Co-Hosts ‘Ride or Die’ at the 2025 Tribeca Festival

Join Tribeca Festival & NYWIFT as we proudly co-host screenings of Ride or Die, Co-Produced and Cast by NYWIFT Member Lois Drabkin!

When Paula (Briana Middleton), a young Midwesterner who dreams of a fresh start in California, runs into Sloane (Stella Everett), her secret high school crush who has her demons, the chemistry is electric. What starts as a casual reunion between two high school classmates quickly evolves into something deeper when they make a spontaneous decision to road-trip across the country together. However, unforeseen consequences make their journey more perilous, transforming their whirlwind romance into a tense thriller.

NYWIFT Co-Hosts ‘Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore’ at the 2025 Tribeca Festival

Join Tribeca Festival & NYWIFT as we proudly co-host screenings of Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, Executive Produced by NYWIFT Member Ruth Ann Harnisch!

In filmmaker, actress and writer Shoshannah Stern’s debut documentary, she explores the life of the most influential deaf actor of her generation, Marlee Matlin. Launching into the Hollywood stratosphere at age 19 with her Academy Award®-winning performance in Children of a Lesser God, Matlin became a household name with just one film under her belt. A richly deserved honor for her raw and immersive performance, the recognition also came with a tidal wave of responsibility and layered expectations from both the hearing and deaf communities that Matlin had to contend with while hiding painful secrets in her personal life. 

NYWIFT Co-Hosts ‘We Are Pat’ at the 2025 Tribeca Festival

Join Tribeca Festival & NYWIFT as we proudly co-host screenings of We Are Pat, NYWIFT Member Ruth Ann Harnisch!

Pat, the evasive, androgynous SNL character played byJulia Sweeney, was a ubiquitous presence in the pop culture ether of the 1990s. As a kid, filmmaker Ro Haber grappled with a strange obsession with Pat — a character whose popularity hinged on them making others wildly uncomfortable with their refusal to adhere to strict gender lines. Both time and their identity moved forward and yet, even as an adult, Haber’s preoccupation remained.

NYWIFT Co-Hosts ‘Maintenance Artist’ at the 2025 Tribeca Festival

Join Tribeca Festival & NYWIFT as we proudly co-host screenings of Maintenance Artist, directed, written, and produced by NYWIFT Member Toby Perl Freilich!

1979, New York City. At their work site, sanitation workers give their undivided attention to a woman who’s stopped by for a visit. They listen to her speak, but stand with their arms folded. “Good morning! My name is Mierle Laderman Ukeles. I’m a maintenance artist. I feel that you hold up the whole city in your hands with your unending work. I think it’s time for the public to hear what New York City feels like, from the side of the people that keep it alive, every single day.” With that, Ukeles initiated one of her most ambitious and socially-conscious works — pursuing the idea that acts of individual social maintenance, including sanitation work, could be deemed a form of performance art.

Behind the Lens: NYWIFT Filmmakers in Focus at Tribeca

Join NYWIFT in partnership with Kaufman Astoria Studios and NYC Mayor's Office in Media and Entertainment (MOME) for a lively conversation at Kaufman Astoria Studios showcasing the work of NYWIFT Members heading to Tribeca Festival 2025. Featuring Lois Drabkin (Co-Producer & Casting Director, Ride or Die), Susan Lacy (Director & Producer, Billy Joel: And So It Goes), Chantel Simpson (Director, A Drastic Tale), and Marcella Steingart (Producer, Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything). Moderated by NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez.

The Women’s Film Preservation Fund of NYWIFT at Restored and Rediscovered: A Film Preservation Festival

Join us on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, NY, for a day dedicated to celebrating restored cinematic treasures—both beloved classics and newly rediscovered gems. As part of the festival’s second edition, Restored and Rediscovered spotlights the importance of film preservation and the vital work of organizations like the Women’s Film Preservation Fund (WFPF) of New York Film & Television (NYWIFT).

NYWIFT at the 2025 Winter Film Festival: Fundraising Panel, Mixer, and Screening

Join NYWIFT at the 2025 Winter Film Festival!

Meet your fellow NYWIFT members at the 13th Annual Winter Film Festival and celebrate the work of NYC women filmmakers! NYWIFT is proud to co-present a panel on film fundraising and fiscal sponsorship, plus a networking mixer and film screening. 

NYWIFT & Great Point Studios Co-Present: NYWIFT Members at Sundance 2025

New York Women in Film & Television and Great Point Studios invite you to “NYWIFT On the Road to Sundance”. Join us for a lively conversation at Great Point Studio’s Yonkers location showcasing the work of NYWIFT Members heading to Sundance 2025. 

NYWIFT Co-Presents 2024 Breakthrough Director Award & Screening of “Daughters” at Hamptons Doc Fest

Join NYWIFT at the 2024 Hamptons Doc Fest for a co-presentation of the 2024 Breakthrough Director Award to Angela Patton and Natalie Rae and screening + Q&A of the film Daughters. Moderated by NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez.

Four young girls prepare for a special Daddy Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers, as part of a unique fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C. jail. For most of the daughters, the dance will be the only time they will be able to touch or hug their fathers during their sentences, some of which are as long as 20 years. The film won two awards in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival: Festival Favorite and Audience Choice.

NYWIFT Co-Presents Two Films at 2024 Urbanworld Festival

New York Women in Film & Television is proud to once again co-present several films at the Urbanworld Film Festival! Both films feature the work of NYWIFT members.

Hellenic Film Society x NYWIFT Co-Present ‘Fonissa (Murderess)’

Join Hellenic Film Society & NYWIFT as we proudly co-host a screening of Fonissa (Murderess) on October 12, 2024 at 6pm ET.

NYWIFT 2024 Hamptons Brunch & 20th Annual Short Film Showcase

NYWIFT is delighted to partner again with the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) for our Annual Brunch and co-present the Filmmakers Calling the Shots short film showcase – all in celebration of the outstanding achievements by women and nonbinary filmmakers at the festival. Join us on Saturday, October 5, 2024!

NYWIFT Co-Presents Films at the 47th Annual Asian American International Film Festival

New York Women in Film & Television is proud to co-present four films at the 47th Annual Asian American International Film Festival, which takes place August 1-11, 2024 in New York City and online.

This year's festival features a captivating array of films that delve into themes of love, relationships, grief, and complex emotions. In addition to a stellar lineup of films, the festival will feature exclusive panels, receptions, and VIP events, providing unique opportunities to connect with industry professionals and fellow film enthusiasts.

NYWIFT Co-Presents ‘Flower’ at UrbanWorld Film Festival 2023

NYWIFT is proud to co-present an in-person screening of Flower at the 2023 UrbanWorld Film Festival! Followed by an intimate conversation with featured performer and ballet legend Misty Copeland and executive producer Nelson George. Moderated by NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez.

In homage to Black silent films of the 1920s, filmmaker Lauren Finerman directs a poignant story about a young woman named Rose (Misty Copeland), who has had to place her dreams on hold to care for her mother, Gloria (Christina Johnson), living with dementia. A potent subtext to the film is the housing affordability crisis that's devastated the Bay Area. As Rose struggles to keep a roof over their heads, she watches the neighborhood around her fade away much like her mother's memory, until the mysterious Sterling (Babatunji Johnson) helps to highlight the power of community and the strength found through unity, bringing Rose renewed hope for the future.

NYWIFT Co-Presents NewFest 2023 Shorts: Women’s Night Out Remix

New York Women in Film & Television is delighted to join the 35th Annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival (NewFest) to co-present Shorts: Women's Night Out Remix on Friday, October 20th at 7:30pm ET. 

A surprising and sizzling collection of sapphic short films, all directed by women and nonbinary filmmakers — followed by NewFest's Women’s Night Out Party at SVA Theatre!