MOME works to support and strengthen New York City’s creative economy and make it accessible to all.

THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT

February 2025 NEWSLETTER

MOME WORKS TO SUPPORT AND STRENGTHEN NEW YORK CITY'S CREATIVE ECONOMY AND MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE TO ALL.

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UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES & EVENTS

Winter Film Festival – February 19-23:

• The 12th annual Winter Film Festival will include 87 films, a diverse mixture of animated films, documentaries, comedies, romances, dramas, horror films, music videos and web series of all lengths.

• The event is packed with screenings and Q&A sessions at NYC's LOOK Cinemas, six career-building Education sessions/workshops, a variety of filmmaker networking events and the red-carpet gala Awards Ceremony.

• Winter Film Festival is dedicated to showcasing the amazing diversity of voices in indie film and includes a 2025 lineup of films half made by women and half by people of color.

• For more information, please visit the Winter Film Awards website here.

New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF) – Feb. 28-March 16:

• The NYICFF is back to curate new films for kids and families throughout NYC and provide young audiences with a look behind the scenes.

• Engagement with young audiences include filmmaker Q&As, voting ballots, panel discussions and more that help to demystify the filmmaking process and present it as a rewarding career path for the audience.

• For more information, please visit the NYICFF website here.

Athena Film Festival – March 6-9:

• Celebrate Women’s History Month with the 15th anniversary of New York’s women’s leadership film festival, The Athena Film Festival at Barnard College.

• This event will feature inspiring films – all featuring strong, fearless women leaders – engaging discussions, and vibrant community events.

• For more information, please visit the Athena Film Festival website here.

2025 Minecraft Battle of the Boroughs Submission Period – NOW through March 7:

• The submission period for the 2025 Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs ESports competition is now open and available to any NYC Public School students grade K-12.

• The fifth annual competition includes in-person qualifying rounds in each borough, and the Mayor’s Cup Final in May, where winners will be declared for elementary, middle and high school teams.

• For more information on how to submit and compete, please visit the NYC Public Schools website here.

NYC Public School Film Festival Submission Period – NOW through March 7:

• The submission period for the 7th annual Public School Film Festival, presented by MOME and NYC Public Schools and designed to celebrate the diversity of student voices, is now open and available to all middle and high school students.

• The festival will take place for the first time at the Museum of the Moving Image on April 25, 2025, and feature multiple screenings, room for families, and panels on everything from high school and college admissions to pre-professional programs.

• For more information about the submission process, please visit MOME’s festival page here.

SR Socially Relevant Film Festival – March 11-16:

• The 12th annual SR Socially Relevant Film Festival NY will be held in person at The National Arts Club, Cinema Village, The Maysles Documentary Center, MRHS, The FORUM, and at the Tenri Center for a red-carpet Jury Awards Ceremony. The festival will also include a preview event marking Black History Month on February 24 at MRHS.

• Live broadcast interviews with the filmmakers will stream on the festival’s YouTube channel starting in February and leading up to the festival.

• The Online section kicks in on March 17 with a wide selection of narrative features, documentaries, short films, music videos, web episodes, and a script-writing competition. All films in the selection deal with critical social issues and are followed by Q&A sessions with the filmmakers.

• For more information, please visit the SR Socially Relevant Film Festival here.

New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) Muse Awards – March 26:

• Just in time for Women’s History Month, the 45th annual NYWIFT Muse Awards will celebrate women of vision and achievement at Cipriani 42nd street.

• This NY industry awards luncheon celebrates the legacy and future of accomplished women across the media and entertainment industry, including actors, directors, executives, journalists, producers, and more.

• Past honorees have included Meryl Streep, Cicely Tyson, Claire Danes, Jodie Foster, Julie Dash, Nora Ephron, Sandra Oh, Glenn Close, and Jane Rosenthal, among others and this year, MOME will once again present its acclaimed “Made in NY” Award to an industry.

• For more information, please visit the NYWIFT website here.

ReelAbilities Film Festival & Industry Summit – April 3-9:

• The ReelAbilities Film Festival, a showcase of accessible and inclusive international cinema, is back for its 17th year, and the Industry Summit, in partnership with MOME, is back for its 4th year.

• The summit brings together creatives, presenters, and industry leaders to explore disability inclusion and equity in film and performing arts. With a focus on progressive best practices, the event dives beyond the basics to provide actionable resources and open pathways for deeper accessibility and meaningful inclusion in the industry.

• For more information, please visit the Reelabilities Film Festival website here.

A LOOK BACK

JanArtsNYC 2025:

• That’s a wrap on JanArtsNYC, the annual collection of world-class public performances and innovative industry gatherings, that shines a light on January in NYC as the place to be for the performing arts community.

• This year’s programming included the 20th anniversary of the Under the Radar festival, two new festivals – Out Front and PhysFest NYC – and the 52nd year of the APAP Conference in NYC.

Musicians perform at GlobalFEST NYC during JanArtsNYC

NY Game Awards

• MOME was on hand at The New York Game Awards, presented by the NY Video Games Critics Circle, to spotlight what the City of NY is doing to support the Digital Games industry, including the Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs ESports Competition, the EDC/NYU Tandon Games Incubator program, the development of the first-ever Digital Games Bachelor’s program at CUNY, and more!

• The night recognized the career of Sam Lake, the Creative Director of Remedy Entertainment, for his contributions to some of the industry’s most prolific games, Max Payne and Alan Wake.

Sam Lake and Commissioner Pat Kaufman

New York Chapter GRAMMY Awards Nominee Event:

• MOME was a partner for the annual event that celebrates the NYC nominees for the GRAMMY and LATIN GRAMMY awards. During remarks, MOME Executive Director of Programs + Policy Shira Gans spoke on the office’s commitment to supporting the Music industry, through events such as New York Music Month in June.

Lee Dannay, Ruby Marchand, MOME’s Shira Gans and Nick Cucci from the New York Chapter of the Recording Academy

MOME IN THE NEWS

• NY1 1/29 - Construction on Sunset Pier 94 Studios is underway

• Lohud the Journal News 1/16 - HBO's 'The Penguin' relies on Westchester for key Gotham City locations

• New York Theater 1/14 - Theater Festival Abundance at APAP

Follow the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment on social media for the latest on our upcoming events, initiatives, and programs: Twitter/X: @MadeinNY, Facebook: @MadeinNY, Instagram: @Madein_NY, Threads: @Madein_NY, and LinkedIn.

Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment

nyc.gov/mome

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