WIFVNE is delighted to announce an addition to its Board of Directors:  Angela Onwuachi-Willig.

Angela Onwuachi-Willig is dean of Boston University School of Law and the inaugural Ryan Roth Gallo & Ernest J. Gallo Professor of Law, the nation’s first endowed professorship in critical race theory. Prior to joining BU Law in 2018, she served as Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley.

Dean Onwuachi-Willig is a renowned legal scholar and expert in racial and gender inequality as well as anti-discrimination law. She writes in a variety of areas, including employment discrimination, family law, and critical race theory. She is author of According to Our Hearts: Rhinelander v. Rhinelander and the Law of the Multiracial Family from Yale University Press, and her articles have appeared in leading law journals such as the Yale Law Journal, California Law Review, Michigan Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, Northwestern University Law Review, and Vanderbilt Law Review, to name a few.

Earlier in her career, Dean Onwuachi-Willig clerked for the US District Court of the Northern District of Ohio and the US Sixth Circuit Court. She practiced law as a labor and employment associate at Jones Day and Foley Hoag. In 2010, she was elected to the American Law Institute (ALI), and 2011, she was a finalist for the Supreme Court of Iowa. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College, where she now serves on the board of trustees; a JD from the University of Michigan; and a PhD in sociology and African American studies from Yale University. In 2021, Dean Onwuachi-Willig was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.

Connect with Dean Onwuachi-Willig on LinkedIn.

WIFVNE is pleased to announce Jaci Kjernander will be WIFVNE's New Hampshire state co-chair with Christine Altan.

Jaci Kjernander is a New England-based actress, director, writer, and producer. After discovering the thrill of live theater at a very young age, Jaci has been a life-long performer. Her stage roles soon lead her to pursue a career in film, leading to a string of complex leading roles. She is drawn to playing tough-as-nails women hiding their sensitivity and often wielding a wicked sense of humor. Equally at home behind the camera, Jaci co-founded Dover Point Productions, where she is Head of Development. Under the Dover Point banner, her most recent project is the award-winning short film Out With It, which she wrote, produced, and directed.

Out With It won a dozen awards as an official selection at festivals, including Best Comedy at the Austin Comedy Film Festival and Best Director at the Portland Comedy Film Festival. Born in Boston, Jaci is a true New England seafarer at heart and makes her home on the New Hampshire seacoast. When not performing, producing, or directing, she can often be found behind the helm of her boat, Orca.

Learn more about Jaci at her website, or connect on Facebook or Instagram.

The Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) is hosting a short film competition.  Amateur filmmakers under the age of 30 are eligible for this young filmmakers contest.  Industry professionals including a producer from Bridgerton and an actress from Sanditon are members of the judging panel. Entry deadline is September 15, 2022. 

See the attached flyer for details.  JASNA young filmmakers contest.jpg

Thank you to WIFVNE Board member Rachel Thomas-Medwid for putting a spotlight on the cast and crew of her film PENNY at the private premiere event at the Cabot Theater in Beverly on July 16.

 

WIFVNE members, cast and crew, and film-goers attended the red carpet networking and screening event.

Thank you to photographers Desiree McMahon and Tyler Phinney for capturing the day! Just a small sample is shown here.

The June 1 edition Variety Magazine includes a number of articles highlighting production in Massachusetts.  A PDF of the print edition can be found here.  And look for these two editorials:

 

Written by Carole Horst, "Massachusetts’ Marina Studios Expands as Incentives Spur Production" includes a shout-out from Marina Studios founder, Marina Cappi.  Marina Studios is a WIFVNE Corporate Member:

Cappi notes, “We actually became a member of Women in Film, worked with them, and McKenzie [O’Connell, Marina Studios COO] and I gave a keynote speech for their big conference. … I think that’s a great step because there’s already a community based here in Massachusetts that directly addresses women” in the business. Her goal is to not only build studios, but also to produce.

And written by Gregg Goldstein, "Indies, TV Productions Embrace Massachusetts Incentives" covers a number of the productions recently shooting in -- and sometimes returning to! -- the Commonwealth. Some directors make it clear they want to shoot in the region:

For writer-director Brian Helgeland’s “Finestkind,” which will bow with a hybrid Paramount+/theatrical run, shooting in his New Bedford hometown was essential. “There was pressure to try to do it a different way, and we went up to Halifax, Nova Scotia, as a courtesy, but Brian made it clear — and I supported him a hundred percent — that unless the movie was shot in Massachusetts, he wasn’t interested in making it,” says producer Gary Foster of Krasnoff/Foster Entertainment.

Read the full stories at Variety.com

New Mexico Women in Film and the Santa Fe Actors Studio invite you to join them for The Artist's Way Summer Masterclass, Mondays, June 6 - Aug. 29 2022, 6 - 8:30 pm Mountain (5 pm PDST, 8pm Eastern)T

Leslie Fleming-Mitchell is one of the original Artist Way teachers and at the suggestion of creators Julia Cameron and Mark Bryan, she introduced the workshop to artists, writers and creatives in Paris and Rome. She's facilitated this process throughout the U.S. and Europe for 26 years.

It's a very fun, dynamic, interactive process of writing and exploring your creative self past, present and future, and it doesn't matter whether you think you're creative or not. If you've started the book, but never made it past chapter 4 you're not alone; the Artist Way was a group process before it was a book, and the group keeps you buoyant and accountable.

WIFVNE members receive a 18% off discount for the program. Please log in to view more about registering with the discount. 

BACKLIT featuring Carissa Spatcher--the fifth installment of the Backlit series by High Output and Women in Film and Video of New England--had its premiere screening on Friday, May 27th at the Rhode Island High Output location.

The evening included networking and refreshments in addition to the screening. After the videos, Carissa answered questions about her career as a grip and working on New England film sets.

Thanks to everyone who came out for the premiere.  Many thanks to the volunteer crew who helped in the making of the episode, to High Output for hosting the shoot and the premiere, and to Carissa Spatcher!

Photo by Alison Cupples-Archila. Carissa, right, standing. 

On Wednesday, June 1st, most WIFT Marketing Circle calls and content will be available to only paid subscribers of the WIFT Marketing Circle. WIFVNE members receive a discounted rate on monthly subscription.

Be sure and change your subscription to Paid if you’d like to continue to receive all of the resources for filmmakers and those in media that we put out on a daily basis, attend weekly calls, AND gain access to office hours. Following each call, the recording and additional resources are added to supplement the topics discussed. 

New to the WIFT Marketing Circle?  As a paid subscriber, you get access to all of the recordings and content!

What topics could the WIFT Marketing Circle cover that would support your endeavors?  Email wiftmarketingcircle@gmail.com. 

WIFVNE is seeking feedback for how to best support the needs and interests of our membership. Our goal is to elevate your journey within the film, production, and media industries.

To that end, we are asking our members to complete a survey, conducted by WIFVNE member Blue Shoe. The survey asks multiple choice and open-ended questions and may take five to ten minutes to complete. The survey results will inform our programming for the next several months. 

The survey was sent via email to Members only.  Please submit your survey by June 3. Members who did not see the survey should contact WIFVNE at info@womeninfilmvideo.org.  

WIFVNE looks forward to presenting programming ideas and goals for the rest of the year by the end of June.

Women in Film & Video New England, ELEMENT Productions, and Chelsea City Creative are proud to announce the creation of the Director Trainee Shadowing Program. This program was created in an effort to connect emerging directors from the underrepresented filmmaker communities with local area production companies.

The Director Trainee Shadowing Program provides members of WIFVNE an opportunity to “shadow” a commercial director during the pre-production process as well as potentially join the director on set. Film/TV and Commercial shadow programs can be the entrance into major careers for many TV and film professionals. Directors often state that their early days were spent at an internship or in a similar role prior to moving into a more permanent spot on a film set or at a TV/Production/Commercial house. The goal of this program is twofold. Emerging directors will experience, in real time, the director’s creative process when pitching and delivering a video for an agency or brand. The program will also introduce the emerging director to production companies in an effort to break down the industry hesitancy around hiring an “unknown director.”

“Women in Film & Video New England strives to create opportunities in this industry for those who desire and are driven to be a part of it”, says Sharon Contillo, President of Women in Film & Video New England. “This program is a way to bring parity, open doors, enhance skills, build relationships and networks that might not otherwise happen or be possible for some. We are extremely thrilled and grateful to ELEMENT Productions and Chelsea City Creative for opening their doors, their minds, and their expertise to help foster development of the director role to New England creatives.”

“ELEMENT is excited to support this initiative to promote more women in a typically male-dominated role. We hope this will be an exciting opportunity for many up-and-coming directors,” says Kristen Kearns, Executive Producer, ELEMENT Productions.

“As an agency producer I was concerned about the lack of diversity within the director community,” says Devra Sari Zabot of Chelsea City Creative. “Simply requesting a production vendor to provide equitable available director lists for upcoming projects was not the solution. I am thrilled that WIFVNE is committed to building this program and I cannot think of a better launch partner than with the extraordinary producer Kristen Kearns at ELEMENT Productions. The trainees in this program will have access to the best-in-class director and production process.”

Applications for the program open on April 19th and close on May 15th. For more information and to apply, please visit WIFVNE’s website at https://wifvne.org/Directorshadow. Please email any questions to shadowing@wifvne.org with SUBJECT: Director Shadow Program.

About Women in Film and Video New England:

Women in Film & Video New England (WIFVNE) works to “Widen the Lens” for New England filmmakers by advancing female storytellers in their craft through networking, community, mentorship, and education.

WIFVNE is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to supporting the accomplishments of women working in the film, video and new media industries. We provide an educational forum for media professionals and a valuable network for exchange of ideas and resources. WIFVNE works to promote proactive images of women to the public and to empower all women in film and video to achieve their professional potential. Women in Film & Video New England is a member of Women in Film & Television–US (WIFT-US) and Women in Film & Television International (WIFTI). WIFT-US and WIFTI work towards bringing gender parity to the industry.

For additional information, please visit the WIFVNE website. Not a member? Sign up here.

About ELEMENT Productions:

ELEMENT Productions is a full-service video production and post company creating content for distribution across all media platforms and was founded by Executive Producer Eran Lobel. For over 20 years, ELEMENT’s collaborative team of award-winning producers, directors, and editors, as well as writers, designers, and strategists, have applied their passions to tell poignant stories. Stories brought to life in documentary films, original television programs (episodic and specials), broadcast commercials, web videos and social content. With a global network of creative professionals, ELEMENT provides best-in-breed, innovative solutions to its clients’ ever-evolving content needs.

For more information, please visit https://element.cc/

About Chelsea City Creative:

Devra Sari Zabot is a freelance producer with in-house agency experience at Hasbro, Puma and Aetna, A CVS Health Company and has a background in scripted TV development. She produces unique events under Chelsea City Creative including comedy shows, films series, music series and community initiatives.

For more information, please visit https://www.chelseacitystudio.com