NYWIFT To Celebrate Visionaries at the 42nd Annual Muse Awards

New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) is proud to present the 42nd Annual NYWIFT Muse Awards virtual event on Thursday, December 16, 2021. The event will be held virtually beginning at 1:00PM ET and available for all those who register to watch online at nywift.org/muse. This year’s theme is “Perseverance,” as NYWIFT recognizes the innovation and fortitude of creatives who overcame the challenges of the last two years. A virtual VIP networking mixer will follow the awards presentation.

CBS Sunday Morning contributor, comedian, actress, and self-described “Accidental Pundette” ​Nancy Giles​ will again host the event, which celebrates women and men of outstanding vision and achievement both in front of and behind the camera in film, television, the music industry, and digital media.

The honorees for this year’s Muse Awards are some of the most extraordinary in the business:

Sandra Oh is a two-time Golden Globe®-winning, a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award-winning, and a twelve-time Emmy Award®-nominated actor and producer. She currently stars as ‘Professor Ji-Yoon Kim’ in the critically acclaimed Netflix comedy The Chair and as ‘Eve Polastri’ in the award-winning AMC/BBC spy thriller Killing Eve, which will return for it’s fourth and final season in 2022, and serves as serves as an Executive Producer on both of these series. Oh previously starred for ten seasons as ‘Dr. Cristina Yang’ on the ABC medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy. Oh will next star as ‘Ming’ in the Disney and Pixar feature film TURNING RED, which will be released in theatres on March 11, 2022. Her feature film credits include SIDEWAYS, UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN and voiced characters in the films THE MOON, RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, and the Amazon Prime television series Invincible.

Christy Haubegger is Executive Vice President, Communications, and Chief Inclusion Officer at WarnerMedia. Haubegger leads WarnerMedia’s global marketing and communications efforts and is also responsible for furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion across the enterprise, so it more closely reflects the audience and community the company serves. Prior to WarnerMedia Haubegger was at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for 14 years leading the company’s drive to become the market leader in the representation of women and people of color. Haubegger founded Latina Magazine in 1996.

Darnell Martin will receive the “Nancy Malone Directing Award.” Martin is a director and writer born in the Bronx, NY. She has directed films including CADILLAC RECORDS, starring Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright and Beyoncé Knowles, I LIKE IT LIKE THAT, which won the New York Film Critics Circle award for best first feature and was an official selection of Cannesf, starring Lauren Velez and Jon Seda, PRISON SONG, starring Q-Tip and Mary J. Blige, and THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD, produced by Oprah Winfrey and starring Halle Berry. She directed the pilot for HBO’s Oz, as well as episodes of other television series including Firelight, New Amsterdam, Grey’s Anatomy, American Rust, Outer Banks, The Good Lord Bird, The Walking Dead, and Law and Order.

Patina Miller will receive a “Made in New York” Award from the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, for her contributions to NYC’s entertainment industry. Miller is a Tony Award-winning actress and singer who starred as Deloris Van Cartier in the 2009 West End and 2011 Broadway productions of Sister Act, as well as the Leading Player in the 2013 revival of Pippin, which earned her a Tony® Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She has also starred in film and television projects including THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK, PBS’ Mercy Street, CBS’ long running political drama Madam Secretary and the Starz hit series Power Book III: Raising Kanan.

Alexis Fish – for over two decades Alexis has been at the forefront of LGBTQ media advocating for queer voices in publishing, film, tv and music. As VP of Pride at MRC, she created the first Billboard Pride List, launched the first Billboard & The Hollywood Reporter Pride Summit and oversaw The Hollywood Reporter’s first annual Pride issue and list. Prior to her work as Editor of Billboard Pride, she was a founding editor of Condé Nast’s first LGBTQ vertical, them. Her award winning film producing includes executive producing John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus. She was SVP of the first independent LGBTQ television network, QTV.

Jason DaSilva will receive the “Loreen Arbus Changemaker Award.” DaSilva is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and disability rights activist whose films have premiered at the Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals, and have won top awards at Hot Docs and the Chicago International Film Festival. In 2013 he directed the Emmy winning autobiographical documentary WHEN I WALK, which follows him during the seven years following his diagnosis of primary progressive multiple sclerosis. He also directed the 2019 follow up WHEN WE WALK, as well as other documentaries including FROM THE MOUTHPIECE ON BACK and short OLIVIA’S PUZZLE. In 2019 he received the Gotham Made in NY Award. Jason is the founder of the non-profit organization AXS Lab, whose mandate is to serve those with disabilities through the arts, media, and technology. He also created the new media project called AXS Map that encourages communities to share reviews on the accessibility of businesses, restaurants and other public places. In 2021 the AXS Film Fund was launched to support documentary filmmakers and non-fiction new media creators of color with disabilities.

“The honorees for our 42nd Annual NYWIFT Muse Awards have proven that perserverenacne is one of the keys to becoming creative leaders in the entertainment field today. Each recipient is breaking barriers in their own respect and working to build inclusive media environments that offer a plethora of voices and visions including people of color, those with disabilities, and women. Their legacy will lead future generations that want to reimagine our industry. We look forward to celebrating these risk-takers, agitators for change and visionary women and men,” said New York Women in Film & Television Executive Director Cynthia Lopez.

“The NYWIFT Muse Awards is an annual staple for our organization and it is so important we continue to highlight our honorees’ talent and hard work in the industry. I’m so proud of our team for pivoting to virtual for a second year, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to bring the show to a wider international audience one more time,” said New York Women in Film & Television Board of Directors President Jamie Zelermyer.

NYWIFT is also pleased to continue its partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Media Entertainment, which will present its “Made in NY” award, established in 2006, which recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to New York City’s entertainment industry over the course of their careers. Previous “Made in NY” honorees include Awkwafina, Caroline Hirsch, Meryl Streep, Whoopi Goldberg, Rachael Ray, Tina Fey, Spike Lee, John Leguizamo, Alysia Reiner, Michael K. Williams, and Judith Light.

“We are thrilled to present this year’s ‘Made in New York’ award to Patina Miller, whose performances have given life to powerful female characters on stage and screen, spanning Broadway, television, film and music,” said the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment Commissioner, Anne del Castillo. “We are proud to join New York Women in Film & Television in honoring women working in television, film and theatre at the 42nd Annual MUSE Awards, and offer our congratulations to all of this year’s honorees for their individual achievements as leaders in the field.”

The NYWIFT Muse Awards is always a highly anticipated celebration at the height of the holiday season. Past recipients include some of the most respected women in the entertainment industry such as Rashida Jones, Rachel Brosnahan, Gloria Estefan, Ann Dowd, Sarah Jessica Parker, Claire Danes, Mary-Louise Parker, Anne Sweeney, Martha Stewart, Robin Wright, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Julianne Moore, America Ferrera, Laura Dern, Julianna Margulies, Blythe Danner, Victoria Alonso, Gabourey Sidibe, Debi Mazar, Martha Plimpton, Cicely Tyson and Lucy Liu. Additional information on the event available at https://www.nywift.org/.