Film School Blog - New York Film Academy

Spanish Goya Nomination for Jorge Laplace

Published on February 6, 2013

ALFRED Y ANNA

New York Film Academy screenwriting graduate, Jorge Laplace is the screenwriter behind the Goya Nominated Animated Short, Alfred & Anna. The Goya Awards, known in Spanish as los Premios Goya, are Spain’s main national film awards, considered by many in Spain, and internationally, to be the Spanish equivalent of the American Academy Awards. This is Jorge’s second Goya nominated script, the former being the documentary, 30 Years of Darkness.

Jorge Laplace

Alfred & Anna was directed by Juanma Suarez with music by Roque Baños, whose known for his work in Sexy Beast and The Machinist.

We’re very proud of Jorge on another wonderful accomplishment and wish him the best at the Goya Awards on February 17!

Students Working with Bill Duke on Feature Doc

Published on February 4, 2013

New York Film Academy students in Los Angeles are teaming up with veteran actor and director Bill Duke for the feature length documentary, What is a Man? The film explores what it means to be a man, physically, biologically, and sociologically. Students have already shot interviews around the world: in Poland, Latvia, Russia, Mexico, China, Texas, and Illinois. In the coming weeks, students will also be on hand to record interviews with comedians, religious figures, and celebrities.

With over 40 years in the film industry, Bill Duke made his mark with memorable roles in Car Wash, American Gigolo, Commando, Predator, and X-Men: The Last Stand. He also has over 50 directing credits to his name, including feature films, documentaries, and countless hours of television. Duke first approached NYFA Producing instructor Cheryl Bedford about asking students to work on a trailer for the film. The pair had previously worked on the documentary Dark Girls, which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. After meeting with the students, Duke was convinced that they had what it takes to work on the entire documentary!

Students are working in all facets of production: first assistant director, second assistant director, unit production manager, writer, gaffer, key grip, director of photography, and more. Instructor Cheryl Bedford says she is proud of her students’ work on the film. “They are the professionals. I just oversee them,” said Bedford. “They’re excited and focused. We don’t coddle them. They have risen to the challenge.”

Bill Duke in a production meeting with New York Film Academy students

Iconic Artist William Wegman Speaks to NYFA Photography

Published on February 1, 2013

Wegman at NYFA

This Monday, the New York Film Academy Photography School was honored to welcome world renowned artist William Wegman for a guest presentation. Mr. Wegman is widely known for his witty, humorous conceptual photographs of his many generations of Weimaraner dogs, but his work also spans painting, video, and books.

“While there are many brilliant artists, those whose work is both conceptually sophisticated enough for the fine art world but which has also brought delight to millions of people who would in all likelihood never see conceptual art is a very short list indeed,” commented NYFA Photography Chair Brian Dilg. “The humor and playfulness in his work are legendary, and known to people through venues as broad as Sesame Street, Saturday Night Live, his childrens’ books, and the walls of galleries world wide. But in our time with him, we also discovered that Mr. Wegman has stuck as closely to his own unique path as he has remained consistently self-effacing and generous. While he was a new and magical discovery for many of our students, the front row was packed with staff members who asked perhaps the most eager questions, having had four decades to be inspired by his work!”

Screen Shot 2013-02-01 at 11.00.17 AM The New York Film Academy first opened its doors to students in Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Film Center in 1992. Operating under the philosophy that a top quality education in the arts should be available to any person with drive and ambition to succeed, the New York Film Academy (NYFA) offers students an innovative curriculum, award-winning instructors and access to professional equipment. The New York Film Academy is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and licensed by the New York State Education Department. The New York Film Academy has three year-round campuses and offers MFA and BFA degrees in addition to a large variety of hands-on short-term workshops and long-term programs in filmmaking, acting, photography, musical theater, 3D animation, broadcast journalism, and game design.

Congratulations NYFA Grads!

Published on February 1, 2013

Congratulations to New York Film Academy’s new crop of future filmmakers! Last weekend, 54 filmmaking students graduated from the school’s Los Angeles campus. Four-time Emmy Award winner, Jay Kogen, delivered a rousing commencement speech to the grads. The producer/writer/director, best known for his work on The Simpsons, Frasier, The Tracey Ullman Show, and Malcolm in the Middle, inspired the students to chase their dreams.

Congratulations to the AFA Filmmaking graduates: Eskil André Brattgjerd, Carlos Garcia, Mohammad Lajevardi, James Neill, and Elias Smith; and to our MFA Filmmaking graduates: Yagiz Acar, Farah Fuad Alhashim, Victor Aminger, Charles Ancelle, Kirsten Eleanor Anderson, Adrian Aquino, Annique Arredondo, Raul Asensio Molina, Eduardo Augusto, Stefani Avila, Tatiana Beller, Askar Bissembin, Nataliya Bobytska, Nicolas Brouwers, Neil Casey, Pablo Chozas Zambrana, John Chuka, Filipe Ferraz Coutinho, Min Dai, Lu Feng, Seth Fuller, Jubilee Gamaniel, Rafael Garcia, Matthew Gengel, Yifei Guo, Yang He, Shirley Hon, McKinley Johnson, Prarthana Suneel Joshi, Christian Jurgensen, Geet Kandya, Dae Kyu Lee, Nancy Lee, Rishi Mehta, Jason Mohan, Adrian Morales Ramos, Roona Mukhopadhyay, Rima Naim, Sishu Peng, Juhi Roddam, Bryan Rooney, Thomas Schade, Galo Semblantes, Anna Skrypka, Keith Thompson, Aili Wang, Robert Womack II, Zi Xiang, Wen-Hsin Yu!

Oscar Winner Wally Pfister Talks Chris Nolan

Published on January 31, 2013

Over 400 students signed up to attend Oscar-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister’s Q&A in after the screening of Inception for New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. The atmosphere in the room could only be described as a rock concert. And though Pfister was recovering from a bout of food poisoning, he wasn’t going to let down the auditorium full of excited students, who greeted him with cheers of “Wally! Wally!” He spoke about his long-time collaboration with Chris Nolan, saying, “Chris is an incredible storyteller and incredible screenwriter.”

Following an interview with producer Tova Laiter and Cinematography Chair Michael Pessah, Pfister took questions directly from the students who lined up in what can only be described as a conga line to ask the master about his work. “You have to take risks,” he said. “That’s what will make your career last longer. You have to fight to get your vision on the screen (but not fight with your director).”

Besides winning the Oscar for Inception in 2011, Wally also garnered Oscar nominations for The Dark Knight, The Prestige, and Batman Begins, and is well known for his work on Insomnia, The Italian Job, Moneyball, Memento, and The Dark Knight Rises.

MFA Screenwriting student Jordan Farrester said, “It was great to be there with someone who has worked on some of the biggest films of the past ten years. He was really thoughtful and insightful, and had a lot to say about the industry and his vision.”

Pfister’s latest project is his feature film directorial debut, Transcendence, starring Johnny Depp, and written by NYFA instructor Jack Paglen. The film is slated for release in 2014.

Melodico in Little Italy

Published on January 30, 2013

Congratulations to Valerio Ciriaci (’12)! His Semester 1 documentary, Melodico, has been selected to premiere at The Big Sky Film Festival. Melodico is a short documentary, chronicling the story of Tony Maiorino, a modern day Italian immigrant living in the Bronx’s Little Italy. Tony’s a normal guy on the surface. He runs a barbershop, he raises his family, he has his vices, but underneath it all is a passion for singing. The barber trades in his scissors for a keyboard and microphone. The film follows Tony after the announcement that he’ll be singing at the Feast of Saint Anthony, the largest Italian event in New York City. Tony’s journey to the stage portrays not only his life, but that of the entire community in its search for solidarity within its traditions and its nostalgia for a landscape left behind.

For anyone who happens to be in Montana this February, check it out!

Melodico is scheduled for February 20, 7:30pm at the Crystal Theater.

And congratulations to his crew, Sharon Brooks (’12) and Janna Kyllästinen (’12). The three are partners in the hot new production company, Awen Films.

Capturing Authentic America

Published on January 29, 2013

Linus Sandgren via Skype

Courtesy of Focus Features, the New York Film Academy held a screening Monday evening of the new Gus Van Sant film, Promised Land, starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski. In the film, Damon plays a corporate salesman who is sent along with his partner, Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand), to close a key struggling rural town in his company’s expansion plans. The job becomes complicated for the two when a respected local schoolteacher (Hal Holbrook), Damon’s love interest (Rosemarie DeWitt), and a supposed environmentalist (John Krasinski) campaign against drilling in their local town. Promised Land explores America and the environmental compromises we tend to make in the face of big business.

Following the screening, we tried something new. Our guest of honor, Cinematographer Linus Sandgren, joined us on the big screen via Skype from his home in Los Angeles. Linus was incredibly giving and patient with our new experiment, detailing his career from film school in Sweden to working with major directors like Gus Van Sant. Surprisingly, the Good Will Hunting director is very quiet on set. Gus preps so well during pre-production, that the entire crew is well prepared during production.

“We wanted to capture authentic America,” said Sandgren. “Gus gave me one image. A Stephen Shore photo and I would analyze and think about it, then come back with ideas for the look.” If Linus was basing his imagery on a Stephen Shore image, he nailed it.

Linus is currently working with Oscar Nominated Director, David O. Russell on a film to be shot in Boston.

We want to sincerely thank Linus for allowing us to pick his brain via Skype and Focus Features for providing us with the 35mm print to screen!

Hamdy Accepts Audience Award at Sundance

Published on January 28, 2013

Saturday evening, New York Film Academy Documentary graduate, Muhammad Hamdy accepted the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary for The Square - which he began shooting in Tahir Square almost exactly two years earlier.

Using his 500 hours of footage, Hamdy worked with director, Jehane Noujaim, to create The Square.

“I am so proud of Hamdy. I could burst,” said NYFA Documentary Chair, Andrea Swift. “Not only has he developed his filmmaking and shooting skills to a world class level, he has integrated them with a fierce love for his country. His passion for social justice will help see his generation through the long tail of their Egyptian Spring, and will help the rest of us see it through their eyes.”

Screening of David Lynch’s Tour

Published on January 28, 2013

A team of filmmakers followed David Lynch on a sixteen country tour documenting a series of lectures and intimate interviews on his creative process and his relationship with Transcendental Meditation. The resulting footage has been compiled into a 71 minute documentary Meditation, Creativity, Peace.

On Saturday, February 2nd and Monday, February 4th, the New York Film Academy will host a screening and Q & A with Executive Director of The David Lynch Foundation, Bob Roth and Director of Programs, Peter Trivelas.

Bob Roth is an educator, author and the executive director of the David Lynch Foundation, a New York City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity, which provides support to at-risk populations who suffer from post-traumatic stress. Under Bob’s leadership, the Foundation has provided scholarships for 250,000 underserved youth, veterans and their families with PTS, and women and girls who are victims of violence to learn the stress-reducing, nonreligious Transcendental Meditation technique. Bob has also been a teacher of Transcendental Meditation for 40 years, and is the author of the definitive book on the technique, entitled, “Transcendental Meditation,” which has been published in 21 languages.

Saturday, February 2
6p – Film Introduction
605p – Film Begins
715p – Film ends, Q&A with Bob Roth, Executive Director for the David Lynch Foundation
745p – Coffee and Doughnut Reception

Monday, February 4
630p – Film Introduction
635p- Film Begins
745p – Film ends, Q&A with Peter Trivelas, TM teacher and Director of Programs for the David Lynch Foundation
800p – Coffee and Doughnut Reception

*Coffee provided by Allegro, we’ll be brewing David’s Signature brew. Organic and free trade beans!

NYFA Photography Storms Los Angeles

Published on January 26, 2013

New York Film Academy was in Santa Monica last weekend for photo l.a. Celebrating its 22nd year, the art fair showcases the best of the photographic arts, with galleries, publishers, and photographers visiting from around the world. Over 10,000 people visit annually, and NYFA students, instructors, and admissions counselors were on hand to talk to them about New York Film Academy’s photography program.

Students had their photographs hung on walls in the booth, and though their work was on display alongside art from top photographers, many attendees were surprised to find out the artwork was done by students. In fact, many people made inquiries about buying student work.

Also on display were students’ ambrotypes, a photographic process that was popular in the mid-1800s. “We have a photo history teacher who shows students how to do ambrotypes,” said Los Angeles Photography Chair, Bobbi Fabian. “Everyone was so enthralled with them. They loved that we teach older processes and darkroom printing. It was really exciting to talk to people and we got lots of foot traffic.”