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June 21, 2023WMHT Producer and TVFilm Alum Receive Global Recognition at Prestigious International Public Media Conference
Catherine Rafferty and Rebecca van der Meulen represented “To Wade or Row,” one of only seven US-based films selected for screening at annual INPUT event in Taiwan
WMHT Public Media, a multichannel public communications organization serving Eastern New York and Western New England, today announced that a product of its TVFilm series, which showcases short films by upstate New York independent filmmakers, recently achieved prestigious global recognition.
Filmmaker Rebecca van der Meulen’s work, “To Wade or Row,” featured in the 14th season of TVFilm, was one of just seven US-based films chosen for screening at INPUT, an annual international conference for the creators of television and digital media productions from public broadcasters worldwide. The film tells the story of a woman seeking care at an underground abortion clinic, when a sheriff’s arrival places her future in jeopardy. A Brooklyn-based filmmaker with experience as a camera and light technician, van der Meulen directed a crew in which most of the creative team members were women.
Van der Meulen and Catherine Rafferty, a fellow filmmaker, producer of TVFilm and WMHT’s education producer, traveled to Taipei, Taiwan from May 14 to 18 to participate in INPUT. “To Wade or Row” was screened before an audience of several hundred public media professionals from around the world, and followed by a panel discussion and question-and-answer session.
“It was exciting to represent WMHT at INPUT, and to discuss our role as a public broadcaster and our work with independent filmmakers through our program TVFilm,” said Rafferty. “I believe ‘To Wade or Row’ resonated with an international audience because of its unique representation of the United States’ current abortion access debate. I’m proud to see our collective efforts gain international recognition, and grateful to WMHT and INPUT for this incredible professional development and networking opportunity.”
This was Rafferty’s and van der Meulen’s first time attending INPUT, a nonprofit organization of public media program producers. Launched in 1977, past INPUT conferences have taken place in locations such as Calgary, Tokyo, Helsinki, Sydney, Bangkok, and Barcelona, showcasing public media work from around the world. Van der Meulen was an official recipient of a US INPUT Producer’s Fellowship, one of a limited number of grants for travel assistance to attend INPUT thanks to the generous support of the US INPUT office at South Carolina ETV, the ETV Endowment.
“INPUT is the world’s premier public media producer’s conference,” said Will Pedigo, WMHT Chief Content & Engagement Officer, who also served three years as a US Moderator for INPUT. “Attendees received a global perspective on the most thought-provoking and innovative work produced by public media in the last year. I am so proud that TVFilm was part of the conversation at this year’s INPUT, and know both Catherine and Rebecca relished the experience.”
The 15th season of TVFilm begins Friday, June 30 at 11 p.m. on WMHT, online at wmht.org, and free on the PBS App.
