NYWIFT Blog

NYWIFT Women Who Dared Documentary Series, Week 6: “All In: The Fight for Democracy”

Join us for Week 6 of the NYWIFT Women Who Dared Documentary Series in partnership with International Documentary Association (IDA) and with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

All In: The Fight for Our Democracy is a riveting examination of voter suppression in the United States of America. The film weaves rich archival storytelling with the personal experiences of experts, activists, and would-be voters deprived of their rights. Watch the film: starting Friday, November 27th throughout the weekend. Then join us on Monday, November 30th at 1:30PM EST for a conversation with Lisa Cortes and Liz Garbus. Moderated by Marcia Rock, Director of News and Documentary, NYU Journalism 

NYWIFT Industry Screening: ‘Black Bear’ Screening + Q&A

Join us for a screening of Black Bear followed by a conversation with producer Julie Christeas.

Black Bear explores the complex nature of relationships, gender dynamics, and the erratic nature of love as it traces the conflict between our lust and our longing for internal harmony.

NYWIFT Industry Screening & Q&A: ‘Lost Girls’ with Liz Garbus, Amy Ryan, and Anne Carey

Join us for a screening of Lost Girlst followed by a conversation with director Liz Garbus, producer Anne Carey, and Academy Award nominated actress Amy Ryan.

Lost Girls When 24-year-old Shannan Gilbert mysteriously disappears one night, her mother Mari embarks on a dark journey that finds her face to face with hard truths about her daughter, herself, and police bias.

HBO & NYWIFT Present: NYWIFT Talks with ‘Crazy, Not Insane’ Producer Ophelia Harutyunyan

In this week’s NYWIFT Talks, join Producer Ophelia Harutyunyan for a Zoom conversation. We’ll focus on her new HBO Documentary Crazy, Not Insane, which airs on HBO on November 18, 2020.

Psychiatrist Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis has dedicated her career to the study of murderers, seeking answers to the question of why we kill. This provocative documentary explores, like a scientific detective story, Dr. Lewis’s lifelong attempts to look beyond the grisly details of homicides into the hearts and minds of the killers themselves.

NYWIFT Industry Screening: ‘Radium Girls’ + Q&A with Co-Directors Lydia Dean Pilcher, Ginny Mohler, and producer Emily McEvoy

Join us for a screening of Radium Girls followed by a conversation with Co-Directors Lydia Dean Pilcher,  Ginny Mohler, and producer Emily McEvoy

Based on true events, teenage sisters Bessie and Jo paint glow-in-the- dark watch dials at the American Radium Factory in 1920s New Jersey. When girls at the factory mysteriously begin to fall ill, Bessie uncovers a corporate scandal and fights back in a radical coming-of-age story.

(Screening Extended) NYWIFT Women Who Dared Documentary Series, Week 5: Truth to Power: Barbara Lee Speaks for Me

Join us for a screening of Truth to Power: Barbara Lee Speaks for Me followed by a conversation with Director Abby Ginzburg. Moderated by Cynthia Kane.

Truth to Power: Barbara Lee Speaks for Me tells the complex story of Representative Barbara Lee, a steadfast voice for human rights, peace and equality in the U.S. Congress for over two decades. An all-star cast share insights about what makes Barbara Lee unique as a public servant and as a truth-telling African American woman. 

NYWIFT Women Who Dared Documentary Series, Week 4: Without A Whisper

Join us for a screening of Without a Whisper - Konnon:Kwe followed by a conversation with Katsitsionni Fox, Mohawk Clan Mother Louise McDonald Herne, and Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner. Moderated by Carey Graeber.

Without A Whisper - Konnon:Kwe, uncovers the hidden history of the profound influence Indigenous women had on the beginnings of the women’s rights movement in the United States.

Free to attend. RSVP required.

NYWIFT Women Who Dared Documentary Series, Week 3: ‘And She Could Be Next’

Join us for a screening of Part 2 of And She Could Be Next followed by a conversation with directors Grace Lee, Marjan Safinia, and producer, Jyoti Sarda.

And She Could Be Next tells the story of a defiant movement of women of color, transforming politics from the ground up. The two-part series follows candidates and organizers across the country, asking whether democracy itself can be preserved—and made stronger—by those most marginalized. “Episode Two: Claiming Power” takes us to the weeks leading up to election day and focuses on how organizers combat voter suppression in their own communities.

IFP x NYWIFT Present: Mrs. America Panel

Join us on Tuesday, October 27 at 7pm EST for a conversation with the creative team behind Mrs. America Episode 3, “Shirley,” now streaming on FX on Hulu.

Dahvi Waller (Creator, EP, Showrunner, Writer), Micah Schraft (Co-EP/Writer), Tanya Barfield (Emmy-nominated producer and writer of Episode 3, “Shirley”) and 2020 Emmy Award-winner Uzo Aduba (“Shirley Chisholm”) will discuss capturing a pivotal moment in history on screen, their creative process working as a team, making a unique episode that fits into the series as a whole and the relationship between the creative team and the episode’s lead actress.

NewFest & NYWIFT Present: Filmmaker Virtual Roundtable

Hear from the narrative, documentary, and episodic filmmakers featured at NewFest this year as they discuss their work from funding to completion to the film festival landscape. Panelists include Hang Nguyen (director, Sideways Smile), Olivia Peace (director, Tahara), and Susan Sandler (director, Julia Scotti: Funny This Way).

Moderated by NYWIFT Program Manager Barbara Vásconez.

NYWIFT Industry Screening: ‘Once Upon A River’ Screening + Q&A with Director Haroula Rose

Join us for a virtual screening of Once Upon A River and a Q&A with Director Haroula Rose, Star Kenadi DelaCerna, and DP Charlotte Hornsby, moderated by NYWIFT Board Member Amenya Makuku.

Based on the best-selling novel by Bonnie Jo Campbell, ​Once Upon A River ​is the story of Native American teenager Margo Crane (DelaCerna) in 1970s rural Michigan who after enduring a series of traumas and tragedies, sets out on an odyssey on the Stark River in search of her estranged mother. On the water, Margo encounters friends, foes, wonders, and dangers; navigating life on her own, she comes to understand her potential, all while healing the wounds of her past.

NYWIFT Talks with Lauren Lake

In this week’s NYWIFT Talks, join the host of the Emmy-winning show Lauren Lake's Paternity Court. We’ll focus on Lauren's career in unscripted television and her activism for Women's Rights and Inclusion in Hollywood!

This conversation will be moderated by NYWIFT Board Member Maria C. Miles.

NYWIFT Talks are free for all to attend.

Webinar: The Business of Adaptations for Film and TV – Fall 2020

Agents, Hollywood producers and publishers are always searching for the next great story, but not all writers start from scratch. Oftentimes, ideas come from the things we see, read, write and hear. The challenge for many is how to transition these materials from their original form of a book, article, and story into a full-fledged...

IFC Films & NYWIFT Present: “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” Virtual Screening + Q&A with Director, Laura Gabbert

Join us for a virtual screening of "Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles" and a Q&A with Director Laura Gabbert. Moderated by Co-Founder and Head of Programming at In Creative Company Mara Webster.

NYWIFT Talks with Executive Director & Co-Head of Toronto Film Festival Joana Vicente

Join Executive Director & Co-Head of Toronto Film Festival Joana Vicente for a conversation with Award Winning Writer/Director and Founder of Iguana FilmsMaria Agui Carter!

This edition of NYWIFT Talks is free for all to attend.

HBO & NYWIFT Present: ‘Unpregnant’ Virtual Screening + Q&A with Director Rachel Lee Goldenberg

HBO & NYWIFT Present a Virtual Screening of Unpregnant followed by a Q&A with Director Rachel Lee Goldenberg moderated by NYWIFT Board President Jamie Zelermyer.

In Unpregnant, 17-year-old Veronica (Haley Lu Richardson) never thought she’d want to fail a test—that is, until she finds herself staring at a piece of plastic with a blue plus. With a promising college-bound future now disappearing before her eyes, Veronica considers a decision she never imagined she’d have to make. Filmmaker Rachel Lee Goldenberg is an Emmy® award-winning producer, director and writer.

NYWIFT Talks with HR Expert Joanna Giordano

This event will focus on the resume specifically. Yes, it is the P.I.T.A. that everyone avoids, but it is extremely important for application and selection at the top of the funnel. Even a warm network contact may ask for your resume to pass along. Join HR Expert Joanna Giordano for a conversation with NYWIFT Board President Jamie Zelermyer!

This edition of NYWIFT Talks is free for all to attend.

NYWIFT Talks with Julie Taymor & Kimberly Guerrero

Join 2007 NYWIFT Muse Honoree Julie Taymor to discuss her latest film, The Glorias, in our series NYWIFT Talks! Journalist, fighter, and feminist Gloria Steinem is an indelible icon known for her world-shaping activism, guidance of the revolutionary women’s movement, and writing that has impacted generations.

Taymor's film credits include Fool's Fire, Oedipus Rex, Frida, and countless others. Among her many theatre credits is her sensational Broadway adaptation of The Lion King.

This conversation will be moderated by NYWIFT Executive Director Cynthia Lopez. Free for all to attend.