The Fusion Film Festival – NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts’ premier student film festival celebrating women and non-binary creators in film, TV and new media – opened Wednesday with a luncheon celebrating Commissioner Anne del Castillo of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, who was honored with the festival’s inaugural Industry Visionary Award.
In presenting the award, Tisch Dean Allyson Green congratulated del Castillo for her bold and innovative support for arts and culture.
“A lifelong champion of the arts, Commissioner del Castillo has been an integral force in revitalizing the New York City arts industry following the pandemic, and was chosen by the Fusion Film Festival’s student organizers to receive this important distinction,” Green said. “Thank you to Commissioner del Castillo for your steadfast arts advocacy and commitment to this city.”
Accepting the award, del Castillo thanked the students for the recognition and heralded the importance of the creative industries, which she called the “heart and soul” of New York City. She also touted the economic muscle of New York City’s film and television industry and highlighted her office’s ongoing effort to address the issue of underrepresentation of women. As evidence, she cited Tuesday’s announcement that 96 projects will receive support from the NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre.
The 2023 Fusion Film Festival continues through April 15 at the Tisch School of the Arts, 721 Broadway in New York City. Over four days, it will screen the work of emerging filmmakers, present panels on representing female sexuality and media criticism, and host a preview of the upcoming action-comedy, Polite Society, followed by a Q&A with its director, Nida Manzoor.
Fusion Woman of the Year Ana Fabrega, of the HBO comedy series Los Espookys, will give a master class and the festival will conclude with the screening of the finalists and an awards ceremony. All events are free but reservations are required.
In its 21st year, the festival celebrates women thriving in all corners of film and television and strives to build community across the industry.
Sponsors for this year’s festival include Canon, Final Draft, Avid, Adobe, AbleCine, and Gotham Sound. The complete schedule and information on making reservations can be found at fusionfilmfestival.com
About NYU Tisch School of the Arts
For over 50 years, the NYU Tisch School of the Arts has drawn on the vast artistic and cultural resources of New York City and New York University to create an extraordinary training ground for artists, scholars, and innovators. Today, students learn their craft in a spirited, risk-taking environment that combines the professional training of a conservatory with the liberal arts education of a premier global university with campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai and 11 academic centers around the world. Learn more at www.tisch.nyu.edu.
