Since 2013, Women’s Film Initiative has been a haven for women in media to connect and thrive during their collegiate careers and beyond.
The Women's Film Initiative is a student-run organization founded at Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA to inspire and strengthen women studying filmmaking and film scoring.
In 2013, film scoring students at Berklee College of Music Elisa Rice and Leah Dennis (pictured right) were brainstorming ways to increase the ranks of female filmmakers and film composers. They wanted to create a community where women could uplift and support each other to combat the isolation of being vastly-outnumbered by men in all their classes and also create more opportunities to connect with other filmmakers who wanted to staff their student productions with other talented women.
And thus, Women’s Film Initiative was born.
In addition to facilitating meaningful networking across the various schools in the area, WFI helps facilitate women-powered solutions and events to help students prepare for graduation and beyond.
Meet Our Team
President | Keziah Thomas
Keziah is a 21 year old Singer, Pianist, Music Producer and DJ from Bangalore, India. She is entering her 6th semester at Berklee College of Music, majoring in Film Scoring and minoring in Contemporary Conducting. She is constantly working and experimenting with different genres to find and conquer her own sound. She enjoys composing music and has released five original songs on all platforms so far.
Instagram: @_keziahthomas
Vice-President | Isabel
Arriaga-Ayala
Isabel Arriaga Ayala is a composer and sound designer from Monterrey, México coursing her seventh semester at Berklee College of Music. Her main interest is in interactive music composition, and she develops and creatively directs her own video games, channelling her passion for coding and sound design into her work. She has also scored multiple short films with other students in Canada, United States and México. Ultimately, Isabel’s greatest passion is connection through artistic expression, which is what she believes is the purpose of creation. At WFI, Isabel hopes to create a community with other scorers with the intention of bringing each other up and helping one another other grow.
Instagram: @un.pez_
Coordinator | Evelyn Pham
Evelyn is a pianist, percussionist, and composer, born in Vietnam and raised in the Chicagoland area. She is currently a 3rd semester student at Berklee College of Music for a Film Scoring & Composition double major and Game Scoring minor. She’s drawn to world music, and enjoys combining a variety of cultural and folk elements with the contemporary orchestra. Evelyn is currently working with various student artists and indie game-developers to bring their stories to life.
Social Media Manager | Anwen Borgo
Anwen is a Colorado born composer and violist, currently a senior at Berklee College of Music, majoring in Film Scoring with minors in Game Scoring and Conducting. Though her original works have been performed in concert halls, her creative focus is on hybrid and epic orchestration. Her passion for this style has shaped much of her recent work, earning her recognition most recently as a semi-finalist in the Red Bull Scoring Challenge. She is deeply committed to advocating for greater representation of women in the film scoring industry.
Instagram: @the_anonymous_shrew
Co-Founder | Elisa Rice
Elisa C. Rice is a composer, storyteller, and advocate for Hollywood recording musicians and gender equality in entertainment. Based in Los Angeles, Elisa has written music for film, television, and new media, including the series "Contemporary Mating Rituals" and additional music for "Passage to Mars" narrated by Zachary Quinto, the Emmy-nominated TV show "Galavant,” and the upcoming Amblin feature "Come Play,"
Instagram: @elisacrice Facebook: Elisa Rice
Co-Founder | Leah Dennis
Leah Dennis is a music editor and singer who has worked on many projects spanning the TV and film scene in Los Angeles including A Million Little Things (ABC), Step Up Highwater (Lionsgate), Minions (Universal), The Angry Birds Movie (Sony), Curious George 4 (Universal Animation) and Twenties (BET). Coming from a musical family, Leah learned classical violin and voice from an early age before studying film scoring and conducting at Berklee College Of Music.
Instagram: @leahndennis Facebook: Leah Dennis