Allan UngarFILMMAKER | DIRECTOR | PRODUCER

The Canada-born director and producer Allan Ungar is best known for his work for Bandit (2022), Uncharted: Live Action Fan Film (2018), and Sympathy for the Devil (2023).

The NYFA short term workshop alum visited the NYFA Los Angeles campus in April 2023 for a Q&A with instructor Nick Sivakumaran. The discussion was open to the campus students, faculty, staff and local alumni. Click here to see the full on-campus Q&A.

SNAPSHOT

Year Attended/Graduated: 2006
Location: Los Angeles

Armando BóWriter, Director, Producer

Armando Bó is a writer, director, and producer known for his work on The Last Elvis (2012) and Biutiful (2010). Bó earned an Oscar in 2015 for ⁣Best Writing, Original Screenplay for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), as well as a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture. Birdman was also nominated for a BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay.

Shaquille O’NealACTOR | FILMMAKER

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most famous basketball players in the world. He is also a graduate of the filmmaking conservatory program. He received private instruction in directing and cinematography at our campus on Universal Studios. Trading his basketball for the camera, he is now a color commentator and analyst for TNT’s Inside the NBA.

O’Neal had a cameo role in What Men Want and played a small role in Adam Sandler’s Netflix movie Hubie Halloween.

SNAPSHOT

Year Attended/Graduated: 2011
Location: Los Angeles

Sara SeligmanFILMMAKER

Originally from Mexico, Sara Seligman is a graduate of NYFA’s 2-Year Filmmaking program in New York City. Most recently, she made her feature film directorial debut with the U.S. premiere of Coyote Lake, starring Riverdale’s Camila Mendes, Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Adriana Barraza. The film’s screenplay was also co-written by fellow NYFA alum and classmate Thomas Bond.

SNAPSHOT

Year Attended/Graduated: 2010
Location: New York City

Aisultan SeitovFILMMAKER

Aisultan Seitov is a film director and producer from Kazakhstan whose filmmaking repertoire speaks for itself.

Although he originally aspired to become an engineer, Seitov was passionate about film and took up filmmaking as a hobby during his youth.

Seitov attended NYFA in both New York City and Los Angeles. He graduated from our 4-Week Digital Filmmaking program in 2014, then the 1-Year Filmmaking program in 2015. Seitov subsequently earned his BFA in Filmmaking in 2016. 

During his time at NYFA, Seitov directed a short thesis film titled “The Jackal.” Not surprisingly, the film earned Seitov the Best Director Award at the Hollywood Boulevard Film Festival in 2016, the same year he graduated with his BFA in Filmmaking.

Seitov is an eminent director in former Soviet Union countries, especially Kyrgyzstan, where he directed his first music video – for the song “Po Vetru” (with the wind) by Dzhaya Miyadzaki. 

In 2015, Seitov served on the camera crew for the short film The Fear of Falling Into Patterns. The following year, he reprised his role for another short film, Rest in Peace (2016).

However, Seitov is best known as a music video director. He directed the videos for Ivan Dorn’s “Collaba” and “OTD” in 2017. Additionally, Seitov directed music videos for three MiyaGi and Endspiel songs, “I Got Love,” “Ya khochu lyubit,” and “Kolizey,” the same year. He subsequently directed the music videos for Offset’s “Red Room” and “The Lay Down” by H.E.R. and DRAM (both 2019).

Seitov recently made his feature film directing debut with Qash, a historical drama set in Soviet Kazhakstan during the 1930s. The film was released theatrically in China on June 14, 2023.

Snapshot:
Year Attended/Graduated: 2016, 2015, 2014
Locations: New York, Los Angeles

Gain Valuable Hands-On Filmmaking Experience at NYFA

If you are an aspiring visual storyteller passionate about the art of filmmaking like Aisultan Seitov, consider one of NYFA’s many filmmaking programs. We offer AFA, BFA, and MFA degree programs in filmmaking, plus the 1- and 2-Year Filmmaking Certificate programs and a variety of workshops. No matter which program you select, you will learn the fundamentals of filmmaking in a hands-on setting. To learn more about our filmmaking programs, click here!

Hannah Lux DavisDIRECTOR

Hannah Lux Davis is an award-winning filmmaker and graduate of NYFA’s 1-Year Filmmaking Program. She currently directs music videos for high profile music stars such as Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Drake, Miley Cyrus, Halsey, Kacey Musgraves, Kygo and more. Most recently, she directed the music video for Grande’s “Thank U, Next” as well as Grande’s song for the latest Charlie’s Angels movie “Don’t Call Me Angel” alongside Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey.

In 2020, she was nominated for an MTV Music Video Award for directing Doja Cat’s “Say So” music video. Her other music videos 5 Seconds of Summer’s “Old Me” and Demi Lovato’s “I Love Me” are nominated in other categories this year for Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects, respectively. She recently directed the music video for the upcoming Barbie (2023) adaptation, Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice’s Barbie World (with Aqua).

SNAPSHOT

Year Attended/Graduated: 2005
Location: Los Angeles

Get Hands-on Filmmaking Experience at NYFA

During their time at NYFA, acting students learn fundamental filmmaking skills through a range of immersive exercises and projects, including polished work that can be added to their film reel. Learn more about our film degrees, certificates, and workshops here!