NYWIFT Blog

NYWIFT Member Screening: You Resemble Me

Join us for November's in-person NYWIFT Member Screening of the narrative feature You Resemble Me, followed by a reception and Q&A with the creative team.

Cultural and intergenerational trauma erupt in this story about two sisters on the outskirts of Paris. After the siblings are torn apart, the eldest, Hasna, struggles to find her identity, leading to a choice that shocks the world.

NYWIFT Member Screening: Triple Threat

Join us for October's in-person NYWIFT Member Screening of the narrative feature Triple Threat, co-presented by The LGBT Community Center. The screening will be preceded by a reception and followed by a Q&A with the creative team.

Dreams of Broadway stardom meet the realities of adulthood in Triple Threat, the story of three long-time friends whose shared vision for success is jeopardized as each decides what’s most important in life—and how to achieve it. Bursting with vibrant original music and a distinctly Millennial vibe, this film is for every theater kid yearning to make it big, every family bonded by friendship and anyone who’s ever put it all on the line to realize their dreams.

NYWIFT Member Screening: The Bengali

An unlikely quest takes an African-American woman from New Orleans across deep divides of culture to India, in search of her family’s past. Her journey sparks a boldly different encounter between East and West. As she searches for the truth in the tales she grew up with, a surprising story unfolds of the first South Asians in the U.S. who married African-American women. It evokes the richness and wonder of families stretching across time and place, looking for where they come from.

NYWIFT Member Screening: In the Moon’s Shadow

Join us for this month’s virtual NYWIFT Member Screening of the comedic drama In the Moon's Shadow, which is fiscally sponsored by NYWIFT. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers moderated by NYWIFT Special Projects and Finance Associate Easmanie Michel. 

In response to her estranged sister Karen’s plea, Lisa joins her at their family cottage on a lake in Maine. They then find themselves on a journey to the Sand Hills of Nebraska to witness a rare northern hemisphere total eclipse of the sun. Karen’s deceased husband Tom, was an “eclipse chaser” her estranged daughter-in-law Emily, requests she bring her father’s ashes to the eclipse.

NYWIFT Member Screening: When We Were Apollo

Join us for this month’s virtual NYWIFT Member Screening of the documentary When We Were Apollo, produced by NYWIFT member Giovanna Aguilar and directed by Zach Weil. The film shines a light on the massive - and diverse - workforce behind the Apollo Space Program.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers moderated by NYWIFT Community Engagement Director Katie Chambers. 

NYWIFT Member Screening: Mama Gloria

Join us for this month’s virtual NYWIFT Member Screening of Luchina Fisher's documentary Mama Gloria, produced by member Zainab Ali, in recognition of Transgender Awareness Week. Mama Gloria is an intimate profile of Gloria Allen, a trailblazing 75-year-old Black transgender activist who started a charm school for homeless trans youth in Chicago and is now aging with joy and grace. It is the story of a mother’s love — the love that Gloria’s mother had for her and the love that Gloria has for her chosen children. And it is driven by the love that director Luchina Fisher has for her daughter, Gia.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the creative team and renowned transgender activist Gloria Allen, moderated by NYWIFT Board Member Leslie Fields-Cruz.

NYWIFT Member Screening: When We Grow Up and No Crystal Stair

Join us for this month’s virtual NYWIFT Member Screening of Cathleen Campbell's dramatic short Langston Hughes' "No Crystal Stair" and Grace Hannoy's feature dramedy When We Grow Up — two films that explore family and parenthood in unique ways.

Watch the films any time Thursday, September 23rd at 3 PM through Monday, September 27th at 11:59 PM, then watch the pre-recorded Q&A with the filmmakers, moderated by NYWIFT Community Engagement Director Katie Chambers.

NYWIFT Member Screening: Darcy and Keep Your Head Up, Sweet Pea!

Join us for this month’s virtual NYWIFT Member Screening of two coming-of-age stories: the narrative short Keep Your Head Up, Sweet Pea! and dramatic feature Darcy, followed by a Q&A with mother-daughter filmmaking duo Heidi Philipsen Meissner and Sophie Meissner. 

NYWIFT Member Screening: C/O Kancharapalem

Join us for this month’s virtual NYWIFT Member Screening of the narrative feature C/O Kancharapalem, produced by and starring NYWIFT member Praveena Paruchuri. The film weaves together several multi-generational love stories in the small town of Kancharapalem, India. 

The film was one-of-a-kind in the studio- and star-driven South Indian film industry. Independently produced by Paruchuri, it was shot on location with all of the cast of 80 "actors" selected from the residents of the village itself after a month-long workshop.

NYWIFT Member Screening: There She Is

Join us for this month’s virtual NYWIFT Member Screening of Tracey Anarella's documentary feature, There She Is, which explores the confluence of beauty pageants and feminism in the #MeToo era. It explores the "who" and "why" of women in beauty pageants, emphasizing the #MeToo era. It examines the “good” (developmentally disabled and LGBTQ pageants), “bad” (exploitive pageants), and the really “ugly” (child pageants).

Screen the film over the weekend then join us for a Q&A with director/producer Tracey Anarella moderated by NYWIFT Community Engagement Director Katie Chambers.

NYWIFT Member Screening: The Dilemma of Desire

Join us for this month’s virtual NYWIFT Member Screening of Maria Finitzo's documentary feature, The Dilemma of Desire, which explores the work of four women who are shattering myths and lies about female sexual desire, bodies and - ultimately - power. 

The film will be available to all who register to view via an exclusive link at any time throughout the weekend of May 20, 2021.

Then, join us for a special Q&A with the director and subjects on Zoom moderated by writer, comedian, and podcaster Jourdain Searles.

NYWIFT Member Screening: No Fear No Favor

Join us for this month’s FREE virtual NYWIFT Member Screening as we honor Earth Day with Mirra Bank's documentary feature, No Fear No Favor, about African communities fighting the poaching crisis by protecting their wildlife for future generations.

Watch the films any time Thursday, April 22 at 3 PM through Monday, April 26, then join us for a Q&A with Mirra Bank moderated by acclaimed wildlife journalist Peter Canby.

NYWIFT Member Screening: Social Impact Shorts Program

Women filmmakers throughout history have often been at the forefront of advancing social change.

Join us for this month’s virtual NYWIFT Member Screening as we honor Women's History Month with our special Social Impact Shorts Program, showcasing nine short films by our members from a variety of genres, each of which raises awareness for a different social issue in its own unique way. 

The films will be available to all who register to view via an exclusive link at any time throughout the weekend of March 25th. Then, join us for a special Q&A with the filmmakers on Zoom on Monday the 29th.

NYWIFT Member Screening: before/during/after

Join us for February's virtual NYWIFT Member Screening of before/during /after, a narrative feature produced, written by, and starring member Finnerty Steeves and executive produced by NYWIFT Board President Jamie Zelermyer.

before / during / after is the story of Jennie Lonergan, a middle-aged NYC theatre actress who is forced to figure out the kind of person she wants to be when her seemingly perfect 15-year marriage comes to an abrupt end after she catches her husband having an affair.

Watch the film then attend a Q&A with the creative team, moderated by NYWIFT Community Engagement Director Katie Chambers.

NYWIFT Member Screening: Making the Impossible Possible

Join us for January's virtual NYWIFT Member Screening of Tami Gold and Pam Sporn's short documentary Making the Impossible Possible, which tells the untold story of the student led struggle to win Puerto Rican Studies at Brooklyn College, CUNY, in the late 1960’s.

Watch the film: Any time Thursday, January 14 at 3 PM through Tuesday, January 19 at 5 PM

Join the Q&A: Tuesday, January 19 at 5 PM EST

The film will be available to all who register to view via an exclusive link at any time throughout the weekend of January 14. Then, join us for a special Q&A with the producers on Zoom, moderated by NYWIFT Board Member Rachel Watanabe-Batton.

NYWIFT Member Screening: Illusions

Join us for this month’s virtual NYWIFT Member Screening of NYWIFT Muse honoree Julie Dash's groundbreaking narrative short film, Illusions, which was preserved with support from the NYWIFT Women's Film Preservation Fund.  

The film will be available to all who register to view via an exclusive link at any time throughout the weekend of November 5th. Then, join us for a special Q&A Jillian Borders (UCLA) and Michelle Materre (The New School) on Zoom, during which we will discuss the film's historical and cultural significance and gain insights into the film preservation process. 

NYWIFT Member Screening: Power to Heal

Join us for this month’s virtual NYWIFT Member Screening of the documentary feature Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution, produced by NYWIFT member Roberta Friedman.

Power to Heal is the untold story of how the twin struggles for racial justice and healthcare intersected: creating Medicare and desegregating thousands of hospitals at the same time.

The film will be available to all who register to view via an exclusive link at any time throughout the weekend of October 1st. Then, join us for a special Q&A with the producers on Zoom on Monday, October 5th, moderated by NYWIFT Board Member Kuye Youngblood.

This special NYWIFT Member Screening is free for all to attend.

NYWIFT Member Screening: Long Way from Home

Join us for this month’s virtual NYWIFT Member Screening of Kavery Kaul's documentary Long Way from Home. Hailed by historian Robin Kelley as “one of the most powerful and inspiring documentaries of our era,” in this moving and provocative story, three remarkable girls enter ninth grade at top schools steeped in bias towards race, class, and culture. Now coming upon its 10-year anniversary, the documentary speaks to the still unfulfilled need for cultural change.

The film will be available to all who register to view via an exclusive link at any time throughout the weekend of September 10th. Then, join us for a special Q&A with the filmmaker and one of the documentary subjects on Zoom on Monday, September 14th moderated by NYWIFT Board Member Rachel Watanabe-Batton.