About WIFT Victoria

In 1988 a group of women, Sue Maslin, Merle Thornton, Cate Kelly, Jo Lane, Deborah Boerne, Kay Hart, Deborah Verhoeven, Gretchen Thornburn, founded Women in Film and Television Victoria. This organisation developed into a hub for women in the film, television and media industry for education, networking and advocating for women’s issues in the industry.

To this day WIFT VIC is overseen by a volunteered board. The elected WIFT VIC Board, all volunteers, meet each month to plan and organise events, with one goal in mind, to support women in film, television and other screen related media.

Benefits of joining

Access to:

A range of relevant events; panels, Q&As, forums, short film screening events, feature film nights and more
Members only FaceBook page
Networking / collaborating with other leading women in the industry
Members only Newsletter
Discounts to most WIFT VIC events
Submit your short film to Loop Bar Cast and Crew screenings
Film and event ticket giveaways
Being part of a network that celebrates and promotes women in the screen industries

Your membership enables our team of WIFT VIC volunteers to organise all these benefits. Visit our membership page here to join.

Meet the WIFT VIC Board

Margarita Ivanovsky

President

Margarita Ivanovsky is an editor and director, raised in New Zealand and now based in Melbourne. She has edited a variety of film projects and directed several short films and documentaries. She served as a WIFT Vic board member for two years before becoming President last year. Margarita is one of the founding members of the recently formed WIFT Australia. In 2018 she was selected into the Film Victoria’s and the Natalie Miller Fellowship’s Professional Women Development program - to support her in her leadership role as WIFT Vic President.

Emily Booth

Secretary

Emily is a senior media and technology lawyer whose clients include film and television producers and other industry stakeholders. She advises clients in the creative and technology industries on a range of matters including their commercial and corporate needs, funding agreements, contracting of talent and protection of intellectual property. Emily is keen to contribute to WIFT given its goal of raising awareness around the representation of women on screen, something which she is very passionate about given the flow on effect it has through society as a whole.

Carole Alt

Governance and Membership

Carole is a non-executive director, governance professional and facilitator with qualifications and experience in governance, health, business and education. Her portfolio at WIFT Vic is board governance, policy and strategy. She is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Carole loves film and television and helping women succeed.

Andrea Buck

Board Member + WIFT Australia Representative

Andrea has worked as a film producer, writer and development executive in Australia, Hollywood and South Africa. Her film The Jammed broke box office records and won a sweep of awards including Best Script, Best Music and Best Film at the 2007 INSIDE FILM Awards, as well as seven AFI Award nominations. Andrea holds a Masters in Screen Art & Business from AFTRS, is a recent recipient of the Film Victoria/ Natalie Miller Fellowship grant to support women in creative leadership, through which she is developing a project to interrogate diversity in the screen industry. She is a TEDx Speaker and a teacher at Compton School, Australia’s first business school for the creative industries.

Bec Caldwell

Website Manager

Bec recently moved across the country from Perth, WA where she worked primarily as an actor and emerging producer - she has a large body of short film and webseries work including the upcoming horror feature 'The Unhallowed'. Bec's day job is Search Engine Optimisation Strategist and has many years experience as a website administrator and project manager. She is looking forward to using her expertise to give back to the film community for WIFT Victoria.

Melinda O’Connor

Board Member

Melinda has taught media and film and now produces and presents On Screen on Radio 3CR where she gets to talk with local and international filmmakers about their work. Currently a WIFT Vic Board member, Melinda has previously served as Vice President and the immediate past President.

Elizabeth Parisi

Digital Communications

Elizabeth is a seasoned actress and a Melbourne girl at heart. She trained at the National Theatre Drama School and at The Method Studio in London. Her theatrical roots encompass classical ballet and Shakespeare, although she is predominantly known for her work in film and television. Elizabeth also has a Masters degree in journalism and pens screenplays. She has a longstanding commitment to the local industry and is looking forward to furthering that connection. In addition, she is a member of MEAA and AACTA.

Madison Tonkes

PR Officer

Madison is a media, intellectual property and corporate lawyer who has advised on several feature film and television projects. Madison is a passionate supporter of gender equality and female representation on screen, having previously been appointed Gender Equality Ambassador of a national cinema group. She is keen to both contribute to and generate support for WIFT to further promote women's participation and representation in the film, television, media and entertainment industries throughout Australia. Madison is a member of the Australian Writer's Guild and Law Institute of Victoria.

Eadaoin O'Reilly

Events Coordinator

Having studied English, Media & Cultural Studies at IADT in Dún Laoghaire, Éadaoin worked at the Irish Film Institute for four years before moving to Australia. Her industry experience also includes working with Screen Directors Guild Ireland and the Irish Film Board. Éadaoin is on the board of Irish Screen Projects Inc. and is the Melbourne Coordinator for the Irish Film Festival Australia. Éadaoin has worked at the Australian Institute of Company Directors for over six years, she is keen to apply her governance knowledge in her position as a WIFT Vic board member. She is passionate about advocating for diversity, inclusion and pay parity in the film industry.

Laura Davidson

Treasurer

Laura is a Chartered Accountant with over 12 years experience. Previously, she sat
on sporting incorporated associations and was a founding board member for a
mental health not-for-profit in Sydney. Laura is keen to contribute to the financial
success of WIFT Victoria for its members. She is passionate about female
representation on Boards and helping women succeed.