Yvonne McCormack-Lyons

McCormack Lyons is a persistent advocate and catalyst for
empowering women and changing how women are
portrayed and perceived in the media.
In 2005, Yvonne founded The Women's International Film
& Arts Festival (WIFF) with the mission to empower
women's visions and voices; to create a safe venue for
women to screen, promote and market their films; and to
address issues that impact women globally while
celebrating women's accomplishments.
After only two years, WIFF was awarded withThe New
Times Newspaper’s Miami's Best Film Festival award.
WIFF received this prestigious recognition once again in
2013.
McCormack Lyons is also the creator of the recently
launched WIFF-TV, a new, online, streaming platform
featuring films, television, podcasts and webinars made by
women for women.
She is lalso the host of the podcast Reel Moments: With
BadAss Women in Film & Entertainment, which was
launched in partnership with PBS Channel 2 (WPBT-2) and
UVUvideo.org and is now streaming on I-Tunes, Pandora,
Amazon Music, Spotify, I-Heart Radio, and where most
podcasts are found.
Yvonne is often asked to speak around the world including
Cartegnia Colombia; Liverpool, England; Toronto, Canada;
and throughout the US regarding women in film, women in
entertainment and media, and women in business.

Through the success of the Women’s International Film
Festival, McCormack-Lyons was invited to develop a
women’s film component for the Cartagena, Colombia Film
Festival as well as the Liverpool ’08 European Capital of
Culture Celebrations in England. And in October 2013, the
city of Medellin, Colombia invited Yvonne to host its first
WIFF event in South America.
Throughout the years, WIFF has hosted such talents such as
Academy Award Winner Halle Berry, Actress/ Producer
Vivica A. Fox (Independence Day, Kill Bill, Empire), Actress/
Producer Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Colombiana, Star Trek),
Actress Kellita Smith (Z Nation, Bernie Mac Show), Actress/
Director Amy Jo Johnson (Power Rangers, Flashpoint), The
Breakfast Club’s Ally Sheedy, and actors such as Shemar
Moore (SWAT, Criminal Minds), Bill Belamy (Self Made,
Kindergarten Cop2), and others.
McCormack Lyons is a recipient of the 2012 Iconic Woman of
the Year Award from Women In The Arts, The 2012 Florida
Entertainment and Recording Committee, The 2010 Women
In The Arts Award presented by In-Focus Magazine, and The
2009 Pearl Award from Girl Power.
Currently McCormack-Lyons serves on a number of Boards
and was inducted as a Board Member of United Nations (UN)
Women.
McCormack-Lyons is married to storyteller Baba Adekemi
Lyons and is the proud mother of a 22-year-old student at the
famous Lee Strasberg Acting School at NYU Tisch School of
The Arts, Ojobayo Lyons.