Founder of The Farzana Foundation, Farzana Niemmann and 3 Time Emmy Award Winning Anchor and 2 Time NYTimes Best Selling Author, Rita Cosby

The Farzana Foundation held its Inaugural Gala at the Apostle’s Ballroom on November 29 th, 2022. It was a huge success with attendees including well known entrepreneurs, anchors, actresses, artists, models, socialites and
fashion designers including, emcee C-King, 3 Time Emmy Award Winning Anchor and 2 Time New York Times Best Seller, Rita Cosby, Designer/Supermodel, Avadora Mimouni, Designer, Elie Balleh, Singer, Model and Reality Show Stars, Jamila and Celina Niemann, Humanitarian, Eve Brookville, Model, Artist, and Actress Olga Gretchen Schwartz, Model and Makeup Artist Sabine Wonderwoman, Award Winning Actress, Julianne Michelle, Artist and Philanthropist, Vill E. Wright, Ukrainian-American, Artist and Philanthropist Tatyana Horoshko and Ukrainian- American Opera Singer,
Oleksandra Hrabova, Socialite, Juan Castelo Branco among many other notables. Fashion shows were featured including Diana Mahrach designs with models’ hair and makeup coordinated by Donna Sousa of Makeover Artistry. Food was catered by La Mila Catering Camp; Events and drinks by Empire Rockefeller Vodka and Peramo Wine, and entertainment by DJ Sulel.

All photos in this article by Jeff Smith

Jose Castelo Branco, Tomaczek Bednarek, Rita Cosby, Farzana Niemann, Avadora Mimouni, Alex Quint, Lorraine Silvetz and Julianne Michelle

Farzana Niemann and Artist, Vill E Wright and his portrait of Farzana.

Eve Brookville, Farzana Niemann, Avadora Mimouni and Lorraine Silvetz

Fashion show took place during the event including Designer, Diana Mahrach with Hair and Makeup coordinated by Donna Sousa. Food was catered by La Mila Catering & Events and drinks by Empire Rockefeller Vodka and Peramo Wine, and entertainment by DJ Sulel. One hundred percent of the funds raised went to funding water wells in the region of Herat, Afghanistan.

Emcee C-King

Farzana Niemann and Rita Cosby

Celina and Jamila Niemann

Farzana Niemann, Rita Cosby, Diane Sare and Lorraine Silvetz

Since 2017, Farzana’s family has provided funding for more than 61 freshwater wells in the area surrounding her birth city of Herat which is located in the Northwestern parts of the country near the border with Iran. This has enabled families, living in this area. to enjoy this basic necessity. While each of these wells provides water to literally hundreds of families, there is a great need to construct more to satisfy the people’s substantially greater requirements.

Tatyana Horoshko, Alex Gegera and Jenise Ariane

Gretchen Olga Schwartz, Farzana Niemann, Jose Castelo Branco, Eve Brookville

Tatyana Horoshko, Flora Pllumaj, Robert Baxter, Lorraine Silvetz and Rebecca Ricks

Those that do not have a freshwater well in their village must frequently travel great distances on foot and physically carry extremely heavy containers of water for their families. As a mother of three, Farzana recognizes the difficulties and stress one experiences as a parent, under normal conditions, let alone an untenable environment where one has little supply of basic necessities.

Farzana Niemann, Designer, Diana Mahrach and Eve Brookville

Singer, Oleksandra Hrabova

Farzana Niemann, Singers, Mother and Daughter, Oleksandra and Anna Hrabova

Farzana is a passionate and accomplished veteran in the healthcare industry who, for the first fifteen years of her career, worked as a senior registered nurse at some of the most prestigious hospitals in the city of Hamburg, Germany, where her family finally settled after fleeing the ravages of war in her birth country of Afghanistan. Farzana came to the UN from Hamburg in 2011 where she shifted her focus from medicine to becoming a full-time skincare specialist (NY licensed aesthetician) and celebrity makeup artist.

Designer, Elie Balleh and his lovely wife

Rita Cosby

Center of photo-Diana Mahrach, Farzana Niemann, Donna Sousa and models

Being a survivor of domestic violence Farzana has become an advocate for Women’s Empowerment that reinforced her sensitivity to the plight of women in Afghanistan. She has been an outspoken public speaker on this topic with the goal of providing women with a greater sense of unification and cohesiveness. This has included presentations to the Miss Immigrant Contest Unlabelled Award and The United Nation’s an organization dedicated to the promotion of Women’s Empowerment.

Lorraine Silvetz, Gretchen Olga Schwartz and Flora Pllumaj

Artist, Tatyana Horoshko and Farzana Niemann

Farzana feels particularly passionate about this project since her own life experiences closely parallel challenges that unfolded in Afghanistan. After the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 she was subjected to a terrifying environment of war over a two-year period where members of her nuclear family were murdered by the invading forces. Many of her surviving family were forced to flee the country or face certain death, although some remained to face the aftermath. Due to being exposed to this horrific environment, she became determined to create more palatable circumstances for those that remain in Afghanistan. As an advocate for women’s rights, she is deeply troubled by the subordination and general abuse experienced by women under the current regime and is determined to support and encourage a greater climate of justice in the area.

Farzana and Celina Niemann, Lorraine Silvetz and Rita Cosby

Lorraine Silvetz, Dr. Adal Hussain and Avadora Mimouni

The immediate goal of the Farzana Foundation is to provide funding for the construction of more freshwater wells. The benefit to families in this region cannot be overestimated. Farzana is determined to ensure that the the proud people of Afghanistan receive the proper treatment and basic necessities to which all of humanity should be entitled. I could not imagine a more noble goal.

Alex Quint, Lorraine Silvetz, Alex Gegera, Farzana Niemann, Artist, Tatyana Horoshko, and Emcee, C-King

For more information go to www.thefarzanafoundation.com
IG @thefarzanafoundation

Journalist, Lorraine Silvetz, MSW is a psychotherapist and Executive Director of Global Stress Initiative. She is a graduate of New York University’s School of Social Work.
Instagram @lorrainesilvetzofficial
Twitter @lorrainesilvetz
Photo Credit: Alvin Toro

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Alan Alda Honored at Festival

Breakthrough Artists Kayli Carter, Cory Michael Smith & Amandla Stenberg

East Hampton, NY (October 8, 2018) – The 26th Hamptons International Film Festival today announced their award winners at a ceremony in East Hampton.

ALL GOOD “ALLES IST GUT”, directed by Eva Trobisch, won the Award for Best Narrative Feature, sponsored by Netflix. DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES, directed by Alexis Bloom, received the Award for Best Documentary Feature, also sponsored by Netflix. FENCE “GARDHI”, directed by Lendita Zeqiraj, and GUAXUMA, directed by Nara Normande, received the Award for Best Narrative Short Film and for Best Documentary Short Film, respectively. Both Short Films will qualify for Academy® consideration. All four films were directed by female filmmakers.

BORDER “GRÄNS”, directed by Ali Abbasi, received a Special Jury Prize for acting for the two lead actors, Eva Melander and Eero Milonoff. The film was selected as Sweden’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

AND BREATHE NORMALLY, directed by Ísold Uggadóttir (HIFF Screenwriters Lab 2015 Alumni), was awarded the 2018 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution, which is accompanied by a $5,000 cash prize.

CROSS MY HEART, directed by Sontenish Myers, was awarded the Vimeo Staff Pick Award, which provides a $3,000 cash prize and Vimeo Staff Pick to winning film.

ONLY THE WIND IS LISTENING, directed by Emily Anderson, was awarded the Suffolk County Next Exposure Grant. This program supports the completion of high quality, original, director-driven, low-budget independent films from both emerging and established filmmakers who have completed 50% of principal photography within Suffolk County. The film was awarded a $3,000 grant.

THE CAT RESCUERS, directed by Rob Fruchtman and Steven Lawrence, was awarded the Zelda Penzel Giving Voice to the Voiceless Award. This award is presented to a film that raises public awareness about contemporary social issues, including the moral and ethical treatment and the rights of animals as well as environmental protection. The film was awarded a $2,500 grant.

THE SILENCE OF OTHERS was presented with the Victor Rabinowitz & Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice. The film is directed by Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar. The annual award is handed to a film that exemplifies the values of peace, equality, global justice and civil liberties, and is named after iconic civil rights lawyer Victor Rabinowitz and his wife Joanne Grant, an author, filmmaker and journalist. The award, which is accompanied by a cash prize of $1,500, is named in honor of two people who spent their entire lives fighting for those values.

Terry Lawler, the outgoing longtime Executive Director of NYWIFT, was presented with the “Industry Advocate for Women Award” from HIFF Executive Director Anne Chaisson. This was the inaugural presentation named to an industry advocate for women.

The Audience Award, sponsored by Out East, will be announced tomorrow.

As previously announced Alan Alda was honored with the “The Dick Cavett Artistic Champion Award,” presented by Alec Baldwin at the festival. 2018 Breakthrough Artists included Kayli Carter (PRIVATE LIFE), Cory Michael Smith (1985) & Amandla Stenberg (THE HATE U GIVE).

This year’s Narrative Jury was compromised of Geralyn Dreyfous, Academy Award®-winning producer of BORN INTO BROTHELS, THE SQUARE and THE INVISIBLE WAR and founder of the Utah Film Center and co-founder of Impact Partners Film Fund, actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Girls, The Punisher, The Last Ship, and LOLA VERSUS and Linus Sandgren, FSF, Academy Award®-winning Cinematographer who collaborated on films including FIRST MAN, LA LA LAND, JOY and AMERICAN HUSTLE. The Documentary Jury included Rory Kennedy, Academy Award®-nominated director of films including ETHEL, LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM and the upcoming ABOVE AND BEYOND: NASA’S JOURNEY TO TOMORROW (which screened at the festival), Jamie Patricof, producer of THE AFTER PARTY, THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE, CAPTAIN FANTASTIC and BLUE VALENTINE, and Alissa Wilkinson, writer and film critic for Vox.

This year the Festival was honored to partner with Variety for the seventh time and the New York Film Critics Circle for the tenth year.

“We offer our sincere praise to this year’s winners and are thankful to all the films that participated in this year’s groundbreaking competition slate,” said David Nugent, HIFF Artistic Director. “In a year in which all of our Screenwriters Lab participants were women, and our competition section was evenly split with 50/50 gender representation, it is great to see that the jury selected four films by female filmmakers.”

“The festival is very fortunate to have an astounding and dynamic team of hard-working staff and volunteers that keep the festival strong,”said Anne Chaisson, HIFF Executive Director. “We are also very appreciative to all the donors, sponsors, film industry, and attendees, including filmmakers and talent that could join us this year to celebrate the latest and greatest of cinema.”

Attendees of the 2018 festival included Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin, Bob Balaban, Carl Bernstein, Matthew Broderick, Carter Burwell, Bill Camp, Kayli Carter, Damien Chazelle, Katie Couric, Garrard Conley, Henri Dauman, Jamie Dornan, Michael Dweck, Emilio Estevez, Rupert Everett, Eric Fischl, Maria Giese, April Gornik, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Olivia Hamilton, Peter Hedges, Matthew Heineman, Justin Hurwitz, Rory Kennedy, Barbara Kopple, Nadine Labaki, Don Lemon, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Alessandro Nivola, Rosamund Pike, Sandy Powell, Gabriela Rodriguez, Raj Roy, Linus Sandgren, Peter Sarsgaard, Brian Selznick, Josh Singer, John Sloss, Cory Michael Smith, Amandla Stenberg, George Tillman Jr., Dolly Wells, Alex Winter, Steve Young, Jerry Zaks and more.

The 26th annual Hamptons International Film Festival took place over Columbus Day Weekend, October 4 – 8, 2018. The Hamptons International Film Festival greatly appreciates the support from their corporate sponsors and media partners, including premiere sponsors Audi and Out East, lead sponsors Delta Air Lines, Altour International, and Netflix, and official media partners WNBC New York and Variety. For more information please visit www.hamptonsfilmfest.org.

HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL CONGRATULATES THE 2018 WINNERS:

The HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Feature sponsored by Netflix

ALL GOOD “ALLES IST GUT”, directed by Eva Trobisch

HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Feature sponsored by Netflix

DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES, directed by Alexis Bloom

The HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Short Film

FENCE “GARDHI”, directed by Lendita Zeqiraj

The HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Short Film

GUAXUMA, directed by Nara Normande

Special Jury Prize For Acting

BORDER “GRÄNS”, directed by Ali Abbasi, received a Special Jury Prize for acting for the two lead actors, Eva Melander and Eero Milonoff

The 2018 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution
AND BREATHE NORMALLY, directed by Ísold Uggadóttir

Vimeo Staff Pick Award

CROSS MY HEART, directed by Sontenish Myers

Suffolk County Film Commission Next Exposure Grant

ONLY THE WIND IS LISTENING, directed by Emily Anderson

The Zelda Penzel “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” Award: Dedicated to Those Who Suffer in Silence

THE CAT RESCUERS, directed by Rob Fruchtman and Steven Lawrence

Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice

THE SILENCE OF OTHERS, directed by Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar

Industry Advocate for Women Award

Terry Lawler, Executive Director of NYWIFT

And as previously announced:

The Dick Cavett Artistic Champion Award

Alan Alda

2018 Breakthrough Artists

Kayli Carter, Cory Michael Smith, Amandla Stenberg

HIFF Narrative Feature Jury

Geralyn Dreyfous, Academy Award®-winning producer of BORN INTO BROTHELS, THE SQUARE and THE INVISIBLE WAR and founder of the Utah Film Center and co-founder of Impact Partners Film Fund

Ebon Moss Bachrach, actor; Girls, The Punisher, The Last Ship, LOLA VERSUS

Linus Sandgren, FSF, Academy Award®-winning Cinematographer who collaborated on films including FIRST MAN, LA LA LAND, JOY and AMERICAN HUSTLE

HIFF Documentary Feature Jury

Rory Kennedy, Academy Award®-nominated director of films including ETHEL, LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM and the upcoming ABOVE AND BEYOND: NASA’S JOURNEY TO TOMORROW

Jamie Patricof, producer of THE AFTER PARTY, THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE, CAPTAIN FANTASTIC and BLUE VALENTINE

Alissa Wilkinson, writer and film critic for Vox

ABOUT THE HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is a year-round 501(c)3 non-profit organization with events, screenings, film workshops, comprehensive summer programs and an annual film festival each October. The Festival is the premiere film event on New York State’s east end, and is an intimate showcase of some of the year’s best offerings in contemporary cinema from around the world. With cash and in-kind prizes handed out totaling more than $180,000, HIFF continues to attract some of the best films of the year.

Selections from all of our programs continue to play an important role during awards season. 2018 marked the 8th time in a row that a film in the Festival has become the eventual Best Picture winner at the Oscars, making HIFF the only Festival on the East Coast with such a distinction. For more information, please visit www.hamptonsfilmfest.org.

The post THE 26TH HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES HIFF AWARD WINNERS FOR BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE AND BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE appeared first on Good News!.

New York (Sept. 5, 2018) – “Dietrich,” a compelling solo play about iconic German actress
Marlene Dietrich, will be featured as part of the New York New Works Theatre Festival.

“Dietrich” will perform Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 16 at 2 p.m. The festival is being held at the
Acorn Theatre, 410 W. 42 St. in Manhattan. Ticket prices range between $29.25 and $62.25. To
buy tickets, visit https://www.nynwtheatrefestival.com/book-tickets.

Written by Willard Manus, directed by Michael V. Doane, accompanied by pianist Russell Daisey
and starring Cindy Marinangel, “Dietrich” is a based on a true story. Set in May 1960, the play
takes place when the actress returned to the Berlin stage for the first time since fleeing the
Hitler regime in the 1930’s. Inside her dressing room at the Tatiana Palast Theater, Dietrich
weighs whether to go through with the live performance despite threats on her life by Nazi
sympathizers who resented her for having spent much of World War II entertaining American
soldiers on the front lines. To them, Dietrich is a turncoat; a traitor who deserves to be shot and
killed on stage.

“Dietrich” (formerly known as “Marlene”) celebrated its world premiere at the Brickhouse
Theatre in Los Angeles, debuted in New York at the Hudson Guild Theatre as part of the New
York Theatre Festival’s annual Winterfest and had a successful showing at The Triad, an OffBroadway
theatre in Manhattan.
The play was chosen for the New York New Works Festival among hundreds of plays submitted
for consideration. Every submission was reviewed by a panel of Broadway producers, many
who have won Tony and Emmy awards for their work.
Visit www.dietrichplay.com for more information.
Cindy Marinangel is a Lifetime Member of The Actors Studio and a graduate of the Chicago
Second City Conservatory. Marinangel was recently seen in “Beverly Hills Christmas,” a holiday
film starring actor Dean Cain that airs seasonally on UPtv. Visit www.cindymarinangel.com for
more information.

Willard Manus is a playwright, journalist and novelist. He is a member of the
playwrights/director’s unit of The Actors Studio. His most recent plays are “Joe and Marilyn: A
Love Story,” “Frank and Ava” (now a motion picture) and “Who Killed Comrade Rabbit?”
Michael V. Doane is a singer, writer, composer, producer and director having performed in
various concert venues, regional theatres, national and European tours, and productions on and
off Broadway. For six years, Michael served as the artistic director for the Flatiron Theatre
Company (NYC) where he directed critically acclaimed revivals.
Russell Daisey is an internationally acclaimed pianist, singer and songwriter. He’s performed at
The First Hiroshima International Peace Summit (onstage with the Dalai Lama); the Palais des
Congres in Paris; before President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; and
Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Ellie Wiesel, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Betty Williams.

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