New York Women in Film & Television

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New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) is a non-profit membership organization for women in film, television, and digital media. The organization is an educational forum for media professionals and a network for the exchange of information and resources.^{[citation needed]}

NYWIFT was founded in 1977 by New York producer/director Lenore DeKoven and Hollywood Reporter bureau chief Morna Murphy Martell.^{[citation needed]} The first meeting consisted of 25 women.^{[citation needed]} In 1978, New York Women in Film, Inc. received a certificate of incorporation from New York State, and they published their first roster of 52 members.^{[citation needed]}

Today, NYWIFT has a membership of more than 10,000 people.⁽⁵⁾ Members work in different areas of the entertainment industry.^{[citation needed]} It is a component of the Women in Film network, which consists of 40 international chapters and has more than 10,000 members.^{[citation needed]}

• Marilyn Casselman (1977–1980)
• Gail Frank (1980–1981)
• Jeanne Betancourt (1981–1982)
• Victoria Hamburg (1982–1983)
• Celeste Gainey (1983–1985)
• Mary Feldbauer Jansen (1985–1986)
• Nancy Leff (1986–1987)
• Pat Fili (1987–1988)
• Pat Herold (1988–1989)
• Mirra Bank Brockman (1989–1990)
• Marjorie Kalins (1990–1991)
• Grace Blake (1991–1992)
• Beth Dembitzer (1992–1994)
• Harlene Freezer (1994–1996)
• Joy Pereths (1996–1998)
• Ellen Geiger (1998–2000)
• Marcie Setlow (2000–2003)
• Linda Kahn (2003–2005)
• Carey Graeber (2005–2007)
• Laverne Berry (2007–2010)
• Alexandra Levi (2010–2012)
• Alexis Alexanian (2012–2017)
• Simone Pero (2017–2019)
• Jamie Zelermyer (2019–present)

NYWIFT produces over 50 programs and special events annually, which are meant to recognize and encourage the contributions of women in the field of entertainment.^{[citation needed]}

The annual New York Women in Film & Television Muse Awards is a luncheon to honor prominent film and television personalities.^{[citation needed]} Designing Women, an annual gala co-presented by Variety, was created by NYWIFT to acknowledge and celebrate the influence and impact of costume designers, makeup artists, and hair stylists on film and television.^[1]

In 2016, NYWIFT partnered with The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival to produce a panel titled “Women in Entertainment: Power Players Changing the Parity Game” that discussed women's representation in front of and behind the camera.^[2]

New York Women in Film & Television is involved in several special funds that support future and current filmmakers and preserve the past work of women filmmakers.^{[citation needed]} They include: The Archive Project, Loreen Arbus Scholarship, Women in Film Finishing Fund, Scholarship Fund, and Women's Film Preservation Fund.

In 2015, it was announced that Meryl Streep had funded a screenwriters' lab for female screenwriters over forty years old called "The Writers Lab", which was to be run by "New York Women in Film & Television" and the collective IRIS.^[3][4] As of the announcement, "The Writers Lab" is the only initiative in the world for female screenwriters over forty years old.^[4]

• Women in Film and Television International
• Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards
• Women in Film and Television (South Africa)

• New York Women in Film and Television (official website)