Burlington, Vermont, area college students and filmmakers gathered at the Media Factory on April 14, 2023 for "First Day on Set," a workshop presented by WIFVNE President Emerita Alecia Orsini.

From cable management in the TV studio to discussing safety on the set and fair pay, this was an eye-opening and engaging workshop! 

 

WIFVNE looks forward to future collaborations with Media Factory.  (Photos courtesy of Media Factory) 

Media Factory is a community media center in Burlington, Vermont, providing the surrounding community with media tools, education, and distribution to support civic engagement, free speech, and independent mediamaking.

To request a PA workshop, guest speaker, or other trainings in your area, please email WIFVNE. 

WIFVNE is excited to host a Table Read on Zoom -- and we have a call for submissions!

Two screenplays from WIFVNE Members will be chosen for a table read with actors over Zoom, currently scheduled for May 9, from 6:30-8:00pm (register here to attend!). The writers must be available to attend the table read on May 9th.

To submit, please send up to 15 pages of a screenplay with the information listed below to tablereads@wifvne.org by April 14. Send a short script or a 15-page excerpt of a longer work. Writers must be WIFVNE members to submit. (And if your screenplay is not chosen for this round, there will be more opportunities at future table reads. We look forward to reading your work!)

Information to be included with your submission (in email or separate document): Name; Title of script; Logline; Genre; Characters with brief description of each; Characters who could be read by the same actor(s) if needed; contact email and phone number.

Stay tuned for a Casting Call!

WIFVNE President Emerita Alecia Orsini spoke at Wheaton College on March 22, 2023 with students in Wheaton College Film Collective. Alecia spoke about women in the film industry, her experience and journey, and then encouraged students to participate in a hands-on exercise. 

The students let us know "It was an incredible and educational experience for all, but especially for those of us who find our voices repeatedly shut out of the film industry. [Alecia] brought enthusiasm and an expertise that was inspiring, and we are excited to share the many things we learned from her with our peers." 

Pictured above:  Alecia with students at Wheaton College; Pictured below: student members of the Wheaton College Film Collective.

WIFVNE members held their first of what will hopefully be a series of monthly gatherings on March 2nd.

Hosted by director/producer/writer Jennifer Potts at her beautifully decorated Victorian home, WIFVNE members from the Central Mass area and beyond shared stories, resources, laughs and challenges. We got to know each other over conversation, games and yummy food. There were even some prizes given out!

Come join us for our next meetup on Thursday, April 6th.

Photos by WIFVNE Member Paul Gringas.

Thanks everyone who came out for the PA workshop at StudioLab in Derry, NH on February 26! The StudioLab team were terrific hosts and we can’t wait to have another WIFVNE event with them!

Our special thanks to Alecia Orsini, Jaci Kjernander, Rachel Thomas-Medwid and the team at StudioLab for their participation in this event -- and to all who spent part of their day with us.

  

To request a PA workshop, guest speaker, or other trainings in your area, please email WIFVNE. 

The Writers Lab has opened submissions for their 2023 US Lab. In their 9th year of championing women and non-binary screenwriters over 40, TWL is excited to welcome a new group of writers. We encourage all eligible candidates to apply!

The Writers Lab is the only program in the world devoted exclusively to script and career development for women and nonbinary writers 40+. We honor the fact that gender is personal and specific and seek to create an inclusive and supportive community.

The Lab is produced by co-founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon with New York Women in Film & Television.

Early Deadline: March 1

Final Deadline: March 31

Submissions of both Features and Pilots (both 1-hour and ½-hour) in English will be considered. We will select approximately 12 promising diverse writers for our in-person retreat in New York for November 7-10, 2023. (Dates subject to change.)

During the Lab intensive, Mentors and Writers engage in rigorous script development through one-on-one mentor meetings, small group and panel discussions, peer workshops, story rooms, and more. In the following months of ongoing development, we guide writers through the revision process and offer strategic advice and advocacy with the help of partners, industry leaders, our development team, and talented peers.

Learn more and apply now!

Palm Springs Women in Film & Television (PSWIFT) has partnered with Stage 32 to launch the first of its kind Short Script Competition open to filmmakers from all countries from around the world.

The winning script will be produced by PSWIFTs Filmmakers Lab for a guaranteed budget of $10,000. The Filmmakers Lab has produced three award winning short films and a six episode season of the variety talk show, “PS After Dark,” starring Tristan Rogers. The members of the Lab will judge the projects and the winner will be announced August 15. The Project will be produced in the Fall of 2023.

Stage 32 and PSWIFT will guarantee the film to be screened at their partner festivals "HollyShorts" in Hollywood, the "California Independent Film Festival,” in Orinda, CA and the Garden State Film Festival,” in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The project is also guaranteed to be streamed on Rokus, ZPTV platform.

Stage 32 will provide the winner with a Mentor, Steve Desmond, writer of M. Night Shyamalan's new film KNOCK AT THE CABIN and director of MONSTERS, which won the Stage 32's Short Film Program. The top 15 finalists will receive an exclusive one page written feedback report from one of Stage 32 judges and Semi-Finalists and Quarter-Finalists will receive laurels from PSWIFT and Stage 32.

The scripts should be between 5 and 15 pages and submitted in English and owned by the person submitting. The story location must be conducive to the Palm Springs area. There is no age limit and no limit on the number of scripts a writer may submit.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with Stage 32 who is one of the leaders in educating filmmakers and offering a worldwide digital space for them to network. Our collaboration on this innovative competition will help to make a filmmakers dream come true of having their project produced by creative professionals and screened at a prestigious festival,” said Kim Waltrip who is Chair of the Filmmakers Lab and past PSWIFT President.

"Palm Springs Women in Film has been a key organization committed to providing hands-on opportunities for filmmakers and we are thrilled to partner with them to provide a Filmmakers Lab that will shepherd the craft and career of an undiscovered filmmaker,” said Stage 32 CEO Richard Botto.

Early Bird Entry is January 16th through February 16th, 2023 with a price of $40.00. Regular Entry Fee is Feb. 17 through March 17th, 2023 with a price of $45.00 and a Late Entry from March 18th - April 18th, 2023 with a price of $50.00.

• Quarter Finalists will be announced July 1st, 2023
• Semi Finalists announced July 7th, 2023
• Finalists announced July 14th, 2023
• Winner announced August 1, 2023

To submit, visit this site!

Palm Springs Women in Film & Television (PSWIFT ) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 2001, dedicated to empowering, promoting, educating and nurturing its members – both women and men – involved in the entertainment, communication and media industries. PSWIFT is also focused on educating, inspiring and bringing in more production work to the Coachella Valley.

WIFVNE President Sharon Contillo meets with "Around Foxborough" host Stephen Udden for a one on one about Women in Film & Video New England. This episode was produced by WIFVNE Board Advisor Juri Love. Thank you to all for making this happen! Stay tuned for viewing details on Foxboro Cable Access.

      

WIFVNE member and screenwriter Elizabeth Searle has her first feature film, I'LL SHOW YOU MINE, out now from Duplass Brothers Productions. Searle is one of the co-writers alongside David Shields & Tiffany Louquet. The film had its NYC Premiere at the New Festival on October 22 where it received a compliment from the festival:

"This intimate drama from director Megan Griffiths and Duplass Brothers Productions weaves an engrossing, confrontational story of familial power structures and secret sexual proclivities. With dynamic performances from Poorna Jagannathan (NEVER HAVE I EVER) and Casey Thomas Brown, I'LL SHOW YOU MINE is wildly engrossing and surprising two-hander". 

The film also screened and streamed at Provincetown International Film Festival, Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco, Port Townsend Film Festival and Geena Davis' Bentonville Festival (celebrating female filmmakers) as well as Seattle International Film Festival where it premiered. It has drawn strong reviews and coverage in VARIETY, Women and Hollywood, and more. 

Here are some of the review quotes: 

-A MOVEABLE FEST: " A provocative drama in which sex and all it entails emotionally, psychologically and physically is explored in revealing candor and with impressive consideration 'that' proves most stimulating."

-THE ART FUSE: A “Tour de force…” [ The filmmakers] took on a daunting challenge — a full-length ‘two-hander’ — and succeeded brilliantly. You can’t look away, and no one in the audience did, as the leads flirt and feint, drink and toke, battle to hide their own wellsprings of shame while strip-mining for the other’s most desperate secrets…”

A quote from the producer:

-“WIFV members might be interested and encouraged to know that, in creating our film, my co-writers and I worked closely with a number of successful women: not only our wonderful director Megan Griffiths, but also our producers Lacey Leavitt, as well as— at Duplass Brothers Productions— producers Ashley Edouard and Mel Eslyn. Thank you to these ‘wonder-women’ and to WIFV for highlighting our film here! We will be posting more news on the film soon so please watch for that at www.elizabethsearle.net and elsewhere. Stay tuned!”

WIFVNE is pleased to announce four new Board members.

Yael Beals began her career producing for television at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics where she worked on a series called ESSENTIAL SCIENCE FOR TEACHERS, a science program for teachers; a documentary called INFLUENCING COLLEGE SCIENCE SUCCESS; and Digital Video Science Library. The work was exhibited at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. As an independent filmmaker, she created several films for the CityLab program at the Boston University School of Medicine, including THE SCIENCE OF OPPORTUNITY and SUMMERLAB. (CityLab provided underprivileged students the opportunity to start a career in biotechnology.) In addition, Yael has worked with Errol Morris, the documentary film and commercial director, in developing concepts for books and films. Beals is also developing the limited TV series, BILLION DOLLAR MOLECULE based on the book with the same name by the award-winning author Barry Werth. This is also a collaboration with award-winning Executive Producer Norman Stephens, award-winning screenwriter John Pielmeier, and Executive producer Julie Snyder. She is also developing a limited TV series, HOOK’s TALE based on the book with the same name by John Pielmeier and Executive Producers Norman Stephens and Ken Atchity. Beals is Co-Producing a feature documentary film about Jewish Resistance to the Nazi Regime during Holocaust with Emmy award-winning Executive Producer Paula Apsell. Beals earned her Master’s degree in film and television from Emerson College and a B.A. in photojournalism from Ohio University. She studied science at Harvard University and is trained as an EMT.

Kristen Falso-Capaldi began her career at TV stations in Providence, RI and Boston, where she was a writer/producer for promotion, advertising and short-form programs, one of which earned her a Boston/New England Emmy nomination. After pursuing her masters degree and spending several years as a public school teacher, she wrote, directed and edited a short film, You Weren’t Afraid at All, which ignited her passion for filmmaking. Falso-Capaldi works as a production designer for shorts, features and television and is currently working on a short film and co-writing a TV pilot script. She was a 2021 finalist for the New England Film Star Award and was chosen for the 2022 WIFVNE Director Shadowing Program. She is among the speakers at the 2023 TEDx conference at Bryant University in Smithfield, RI. Falso-Capaldi is also a novelist, a visual artist and an adjunct university instructor in literature, writing and film studies. 

Heather Keith recently joined the film and television industry as a Covid Compliance Officer for feature and commercial work. Since then, she has worked as Production Supervisor on a feature and 1st AD on a short film in addition to volunteer work in Props and other roles as needed. Heather is currently finding any and every opportunity to work on set while also working on a screenplay of a historical fiction series based on a novel she’s writing. In her previous career, she had 25 years of marketing and sales management experience, building sales teams and launching products for multiple medical device companies. In 2011, she founded a start-up and raised $1.25M from investors. She previously served on the Board of MassMEDIC (Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council). Heather has volunteered for many years as an advisor, mentor, and speaker for Springboard Enterprises (sb.co), an organization that accelerates the growth of entrepreneurial companies led by women through access to resources and a global community of experts. Heather has double bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Business and received her MBA from Boston University. She plays piano, knits, and enjoys skiing, mountain biking, and rowing.

Marilyn Swick’s passion and creativity for the film industry have been the fundamental drive in every avenue of her life. Starting as a teenage model and actress in Columbus, Ohio, she appeared in commercial print ads, moved into theatrical performances and the rest is history. Today, she is an accomplished award-winning producer, director, screenwriter, songwriter, acting coach, and SAG-AFTRA actress. Marilyn is also a proud member of ASCAP as a songwriter and a publisher under Sleep On It Productions. She is a long-standing member of Women In Film and Television in LA, Houston, and New England. Marilyn earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts from Georgetown University in Washington, DC and attended the New York Film Academy.