NORTH GREENBUSH — Two 24-year-old women filmmakers affiliated with WMHT traveled in May to Taiwan to exchange ideas and strategies with hundreds of other public broadcasters from three dozen countries.
Catherine Rafferty and Rebecca van der Meulen made a round-trip journey of 16,000 miles to discuss ways that their documentaries and short-feature films can address social issues in edgy and provocative ways without overstepping the bounds of good taste and licensing standards.
These young, emerging filmmakers are out to remind viewers that this is no longer their grandfather’s “Masterpiece Theatre” station. Alistair Cooke’s tweed jackets, leather wing chair in front of a fireplace and sonorous British accent need to move aside as public TV aims to remain relevant by attracting a younger and more diverse audience.
“When we talked with filmmakers from other countries, it was clear that we’re all trying to break into what had been a boys’ club,” said van der Meulen, who hired a predominantly female cast and crew for “To Wade or Row,” a 15-minute dramatic film that she wrote and directed. It is a deeply affecting cautionary tale that imagines a rural community in a place that resembles upstate New York after the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down Roe v. Wade. Two women health care providers and their allies go underground at a roadside motel and perform clandestine abortions as the local
sheriff tries to catch and prosecute them.
“To Wade or Row” aired last year as an official selection in WMHT’s TVFilm program, a half-hour independent short-film showcase that highlights upstate filmmakers. TVFilm is overseen by Rafferty, education producer at the station. Its 15th season kicks off June 30. It is funded with a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts.
In Taipei, the broadcasters shared creative ways to tackle controversial and often taboo subjects such…
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