In this inaugural episode from a series of in-depth conversations with international changemakers, WFT Ireland Chair and WIFT International President Dr. Susan Liddy delves into an insightful discussion with Terry Lawler – former Executive Director of WFT New York and a member of the current WIFTI Advisory Board. Through this series, we aim to speak with a range of women who have shaped WIFTI and the media landscape over the last few decades.
With over two decades at the helm of the New York chapter, Terry’s leadership has been nothing short of extraordinary. In this podcast episode, Susan and Terry explore many questions. What does it take to navigate the complexities of running one of the largest chapters in one of the biggest cities of a global organisation like WIFTI? What transformations has she witnessed during her dynamic tenure?
A special nod of appreciation goes out to all international colleagues at WIFTI for their unwavering support.
This WFT Ireland podcast episode has been made possible with the support of the Screen Ireland Stakeholders Fund.
About Terry Lawler
Terry Lawler is a media consultant, and the Director of the CinemaStreet Women’s Short Screenplay Contest. Previously she was the Executive Director of New York Women in Film & Television for 21 years. She serves on the Boards of Directors of Women Make Movies, IndieCollect and Manhattan Neighborhood Network. Prior to joining NYWIFT, Lawler was Director of Development and Production at Women Make Movies and National Director of Film and Videomakers Services at the American Film Institute. She has been a media consultant for foundations and nonprofit groups, including the MacArthur Foundation, the Astraea Foundation, the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Goethe Institute, among others. She was a production executive on several network television specials and was Executive Producer of Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography, which won Best Documentary awards from the American Society of Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Circle and Hollywood Mavericks, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
About Susan Liddy
Dr. Susan Liddy is a lecturer and Assistant Professor in the Department of Media and Communication Studies in MIC, University of Limerick. She is also the EDII Faculty of Arts Lead (equality, diversity, inclusion and interculturalism) in MIC. Her research interests relate primarily to gender and diversity issues in the Irish screen industries; motherhood and caring; the representation of women in non-traditional industry roles; ‘harmful behaviours’ in the screen industries workplace; and the representation of older women on screen and behind the camera. She is editor of a number of national and international collections: Women in the Irish Film Industry: Stories and Storytellers (Cork University Press 2020): Women in the International Film Industry: Policy, Practice and Power (Palgrave Macmillan 2020); Women, Ageing and the Screen Industries: Falling off a cliff? (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023); co-editor of Media Work, Mothers and Motherhood: Negotiating the International Audio-Visual Industry (Routledge 2021). Susan has published in a range of academic journals and has also written popular pieces for newspapers etc. She has co-authored two industry reports Auditing gender and diversity change in Irish media sectors for the BAI (2021) and The Pursuit of Change: Issues Affecting Parents and Carers in Ireland’s Screen Industries (Raising Films Ireland 2022). She is currently co-authoring a report with Dr Fergal Rhatigan on harmful behaviours and workplace culture in the Irish screen industries for Women in Film and Television Ireland, funded by Screen Ireland’s Stakeholder Funding Scheme. Susan is the Chair of Women in Film and Television Ireland; President of Women in Film and Television International; Chair of the Equality Action Committee of the Writers Guild of Ireland; a board member of Raising Films Ireland and the Irish Film Institute. She is the Director of Catalyst International Film Festival, Limerick – a festival that prioritises films and filmmakers from underrepresented groups.
