WIFV/NE NEEDS YOUR HELP
Make a Tax-Deductible Donation Today! There are several ways to support. You can make a donation through CommunityRooms.Net (search for WIFV/NE's donation page), or by mailing a check to our office. Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated. All funds will go towards our efforts to continue to provide workshops, screening series, panels and our bi-monthy newsletter, THE WIRE to our members. If you'd like to support WIFV/NE by becoming a member, or renewing your membership, visit us here.
Women In Film and Video/New England - 119 Braintree St, Suite 509 - Boston, MA 02134
Below please find a call for support from WIFV/NE's President, Cheryl Eagan-Donovan
The current economic downturn has been especially challenging for our non-profit membership organization. Last week we learned that we did not receive the Massachusetts Arts Stimulus Program grant that we had applied for to support our one part-time, sixteen-hour per week, staff position. This news, coming after the loss of the Women in Film General Motors Accelerating the Creative initiative funds last year, and the continued, steep decline in member renewals and new memberships, puts our core mission at risk. WIFV/NE operations are currently funded only by a Massachusetts Cultural Council organizational support grant, sponsor in-kind donations, and member dues.
As members of the WIFV/NE Board of Directors, we have worked together to streamline programming, drastically cut costs, and vigorously pursue creative collaboration with other local arts organizations. We are committed to providing support for women developing careers in film and television, and to promoting the work of women on screen, but we cannot continue to fulfill this mission without your help.
We have all been impacted by the economy, forced to make difficult choices about how best to position ourselves to survive the current financial times while sustaining our vision to support the arts and equality for women. In response to the current economic climate, we decided not to increase our membership rates, but voted instead to keep them at the low annual rates of $75 for professionals and $25 for students.
If your membership expired recently, please renew today at www.wifvne.org. If you are not a member, please consider joining today. We welcome support from men and women, filmmakers and film aficionados, and we have something to offer all members with volunteer opportunities, our very successful mentorship program, and screening series that showcase women's films. This year, WIFVNE screened member films at the Brattle Theatre, the Coolidge Corner Theatre, and the Massachusetts Institute if Technology. For almost 40 years, WIFV/NE has promoted positive images of women on film and New England women above the line.
Here's what one of our members, Kristal Williams-Rowley, wrote in response to our invitation to feature her film at this year's WIFTI International Women's Day Short Film Showcase:
"WIFV/NE has been SUCH a great help to me- as have you! Thanks to your introduction to Susi Walsh, I was able to work part-time with her and Bonnie Waltch, and thanks to an introduction from Barbara Siedl, I was able to get a full time job as an assistant producer with a company in Arlington. So, yes- I would love for Mind the Gap to be screened- and really appreciate that you're asking."
Kristal Williams-Rowley recently completed an MFA in Film Production from Boston University. Mind the Gap is her graduate thesis film. Born in Hawaii, and raised in Australia, Singapore, Brunei and the USA, she currently has made the East Coast home and hopes to shoot her second short film in Boston, later this year. She is a proud member of WIFV/NE.
If you are currently a member, please consider making an additional donation now at www.wifvne.org or by searching for WIFV/NE's donation page at www.communityroom.net. Your $75 donation underwrites the cost of one Media Mentors program participant. Your $50 contribution helps us to produce the International Women's Day WIFTI Short Film Showcase. Your tax-deductible donation in any amount allows us to continue publishing this newsletter, with exclusive job listings, film community news, and member profiles.
Even in the face of today's economic challenges, this is a very exciting time for the film and television industry in Massachusetts. As a direct result of the tax incentive program, there are more jobs for our industry now than ever before in the history of our Commonwealth. WIFV/NE has helped many members establish and further film careers but we cannot afford to stop now when the opportunities for work in our industry have increased dramatically. You can have a direct impact on the creative economy by supporting jobs for women in film. You can help us grow our membership by referring potential new members. You can contribute to a legacy of powerful women's voices and visions on screen and in all media through your generous donation today.
Thank you for making the mission of Women in Film & Video/New England sustainable at this critical moment.
Cheryl Eagan-Donovan
President
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WIFV/NE, P.O. Box 922, Allston, MA 02134 • (617) 871-9667 •
