Hot off the digital press! Here's the September 2023 edition of the WIFVNE Wire. Inside, updates on upcoming events, film festivals, and WIFVNE members. 

WIFVNE congratulates all of the participants of the New Haven 48 Hour Film Project (HFP). The shooting weekend was July 28-30th, and the screening event tool place on August 5 at the Bijou Theatre. 

WIFVNE is a proud sponsor of the New Haven 48HFP. The winner of the Woman of the 48 Award, sponsored by WIFVNE, receives $100 from WIFVNE and a one-year WIFVNE Individual membership.  The Woman of the 48 Award is intended to recognize a behind-the-scenes female/female-identifying member of the crew, whether Super Hero on Set, serving in multiple roles, or shining in her position for the team.

The winner of the 2023 Woman of the 48 Award is Mary Spaulding from team Wandering Karma for "A Fine Bromance." Her team writes: “Throughout our 48Hrs Mary Spaulding was a picture of calm and laughter. She remained steadfastly buoyant and focused on solutions rather than what was going pear shaped. She never complained or faltered, wearing several hats, scripty, assistant editor, co-writer. (We) heard her bursts of laughter watching the actors rehearse the brand new script she and (team member) Amanda Cabral delivered in less than an hour and that reminded everyone of why we love to do this. When the film was finally in the can, she rushed it over to the editor and worked with him to deliver it on time. She did all the graphics that ended up in the film and supervised the assembly. Because of her unwavering light, incredible versatility, high morale and professionalism Wandering Karma nominates Mary Spaulding for the WIFVNE Award."

photo credit Photo Ellektrik

WIFVNE members attended in their show of support at the SAG-AFTRA New England Rally, held at the Boston Common on Wednesday, August 9. 

Headlines about the event appeared in local news outlets such as the Boston Globe, Boston Herald,  Boston.com, WBUR (where SAG-AFTRA New England Local President and WIFVNE Member Andrea Lyman is quoted, and SAG-AFTRA New England Executive Director and WIFVNE Member Jessica Maher is pictured). ICYMI, US Senator Elizabeth Warren was in attendance. 

Do you have photos from the event?  Let WIFVNE know:  tag @wifvne 

WIFVNE Board Member Nerissa Scott Williams with U. S. Senator from Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren.

WIFVNE member Alyson Muzila (left) with WIFVNE Board Member Jaci Kjernander at the SAG-AFTRA New England rally. 

From left to right:  WIFVNE member Alyson Muzila, Kim Niemi, WIFVNE member Jami Tennille, Rene Zara (NY resident!), Callie Beaulieu, and WIFVNE Board member Jaci Kjernander.

Special thanks to WIFVNE Member Maria Battaglia for sharing her video of the rally. 

WIFVNE stands in solidarity with our members and friends in the Writers Guild of America as they as they seek a sustainable livelihood and just compensation for their work. 

Visit www.sagaftrastrike.org for the latest information and on how to lend your support. 

WIFVNE members on the set of Fenwick, shot at the historic Whitin-Lasell Manor in Whitinsville, MA.

Left to right: Jacob Christiansen, Alexander Lisoukov, Gracie Vicente, Elisa Garcia, Jaci Kjernander, Alyson Muzila, Joe Bell, Rachel S. Thomas-Medwid, and Beth Ricci.

Fenwick was written and directed by WIFVNE board member Rachel S. Thomas-Medwid and produced by WIFVNE board member Jaci Kjernander. 

Rachel had this to say about the location:  "Remember when [WIFVNE organized] the locations event [in March 2022].  My thought was 'this is perfect for one of my screenplays!' And it totally was! And Whitin-Lasell Manor is also completely haunted by the way...we have some crazy stories."

WIFVNE congratulates all of the participants of the Boston 48 Hour Film Project (HFP). The shooting weekend was May 5-7, and the Best Of event tool place on June 12 at the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville.

WIFVNE is a proud sponsor of the Boston 48HFP. This year, WIFVNE Board Member Rachel Thomas-Medwid announced the winner of the Woman of the 48 Award, sponsored by WIFVNE. The winner receives $100 from WIFVNE and the winner and runner-up receive a one-year WIFVNE Individual membership.

The Woman of the 48 Award is intended to recognize a behind-the-scenes female/female-identifying member of the crew, whether Super Hero on Set, serving in multiple roles, or shining in her position for the team.

The winner of the 2023 Woman of the 48 Award is Kelsey Leach from tram Show Me the Amenities for "(Ex)pionage" (Mistaken Identity Film). Her team writes: “[S]he wore many hats on the crew. She was the head writer; she was the continuity keeper; she was a producer; she helped with editing; she kept everyone's spirits up, and she also gave some really great notes to the actors…This was her first 48, and she joined a team of people that had worked together multiple times before and she immediately fit right in and never shied away from sharing her thoughts.… We actually met her during the Women in Film networking event a few months ago (so thank you for that).”

The runner-up of the 2023 Woman of the 48 Award is Alex Crouse from team Friendly Filmmaker for "Dibs on Mars" (Musical/Vacation Film). Her team writes: “Alex was an absolute POWERHOUSE over the course of the weekend, wearing multiple hats, exhibiting boundless energy and enthusiasm, and simultaneously delivering a solid contribution to the team while also trying several new things… The entire weekend, while folks got tired and nerves started to fray, Alex was a rock. A fun collaborator, a gifted actor, a talented editor, and a brave soul who was there to kick ass and have fun doing it.”

Photos provided by the Boston 48HFP and the filming teams.

WIFVNE co-presented the in-person screening of THE STEWARDS, a short film by WIFVNE member Hannah Eaton, in Newport, Rhode Island on Thursday, June 1, 2023.

Other WIFNVE members that were part of the cast and crew were present for a fun networking evening, celebrating the completion of this proof of concept. The film will now go onto film festivals, and begin efforts to develop and fund the story into a bigger series. You can learn more and see behind-the-scenes pictures of the film on Hannah's website.

Pictured above from left to right: Mike Sun, Carley Byers, Hunter Anderson, Eva Okrent, Maxine Muster, Hannah Eaton

WIFVNE members who worked on THE STEWARDS include:

• Hannah Eaton:  Writer, Director, Producer
• Nikki Skelly:  AC
• Heather Keith:  AD
• Madison Van Wylen:  Camera PA and Set Photographer
• Carley Byers:  Production Manager

Photo provided by Hannah Eaton

WIFVNE's Table Read over Zoom on May 9, 2023, had those who attended laughing and crying -- a wide range of emotions were on display as two scripts from WIFVNE members were read aloud.  

WIFVNE Member Marie Ginga's short script THE LAST YARD SALE (top photo) and WIFVNE Member Paul Kandarian's IT'S ALL BULLSHIT (bottom photo) were brought to life during the event.

A special thank you to all of the actors who participated in this engaging event (photo below).

What is a Table Read? Here's an excerpt from Masterclass:

A table read (also known as a read-through) is an organized reading of a script in which the speaking parts, stage directions, and scene headings are read out loud. For episodic television, it also provides an opportunity for many members of the production team to read scripts for the first time.

Table reads are an essential part of the script development and writing process, as writers use them as an opportunity to fine tune their stories, sharpen their dialogue, and make other necessary adjustments. These table readings usually occur towards the end of preproduction, before shooting begins.

For the WIFVNE Table Read, we are interested in connecting our community, letting writers hear their characters come to life, and showcasing our many members who are actors (both on-screen and voice-over). Interested in helping WIFVNE organize a Table read (on Zoom or in-person)?  Send us an email! 

WIFVNE stands in solidarity with our members and friends in the Writers Guild of America as they as they seek a sustainable livelihood and just compensation for their work.

Visit www.wgacontract2023.org for the latest information and on how to lend your support. 

WIFVNE Board Advisor Juri Love attended The Konnect - Diversity in Film event on April 22 on behalf of WIFVNE. Juri's recap of her experience (and her photos from the event) is below: 

Extremely humbled and grateful to represent Women in Film and Video--New England as a Board of Advisor at the Konnect event organized by The Secret Society of Black Creatives. 

It was so wonderful to see many people that I have worked with on the set and meet new people. Thank you, Sharon Contillo, the President of WIFVNE for having faith in me that I do justice to represent our amazing non-profit organization. Thank you for many kind words for people who stopped by our table and friends who gave me the warmest smiles and hugs.

As a minority (Asian Female) creator, I often even forget I am a minority but I do feel and know that I need to work a lot harder to fight for my credentials and rights but the event like this can not only highlight and support the minority collaborative efforts but the majority and inclusivity that I believe can create so much bridges over any race.

We as creators know our voice is powerful as long as we win over our fear and any biases.

Thank you for all the amazing and inspiring speeches. I was extremely touched by many who truly care about our talents regardless of how we look.

We as human beings need love and support to move forward and create a better world especially via media and what we put out there intentionally.

Diversity and inclusion seem a long road to pave yet we as creators need to trust our instinct and use our intelligence to not only combat for equality but equity to form an easier platform for especially our next generations to come.

As creators, let's intentionally empower, educate, be a leader, not be afraid to speak out the truth via our media outlet.

Thank you again for inspiring me and widen my horizon and possibility at the event.