We've built a free and private community for underpresented filmmakers & their supporters to hire, find work, level up, and connect with each other.
We offer Microgrants to support projects or professional development for our members, prioritizing applications that celebrate and uplift women, non-binary & GNC creators.
We host virtual and in person events to connect & educate our members on all aspects of filmmaking from development to production to post.
Coming soon! We're launching our pilot Pano Pairs program this summer to connect our members to further support each other.
We program screenings to share, highlight, and amplify the outstanding work of our underrepresented filmmakers.
As we enter our 7th year in operation, much has changed within the organization. What started as a small in-person meet-up in a room at NYU has grown to a thriving network of over 6k filmmakers. In the past, a lot of our networking happened in person, in New York City only. We look forward to bringing back in-person events (hopefully this year!) but the move to virtual programming increased accessibility for many folks, and allowed new filmmakers to find and join us! Our members now span not only the US, but the world, reaching as far as the UK, Australia, South America, and beyond! Our new online platform – the Network has helped countless members find crew, get hired, and seek advice.
With this rapid growth, we at NYC Women Filmmakers (NYCWF) started to feel that our current name was a bit limiting. In an effort to better encompass our unique brand and offerings, we’ve debuted a new name and logo for 2022.
Pano, from panoramic / panorama, reflects our commitment to the wide spectrum of artists we serve – above and below the line, women, non-binary, and GNC folks. We hope that in this new name you will feel reflected, included, and proud to be a part of our community.
Don’t worry – our mission hasn’t changed. We are still the organization that you know and love – dedicated to advancing the careers of women, non-binary, GNC creators in Film, TV & Media. We remain a safe, inclusive, and encouraging community to collaborate, ask questions & share your wins. Join us on the Network to crew up, get hired, and build your network of diverse & underrepresented filmmakers!
Latest Updates
Meet #PanoMember Kat Vokes, an award-winning composer, vocalist and pianist, specializing in writing for film and multimedia. She is a recipient of the ASCAP Jimmy Van Heusen Award, and is a winner of the Columbia/ASCAP 2020 film scoring workshop as well as the NYU Filmscoring competition. Vokes is known for her creative and emotive palette and draws inspiration from a wide variety of styles. She has worked on films of nearly every genre, creating a unique sound world for each project.
Vokes studied classical piano for twelve years before she formally trained as an opera singer at the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory of Music. As a vocalist, she has sung in festivals across the United States and Europe and performs regularly in NYC. She has vast experience singing and arranging jazz, which has garnered her additional work as a producer and orchestrator. Her debut album, Clockwork, was released with Ropeadope Records in 2019.
Vokes holds a Master’s degree in Music Theory and Composition with a concentration in Screen Scoring from New York University, where she now teaches as a professor. She is a graduate of Oberlin’s Double Degree program and holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature and a B.M. in Vocal Performance. #womeninfilm #femalecomposer #filmcomposer #panopower
Audiences care about who is in front of and behind the camera. A 2021 study found that Diversity behind the camera was important to 60.4% of respondents. Having women behind the camera was important to 49.1% of respondents. Cast diversity and creator diversity are two of the top drivers of how audiences choose content. Looking to expand your crew options? Check out the Pano member database! Source: The Center for Scholars and Storytellers (CSS), based in the psychology department at UCLA, was commissioned by STARZ to collect and analyze data from a nationally reflective sample of adjults in the United States. #womeninfilm #diversityinfilm #filmstatistics #panopower #themoreyouknow
Cidney Hue is a writer-director in NYC with a focus on building inclusive futures through science fiction. Her most recent award-winning film, Ovum, is a Black Mirror-esque short on the convergence of reproductive rights and VR technology. Her previous award-winning short, Odessa, recounts the journey of an astronaut’s last night on Earth. Her webseries for Wired & Reddit, Cyborg Nation, profiles scientists at the forefront of prosthetics, robotics, and brain-computer interfaces. She teaches filmmaking and mentors students at her alma mater, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Cidney founded Pano (formerly NYC Women Filmmakers) in 2015, where she leads its thousands-strong community and nonprofit programming to support women, non-binary & GNC filmmakers across the US. Check out @cidhue's work here: https://cidneyhue.com
Our next Pano Power Hour is on Wednesday, May 25th at 7pm ET! Marketing Strategist Rochele Rosa will lead you through exercises to find the essence of who you are as a creative professional so you can use that to build your personal brand and market yourself in the industry. Join the Network now to access this #membersonly event!
Check the link in the bio for more information about all our upcoming events.
#panopower #panonetwork #personalbranding #marketingforcreatives
Happy Mother’s Day to all our filmmaking parents! Today, we would like to highlight @reelfamilies. Founded by @akimabrown33, this 501(c)(3) organization is committed to eradicating barriers to workplace justice in the screen industry. They take particular interest in underrepresented and multi-marginalized populations, including but not limited to: women; BIPOCs; parents, guardians, and caregivers; LGBTIA+ individuals; veterans; and the differently-abled.
If you’re a narrative-focused filmmaker and parent, guardian, or caregiver – check out their need-based Family Care Grant with the #linkinbio
#happymothersday
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Pano has curated a watchlist of films that realistically portray multiple facets of mental illness. At the start of the pandemic, people from all around the world were impacted mentally. According to the World Health Organization, in the first year of the pandemic, the “global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25 percent.” Unlike some physical illnesses, the symptoms of a mental illness can be treated and minimized, but the illness itself can not be cured. This month, it is important to spread the word about mental health in order to educate others and work towards destigmatizing mental illness.
If you or a loved one are struggling, please use this as a sign to reach out for help. Click the #linkinbio for the CDC’s list of mental health resources.
Short Term 12 directed by @destindaniel
In this independent drama, Grace, a 20-something supervising staff member of a residential treatment facility, navigates the turbulent nature of work alongside her co-worker and longtime boyfriend.
Running from Crazy directed by @barbarakopple
This documentary follows the granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, Mariel Hemingway, as she searches for a greater understanding of her famous family’s history of mental illness.
Sweetie directed by #JaneCampion
Campion’s 1989 debut feature focuses on the relationship between dysfunctional sisters and the impact that psychological trauma has on their family dynamic.
The Virgin Suicides directed by #SofiaCoppola
In 1970s America, five teenage sisters explore sexuality and struggle with their mental health while living in a repressive household, narrated by a teenage boy who is infatuated with them. #weekendwatchlist #mentalhealthawareness
Congrats to Pano member @courtneytherond for making this list of 100 Women and Non-Binary Directors! Compiled by @riannepictures, the list highlights their favorite film directors whose short film work was featured at a film festival in 2021. For the full list check the #linkinbio. Who would you add to the list? ... #filmdirectors #panopower #behindthelens #womeninfilm #supportindiefilm
Upcoming festival deadline! The Walla Walla Movie Crush showcases America's most intoxicating blend of short cinema, from vintage filmmakers as well as fresh upstarts. The festival, staged at the historic Power House Theatre in the heart of Washington wine country, will take place in July!
Use your #PanoNetwork discount to submit your film before the deadline on May 13th! Log into your Network account and click Benefits & Discounts to find this and many more festival discounts! #panopower #filmfestivals #festivaldiscounts #supportindiefilm
Tomorrow's the last day to apply for a $500 Microgrant or our inaugural Color Grading Grant (valued at $3500) for YOU or your project! The application takes only a few minutes to fill out and is due by end of TOMORROW May 1st. Grants can be used for development, production, post production, film festival or competition fees, education or training, and purchasing or renting essential equipment or supplies.
For the Color Grading Grant, you must submit at minimum a rough cut to be considered. Cuts that are further along are of course accepted and highly encouraged.
