Excellence in Craft with WIFT Australia on International Women’s Day 2022

Excellence in Craft is back in 2022 with a Mexican bang! (Watch out, new date!)

In this masterclass we’ll meet with Argentinian/Australian Leticia Cáceres who is a writer and director for both stage and screen. Most recently she directed six episodes of the drama series Bump for the Australian streamer Stan. She will be in conversation with Mexican/American writer/director Katina Medina Mora (Emily in Paris, Firefly Lane, Selena) who will share with us some of her journey from the independent Mexican film industry, to shooting with Lily Collins in Paris for Netflix. What she has learnt, what not to do and what the future holds for her. Some of the burning and delicate questions that they’ll touch on are: who gets to direct big budget shows for the large streamers? How to navigate when you’re pigeonholed as a creator? Does your heritage and nationality always make you the best filmmaker of your culture’s stories, or can other creators take that role on without being ridiculed and scrutinised?

All of this and much more awaits on this International Women’s Day special of Excellence in Craft in collaboration with WIFTI and WIFT Australia (Queensland chapter).

Thursday, March 3 at 3pm Mexico – 9pm London 

Friday, March 4 at 7am Brisbane – 8am Sydney

Sign up here!

Leticia is a filmmaker and a multi award-winning stage director. Leticia has directed two blocks of Stan’s hit original series Bump (series 1 and 2) produced by Roadshow Rough Diamond.  Bump broke viewing records for Stan in its first season and went on to screen globally through broadcasters The CW (USA), BBC iPlayer (UK)  HBOMax (Latin America) and Canada’s CBC Gem. 

In 2022 Leticia is set to direct the stage adaption of Anne Deveson’s memoir Tell Me I’m Here for Belvoir St Theatre.

Born in Pittsburgh in 1980, Katina was raised and lives in México City.

Katina studied at The London Film School with a Master in Direction. Her first film, LuTo, shot in 15 days on a micro-budget (10,000 dollars in production) was selected for Los Cabos Film Festival and won a prize for Digital Distribution, was presented at other festivals. Now it’s on Netflix worldwide.

For TV, she directed two episodes on the TV series “The Search” for Netflix. She also directed 5 episodes on the TV series “Selena”, a number 1 show on Netflix, and last year she directed two episodes for “Emily in Paris”, also a number 1 show for Netflix and nominated for the Golden Globes in 2020 and the Emmys in 2021. Recently she directed 2 episodes for Firefly Lane also for Netflix.

Her third feature film “La Espera” is going to be shot this March 2022, this is produced by the well-known producer Inna Payan and has attached for the main character the Oscar nominated Marina de Tavira. She is developing her fourth feature “Will” set in Texas with Ricardo Chavira attached as the lead.

Annual WIFTI Event @Berlinale 2022

Humor is an essential part of the most successful content of the film and TV industry. To laugh is a lot of fun. It unites people, it gives audiences a great time. However – to create great humor isn’t always a walk in the park. To be funny can be a serious and challenging business. Time to look into the roles of women who create the things that brighten our days with laughter and fun.

Meet comedy experts for a personal conversation!

At our annual Berlinale event, WIFT Germany and many international WIFT Chapters are hosting sessions with small groups featuring their local talent and experts on anything comedy in our industry.

Starting with quick keynotes by our inter-/national experts from different fields in our industry: writing, directing, composing, acting, casting, producing etc., you will have the opportunity to discuss your most pressing questions with them directly.

You are cordially invited to join us to expand your personal network and to have a good time!

February 12th 2022, 5.00pm-6.30pm

Sign up here!

WIFTI Summit 2022 to take place in Nigeria

Celebrating the Women in Film & Television International 25 years anniversary, the 2022 WIFTI Summit will take place in Nigeria this August.

Nigeria has a population of 200 million people, 371 tribes, 36 states and with Nollywood represents one of the biggest film industries in the world. In partnership with His Imperial Majesty the Ooni of Ife, the WIFTI Summit will be taking place in Nigeria as we explore the cradle of storytelling.

With this years’s gathering of our global WIFT community, we aim to bring different people from different backgrounds together for a genuine appreciation for each other as human beings in all their differences and connecting through storytelling.

While we are exploring possibilities to connect our members for this event, taking into consideration the challenges of the ongoing pandemic, we will explore physical, virtual or hybrid options as our goal is to strengthen every single one within our thriving network.

We plan to provide you with further details by the end of March 2022, and we look forward to the WIFTI Summit 2022!

WIFTI Worldwide Webinar with Bunny Yan in conversation with Imogen Ross

WIFTI Sustainability Conversation #2: Sustainable Wardrobe & Set – Tips & Tricks that will save you money & the environment

December 2, 9am CET / 6pm AEST / 7pm AEDT

Join us for this conversation with sustainability expert turn fashion storyteller Bunny Yan, presented in collaboration with WIFT Australia. Bunny will be in conversation with moderator Imogen Ross.

Bunny Yan created an award-winning digital series that focuses on the fascinating side of impact-positive fashion. Combining 20+ years of knowledge with her magnetic personality she delivers a world of cool transformations, daring technologies, surprising materials and boundless potential. Her superpower: Storytelling based on human emotion & behaviour aka making boring stuff fun.

Imogen Ross is a production/set/costume designer and visual artist/maker of many things based in the Illawarra on Australia’s east coast. Collaboration, imagination, and integration of complex ideas with diverse cultural narratives is her speciality. She is a proud member of the APDG (Australian Production Design Guild) and is the current Environmental Sustainability writer for the APDG quarterly newsletter, researching and promoting sustainable choices as design options for both live performance and screen designers across Australia. See: https://apdg.org.au/2021/09/apdgreen-conversations-ecoscenography-linking-sustainable-practises-across-international-borders

Register for the webinar here!

WIFTI Worldwide Webinar: In the Director’s Chair Sits a Woman

This webinar is presented by our sisters at WIFT Israel. On November 16, 6pm CET Osnat Bukofzer will be in conversation with Smadar Zamir about her work and latest film ‘In the Director’s Chair Sits a Woman’.

Smadar learned about and experienced the difficulties faced by female filmmakers attempting to make films in Israel, a country with ostensibly modern characteristics, but it turns out that our patriarchy has a greater influence on us than we anticipated. Will this knowledge enable us to create in different ways?

Smadar Zamir is a filmmaker, activist and lecturer. A graduate with honors from the department of Cinema and TV Arts in Sapir College, and an MA in Gender Studies from Bar Ilan University. Her final project film, the short fiction film BETWEEN THE LINES aired on Channel2/Israel and travelled the film festival circuit. In The Director’s Chair Sits A Woman is her debut film.

Watch the trailer to the film here.

Register here!