New York Women in Film & Television will provide film production grants to El Pueblo vs. Austeridad / The People vs. Austerity and Coquito. The projects come from two of the 12 media making teams selected for Good Pitch Local Puerto Rico, where they pitched live from Puerto Rico via webcast to a group of advisors, with connections to non-governmental organizations, distributors, and foundations.
The winning films in the Dolby Institute x Ghetto Film School Filmmaker Finish the Script Challenge were screened late last month in separate events in Los Angeles and New York. The winners are Alejandra Araujo of Jamaica, New York for Shipped Out; Eleanor Cho of Artesia, California for Dinner is Ready; Antonio Salume of Mexico City, Mexico, and Amy B. Tiong of Waterbury, Connecticut for Take Care Zora; and Christian Osagiede of Los Angeles, California for Hunted.
Making a successful feature film is one of the most difficult things there is to do. Having adequate financing in place is just part of the challenge. Several other elements are just as critical including a good script, a talented cast and crew, a laundry list of sophisticated technology, decent weather, and a lot of luck. With a completed feature film in hand, a filmmaker still must find a company that shares a passion for that film and will agree to distribute it properly. For many successful independent filmmakers, that is where their job ends. But should it end there?
Whipped Sea and Abacus Media Rights have announced that the documentary feature Savage Waters will celebrate its World Premiere as the Opening Night Film at DocLands Documentary Film Festival in Marin County, California on May 5. The screening will be followed by a special Q&A. Savage Waters is directed by Mikey Corker (Beneath the Surface), produced by Ghislaine Couvillat (Girls Can’t Surf, Against the Tides, The Quest for the Wild) of Whipped Sea and edited by Emmy Award winning Editor Jordan Montminy (The 8th, A Courtship), with story consultation from BAFTA award winning Nic Guttridge (The Spy Who Fell to Earth, The Night Caller).
Tony Award winning actress Tonya Pinkins (Women of the Movement, Fear the Walking Dead) will premiere her directorial debut film Red Pill on April 1 at 7:30 pm in the Harlem Film House Metaverse. Director and producer Warrington Hudlin (House Party, Boomerang) will moderate a live Q&A with Pinkins following the screening.
New York CineFest will welcome dozens of independent films, short and feature length, to the inaugural year of the international film festival May 13-15 at the Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas in Chelsea. Films of all genres will be presented, including documentaries.
Return to the magic of big screen events with the New York International Children’s Film Festival, North America’s largest film festival for kids and teens, and celebrate their 25th annual festival in person. This year’s festival features screenings of exciting new animated, live action and documentary films for young audiences, plus filmmaker Q&As running now through March 19.
The Writers Lab U.S. has opened for submissions for its 2022 edition. Submissions of feature film and pilot scripts by women screenwriters forty years old and older are being accepted via Coverfly now for an in-person intensive to take place near New York City in November. The early deadline is March 10 and regular deadline is March 30. As the association New York Women in Film and Television is a co-founder of The Lab, all NYWIFT organization members get an exclusive discount on applications.
The Writers Lab Europe has received support from Fremantle and HBO Max, Nordic for the first virtual script development program of its kind for women over 40. Submissions are open now until February 7. The Writers Lab, produced by co-founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon, is the only program devoted exclusively to script development for women and non-binary writers over 40.
Rooftop Films is now accepting submissions for films to be screened during its 2022 summer series. The deadline to enter films is February 18.
