Swimming with the NYWIFT Swans

This year, I celebrated my first International SWAN Day as a resident of Brooklyn with NYWIFT (New York Women in Film & Television). Turns out NYWIFT has been celebrating International SWAN Day every year–from the beginning–but of course I didn’t know that because I was–d’uh–celebrating with folks in Chicago!

Anyway, huge thanks to Terry Lawler & the wonderful NYWIFT team! Thanks also to Jess Perry (my new FF2 intern from Columbia University) for helping me pass out buttons before the film & for taking pictures afterwards at the reception.

We saw the inspiring new documentary GIRL RISINGClick HERE to learn how you can arrange a GIRL RISING screening somewhere close to you too.

As the co-creator of International SWAN Day (along with Martha Richards of WomenArts), I was asked to say “a few words” at the beginning of the program (before the sponsors were introduced), so here is what I said:

When you are someone who has spent most of her adult life organizing “things,” it is an amazing feeling to walk into a room and find other people celebrating something that you started way back when, with absolutely no “help” whatsoever from you.

So today, being here with all of you, I really do feel like I have died & gone to heaven!

But I promise to recover so I can help in any way needed by this time next year.

Meanwhile if you want to know more about the whys & wherefores of International SWAN Day, I will be happy to answer all your questions at the reception.

Now, on with the show 🙂

© Jan Lisa Huttner (4/4/13) FF2 Media

Tags: Jan Lisa Huttner

Related Posts

by
Jan Lisa Huttner is a Brooklyn-based arts critic & feminist activist. She is the creative force behind the SWAN Movement—Support Women Artists Now—which has just begun its third phase as International SWANs® (aka iSWANs). In the Jewish world, Jan is best known as the author of two books on Fiddler on the Roof—Tevye’s Daughters and Diamond Fiddler—both of which flow from a strongly feminist POV. She also served as both story consultant and “talking head” on the award-winning documentary Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles.
Previous Post Next Post