Welcome to NYWIFT, Delfine Paolini!

Delfine Paolini is a multifaceted filmmaker whose critically recognized work explores themes of life and loss. Her unique and powerful visions draw from an intimate familiarity of cinematic storytelling, philosophy, and a deeply thoughtful reflection of self.

Her feature debut, A Wonderful Way with Dragons, has won numerous international awards. Its distinct style and emotional evocations are reflective of Delfine’s creative journey. Coming from a background of photography, she is highly attuned to expressive visuals. 

Community and mentorship have remained essential values to Delfine, who has faced both hurdles and victories on her directorial path. 

Delfine’s resolve and creative momentum have led to the development of multiple exciting projects. She is a director to watch; her upcoming films Le Rouge Originel, Reds Hearten, and Sky, Zyprexa, Night will continue to push boundaries and explore the profound power of the film medium. 

In our interview, Delfine discusses her background and inspirations. 

NYWIFT Member Delfine Paolini

Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself? 

Hi, my name is Delfine Paolini. I’m a Bronx-based writer, director, and visual artist whose work explores thanatological themes that bind interior life to the external world.

As a teenager immersed in New York’s punk scene, I was drawn to photography, which led me to apprentice with legendary photographer Mick Rock. That period shaped my understanding of image as something intimate and mythic—capable of holding vulnerability, identity, and loss without explanation.

As my focus shifted toward writing, my work was discovered by Johnnie Planco, former Vice President of William Morris Agency, who became an early and essential advocate for my voice. His guidance helped steer me toward becoming a director, and prepared me for my feature debut, A Wonderful Way with Dragons. Following its international recognition, I am now focused on producing my next two films—stories centered on psychologically complex characters, often women, navigating moments of transformation and agency.

What brought you to NYWIFT?

I was drawn to New York Women in Film & Television because it represents a rare space where women filmmakers are supported not only at moments of success, but throughout the long, uncertain process of building a sustainable creative life. As a New York filmmaker whose work has developed outside traditional industry pathways, I have often relied on community, mentorship, and peer exchange to sustain my work as an independent filmmaker. 

NYWIFT’s dedication to advocacy and education strongly resonates with me, especially its support of women telling complex, interior stories with rigor and autonomy. I view NYWIFT not only as a professional organization, but as a cultural community that actively supports women’s creative voices.

Your debut feature A Wonderful Way With Dragons has won dozens of international awards. What advice would you give to others who are working on their first directorial features? 

For first-time filmmakers, preparation requires endurance and resolve as much as organization.

Before stepping onto set, it is important to know your film intimately—its color palette, the images envisioned for each scene, the sound design imagined long before post-production begins. That intimacy extends beyond aesthetics to emotional understanding: writing from lived experience, not as autobiography, but as emotional truth. When a film is grounded in what the filmmaker knows deeply—memory, hardship, loss, or longing—those choices become stabilizing forces as circumstances inevitably shift.

Equally vital are the practical foundations: a trusted production team capable of absorbing logistical strain, reliable hard drives, secure backup systems, and contingency plans for unideal weather. Without these supports, the pressure can wear down even the most focused director.

It is also important to acknowledge that, given the number of variables involved, setbacks are inevitable, and effective directing requires flexibility and a willingness to adapt. This reality is often intensified for women filmmakers. Research on workplace bias suggests that women in leadership roles are frequently evaluated more harshly for perceived emotional fluctuations, even when those moments are minor or situational. In such environments, maintaining trust on set becomes especially critical, as uncertainty can quickly undermine collective focus and confidence in the director’s leadership.

Another reality worth acknowledging is that a film’s budget is rarely fixed, and shifts in financing often force difficult decisions about what is essential to preserve and what must be relinquished for the sake of completion. In our case, despite having a capable line producer, unforeseen events meant that, in order to finish production, we entered post-production without a budget. At that point, I recognized only two viable paths: abandon the film under untenable circumstances, or move forward knowingly, without guarantees, and find a way to complete it. I chose the latter—not out of bravery, but out of necessity—and in doing so placed myself in a precarious position. Within American independent filmmaking, the lack of structural support frequently creates such no-win scenarios, in which filmmakers are forced either to exceed reasonable personal limits or to walk away from work developed over many years.

To ensure that A Wonderful Way with Dragons could be completed, I worked across multiple departments—teaching myself Pro Tools to edit dialogue, collaborating closely on the cut while our editor worked remotely from Egypt, and overseeing post-production workflows myself. I independently drafted contracts, spent thousands of dollars on software, and ultimately surrendered all of my remaining backend points to secure access to a post-production studio.

That is why the film feels something like a miracle to me—the strain I carried a year earlier had felt impossible to overcome. As the film began to receive recognition, what mattered most to me was that the care and commitment behind it were felt.

This experience made clear how increasingly difficult it is to complete thoughtful, arthouse films in the United States, particularly for women. Too many voices are lost not because of a lack of talent or vision, but because the economic barriers prove insurmountable. Other countries recognize cinema as a cultural good worthy of public investment. If film is to remain a shared language—one that shapes how we understand ourselves and one another—then the artists who create it must be supported accordingly.

What kinds of stories are you compelled to write?

From an early age, philosophy shaped my short stories and poetry, particularly the work of Lucius Annaeus Seneca. Seneca’s tragedy Hercules Furens uniquely portrays the figure of a consciousness displaced from the world it once recognized. Hercules’ question —“Where am I? Under the rising of the sun or beneath the wheeling course of the frozen bear?”— articulates a state of profound epistemic rupture: a subject surviving catastrophe without coordinates. That condition mirrors the emotional logic of my work, in which characters must navigate interior devastation without the promise of clarity or return.

Much of my work emerges from an early familiarity with instability, loss, and emotional silence, and from an impulse to observe rather than explain. I’m compelled by characters—often women—who are navigating transformation not through grand gestures, but through restraint, endurance, and private reckoning.

Formally, I am interested in how images can carry what language cannot—how space, light, duration, and stillness reveal psychological truth. I am drawn to painters like Edward Hopper, whose work captures isolation and longing without sentimentality, and to filmmakers like Terrence Malick, who trust the audience to inhabit ambiguity. The stories I write privilege atmosphere over exposition, allowing memory, grief, and desire to surface indirectly.

Is there a piece of media that continuously inspires you? 

There are several works I return to repeatedly, but they are bound by a shared understanding of image as an emotional language. As a child, my grandmother made me watch foreign films without subtitles. When I asked why, she told me that the image should carry everything—that language should only deepen what is already felt. That lesson has remained foundational to my practice.

I return often to the work of Krzysztof Kieslowski, particularly Three Colors Trilogy and The Double Life of Véronique, for their ability to render interior life through color, rhythm, and silence. Similarly, Andrei Tarkovsky’s Mirror remains essential to me for the way memory fractures and reconstitutes itself without explanation—how time, grief, and childhood coexist in the same emotional space.

I am equally drawn to filmmakers who locate interiority within the physical body and landscape. Lynne Ramsay’s Ratcatcher has been especially influential in its use of restraint—how violence, neglect, and tenderness are conveyed through texture, sound, and absence rather than narrative declaration. Likewise, Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank continues to inform my work for its raw intimacy and moral clarity, allowing character psychology to emerge organically through movement, environment, and gaze.

In shaping my upcoming international feature Reds Hearten, I have also been influenced by the moral and psychological rigor of Jacques Audiard’s Un prophète, particularly in its attention to interior transformation and consequence. 

These works continue to inspire me because they trust the audience to feel—to inhabit uncertainty, memory, and loss—without instruction. That trust is at the core of my own artistic approach.

Your work has a distinct visual tone: beautiful, haunting, ethereal… Is this something that came natural to you, or did you search for it?

While craft and intention continue to refine my work, the visual language itself was never constructed; the images arrive not because I seek beauty, but because beauty is the only way I know to express our capacity to endure loss and despair—the burden of continuing in their aftermath. As Wordsworth writes, “A timely utterance gave that thought relief, and I again am strong”—a reminder of language’s capacity to steady the interior life. If beauty exists in my work, it emerges only through engagement with what must be endured..

This sensibility was present in my debut feature A Wonderful Way with Dragons, which was shaped by dark fairy tales, such as J M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl, and most powerfully The Shadow. These stories understand that innocence and terror coexist, that wonder is never without consequence, and that loss is often the price of imagination.

Translating A Wonderful Way with Dragons from page to screen was possible only through my collaboration with Abdelsalam Moussa, the film’s internationally recognized cinematographer. Our work together is grounded in a deep emotional and artistic intuition. While interviewing cinematographers for my debut, Moussa—an Egyptian filmmaker based in Cairo—immediately understood that I was telling a story closer in spirit to Peter Pan than Lord of the Flies. No other English-speaking cinematographer articulated that distinction, and it revealed the depth of his perception.

Although he could have chosen any number of higher-paying projects, Abdelsalam chose to shoot my super-independent, low budget film, returning his salary to the production because he believed in the story. Without him, I would not have been able to visualize the script with the clarity and emotional depth we ultimately achieved.

What are you working on currently, or hope to work on in the future?

I am currently in pre-production on Le Rouge Originel, a feature-length prequel to my forthcoming international film Reds Hearten. The project deepens my ongoing exploration of thanatological themes and interior life through an observational, restrained cinematic language. Conceived as the mythic and moral foundation beneath Reds Hearten, Le Rouge Originel is structured around proximity, duration, and the quiet conditions through which violence becomes procedural rather than exceptional. It represents a rigorous narrowing of my formal and ethical focus, and is the work I am most actively preparing at this moment.

In parallel, I continue development on Reds Hearten, a psychologically and philosophically driven feature set within a purgatorial space. The film examines corporeal romance, guilt, and the persistence of desire in the aftermath of irreversible loss. Conceived as an international co-production, it expands my interest in suspended moral and temporal states—where love endures without the promise of redemption.

I am also in pre-production on Sky, Zyprexa, Night, a 1993-set psychological drama rooted in faith, adolescence, and intergenerational mental illness. The project reflects my commitment to long-term creative collaboration, with a cast that includes Casey Likes, Jacob Moran, and returning collaborators Taylor Geare and Donnie Masihi from my debut feature.

Across all of these projects, my work remains unified by a sustained investigation into interior life, duration, and moral pressure—stories that resist resolution and ask how individuals endure once meaning, certainty, or redemption are no longer guaranteed.

Connect with Delfine Paolini on Instagram at @delfinepaolini, and check out @skyzyprexanight for news and info on her upcoming film, Sky, Zyprexa, Night.

(All photos courtesy of Julia Gillard; find her on Instagram @juliagillard777)

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Let’s welcome screenwriter, script supervisor, and playwright Sophia Baldassari to NYWIFT!

She was most recently an Associate Producer on the Radio Silence thriller LOSER, directed by Colleen McGuinness (30 Rock, Ramy) and starring Angourie Rice, Lukas Gage, and Julia Fox, having held the same role on the short film of the same name which screened at HollyShorts and the Oscar-qualifying Hamptons International Film Festival.

Her plays and pilots have been developed/produced at Luna Stage, George Street Playhouse, the McCarter Theatre Center, Haddonfield Plays and Players, and Manhattan Repertory Theatre, and have received accolades from the O’Neill Center Young Playwrights, Theatremania Young Playwrights, Beardance International Playwriting Festival, the Neil LaBute New Theatre Festival, the Austin Film Festival, among others.

She’s studied Writing at Sarah Lawrence and Egyptology at the University of Oxford, an experience she used to write a buddy comedy about the mummy of a Pharaoh’s 29th Favorite wife.

Sophia worked as a PA/Intern on the upcoming feature Paper Tiger, Saturday Night Live, My Favorite Murder for HBO, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Problem with Jon Stewart, the Broadway musical Mr. Saturday Night and, worst for her self-confidence, was once a stand-in for Louis C.K.

She is a member of the Writers Guild of America East, The New York Script Supervisors Network, and IATSE Local 111.

In our interview, we discussed uniting accessible and female driven stories with comedy and surrealism, the structural switches between playwriting and screenwriting, and the unexpected comedy of life in ancient Egypt. Let’s dive in!

Welcome to NYWIFT! Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself?

Hi! My name is Sophia Baldassari – I’m a 24-year-old filmmaker and playwright from Hoboken, NJ. I focus on character-driven comedies with a slightly biting, surreal edge.

I’ve been learning a ton working in production and Script/continuity and am developing my portfolio as a screenwriter. So far, I’ve written for both stage and screen, and I’m especially drawn to female-lead stories that feel smart but accessible – and hopefully leave audiences feeling seen.

What brought you to NYWIFT?

I became interested in NYWIFT because of its commitment to supporting women at every stage of their careers. Writing can often feel like such a solitary pursuit, so I was drawn to a community that champions mentorship, collaboration, and supporting female creators through their whole careers, rather than just a single project.

You are an accomplished screenwriter and playwright. What are your favorite similarities and differences between those storytelling techniques and opportunities?

At their core, both mediums are about character, voice, and conflict – if the audience doesn’t feel in response to the writing, then it’s not working. Period.

The biggest difference for me is the organization of ideas. There’s a saying, “screenwriting is structure.” For me, the exciting part of screenwriting is figuring out how to be creative and solve problems within the confines of the hero’s journey. Playwriting, on the other hand, can feel like the Wild West in terms of structure, but forces you to be a lot more in-depth and intimate with the characters since there’s not necessarily a three-act structure to hide behind.

I love moving between the two because each sharpens the other: playwriting strengthens my dialogue and characters, while screenwriting pushes me to think about how to organize these ideas to tell the most effective story.

You studied Egyptology at Oxford (so cool!!) and wrote a buddy comedy about the mummy of a Pharaoh’s 29th favorite wife. Tell us more about your academic learnings, experience, and how it inspired this project! 

Thank you for asking! One of the reasons why I wanted to study Egyptology was to gain experience in a topic that seemingly had nothing to do with film or screenwriting. But unexpectedly, I got to see that strange, human, and surprisingly funny history can be.

Ancient Egypt is often presented as this epic and serious civilization, but then you might stumble upon a tablet about one guy complaining that his neighbor is super annoying. If you’re looking for it, you’ll find plenty of petty rivalries, bureaucracy, and comedy in the past. Egyptology was a great exercise in terms of learning to tap into a character emotionally with whom I had nothing in common.

Do you have a formative “I want to be a writer!” story or early memory you can share?

I don’t remember a single lightning-bolt moment so much as a slow realization that writing was the thing that made sense to me. I was the kid constantly making up stories in elementary school, and would walk out of a movie immediately thinking how I would do it differently. At some point, I realized I wasn’t just consuming stories – I was constantly trying to get under the hood like a mechanic to figure out how they worked.

What has been the most fulfilling project you’ve worked on so far? How did it shape your passion for your work?

The most fulfilling project so far has been as an Associate Producer on LOSER, a project directed and written by Colleen McGuinness (30 Rock, Ramy). I first came onboard the project as a PA in 2023 when it was a short, then Colleen asked me back for the feature-length adaptation, which wrapped last December in NJ.

In both cases, I was grateful to be trusted to rise through the ranks quickly (I was still in college during the short!). I had to learn on the job all about gap loans, incentives, and about a million different kinds of tax forms. Seeing a project move from an early draft to a room full of collaborators – actors, directors, audiences – has continually reinforced my passion for the work and made me excited for the day when it can be based on my own words.

Tell us about a dream project you want to work on next!

Right now, I’m working on a handful of exciting spec scripts, and pilots. I also recently qualified to join the Writers Guild of America East and have been using their resources to polish up some scripts and get them out there.

My dream project would probably be a character-driven comedy that blends emotional realism with heightened, slightly absurd storytelling – something that feels grounded but takes big swings. I’m especially excited by stories about women navigating ambition, friendship, and identity in ways that are messy, funny, and unapologetically specific.

Connect with Sophia’s work at her IMDb page and on Instagram @sophiabaldassari! 

(All images courtesy of Sophia Baldassari)

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Welcome to NYWIFT, Nadia Voukitchevitch!

Nadia is an award-winning filmmaker with over two decades of experience across film, television, and branded content. She is the founder Nadia Films, a creative content production company and boutique agency that produces globally focused, multicultural, and multilingual work across media.

Through Nadia Films and its newly launched division, The Creative Collective, Nadia brings together collaborative teams of creators to craft meaningful, commercially viable work rooted in powerful storytelling. Her projects often intersect with social impact, advocacy, and cultural history, reflecting a deep commitment to human rights, women’s voices, and education-driven narratives.

In our interview, she reflects on her filmmaking journey, the responsibility of telling stories rooted in lived experience, and the projects she’s most excited to bring to life next.

NYWIFT Member Nadia Voukitchevitch

Welcome to NYWIFT! Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself?

Thank you for welcoming me! I’m a director, producer, writer, filmmaker, and poet who has been working in film, television, and advertising-branded content for over 20 years. I’m the Founder of The Creative Collective, a division of my small independent branding company, Nadia Films.

I’m from New York originally and spent the last 25 years in Los Angeles, and glad to be back in my hometown.

What brought you to NYWIFT?

I was born here in Murray Hill, and [first] became a member in the late ‘90s when I graduated from Sarah Lawrence College. My film professor, Abigail Child, was also a member of NYWIFT.

I’m also a member of Women in Media, Women in Film LA, National Association of Latino Independent Producers, International Documentary Association, Hollywood Professional Association, and others that you are affiliated with.

Nadia Voukitchevitch on set

What initially drew you to filmmaking and storytelling, and how did your early exposure to art, travel, and performance shape your creative path?

I was initially drawn by watching the old Hollywood classics, like Citizen Kane, Grand Hotel, and Notorious, when I lived in a very tiny town in the South of Spain, where I organized my parents’ huge library of Super VHS and Betamax tapes. I was so captivated by the wardrobe, set designs, and the ability to be transported into a whole different world through the art of cinema. Then at age 12 I told my father I wanted to be a director and move back to New York to study filmmaking.

My parents were both very heavily into the arts, as they were both artists, painters, and poets. My mom is a concert pianist and ran several art galleries in Soho dating back to the ‘70s, and my father was one of the original advertising men in Mad Men. My father’s ancestors compiled an entire collection of art called Hohenbuchau, named after my great-great-grandfather’s castle that he built for his beloved wife and four daughters. They owned Canalettos and many other incredible pieces of art that were stolen and confiscated by the Nazis during the war and are now mostly in the Getty Villa or the Liechtenstein Museum in Vienna under the Princely Collection.

Nadia Voukitchevitch on set of her documentary series, Powerful & Inspiring Asian Women

You spent many years producing award-winning commercial work before transitioning more fully into directing. What motivated that shift, and how did you know it was the right time to step into that role?

Well, I had always wanted to direct. Even in high school and college, I was directing, producing and editing my own films as well as writing them.

I stumbled upon commercials as a way of survival straight out of college and to pay my rent, bills, and student loans. I recall being called a “sell-out” by other fellow filmmakers from NYU when they saw me doing commercial work—until their savings were up and they would come begging me for a job as a production assistant on one of my film sets.

So more than a shift, I would call it coming back full circle, which life tends to do all on its own when you go too far off path. After a while, you get stuck in a rut when you are doing something that you are not passionate about.

While I enjoy producing and am very good at it—I’m often called to do the impossible deadline jobs—my happy place is when I’m directing, especially work that I’ve written and researched, and material that is dear to my heart and has significant meaning to me.

Nadia Voukitchevitch on set

Your work often intersects with social impact, including documentaries and PSAs focused on homelessness, immigration, and women’s rights. What responsibility do you feel as a filmmaker when telling stories rooted in advocacy and real-world issues?

It’s a huge responsibility when you are charged with representing all the groups you mention in your question, especially if you or someone very close to you has gone through that kind of ordeal. I’ve always taken pride in advocating for human rights and the homeless. My son’s uncle, a vet who has since passed away from ALS, served two tours in Vietnam and met my sister—whom he later married—when he was homeless in downtown Los Angeles.

Back in 2018, when I was approached by the director of America’s Family, I knew the topic of immigration was a very hot one, as it had been during Bush Jr. and Bush Sr.’s administrations, which is why I urged her to speed up the editing so that it would coincide with [what] I knew and anticipated Trump would do during his first term—and is now doing brutality and inhumanely in his second.

As far as women’s rights go, I grew up in a household that was very sexist. I used to have heated debates and arguments with my own father about my brothers not doing more tasks around the house that I was told to do, or sew the holes in their own socks. Beyond that I witnessed women in so many countries that I lived in be discriminated against just because they had a vagina, or be treated like property or second class citizens because they didn’t matter like their husbands did.

In the United States, let’s not forget [that] women did not get the right to vote until 1869, and in 1804, Haiti declared its independence from France. I love history, and I think it is important to remember what those who came before us went through for us to have our freedom and certain rights that were literally fought for, and people died to ensure we could live so carefree.

Nadia Voukitchevitch at the U.S. premiere of America’s Family, held at TCL Chinese Theatre during the 25th Dances With Films Festival

In addition to filmmaking, you’ve been deeply involved in education, nonprofit work, and mentorship. How do these roles complement your work as a storyteller?

I’m honored and flattered to have anyone call me a mentor. I do enjoy mentoring and teaching anyone who wants to learn what I’ve learned—not just in life, but [across] my various professions. When it comes to volunteering, especially with nonprofits that I’ve partnered with over the years, it’s what I feel good about doing by serving my community in any way I can.

From a very young age, I’ve felt a tremendous responsibility and duty to serve and to educate. My paternal grandfather was a member of the Secretariat General of the League of Nations and a big promoter of peace after surviving the horrific Balkan War and subsequent World War I. In fact, my second degree—my master’s—is in Human Development, with a concentration in Leadership in Education and Human Services.

I was blessed to have had a few good teachers and professors throughout my life, and they taught me the value of passing along good information and the truth about history. My mother, like most Asian moms, is a huge promoter of education, and [to] this day I’m terrified of bringing home anything that is less than an A+, despite not being in school anymore… [Laughs] Well, I might go back to get my doctorate!

I believe all these roles I’ve taken on voluntarily have shaped me as a storyteller, in that I do not have to be “authentic” in my writing, as I speak from having lived what I try and write about, and hope that someone can identify with those stories and that they might help them in some way.

Nadia Voukitchevitch on set of Powerful & Inspiring Asian Women with celebrity hairdresser and stylist Mira Chai Hyde

Looking ahead, what kinds of projects or stories are you most excited to explore next in your filmmaking journey?

Wow! Well, there are so many stories that remain to be told. Of course, I love telling stories that have a social impact. I have a whole list on my desktop of movies “I WILL MAKE,” and several feature-length scripts I’m writing [that are] still in [the] development and research stage. Some are historic pieces that require big budgets, and some are perfect for an A24 indie budget.

I have a TV comedy series that I’ve been reworking and rewriting with a Women in Media Writers’ Group, which I haven’t attended in months due to opening new offices in New York City for my company. That is a series I started writing when I first became a single mom.

I also have my docu-series that I’m actively seeking funding and distribution for so I can finish the four-part series on powerful and inspiring women. I love doing pieces on historical women, and every day I discover another woman who did such amazing things for the world—yet so few people know about it. I feel obligated to document it and make a film that everyone can enjoy and learn something from.

One of my biggest fears is not having enough time to read all the books I have in my house, in a huge pile by my bedside, and all the books in the world. Books are knowledge, and knowledge is power, and some of the greatest stories on film come from books. I encourage this Alpha generation to read more books. One of my mentors, James Schamus, always told me that if the material is good, the film sells itself, but the writing and material needs to be good, meaning authentic and relatable.

The biggest hurdle is funding. For us to produce all these creative projects and films, we have to do well in our commercial division, as that often helps fund some of these. So if anyone out there reading this wants to invest in my scripts and films and would like to receive producer credit, please reach out to me at nadia@nadiafilms.com.

Connect with Nadia Voukitchevitch at nadia@nadiafilms.com, on Instagram at @nadiafilms_nadiavoukitchevitch, and follow her work through The Creative Collective and Nadia Films.

(All images courtesy of Nadia Voukitchevitch)

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Welcome to NYWIFT, Erin Kelly!

Erin is an entertainment insurance professional with a background in film and television production. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Film Production, she began her career working on documentary and television projects, including the feature documentary Knuckleball and CBS’s Entertainment Tonight.

In 2016, Erin transitioned into entertainment insurance and now serves as Underwriting Manager for the Film/TV/DICE segment of the Entertainment Department at Intact Insurance Group. 

Last year, she presented a wonderful virtual program to NYWIFT members called  “Safety on Set.” 

Based in New York City, Erin remains deeply connected to the industry as a self-described “film school kid” at heart and an avid moviegoer.

In our interview, she shares insights on her journey from production to entertainment insurance, the risks facing today’s productions, and the lessons she’s learned along the way.

NYWIFT Member Erin Kelly

Welcome to NYWIFT! Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself?

My name is Erin Kelly and I work in the film insurance business. I specialize in insurance for feature films, television series, documentaries, commercials, and short digital content production.

I have been working in this industry for about 12 years, and prior to that, worked in the Film/TV industry as a production assistant and line producer. I am a graduate of Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television and consider myself an insurance professional but a “film school kid” at heart.

What brought you to NYWIFT?

I have a strong desire to never lose sight of the specifics of the industry that we help to insure. I enjoyed several of NYWIFT’s events (which I attended as a corporate sponsor) and found them very informative about the current issues facing the industry (particularly women) at this present moment.

I wanted to become an official member so that I can offer my help to women in the industry and remain current on the latest industry specifics and trends.

Erin Kelly at the NYWIFT FinanceHER Institute with Christine Sadofsky

What initially drew you to film and television production, and how did that experience eventually lead you into the world of entertainment insurance?

I have been a lover of the cinema since the first time my mother took me to the theater to see the remastering of Gone with the Wind when I was around 8 years old. I have always loved the ability of Film/TV to bring stories (narrative and real) to the forefront and evoke discussions on important topics. I think films have an incredible power to uplift and inspire individuals, and I love being involved with this process.

As a corporate executive, what shifts or emerging challenges do you see shaping the future of production risk and insurance?

I spoke about the overall state of set safety in the November NYWIFT workshop, “Safety on Set” – I believe that independent productions have been challenged by increasingly tight schedules and difficulty with financing, which can lead to unsafe set environments.

There are productions that want to perform stunts or hazardous activities but do not have the budget or proper time window to safely complete these activities (by hiring the correct specialists, providing the right safety materials, rehearsing the stunts, etc.). This is where proper risk assessment and planning in pre-production becomes crucial to creating a safe environment for crew, cast, and all individuals working on set.

Erin Kelly interviewing a broker at an insurance conference

What lessons have stood out to you while growing into a leadership role in the insurance industry?

I have learned that it is very important to keep an eye on the technical changes in the industry and never assume that conditions will be the same from year to year. I think it’s paramount to read industry periodicals, attend events to be up-to-date on new technologies, and speak regularly with those working on sets.

As the industry changes at a rapid pace, we have to do our best to remain ahead of the curve or at least keep pace with the changes.

Connect with Erin Kelly on LinkedIn, and watch her Safety on Set webinar with NYWIFT to learn more about great planning tools and production insurance.

(All images courtesy of Erin Kelly)

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Welcome to NYWIFT, Sun Roller!

Sun Roller is a Chickasaw creative and producer raised in Oklahoma and based in New York City. With a career spanning production design, art direction, project management, and large-scale leadership, Sun Roller brings a deeply intentional, intuitive approach to every project she touches—grounded in spirituality, connection to nature, and collaboration.

Sun Roller has worked across film and television on projects including Reservation Dogs, I Saw the TV Glow, Poker Face and The Lowdown. In recent years, she has expanded her work into producing, with a focus on Indigenous-led stories and community-centered narratives.

When she’s not on set or behind a computer, Sun Roller can often be found outdoors soaking up the Sun and enjoying time in nature with her elder pup, Wrigley, and her partner, Annie H.

In our interview, Sun Roller reflects on her path into film and television, building a career across male-dominated industries, and the stories she’s most excited to bring to the screen next.

NYWIFT Member Sun Roller

Welcome to NYWIFT! Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself?

My name is Sun Roller, like rolling with the Sun. It’s one sound. A vibration. I’ve been fortunate to work in the arts for about a decade after a long career in oil and gas in Oklahoma. I enjoy wearing many hats and driving projects forward.

What brought you to NYWIFT?

[Board Members] Yvonne Russo and Audrey Roseberg encouraged me to join, mentioning NYWIFT was one of the best organizations for a New York woman in our field for connection, community and support. It was an easy decision to sign up and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be in this community.

What initially drew you to production design and art direction, and how did your journey into the film and television industry begin?

I fell into film and television during the pandemic. I had moved to New York City as a producer of live large scale events across the globe. New York was a home base and once COVID hit, in person events were not an option for the unforeseeable future. I reached out to a friend while looking for work and she connected me with an art coordinator for commercials here in New York.

My first job was a Super Bowl commercial for E-Trade filming in Montclair, New Jersey. After many commercials and an HBO show, I was given the opportunity to art coordinate for Reservation Dogs in 2022.

I’m a producer at heart, so in 2025, I started producing my first documentary about a food revolution featuring Indigenous chef Sean Sherman. I’m producing a short film in January and a feature in the fall about Indigenous stories in Oklahoma and the Choctaw Nation.

NYWIFT Member Sun Roller

What has it been like navigating a predominantly male industry, and what advice or insights would you offer to emerging creatives navigating similar paths?

Being a female in a male-dominated film world isn’t my first rodeo. I was a female crew chief land manager in oil and gas for over a decade. The only female in my role, I worked on projects from Oklahoma to Pennsylvania.

The key is knowing your role and being confident in your skillset. I don’t often ask for permission, but rather take bold steps in the direction of what is for the highest and greatest good of the project/team and trust that if I’m standing in my truth and alignment, more times than not, it will work out.

I think where women get it wrong in male-dominated fields, is they feel like they need permission to be there. If we have the chops, we should use them — and without apology.

NYWIFT Member Sun Roller

What has been the most fulfilling project you’ve worked on so far, and what made it special for you?

Hands down, Reservation Dogs has been a career highlight. I knew in the moment it was special and that it was finite. We had several good years together as a tight (mostly Indigenous) crew and that show changed the landscape and narrative of Indigenous excellence in film and television. It gave every day natives a chance to see themselves on screen, without being stereotyped. It also covered really challenging topics with grace and humor.

What kinds of stories or projects are you most excited to explore next?

I always feel honored when relatives from Indian country ask me to support or drive their projects. The two films I’m producing this year are near and dear to my heart. It feels important to share Indigenous stories from OUR perspective because the white men have been doing it for a hundred years and it’s been unbelievably harmful to our community. So to right those wrongs feels important.

Learn more about Sun Roller’s work on Instagram at @sun.roller and her website www.sunroller.org.

(All images courtesy of Sun Roller)

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Welcome to NYWIFT, Yossera Bouchtia!

Yossera Bouchtia is an award-winning filmmaker and educator whose work explores memory, experimental storytelling, and the experience of the sublime. 

Her films span genres including magical realism, neorealism, biopics, drama, and experimental films. Drawing on her Moroccan-American upbringing, her storytelling bridges East and West, amplifying unheard voices and shedding light on unseen truths.

Bouchtia approaches storytelling as a practice of being – an invitation into consciousness, attention, witnessing, and deeper presence. She holds an M.F.A. in Film Directing from Columbia University and she is currently Associate Professor and Program Director of Cinema at VCU School of the Arts.

NYWIFT Member Yossera Bouchtia

Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself?

Hello! My name is Yossera Bouchtia, and I’m a filmmaker and educator currently based in Richmond, Virginia. I’m the Director of VCUarts Cinema Program, where I’ve spent the last decade mentoring emerging filmmakers. My film work also explores themes of cultural identity, duality, memory and the human need for connection and understanding. I’m also a meditator, which deeply informs both my creative process and my approach to teaching.

What brought you to NYWIFT?

I’m drawn to supporting women in filmmaking because I believe storytelling comes more naturally to women – our ability to empathize gives us a unique lens through which to see and share the world. I want more women to embrace their gifts and share their stories, because when we do, we create a more caring, connected world.

NYWIFT’s mission to champion women in film aligns perfectly with this vision, and I’m honored to be part of this community.

Having worked on many projects, is there one that stands out as particularly meaningful to you?

I have so many special memories – filmmaking is never easy, and it truly takes a village. But if I had to choose, my short film AFRI holds a particularly special place in my heart. It was the first time I fully surrendered to a project and allowed it to guide me along the way. Working with a very minimal script, I was fortunate to have an amazing crew who trusted me completely. The experience felt like we were making a film as a prayer.

Later, in the editing process, the magic of the film truly came alive for me – I discovered what it was really about. That discovery process, that openness to being surprised by your own work, remains one of my most cherished creative experiences.

How has your cultural background tied into your creative work?

Growing up straddling two cultural identities – Moroccan and American – I always saw things from a different vantage point. For a long time, I struggled with that dual perspective, but I’ve grown to embrace it as a superpower. My work often tackles the dualities of identity: the push and pull between belonging and otherness, home and diaspora.

For years, I told stories that aimed to reconcile differences and navigate what felt like cultural clashes. That exploration is still central to my storytelling today. I’m drawn to narratives that honor complexity and find beauty in the tensions we carry.

What compelled you to become an educator in film? Do you think this experience has impacted your directorial voice?

I feel called to teach – to mentor and guide those who have stories they long to share with the world. Storytelling is a generous act, and helping students nurture their ideas into distinct expressions of who they are is such a fulfilling process. It’s much like a gardener taking tender care to witness her garden bloom.

Teaching has absolutely impacted my directorial voice. I draw tremendous inspiration from my students – getting to know their struggles, anxieties, loves, hopes, and dreams helps me deepen my own work and clarify the impact I want my films to have on the world. They remind me why storytelling matters.

What is your creative process?

My process begins as an inward journey. I find that my deepest ideas are always aiming to connect with a need in the world – a need to understand oneself more fully. This begins when I meditate, which is a foundational part of my creative practice. In the silence and stillness, I find answers to my deepest questions and clarity about what I need to share.

I’m also deeply collaborative. I love inviting others into my process as we grapple together with the truth of a film and the themes at stake. The best work emerges from that collective wrestling with meaning.

What are you currently working on, or hope to in the future?

I’m finishing up a short film based on Abdelkhabir Khatibi’s novella Amour bilingue, which explores themes of linguistic and cultural identity.

I’m also developing a feature-length horror film titled Yasmine/Jasmine about a young woman confronted by her doppelgänger ghost. It’s a psychological exploration of identity, displacement, and the parts of ourselves we unconsciously leave behind but can never quite escape.

Connect with Yossera on Instagram at @yos.films, her website www.yossera.com, and on Substack yossera.substack.com  

(All photos courtesy of Yossera Bouchtia)

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Welcome to NYWIFT, Sarah Friedland!

Sarah Friedland is a filmmaker and choreographer working at the intersection of moving images and moving bodies.

Friedland’s debut feature film, Familiar Touch, earned critical acclaim at the Venice International Film Festival last year, where she received both the Lion of the Future/Best Debut Film and the Horizons Award for Best Director. It was also screened as part of NYWIFT’s Member Screening series in 2025. 

On the heels of her success at Venice, she won an Independent Spirit Award (“Someone to Watch”) and has since been nominated for two Gotham Awards (Breakthrough Director and Best Feature) and another Film Independent Spirit Award (John Cassavetes Award).

(Photo credit: Anna Ritsch)

Welcome to NYWIFT! Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself?

Hi NYWIFT! My name is Sarah Friedland. I’m a filmmaker and choreographer with a background in movement-based and dance filmmaking. My debut feature film Familiar Touch premiered at the Venice Film Festival, was released in theaters this summer by Music Box Films, and is currently available to stream on Mubi.

Familiar Touch is a coming-of-old-age film starring Kathleen Chalfant as a woman transitioning to life in assisted living as she navigates her relationship with herself, her caregivers, and her family amidst her shifting memories and desires.

What brought you to NYWIFT? 

 My passion for being a part of a community of women in film. We need each other! The camaraderie, mutual support, and mentorship of other women in this industry has been pivotal to my career thus far. 

Did your passion for filmmaking and choreography form together, or separately at first? How did that journey begin for you?

 I’d say film and choreography were on a collision course towards each other from the beginning. I started off making films about everyday movement. When I first started experimenting as a student with choreography for the stage, I found myself craving visual control over scale and perspective – the frame was already in mind.

Dance filmmaking was a way for me to bring these two movement-based forms together. Each successive film of mine has had more and more scripted material and characters, so in some ways the progression to a narrative feature was quite organic from my dance films.

Which project shaped you the most as a filmmaker, and how would you describe the impact it’s left on you?

Definitely Familiar Touch. It was a decade-long journey that has shaped me in more ways than I can say. The impact I’d highlight most is on how I’d like to lead a cast and crew, and the shared principles we hold together. Familiar Touch was an opportunity for me to practice my own style of creative leadership and seek out collaborators who were interested in being a part of the process we were creating: collaborative, community-based, and anti-ageist.

While I think each film requires its own process, I’m grateful to have learned that you need not replicate the methods and values of anyone else’s set – you can make your own and decide what integrity looks like for you as a director. I want to carry that with me always.

You have an incredibly detailed approach to filmmaking (for example, using movement scores and sound scripts to map out your film Familiar Touch). Could you tell us more about these detailed methods and how you discovered they work for you?

I like to build cinematic worlds through an accumulation of detail. While writing and prepping, I tend to learn things about my characters and their world in little crumbs. I’ve found that my best work comes from collecting these pieces over time rather than investing in the fantasy that it will somehow arrive all at once.

Following from this practice, I end up with very detailed information that I like to collect and then make additional documents for myself and my collaborators. This takes on many forms: dance notations, camera diagrams, transcripts of sounds, lists of rules, etcetera.

I’m really fascinated by forms of script-writing that don’t look like screenplays and am continuously experimenting with my own notations. 

While filming Familiar Touch, did you find any overlaps in the experience of directing the film and your previous experience as a caregiver of aging adults?

 Absolutely! So much of caregiving is about slowing down and getting still enough to notice details in the behaviors of the person you’re caring for. I think that same level of attention and presence is needed while watching actors perform. I’m their witness and need to bring the same quality of embodied and detailed perception to be able to provide the direction and feedback needed to support their best performances.

What are you excited to explore next in your career journey?

I’m excited to continue exploring ways to make humanist dramas with an embodied or choreographic language. I love finding characters through their movements and writing scripts as movement scores for actors to animate. I’m writing the next one with this guiding principle very much in mind. 

Connect with Sarah Friedland on her website www.motionandpictures.com or on Instagram at @_motionxpictures.

 Familiar Touch is now available to watch on VOD platforms. Learn more at www.familiartouchfilm.com or on Instagram (@familiartouch and @musicboxfilms).

(All images courtesy of Sarah Friedland)

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Welcome, Ida Edina, to NYWIFT!

Ida is a multi-hyphenate singer-songwriter, composer, and filmmaker who started playing the Finnish harp at 13.  She brands herself as a modern pop kantele queen from the nordics.

Ida truly is an ethnomusicologist obsessed with the ancient Kalevala poems of her homeland. Her work currently has over three million views on her YouTube channel. 

Ida’s award-winning short film, Under the Northern Skies, is a journey through her 13-song album that combines original music with an audiovisual concert experience. It premiered in Finland in February 2025.

Read on to learn more about Ida’s art and her dreams for the year ahead.    

What brings you to NYWIFT?

What excites me about NYWIFT is being part of a creative community of women who support and inspire one another. Even though I’m not New York–based, but live in the Helsinki Capital region in Finland, I plan to spend a lot of time in the city — learning, exchanging ideas, and building meaningful creative relationships.

I’m especially interested in collaborating with NYWIFT members on future film projects. I truly believe storytelling grows stronger through collaboration.

I’m also grateful to SOHO International Film Festival and [NYWIFT Board Member] Sibyl Raymundo-Santiago for introducing me to NYWIFT and welcoming me into the organization.

What is a project or goal you’re dreaming about right now?

I’m currently dreaming about expanding Under the Northern Skies into an international collaboration with symphony orchestras around the world.

The symphonic version had its world premiere in October with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, and collaboration with Finnish orchestras continues this year. My long-term goal is to bring this project to international stages – combining mythology, film, and orchestral music in a way that connects across cultures.

Talk about the intersection of your art across music and film.

In my 15-minute short film Under the Northern Skies, music was the foundation of the entire project. Inspired by the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic, the film tells its story without dialogue — the narrative is carried entirely by music and lyrics.

The project combined two working approaches: the visuals initially grew from the music, and later, additional music was composed in response to the finished imagery. Exploring both directions within the same film highlighted how deeply music and visuals can shape and strengthen each other.

What is it about Nordic mythology that first drew you in?

Nordic mythology is a deep part of Finnish cultural heritage and has been with me throughout my artistic life. I started playing the kantele at 13, and the instrument itself is closely tied to myth and oral tradition.

While working on this project, that connection resurfaced strongly. I was drawn to the ancient Kalevala poems and the lost world they represent. Grounded in folk poetry and tradition, the Kalevala’s symbolism, depth, and artistic richness continue to inspire me.

What projects are you looking forward to most in 2026?

In 2026, I’m most excited about developing the next chapters of my Kalevala project. We are planning two new sequels, both rooted in Kalevala mythology. I will compose the music, and from that foundation, we will build new films.

As these projects grow internationally, I’m especially happy to be part of NYWIFT and look forward to collaborating with its members on my upcoming films.

Connect with Ida Elina via her website idaelina.fi/en, and on:

Instagram: @theidaelina

YouTube: at @idaelinamusic

TikTok: @theidaelina

Facebook: @idaelinamusic

LinkedIn: @ida-elina

About Ida Elina:

Ida Elina is a Finnish singer-songwriter, composer, and kantele artist recognized for her innovative playing of Finland’s national instrument. Through her percussive “slap style” technique, she has brought the traditionally gentle kantele into contemporary pop contexts (Vorarlberger Nachrichten). She has performed at music festivals and concert venues across Europe, Asia, and the United States. In recent years, her work has expanded into film and visual storytelling. Her 15-minute short film Under the Northern Skies, inspired by the Kalevala, is based on her original music, and has received multiple international awards and nominations. The Kalevala project unfolds as a three-part work — a short film, an album, and a concert experience — and has expanded into orchestral collaborations that connect music, moving image, and live performance.

(All images courtesy of Ida Elina)

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Welcome to NYWIFT, Jackie Quinones!

Jackie Quinones is a boundary-pushing filmmaker with a career that seamlessly blends music, acting, marketing, development, and production. From her roots as a hip-hop artist to her evolution in film, she combines a rare mix of artistic vision and business savvy to create heartfelt, socially resonant stories that leave a lasting influence.

Bilingual and Puerto Rican, she is a multi-hyphenate talent – writer, director, actor, and producer – whose work centers on emotionally rich, character-driven stories exploring psychology, identity, and trauma. Jackie’s hybrid-genre narratives also reflect on social and political issues through the lens of fractured relationships and complex family dynamics. Committed to amplifying unheard and underrepresented voices, her work is both personal and thought-provoking.

Her debut feature film Miles Away premiered at the Austin Film Festival in 2025. It went on to earn the New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) Award for Excellence in Narrative Filmmaking at the Urbanworld Film Festival.The film is currently still in its festival run.

Jackie’s short films Sick and Dandelion have also been screened at multiple festivals and have earned various awards. She was most recently selected as a 2026 Rideback Rise Cohort, one of the industry’s most selective and prestigious creative incubators founded by Netflix’s Dan Lin and run by Rideback, the producers of It and The LEGO Movie.

In addition to her own projects, Quinones has served as a marketing and development consultant on several studio features, including Molly’s Game, A Bad Moms Christmas, The Gift, Mile 22, Secret in Their Eyes, and more.

NYWIFT Member Jackie Quinones

Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself? 

I’m a Puerto Rican New Yorker (currently in LA) who has always lived in the in-between, between cultures, neighborhoods, identities, and expectations. That liminal space has shaped how I move through the world. I’m a writer, director, actor, and producer, but I’m also someone deeply guided by honesty, resilience, and connection. I value hard work over ego, truth over perfection, and showing up even when I’m scared.

My life has been shaped by family, by discipline learned early on, by navigating spaces where I could “pass” but never fully belong, and by listening closely to the quiet stories people carry. I’m curious about psychology, drawn to strong women and understanding complicated relationships, and endlessly interested in how people survive, heal, and redefine themselves. Humor, grit, empathy, and loyalty anchor me, and whether in my work or my life, my goal is the same: to live truthfully, to make space for voices that are often overlooked, and to remind people – myself included – that no one is alone in their struggle. 

What brought you to NYWIFT?

NYWIFT felt like a natural fit for me because community has always been at the center of how I work and who I am. I’ve spent my career moving between roles and spaces that don’t always feel built for women or for people who live in the in-between, and I’ve learned how powerful it is to be in rooms where that complexity is understood and valued.

I was drawn to NYWIFT because it represents support, access, and real connection, not just networking, but shared experience. Being part of a community that uplifts women, amplifies underrepresented voices, and actively makes space for honest conversations about the work and the industry felt aligned with my values and the kind of career I’m building.

What initially inspired you to pursue a career in filmmaking, and is it the same inspiration that motivates you today?

I was initially drawn to filmmaking because it felt like the most expansive way to tell the kinds of stories I was already carrying. I came up through music and acting, storytelling was always my way of making sense of the world, of identity, power, family, and the quiet struggles people don’t always name out loud. Film allowed me to bring all of that together. Voice, performance, psychology, and emotion, all in one place. It gave me a language for things I didn’t yet know how to say.

That inspiration is still very much alive, and it’s deepened. What motivates me now isn’t just the urge to tell stories, but the responsibility that comes with being able to tell them. I’m driven by the desire to create work that’s honest, human, and grounded in lived experience, especially for women and communities that are too often flattened or overlooked.

I still create to understand myself and the world, but now I do it with a clearer sense of purpose, to forge connection, to challenge silence, and to remind people they’re not alone in what they’re carrying.

Your projects feature protagonists with complex stories and emotional lives. What is your process when crafting characters? 

I usually start from the inside out. I’m less interested in who a character is on paper and more focused on what they’re carrying, what they’re afraid of, what they want but won’t admit, and where they’re lying to themselves in order to survive. A lot of my characters live in contradiction (much like everyone walking the earth) and I try to honor that rather than smooth it out. I spend time with their emotional history, their family dynamics, and the moments that shaped how they move through the world.

From there, I think about behavior over explanation. How does this person cope? What do they avoid? Where do they soften or shut down? I’m drawn to characters who feel very human, a little messy, and deeply recognizable. I don’t approach them as symbols or statements, but as people. If I can understand them with empathy, even when they make choices I don’t agree with, then I trust the audience will too.

Do you find that your background in hip-hop has influenced or informed your work in the film industry? 

Absolutely. Hip-hop shaped the way I see the world long before I ever stepped onto a film set. At its core, hip-hop is about survival, voice, and truth-telling. It’s about taking pain and limited resources and turning them into something powerful, something beautiful, into art. Coming up in that space taught me how to be scrappy, how to trust my instincts, and how to speak honestly, even when it’s uncomfortable or scary.

It also gave me a deep respect for rhythm, tone, and point of view, which shows up in how I approach dialogue, pacing, and character. Hip-hop is rooted in lived experience, and that’s something I carry into my filmmaking. I’m not interested in polishing things to the point where they lose their edge. I want my work to feel grounded, uncomfortable, specific, and real, like it’s coming from someone who’s been there, listened closely, and understands the power of telling their own story.

Having been recognized by numerous awards, is there a moment or accomplishment that holds special significance to you?

While I’m incredibly honored and know that every award and recognition is meaningful, the moment that really sticks with me hasn’t been any trophy or certificate. It was the first screening of Miles Away at the Austin Film Festival with my family, friends, and colleagues. Sitting in that theater, watching both strangers and people close to me laugh, cry, and connect with a story that came from such a personal place, I felt the weight of everything I’d worked for finally pay off in a way that mattered beyond me.

That moment reminded me why I make films: to foster connection. For me, storytelling is about seeing how a story can move people, spark conversation, and even inspire real change in communities or policy. That’s the reward that makes every challenge worth it. Knowing someone saw themselves or someone they care about in my work, and that it made them think, feel, or act differently. That is the achievement I hope to carry with me every day. Awards are nice, but it’s that ripple effect, the tangible impact a story can have in that shared human experience, that matters most.

How do you decide on the projects you want to pursue, and what’s next?

I pursue projects I feel I have to tell. Stories I can’t stop thinking about that reflect truths I see in the world, or that highlight voices and perspectives that aren’t often seen. I’m drawn to characters and narratives that are messy, human, and emotionally rich, especially women or underrepresented characters navigating complex identities and relationships.

What’s next? I’m developing a few really exciting projects that I’ll be diving deeper into through the Rideback Rise program, which I’m honored to be part of this year. Founded by Netflix’s Dan Lin, the program challenges mid-level creators to stretch their vision and craft.

All of my projects continue to explore resilience and family, with a healthy dose of social and political questioning. I’m especially drawn to stories that spark conversation and, ideally, inspire real change in communities and policy. Projects that go beyond entertainment to make a truly meaningful impact.

Connect with Jackie on instagram @_jackiequinones_, her website www.JackieQuinones.com, and LinkedIn. 

(All photos courtesy of Jackie Quinones)

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Welcome to NYWIFT, Kelli Reilly!

Kelli Reilly is a producer, director, and writer working across narrative film and documentary, based between New York and Los Angeles, and the founder of Quartermaster Creative. She studied film and television at NYU Tisch with a focus in experimental cinema and got her start working on acclaimed documentaries, including Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story, The Vow, and Student Athlete.

Her recent producing work includes I Got You, SLICK, and The Daughter, and she is currently in post-production on the feature documentary Viva La Dita. She is also in production on the period feature The Florist and is a writer and contributor to the New York Times–recommended podcast Look Behind the Look.

In our interview, Kelli discussed how she shaped her artistry, her inspirations, and her upcoming work.

NYWIFT Member Kelli Reilly

Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself?

I’m a producer, director, and writer working in narrative and documentary film, based between New York and Los Angeles. I run Quartermaster Creative. I got my start in documentary and archival work and gradually moved into narrative projects.

These days, I’m focused on character-driven stories and period work, including a feature I’m currently producing, The Florist. I like films that have a strong point of view and pay attention to detail. My work usually lives somewhere between the strange and the intimate.

Why NYWIFT?

NYWIFT represents a community that values artistic ambition and professional sustainability. I’m drawn to its commitment to amplifying women’s voices across disciplines and as leaders shaping the industry. I deeply appreciate NYWIFT’s emphasis on mentorship, advocacy, and meaningful connection.

NYWIFT Member Kelli Reilly

What inspired you to launch Quartermaster Creative, and how has it helped you focus on films exploring identity and complex female experiences?

I wanted a home for the kind of work I couldn’t stop thinking about. Quartermaster Creative came from a desire to build a space where stories could be developed with care, patience, and intention, especially stories that live in emotional gray areas and focus on the inner lives of women and girls.

It’s also a place where I can bring all parts of my creative life together, producing, directing, writing, and designing, in service of the same vision. It’s given me the freedom to invest the time and care projects need, and to build them with collaborators who care as much about feeling and craft as I do.

What are the biggest challenges in producing films that balance historical accuracy with emotional storytelling?

I’m very detail-oriented, so this is actually a constant fight for me. You can make something that’s completely accurate and still not alive. The trick is knowing when the research is helping the story and when it’s getting in the way.

NYWIFT Member Kelli Reilly

How do you collaborate with designers, costume artists, and actors to bring a historical era to life on screen?

Even though the story is set in a real time period, we’re really building a world from our own point of view. I love bringing collaborators in early so we can shape it together — using research as a base while letting everyone’s instincts and ideas guide it. That’s when it stops feeling like a recreation and starts feeling like a real, lived-in place.

NYWIFT Member Kelli Reilly

What role do you believe filmmakers have in shaping cultural conversations around gender, identity, and representation?

I’ve always been more interested in people who don’t fit neatly into boxes. I don’t think stories need to convince anyone of anything. Our role is to shepherd these stories and be caretakers of each other — to make films that capture experiences people might otherwise think they’re alone in, and to widen the frame of whose stories get told, because representation is critical.

NYWIFT Member Kelli Reilly

What advice would you give emerging filmmakers who want to explore socially or culturally resonant stories?

Start with specificity. The more personal and precise your point of view, the more universal the work becomes. Do the research, but don’t hide behind it. Your interpretation and lived experience matter. And find collaborators who challenge you rather than simply agree with you. Resonant stories are mad with clarity, conviction, and care.

Learn more about Quartermaster Creative at  www.quartermastercreative.com and follow Kelli Reilly on Instagram at @kelrei.

(All photos courtesy of Kelli Reilly)

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