New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) is pleased to announce that 14 projects from 15 members have been officially selected for the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. The festival takes place June 7-18, 2023, both virtually and in-person in New York City.
The 14 projects span nine categories and feature members of the NYWIFT community as directors, producers, cinematographers, casting directors, makeup artists, costumer designers, set photographers, location managers, and more. The news comes during NYWIFT’s annual Spring Community Building Membership Campaign, during which industry professionals are encouraged to join the 45-years-strong association advocating for inclusion, equality, diversity, and safe working environments in TV, film, and media.
“Congratulations to the 15 NYWIFT members with projects at Tribeca! We are thrilled to see so many members of our community thriving despite the odds, and to have them recognized with inclusion in a festival as high-profile and competitive is a major accomplishment. Being selected by Tribeca’s roster of incredibly talented and industry-connected curators is quite a distinction that will advance their careers. Brava for the outstanding recognition! New Yorkers and the global community that attends the festival will have the opportunity to see the nuanced, cinematically brave work,” said NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez.
Among the 15 members included is NYWIFT Board Member Joyce Pierpoline, co-producer of The Listener, an understated drama about a night in the life of a mental health helpline volunteer and a stirring testament to the power of empathy. The film, making its North American premiere in the Spotlight Narrative competition, is directed by Steve Buscemi and stars Tessa Thompson. Pierpoline recently attended NYWIFT’s panel and women filmmakers luncheon event in Cannes with CEO Cynthia Lopez, during which NYWIFT announced a forthcoming training and mentoring program in partnership with the Royal Film Commission – Jordan, sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Jordan.
“We are so excited to celebrate the North American premiere of The Listener at the Tribeca Festival in New York, home of the director, Steve Buscemi. I can’t wait for the Tribeca audience to discover Tessa Thompson’s incredible, singular performance,” said NYWIFT Board Member Joyce Pierpoline.
Learn more about the projects at https://www.nywift.org/nywift-members-at-2023-tribeca-film-festival/
To become a NYWIFT member during the Spring Community Building Membership Campaign, go to www.nywift.org/join.
About the NYWIFT Member Projects:
Loglines of NYWIFT Member Tribeca Festival projects, presented by category:
SPOTLIGHT NARRATIVE:
Cold Copy (Executive Producer Shivani Rawat): The kinetic drama Cold Copy follows an ambitious journalism student’s tactics to impress, and get into the good graces of, an esteemed yet cutthroat news reporter — even if it involves manipulating her latest story … and truth itself. https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/cold-copy-2023
Fresh Kills (Location Manager Dana Morgan): The daughters of the Larusso family struggle to break the unspoken code of the women behind the men in the mob world of Staten Island in the late ’80s and early ’90s. https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/fresh-kills-2023
He Went That Way (Set Photographer Jacinta Hayne): A fateful meeting in 1964 along Route 66 pairs a 19-year-old serial killer with a celebrity animal handler shepherding an American TV darling — his chimpanzee, Spanky. https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/he-went-that-way-2023
The Listener (Co-Producer NYWIFT Board Member Joyce Pierpoline): An understated drama about a night in the life of a mental health helpline volunteer, The Listener is a stirring testament to the power of empathy. https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/listener-2023
The Perfect Find (Additional Makeup Artist Asha Smith): Looking for a fresh start and career comeback, Jenna (Gabrielle Union) returns to the workforce, where she must navigate a challenging workplace, a demanding boss, and a lusty secret romance. https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/perfect-find-2023
U.S. NARRATIVE COMPETITION:
Lost Soulz (Co-Producer Mariella Pérez): Set to a lo-fi, genre-bending soundtrack, Lost Soulz follows a young rapper as he leaves behind his surrogate family and sets out on an expedition across Texas, contemplating new and old friendships. https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/lost-soulz-2023
SPOTLIGHT+:
Rather (Featured Cast Dana Roberson): Rather is a long overdue tribute to an icon of journalism, a late-in-life Twitter superstar, father, husband, and voice of reason, compassion and brilliance—Dan Rather. https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/rather-2023
SPOTLIGHT DOCUMENTARY:
Every Body (Director Julie Cohen): Three intersex people challenge a heteronormative system of secrecy and non-consensual surgery. Every Body is Oscar-nominated documentarian Julie Cohen’s impassioned battle cry for the rights and dignity of intersex children and adults in the United States. https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/every-body-2023
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION:
Breaking the News (Executive Producers Ruth Ann Harnisch and Lois Vossen): Breaking the News follows the determined efforts of women and nonbinary journalists launching a news “startup” to foreground voices omitted from mainstream news. Filmmakers Heather Courtney, Princess A. Hairston, and Chelsea Hernandez provide a deep look into bias and inclusion in the ever-shifting media landscape. https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/breaking-the-news-2023
MIDNIGHT:
The Seeding (Casting Director Bess Fifer): When a hiker gets lost in the desert, a gang of feral children propelled by haunting legacies traps him in a sadistic battle for survival with a frightening endgame. https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/seeding-2023
SHORTS:
Deciding Vote (Cinematographer Karen Rodriguez): 50 years ago, assemblyman George Michaels cast a single vote on New York’s abortion bill that changed the course of American history but destroyed his political career in the process. https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/deciding-vote-2023
TRIBECA TV:
The Horror of Delores Roach (Assistant Costume Designer Nikia Nelson): Based on the hit Spotify podcast series of the same name The Horror of Dolores Roach is a contemporary Sweeney Todd-inspired urban legend of love, betrayal, weed, cannibalism and survival of the fittest. https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/horror-of-dolores-roach-2023
The Walking Dead: Dead City (Trainee Assistant Hayley Davis): A new series set in The Walking Dead Universe starring Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, The Walking Dead: Dead City follows the popular Maggie and Negan characters traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror. https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/walking-dead-dead-city-2023
NOW: ORIGINAL INDIE EPISODIC SERIES:
Taking Root: Southeast Asian Stories
of Resettlement in Philadelphia
(Post-Production Producer Lizbeth Cardozo): Taking Root amplifies the stories
of Southeast Asians who resettled in Philadelphia after the Wars in Southeast
Asia. It highlights the intergenerational impact of structural violence and
demonstrates the power of Southeast Asians in resisting and rebuilding in America.
https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/taking-root-southeast-asian-stories-of-resettlement-in-philadelphia-2023
