I am from Los Angeles, California. I am currently very excited to start my senior film project at Loyola University as I will be a senior this upcoming fall. I look forward to getting help from the connections I have made being a part of WIFT- LA. Being surrounded by women empowers me, which makes me aim to have all my future sets solely women.

Local & International Resources
Women in Film & Television Louisiana is committed to the career advancement of our membership. This section is meant to identify resources to support their endeavors.
LOCAL & STATE RESOURCES:
Resources for Members only:
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Wifti.net
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Fiscal sponsorship
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Jobs Board
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Members Directory
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Screenings
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Exclusive discounts on software (Premiere, Movie Magic, etc)
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Over 50% discount on:
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Final Draft (Scriptwriting software - Retail value $199)
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Movie Magic (Budgeting software - Retail value $479)
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Showbiz Budgeting (WIFTLA price: $249 - Retail $399)
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Final Cut Pro (Editing software - Retail value $1299)
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Resource Guide
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Funding opportunities
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Grants
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Scholarships
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Promotion via website and social media
LOCAL RESOURCES:
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lfea.org (advocacy group for the Louisiana film industry)
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www.filmneworleans.org (resource for filming in New Orleans and environs
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www.louisianaentertainment.gov/film (resource for filming in Louisiana, including tax credits applications)
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Louisiana Film Festivals (see below)
LOUISIANA FILM FESTIVALS:
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Cinema on the Bayou (Lafayette, LA)
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Festival: January Deadline: November
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Focus on Cajun and Creole cultures, Cinema on the Bayou features screenings, panels and cultural exchanges with French Louisiana and Francophone countries across the world.
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Website: cinemaonthebayou.com
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Baton Rouge Jewish Film Festival
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Festival: January Deadline: Curated
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Focus on films showing the diversity of the Jewish experience
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Website: brjff.com
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Big Easy International Film Festival
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Festival: January Deadline: November
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Darkness Reign
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Women In Film & Television Festival Louisiana & International Festival
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Festival: March Deadline: January
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In celebration of International Women's Day, this festival focuses on women's issues from around the world. Open to members of WIFT Louisiana. To join visit our website:
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Website: wiftlouisiana.org
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Louisiana International Film Festival (Baton Rouge)
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Festival: April Deadline:
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Website: liff.org
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Sync Up Cinema | NOVAC (New Orleans)
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Festival: April Deadline:
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Website: novac.org
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48 Hour Film Project (New Orleans)
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Festival: July Deadline: June-July
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Also a "48 Hour Music Video Project" for you to compete in.
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Website: 48hourfilm.com/en/neworleans
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North Louisiana Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (Shreveport, LA)
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Festival: September Deadline:
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Focus on LGBTQ content, culture and raise awareness of gay and lesbian concerns.
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NOLA Horror Film Fest
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Festival: September
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New Orleans Film Festival (New Orleans)
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Festival: October Deadline: June
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Includes two special categories for Louisiana filmmakers.
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Website: neworleansfilmsociety.org
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CineFlix Fest
- Louisiana Film Prize (Shreveport, LA)
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Festival: October Deadline: July
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Grand prize of $50,000, iTunes distribution and guaranteed screenings at nationwide festivals.
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Website: lafilmprize.com
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Lake Charles Film Festival (Lake Charles, LA)
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Festival: October Deadline:
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An annual event founded to bring the very best of independent film and video to Calcasieu Parish (in Southwest Louisiana.)
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Website: true-orleans.org
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Pontchartrain Film Festival (Mandeville, LA)
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Festival: November Deadline:
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Website: pontchartrainfilmfestival.com
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Southern Screen Film Festival (Lafayette, LA)
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Festival: November Deadline:
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Head to Acadiana for four days of free screenings, panels and workshops highlighting Louisiana filmmakers.
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Website: southernscreen.org/site
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For more information or to list your festival, please contact us: wiftlouisiana@gmail.com
The Women In Film Foundation's Film Finishing Fund (WIFF FFF) supports films by, for or about women by providing cash grants of up to $15,000 and in-kind services. Since the inception of the Fund in 1985, the Foundation has awarded more than $2 million in cash and in-kind services to 170 films ensuring that innovative films can be completed and seen by audiences worldwide.
INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES:
New: The Documentary Film Money Map - A Guide to Tax Incentives
Women in Film & Television Louisiana is committed to the career
advancement of our membership. This is a guide to the Business
side of film:
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FAIR USE FOR FILMMAKERS
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COPYRIGHT PROTECTION AND CLEARANCES
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MUSIC LICENSING
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GUIDES
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VIDEOS
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STUDIES
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GO GREEN WITH YOUR PRODUCTION
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MEDIA, DIVERSITY & SOCIAL CHANGE INITIATIVE
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FAIR USE FOR FILMMAKERS
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Fair Use is an important right for filmmakers. We are lucky to have the AU Center for Media & Social Impact leading the discussion on this subject. The Infographic: Can I Employ Fair Use In My Documentary? is available here. A handout, Documentarians, Fair Use and Best Practices is available here. Pat Aufderheide, Director of CMSI, provided this powerpoint at a recent presentation, Making a Living in a Fair-Use-Friendly World.
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COPYRIGHT PROTECTION AND CLEARANCES
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MUSIC LICENSING
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Compulsory digital transmission
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Publishing/Composer
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The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
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Mechanicals
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Harry Fox Agency
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TEXT AND IMAGE LICENSING
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GUIDES:
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STUDIES
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STATISTICS ABOUT WOMEN IN MEDIA INDUSTRY
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If you are looking for statistics about women in the film industry, we suggest the Celluloid Ceiling reports by Martha Lauzen, PhD. Click here for the most recent report.
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Despite the high profile inclusion of films written and directed by women at this year’s Sundance Film Festival,a gender gap still persists in the American independent film industry, according to a study conducted by researchers at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism that was commissioned by the Sundance Institute and Women in Film Los Angeles. Only 24% of all movies programmed for the Festival between 2002 and 2012 were directed by women, the study found, and women are more likely to direct documentaries than narrative films. “Female directors are more likely to feature girls and women on screen than male directors,” said study authors Stacy L. Smith, Katherine Pieper and Marc Choueiti. (“Sundance 2013: Women lag men even in independent film, study finds”)
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The International Women’s Media Foundation’s Global Report on the Status Women in the News Media reveals that men occupy 73% of the top management jobs and 64% of reporting jobs of the over 500 companies in almost 60 countries surveyed. The study provides more evidence supporting the challenges of women worldwide, in all fields of media, as well as identifying both glass ceilings and companies with model gender-parity policies. The full report is available here; a summary is available here.
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The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media is leading the largest research project ever undertaken on gender in children’s entertainment. Dr. Stacy Smith and her team at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication carried out several discrete studies, including ones on children’s television and film. Full reports are available here. Summaries can be found here:
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Key Findings of Changing the Status Quo: Industry Leaders’ Perceptions of Gender in Family Films
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Key Findings of Gender Disparity On Screen and Behind the Camera in Family Films
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Key Findings of Gender Stereotypes: An Analysis of Popular Films and TV
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GO GREEN WITH YOUR PRODUCTION
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Want to “green” your production? The School of Communications at American University has issued: Code of Best Practices for Sustainable Filmmaking.
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Find out more about Second Line Stages the first Green Studio in the United States
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MEDIA, DIVERSITY & SOCIAL CHANGE INITIATIVE
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Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative recently published a report entitled Inequality in 700 Popular Films: Examining Portrayals of Gender, Race, & LGBT Status from 2007 to 2014. The full report can be read here!
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If you have any questions or find a link not working, please contact us.