Film School Programs at the New York Film Academy

The New York Film Academy film school programs are designed for a new generation of storytellers: visual artists who share a passion for motion pictures and want to learn by making their own projects in a hands-on, intensive program.

Our students come from across the United States and all over the world to learn and work together in short-term workshops or one and two-year degree programs. In the creation of our curricula, we worked with faculty and professionals from around the world. We adapted the best ideas and elements from the leading film school programs and designed intensive and accelerated alternatives that provide a thorough grounding in the craft.

Our film school programs balance the study of the craft with practical experience to train students to be the best filmmakers they can be. This is achieved by a rigorous schedule of classroom instruction, hands-on workshops, and immediate experience.

Our Film School's Philosophy

Learning to be a filmmaker is not done "by the numbers." It is done by immersion in the process and by knowing the "whys" that teach the "hows." It is done by hands-on experience, trial and error, feedback and correction, and questions and answers. Filmmaking demands the integration of many kinds of knowledge. It is the integration of knowledge that distinguishes the New York Film Academy from many other film schools. In our filmmaking courses, students learn not only how to operate a camera, light a scene, or edit film, but they also learn how all the aspects of filmmaking relate to, interact with, and depend upon each other.
We believe a top quality film school education should be accessible to anyone with the drive and ambition to make movies. The student provides the talent; we provide great instruction, equipment, and structured curriculum. It is the students' drive and creative ability that carries them forward.

Film Schools in Los Angeles and New York City

Our New York City campuses are now located in Union Square and SoHo. On the West Coast, our central administration building, classrooms, and school facilities are adjacent to the Universal Studios backlot and in the surrounding area. And in-class production exercises are shot on the world-famous Universal Studios backlot. During the summer, we hold our short-term programs at a number of additional locations, including Harvard University; London, England; Paris, France; and Florence, Italy. In 2008 we began offering programs at the NYFA-Abu Dhabi and we look forward to helping to establish it as the center for film education in the Middle East. Periodically we offer special workshops in diverse locations around the world. These have included Tokyo, Seoul, Rome, Bilbao, Budapest, Sardinia, Portugal, Nigeria, and Spain.

Each year, hundreds of students of all occupations, ethnicities, and of a wide range of ages from around the world benefit from the extraordinary education offered at the New York Film Academy. In the classroom and in production, students benefit from this rich cultural mix.

What Our Film School Students Are Saying

"My experience at the New York Film Academy changed my life in ways that up to this day, I am still discovering." - Milovan Radovic

"It was an extraordinary learning experience and a beautiful collaboration amongst young filmmakers." - Kena Dorsey

"All my jobs in some way have stemmed from NYFA…" - Ajani Fida

"...I am the recipient of two Best New Director Awards at the national and international levels. All this happened due to the NYFA." - Leslie Carvalho

"...the best academic experience I've had all my life. I learned more at the New York Film Academy than any other place or school I've been to." - Rodrigo Valdes

"On the first day of class, I handled a 16mm camera for the first time in my life. In regular graduate programs, that usually doesn't happen until the second semester or sometimes the second year." - David Horowitz

"My time there was filled with learning, hard workd, and excitement...all while being surrounded by those whose love of film rivaled my own." - Neil Stephens

"...The knowledge and confidence I had gained at the NYFA undoubtedly fed into the film and helped make it the success it has become. The films, "It's Not Unusual," has won the British Academy Award (BAFTA) for Best Short Film." - Kfir Yefet

"I am a recent graduate of Westminster University in London and I felt that I learned more from Adam (NYFA film instructor) in four weeks than I did at university in three years." - Elizabeth Charalambous

Read more film school student comments.