The NYWFT’s 2020 Muse Awards Will Celebrate the Vision and Achievement of Women on Thursday December 17th!

Celebrate women of vision and achievement at the 2020 New York Women in Film & Television Muse Awards on Thursday December 17th at 1 PM EST! Watch the celebration online and stay for virtual video networking after the program. The 2020 NYWIFT Muse Honorees are:

⭐ Awkwafina, Actor, The Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment Made in NY Award

⭐ Rachel Brosnahan, Actor and Producer

⭐ Rashida Jones, Actor, Writer, Producer, Director

⭐ Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, Journalists

⭐ Alana Mayo, President of Orion Pictures

⭐ Gina Prince-Bythewood, Director, Writer, Producer, The Nancy Malone Directing Award

⭐ Ali Stroker, Actor, The Loreen Arbus Changemaker Award

In these unprecedented times, NYWIFT recognizes the many challenges faced by our community. The Muse Awards were created to inspire and acknowledge all of the extraordinary women in our industry.

This year NYWIFT invites you to pay-what-you-can so that everyone can have the opportunity to gather together at the virtual 41st Annual Muse Awards. Let’s lift each other up and celebrate the incredible achievements of women in entertainment and media.

Get Ready for Award-Winning Mexican Border Drama

"Identifying Features"

"Identifying Features", directed by Fernanda Valadez and written by Fernanda Valadez and Astrid Romero, tells the story of a middle-aged woman named Magdalena (Mercedes Hernandez) who has lost contact with her son after he took off with a friend from their town of Guanajuato to cross the border into the U.S., hopeful to find work. Desperate to find out what happened to him—and to know whether or not he’s even alive—she embarks on an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous journey to discover the truth. At the same time, a young man named Miguel (David Illescas) has returned to Mexico after being deported from the U.S., and eventually, his path converges with Magdalena’s. From this simple but urgent premise, director Fernanda Valadez has crafted a lyrical, suspenseful slow burn, equally constructed of moments of beauty and horror, and which leads to a startling, shattering conclusion.

Winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Audience and Screenplay Awards at the Sundance Film Festival. – New Directors/New Films

Watch the trailer here.

NALIP Partners with Easterseals Disability Film Challenge

The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge gives filmmakers—with and without disabilities—the opportunity to collaborate to tell unique stories that showcase disability in its many forms. We want to highlight the work of their 2020 finalists.

Best Film Finalists:

Fish Don’t Care When It Rains by Director Jennifer Msuba

How Much Am I Worth? by Director Rachel Handler

Full Picture by Director Jacob Reed

Aine by Directors Kristen Hilkert and Alexandria Cree

Best Editor Finalists:

Autism Ability Edited Scott Michael Klumb

Expectations Edited by Shawn Lovering

Hyper-Active Edited by Nathan Cox

Second Act Edited by Matthew Placencia

Best Awareness Campaign Finalists:

How Much Am I Worth by Director Rachel Handler

Voices From the Invisible by Director Miriam Revesz

Natalie’s Point of View by Director Abigail Fuller

In Dependence by Director Kimberlee Holland

The 2020 Black List Presents the Year’s Best Unproduced Scripts

This Monday marked the annual release of The Black List, which is a survey of the "most-liked" motion picture screenplays that are not yet produced. This year it highlights 80 of the most popular unproduced scripts written by the up and coming screenwriters. In order to be included in this year’s list, the scripts had to be liked by at least seven executives. Since the first survey release of The Black List back in 2005, many of the included scripts have gone on to be produced, often to great acclaim. Among the list are "Argo," "Spotlight," "Juno," "American Hustle," "Slumdog Millionaire" and "The Revenant."

Click here to see the complete 2020 Black List!