WIFT NSW new Media Mentorship for Women (MMW), was officially launched on the Opening Night of the 15th WOW Film Festival at the Chauvel Cinema earlier this month.

Tania Chambers, Chief Executive of the NSW Film and Television Office (FTO), opened the WOW Film Festival and announced the launch of the Media Mentorship for Women Program.

Special guest Ian Robertson, Managing Partner, Holding Redlich and Deputy Chair, Screen Australia, also proud to be a Platinum sponsor of the program, thinks that the MMW is an important initiative for the Film and Television industry. “I think one of the terrific things from the point of view of women working in this industry is that we have so many female role models … It is to be hoped that this mentorship program will add many more names to the list of outstanding female talent in our industry,” said Robertson.

The program has attracted mentors from many different areas of the industry, from scriptwriting and cinematography to sound design and editing. MMW offers established industry professionals such as Piet De Vries, Robert Humphries, Jessica Douglas-Henry, Susan MacKinnon, Guy Gross, John Edwards, Laura Sivis to name a few. We also have overseas mentors such as US based Laurie Scheer, UK based Anna Reeves and Anjum Rajibali from India on board for Mentorship Round 1. (A complete list of Round 1 Mentees and Mentors is provided the end of this article.)

Ana Tiwary Mentorship Program Co-ordinator, Vice President WIFT NSW, thanked all the sponsors, volunteers and acknowledged all of the 30 mentors who have come on board for Mentorship Round 1. “About eight months ago, the mentorship program was just an idea and I am happy to see it come to life today. The most vital part of our program is our mentors, and we are extremely grateful to them for contributing their time and sharing their wisdom with the next generation of women filmmakers.”

Mentoring flourishes at MMW Launch Forum…

The first round of the MMW was marked with a stylish kick off at the Rex Center in Potts Point. Attended by Mentors, applicants and other industry professionals, the event included a talk on Work-Life Balance by special guest Alison Nancye, a Mentorship Forum and a Speed Networking session.

Founder of The Life Kitchen, Director of MiLK Magazine, a renowned mentor, writer, keynote speaker, and mother of two; Nancye’s Work-Life Balance’ speech resonated with those present and inspired many to spend more time on nurturing their mind, body and souls.

With a panel of five inspiring mentors, comprising of Sarah Joyce, Kathy Drayton, Karel Segers, Phillippa Harvey and Madeleine Hetherton, engrossing debate was sparked. Hot on the tongues, were strategies to bridge the gap between emerging and established filmmakers. The discussion enabled attendees to address the issues that concerned them the most, proving to be a productive and engaging environment for all.

Overall, the excitement and camaraderie of the start of the MMW was so strongly felt by all, that a significant number stayed on to continue discussions and interact with new found industry colleagues.

Whats next on the MMW menu…

The MMW Committee will be organising 3 free workshops for MMW applicants over the next six months in areas such as Media Law, Cinematography and Scriptwriting. Mentorship Round 2 applications will be accepted between 10th December 2008 and 1st of February 2009. Please check the website for updates: www.nsw.wift.org/mentor

Special Thank You! to our Sponsors and Supporters…

The media industry has been very supportive of the program and we are very grateful to all our partners - Metro Screen, Getting Creative, A big thank you to Greg Neal from Miller for encouraging us from the very start of the program. Megan McMurchy and Hibiscus films, we cannot thank you enough. We are extremely grateful and fortunate to have incredible support from our sponsors. The NSW FTO has guided and supported us along the way. A special thank you to Tania Chambers for her vision, inspiration and encouragement. Our Platinum Legal Sponsor Holding Redlich are not only providing their valuable services but also organizing a free Media Law workshop. We are very thankful to Ian Robertson, Sonia Borella and Cathy Hoyle for supporting the program in so many different ways. Phil Sandberg form Content+Technology Magazine is printing a series of articles about the mentorship program. Keren Moran and Noa Peer from Spring in Alaska, have created an outstanding website for us. City of Sydney has offered us free venue for some of our events. Miller Camera Support were the first sponsor to come on board and have helped the program right from the development stage. We look forward to the continued support of all our fantastic Sponsors for many years to come.

Emerging to Established - Bridging the Gap!

MMW ROUND 1 MATCHED LIST

Media Mentorship for Women is proudly sponsored by:

Visit the Media Mentorship for Women website at www.nsw.wift.org/mentor

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