UPDATES

If you or someone you know is a qualified candidate to apply for the position of ReFrame Director, please consult the job description and send a résumé and cover letter to jobs@wif.org with the subject line, “ReFrame Director.”

WIF congratulates the women who received awards this year as the Television Academy held its 72nd Emmy Awards.

Join WIF and a panel of industry experts who have been there, too, for an empowering and compassionate discussion on how to prepare, what to expect, and how to find support as a working parent in entertainment. Plus, learn critical resources to combat parenthood harassment on the job. Click here to RSVP.

Join WIF for an evening with director, writer, and actor Cheryl Dunye as we discuss her three-decade career. Since her emergence as part of the “Queer New Wave” in the ’90s, Dunye has been creating works of art from the classic WATERMELON WOMAN to “Queen Sugar.” Click here to RSVP.

Join WIF in conversation with acclaimed director Julie Taymor, of THE GLORIAS, moderated by WIF Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer. THE GLORIAS follows Gloria Steinem, an indelible feminist icon known for her world-shaping activism, in this nontraditional biopic. Click here to RSVP.

By Ebony Adams, Manager of Public Programs

…And most importantly, what I understand is that I’m gonna be the one who says, “I am a black, lesbian filmmaker who’s just beginning.” But I’m gonna say a lot more and I have a lot more work to do.

Cheryl, The Watermelon Woman

There’s a fundamental joy and curiosity in the work of Cheryl Dunye; a desire for knowledge and connection that underlies her exploration of, and experiments with film. A Black lesbian filmmaker who burst onto the scene in 1996 with THE WATERMELON WOMAN (although she had several shorts to her credit before then), Dunye has spent the past three decades excavating and creating a Black queer history through words, images, and memory. Despite working steadily over the last decade directing some of the most talked-about episodic television on our screens (“Lovecraft Country,” “Queen Sugar,” “Claws,” “Dear White People,” “All Rise”), Dunye remains a quintessentially indie creator. Her experiments fusing narrative and documentary—what the director calls “dunye-mentaries”—evince a very human desire for relationships and deep love for telling the stories of Black people.

On Tuesday, September 1 at 6:00 p.m. PDT, WIF is delighted to bring you a conversation with this phenomenal artist as part of our monthly Speaker Series. We’ll be talking to Dunye about her extensive and eclectic career, her collaborations with other queer filmmakers, and her mastery of “the language of film” to tell new and vital stories.

Check out some of Cheryl Dunye’s work and immerse yourself in the vision of this incredible talent:

• THE WATERMELON WOMAN (1996, available on Amazon Prime)
• BLACK IS BLUE (2014, available to rent on Vimeo)
• THE POTLUCK AND THE PASSION (1993, available with a Fandor subscription)
• THE OWLS (2010, available on Amazon Prime)
• MOMMY IS COMING (2012, available to rent on Amazon)

The WIF Speaker Series is co-sponsored by the City of West Hollywood and the West Hollywood Women’s Advisory Board. It is also presented with the support of the City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Arts program. For more information, please visit www.weho.org/arts or follow via social media @WeHoArts.

About Cheryl Dunye

Cheryl Dunye is a world-renowned African-American director, writer, and actor. She first emerged as part of the “Queer New Wave” of young filmmakers in the early 1990s. Her first feature film, THE WATERMELON WOMAN, won the Teddy Award for Best Feature at the 1996 Berlin International Film Festival. The film, now considered a classic, was restored and re-released widely in 2016 for its 20th anniversary, and resides in the permanent cinema collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Her second feature, HBO’s STRANGER INSIDE, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2002 and was nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards including Best Director. In 2004, she directed MY BABY’S DADDY for Miramax, which had a budget of $12M USD. Her more recent independent features THE OWLS (2010) and MOMMY IS COMING (2012) have both screened at top-tier festivals and garnered her a new generation of fans and followers across the globe.

In recent years, Dunye has entered a new wave of her career as a director for episodic television, first by joining Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey for two episodes on season two of OWN’s “Queen Sugar.” In 2019, she served as the Producing Director of “Queen Sugar” season four. Her other episodic directing credits include an incredible array of popular shows: “Claws” for TNT, “The Fosters” for Freeform, “Love Is_” for OWN, “The Chi” for Showtime, “Star” for Fox, “Dear White People” for Netflix, “David Makes Man” for OWN, “Lovecraft Country” for HBO, and “All Rise” for CBS, among others.

In 2015, Dunye’s multiple-award-winning short film BLACK IS BLUE was named one of the top five “Must-See Feminist Films” by IndieWire. It is now being developed into a feature film with Laverne Cox attached to star in the lead. In 2016, Dunye was named a recipient of the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in the field of Filmmaking. That same year she was invited to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). In 2018, it was announced that Dunye would adapt and direct a feature based on Jason Mott’s novel The Wonder of All Things for Lionsgate. In 2019, she launched her Oakland-based production company called WN Films, which is actively developing two episodic series: “The Gilda Stories,” an adaptation of the beloved 1991 queer vampire novel by Jewell Gomez, and “Adventures in the 419,” based on Nigerian scammers.

She is currently represented by Chris Ridenhour and Jack Leighton at APA.

Join WIF for a conversation with writer, designer, and food stylist Janice Poon as we discuss her work constructing edible masterpieces for “Hannibal,” “American Gods,” and “Star Trek.” Tuck in to a savory chat about her career making the devilish look delectable, and the monstrous look positively mouthwatering. Click here to RSVP.

Join us for a discussion of the awe-inspiring documentary STUNTWOMEN: THE UNTOLD HOLLYWOOD STORY with filmmakers Mollie Gregory and April Wright, along with stuntwomen Cheryl Lewis, Amy Johnston, and Donna Keegan. Click here to RSVP.

Join us for a conversation with hairstylist Anne Morgan as we discuss her work on GANGS OF NEW YORK, WALK THE LINE, and her Oscar win for BOMBSHELL. We will discuss how Morgan transforms actors into some of the most iconic characters in cinema today. Moderated by Kirbie Johnson, co-host of the Gloss Angeles podcast. Click here to RSVP.

By Meghana Mudiyam

My motto for how I was going to approach work as a new mom was, “different, not less than.” However, I was wrong. If anything, it’s better! I’m a better artist (nothing like a child to keep you playful and present), better professional (why, hello, time management skills I never knew I had), and better collaborator (if you can be empathetic through a toddler melting down for GIVING him the toy he just asked for, you can handle any team). I wish I could go back and tell myself this at the early stages of my pregnancy because, at the time, an unpleasant experience had me almost convinced otherwise.

A manager I was planning to sign with rescinded her offer when I mentioned my husband and I were trying for a baby, calling my desire to be a mother a “red flag.” I was devastated. When I became pregnant, besides the strangest craving for cheese, the feeling I felt most strongly was fear. I was deeply afraid about the implications for my career. Thankfully, other women in the industry were incredibly supportive and encouraging. I found countless examples of women who were rocking both their careers and their roles as moms, which showed me that it was absolutely possible. Sadly, though, even amongst them, stories of unsupportive teams, perceptions, and structures were common. Directly or indirectly, the story being told far too often was that being a parent was career limiting. It’s time for a new story.

As we all know, knowledge and community are powerful antidotes to fear and misinformation, and one of the best things we can do is start a conversation that empowers parents and parents-to-be. I am so grateful that WIF was interested in working with me to make this conversation a reality, and while there is more to talk about than can be covered in one evening, I believe this is a really important first step.

Being a parent does change everything, and I would be remiss to sugarcoat the fact that being a working mom can be hard. Really, really hard. But it’s true what they say—the most rewarding things often are, and my baby is one of the greatest gifts in my life. While everyone’s situation is unique and there are a number of factors to consider in deciding to start a family, whether or not one can still have a thriving career should NOT be one of them.

Join WIF on Tuesday, September 29, 2020 for an informative and validating session on how to survive and thrive as a parent in the entertainment industry. We’ll be joined by a panel that includes showrunner Erin Cardillo and actor/Moms In Film leader Jennica Schwartzman to discuss how to manage your career while taking care of your family.

RSVP (Free)

About Meghana Mudiyam

Meghana Mudiyam is an actress, writer, and serial fish-out-of-water. Originally from Huntington Beach, she moved to Bangalore, India to begin her acting career, where she was the lead of several Kannada-language films. While in India, she observed firsthand how changing global dynamics were impacting local markets, and interest in learning more brought her back to the U.S. At the Lauder Institute and the Wharton School, Mudiyam earned a dual Master’s in international studies and business administration, her thesis comparing the drivers of domestic and international success of Indian, French, and Spanish films. Now based in L.A., Mudiyam is back to her first loves of acting and writing. Her diverse experiences have shown her how beautifully and similarly messy and hilarious we can all be at our core, and she loves exploring that theme in her work. Mudiyam also serves on the National Asian Pacific American Media Committee for SAG-AFTRA.

The WIF Speaker Series is co-sponsored by the City of West Hollywood and the West Hollywood Women’s Advisory Board. It is also presented with the support of the City of West Hollywood’s WeHoArts Program. For more information, please visit www.weho.org/arts or follow via social media @WeHoArts.