NYWIFT Blog

NYWIFT Industry Screening + Q&A: ‘Bad Things’

Join NYWIFT for a virtual screening of Bad Things. Followed by a virtual conversation with director Stewart Thorndike, producer Lexi Tannenholtz, and production designer Amy Williams on Friday, October 27th. Moderated by NYWIFT Board Member Okema T. Moore.

When a group of friends escape the city to spend the weekend in an abandoned hotel, a pervading eerie energy begins to illuminate the cracks in their little family unit. Ruthie Nodd (Gayle Rankin) inherits the hotel from her grandmother and with bad childhood memories threatening to burst to the surface, Ruthie wants to sell the hotel and never return. But her partner Cal (Hari Nef) drags her there in the hopes of returning it to its former glory. They are joined by their amiable friend Maddie (Rad Pereira) and mysterious grifter Fran (Annabelle Dexter-Jones). As the friends dance, cook, flirt, and fight, they find themselves entwined in the hotel’s seductive embrace and start doing bad things to each other. 

The Business of Adaptations for Film and TV – Fall 2023

Join NYWIFT for the Fall 2023 Business of Adaptation Panel on Wednesday, October 18th from 6-8pm. Learn from this experienced panel about ways to locate common sources for your story or script and the power and pitfalls of working with adaptations for your project. Panelists include Lane Shefter Bishop, Mark DeGasperi, Maria C. Miles, Kelly Thomas, and Jill Michelle Williams. Moderated by Jennifer S. Wilkov.

NYWIFT Talks: AAPIHM 2023 – Stories that Represent Us & Continuing Forward

Join us as we celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a candid conversation about navigating the Writer's Strike in the midst of our momentum, about our representation in the US and the diaspora, and talk about telling stories that represent us. Let us explore how our cultures are represented here and abroad. While simultaneously discussing how our unique cinematic and nuanced cultural strategies impact our creative writing, directing and performances.

Speakers include Shruti Ganguly, Miranda Kwok, Martha Millan, and more panelists to be announced. Moderated by NYWIFT Board Member Sibyl Reymundo-Santiago.

How to Go Where Angels Fear to Tread: Fair Use of Copyright, Trademark and Rights of Publicity with Moses Singer LLP

Intellectual property experts from Moses Singer will explain the legally permissible ways in which producers can use copyrighted works, trademarks and names, likenesses and individual  personas without incurring liability for infringement. Elizabeth A. Corradino, David Rabinowitz and Toby Butterfield will address fair use of both copyrighted works and trademarks, and non-commercial or otherwise permissible references to famous (and non-famous) individuals. The panel will discuss the limits of these concepts, and ways to mitigate risk when relying on them.

NYWIFT 2022 Finance Institute: Day 2: Finance for Yourself

Welcome to the NYWIFT 2022 Finance Institute! Gain fresh insights from some of today’s leading experts in the industry and position your projects for optimum success. Hear from industry professionals who have successfully funded their projects, incorporated their businesses, and even learn about how to file taxes under your new business. During this three-part finance institute, panelists will provide insider perspectives and frank advice on what it takes to get your business started.

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).

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.

NYWIFT 2021 Finance Institute Day 3: Come Meet the Greenlighters!

Join us for this three-part virtual finance series to refine your business strategies.  Gain fresh insights from some of today’s leading experts in the industry and position your projects for optimum success. Hear from industry professionals who have successfully funded documentary and narrative projects. During this three-part finance institute, panelists will provide insider perspectives and...

NYWIFT 2021 Finance Institute Day 2: Creating Your Business Plan

Whether you are ready to start or still deciding what route to take, join us for a conversation on how to kickstart your project. Learn how to set your LLC, protect your script/film, form your production company, and how to successfully sell your project. We speak with leaders in the industry that can guide you on a path to success.

NYWIFT 2021 Finance Institute Day 1: The Anatomy of a Fundraising Campaign

Learn how to pitch with us! This panel will provide insight into how to successfully fund your project using real-world case studies. From creating a sample role to being your own advocate we’ll get in depth with how to make their next project a reality. This discussion will include Sini Anderson, Amber Sealey, Ekwa Msangi and Diane Paragas. This will be moderated by NYWIFT Board Member, Yvonne Russo. 

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 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Retirement Planning for Freelancers – April 2021

Join Certified Financial Planners, Gail Linn and William Fischer at Fortis Lux Financial (an office of MassMutual) for their workshop, Retirement Planning for Freelancers. They will inform about the key concepts needed to consider when it comes to saving for retirement, protection strategies, business transition, estate planning and more.

This event is FREE and open exclusively to NYWIFT members.

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.