New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) has announced the dates and theme for the second annual New York Women in Film & Television Creative Workforce Summit. Set to take place virtually October 20-23, Documentary Makers, Industry, and Funders in Conversation will consist of keynote speakers, panels, and film screenings. The event aims to “bring together some of the most unique and diverse voices of women working in the entertainment industry to establish forward-moving strategies to create change and mobilize support and leadership for the future,” a press release details.
Keynote speakers include producer and past NYWIFT President Lavern Berry, MTV Networks exec producer Sheila Nevins, filmmaker and activist Abigail E. Disney, and Firelight Media President and Co-Founder Marcia Smith.
“This year the summit will be two-fold,” the release states: “first, celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. Set just a few weeks prior to the U.S. election, the event will look at how to inform, update, and galvanize women voters about the history in securing the right to vote and highlight women in politics that have pushed for the women’s rights and for the Equal Rights Amendment.” The summit will also “recognize the contributions made by female documentary filmmakers and their efforts to create social, cultural, and economic change in history, specifically addressing the opportunities and challenges filmmakers are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting financial crisis as well as the Black Lives Matter Movement.”
Panelists set to participate in the summit include Lisa Cortes and Liz Garbus (“All In: The Fight for Democracy”), Marjan Safinia (“And She Could Be Next”), and Dawn Porter (“John Lewis: Good Trouble”).
“Now more than ever women in the entertainment industry need to support each other as the industry faces critical hurdles in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, financial crisis, and the thriving Black Lives Matter Movement. We are energized to host this summit in spite of our current circumstances to continue to provide a collaborative platform that inspires content development,” said NYWIFT Executive Director Cynthia Lopez. “The role of female documentary filmmakers over the course of history and social conversation is incredibly noteworthy and we look forward to examining this topic in detail set against backdrop of the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment, a historic moment for women, and lacing together both discussions together at the summit.”
The press release also notes that NYWIFT is releasing digital advance copies of “New Women in Film & Television Creative Workforce Summit: Workplace Safety, Diversity & Inclusion, and Pay Equity,” a “68-page publication based on the first annual NYWIFT Summit by the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice.” The 2019 summit “addressed vital issues surrounding gender and pay gap, diversity/inclusion, and sexual harassment, and had over 175 film and television industry stakeholders in attendance. The publication, which was supported by the Ford Foundation, serves as a concise summary of the lessons learned, challenges identified, and targeted next steps from the summit. Given the radical shift in the industry in wake of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement, the publication also acknowledges the new opportunities for inclusion and potential challenges to overcome as the entertainment business prepares for a massive re-hiring as production resumes.”
Head over to NYWIFT’s website to learn more about the event.
