Taking the Moonshot: Katrina Medoff on Opening Doors in Film and TV
Whenever we see a popular film by a female director, the general consensus is -- well, the problem is fixed. Female directors have the same opportunities as men, clearly!
My guest, Katrina Medoff, filmmaker and executive director of the Moonshot Initiative, is here to say...that's not how it works. The main takeaway for me here is that Moonshot isn't here to complain about it and talk about how unfair the situation is. They are building an ecosystem of alumni and participants in their programs that will help create a sustainable solution.
This is the way forward. And with programs like the Moonshot Pilot Accelerator, they are giving the two best things to filmmakers: hope -- and true opportunities. Let's find out more.
Katrina and I talk about:
- the 2026 Moonshot Pilot Accelerator Fellows and how they were chosen, 8 people from nearly 1,000 (!) applicants;
- her advice for those not selected;
- the origin story of the Moonshot Initiative;
- what stood out for the applicants that made it through the various rounds of the Pilot Accelerator;
- if great scripts are helpful in the teaching process;
- how the "Made in NY" partnership started;
- how other cities can develop partnerships like NYC and what they can do to support indie filmmakers;
- why a speech coach is part of the faculty for Pilot Accelerator;
- the state of women directors and what constitutes success;
- childcare and filmmakers;
- time for her own projects;
- what's next for her.
Katrina's Indie Film Highlight: BELLE (2013) dir. by Amma Asante; EMMA (2020) dir. by Autumn de Wilde
Memorable Quotes:
"It stopped making sense to say Women's Weekend Film Challenge when we had all of these other programs."
" If something didn't make it through the first rounds, the most common reasons, one is formatting."
" So the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, they're really looking to bring real opportunities to New Yorkers and to bolster the film and television industry in New York City...and their partnership guaranteed that at least one of our eight fellows would be from a New York City resident."
" There have been a lot of times recently with the Barbie movie but also in the past with the female Ghostbusters or Bridesmaids, where society seems to think, "Okay, everything's been fixed. There's this huge movie and it's, female driven."
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