NYFA
Faculty Directory

Faculty Directory

Tomás Stiegwardt

Tomás Stiegwardt is an award-winning filmmaker, author, visual artist, and AI researcher. A creative catalyst and cultural essayist, he explores the intersection of storytelling, technology, and consciousness. With over 70 essays on AI and cinema published at Peliplat—where he also serves as a film critic and international jury member—his work bridges visual arts, philosophy, and education. A professor, speaker, and international exhibitor, he has received over 30 awards for his short films, taught at NYFA and Columbia College Chicago, and is currently based in New York, developing projects across traditional and Web3 platforms.

Andrea Swift

A cinematic storyteller with more than 20 years experience, Swift has served as executive producer and director of PBS’ Emmy-nominated documentary series, In the Life. Her films have screened at the United Nations Earth Summit and festivals worldwide, including Berlin International Film Festival (Best Short Film), Raindance Film Festival (Best of Festival Selection), CIFF, and Chicago International Film Festival (Silver). She has created content for AMC, History, WE, the NY Knicks and Madison Square Garden; and has directed and written for top talent including Oscar winner Susan Saradon, nominees Laura Linney, Patricia Clarkson, and Lesley Gore, and Tony Award and Emmy Award winners including Alan Cumming, Ossie Davis, Harvey Fierstein, Cherry Jones, Denis O’Hare, and RuPaul. Currently, Swift focuses on writing, story producing, and creative consulting. MFA, Columbia University.

John Tona

John Tona is a photographer and artist based in New York City. He uses photographic portraiture to investigate human nature and consciousness. His work employs strategies ranging from social-documentary, tableau, and reinterpretations of the portrait.

His most recent and ongoing project, (A)typical Typology, depicts pairs of people from each country of the world without cultural elements such as clothing, makeup, or other man-made products, leaving only the individual as the unique identifier. As a result, the lines of race and culture are de-emphasized, leaving us to consider the subjects more simply, as members of the human race.

In addition to publications in the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, his work has been exhibited at Art Space Artion, The Canson Gallery, and the Jeonju International Photo Festival in Seoul, South Korea as well as Art Basel in Miami Florida and Photoville in Brooklyn New York.

John is a graduate of the one-year photography conservatory at the New York Film Academy.

Hernán Toro

A visionary Director of Photography with over three decades of experience crafting powerful, emotionally resonant visuals for film, television, and commercial productions. Born in the colorful city of Caracas, trained in London, and based in New York since 1995, Hernán Toro’s work bridges the cinematic traditions of Latin America, Europe, and Hollywood.

With over 20 feature films, 850+ commercials, and numerous award- winning feature films, shorts, documentaries, and music videos to his credit, Toro brings precision, passion, and a painter’s eye to every frame. His unique voice as a visual artist has been recognized internationally, from the streets of Caracas to the screens of Cannes. In addition to his film work, Hernán is an accomplished still photographer and mentor, committed to educating the next generation of cinematographers at the New York Film Academy. He is currently serving as President of the Society of Venezuelan Cinematography (SVC).

By Gregg Brilliant

Maxine Trump

Maxine Trump has directed both short and long-form documentaries for TV networks including TNT, Sundance Channel, BBC and Discovery. She worked for the BBC in London for seven years as a development executive for scripted comedy before emigrating to the U.S., working as a TV commercial director and producer for eight years. She won BDA awards for her work on numerous commercial and branded entertainment projects for clients such as AMC, National Geographic, PBS, BBC America, Animal Planet, Comedy Central, American Cancer Society, L’Oreal and Oreos. Trump is on the selection committee for DOC NYC and Nantucket Film Festival; a Manhattan chapter leader of the non-profit film group Filmshop; and the author of the documentary guide “A Documentary Roadmap” (Focal Press 2017). Her film “Musicwood” was a New York Times Critics’ Pick, and “To Kid Or Not To Kid” is due for release in 2018. She lives in Brooklyn and continues to direct her own feature documentaries as well as producing and editing for feature documentary clients. MFA, London Metropolitan University.

Charley Tucker Acting for Film Instructor

As a teaching artist, Mr. Tucker has worked at New York University (co-teacher with Phylicia Rashad), American Globe Theatre (Shakespeare First Folio Technique), University of Texas/ Austin, Muhlenberg College, Penn State University and New York Film Academy where he is currently teaching Scene Study and the Meisner Technique.
HEDDA GABBLER (American Globe), UNCLE TOM’S CABIN (The Drama Dept.- Workshop Co.), MISALLIANCE (Pennsylvania Center Stage), DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS (American Stage), SIX DEGREES OF SEPERATION (Florida Studio Theatre), and AMERICAN BUFFALO (Asolo Conservatory Theatre- guest artist). Film and T.V.: CURDLED (Miramax), AMY SCHUMMER SHOW (Comedy Central), TENNESSEE (Lee Daniels Entertainment), and several television and radio commercials. Currently Mr. Tucker has 2 films in production.

José Jesús Valdez

José Jesús Valdez is a NYC based Filmmaker and Educator from California. BA – Chicano Studies and Film Studies and MFA in Film. Jesus has been involved in many aspects of film/media ranging from film, documentary, sports and studio
production. Recently Jesus has been educating all over New York City teaching filmmaking and film education in both Spanish and English.

David Vando

Mr. Vando’s works include the award winning THE KING’S CLOWN performed both in America and England, the book and lyrics for a musical adaptation LOVE’S LABOR’S LOST for the Folger Library Theatre, an English adaptation of THE THREEPENNY OPERA, BUGLES AT DAWN a musical based on THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE, SONG OF THE LARK, a musical passion play of Saint Joan, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LEONARDO DA VINCI, EROICA, about the deafness and death of Beethoven and SHAKESPEARE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY, now in its third printing, which teaches you how to “translate” and use quotes from the Bard in the new millennium for everything from corporate mottos to epitaphs with over 700 outrageous examples. His latest work is the film HAMLET/HORATIO, the story of Hamlet told through eyes of Horatio, in which he wrote the screen play and acts two roles.

Amy Van Horne Acting for Film Creative Director

Creative Director of the Acting for Film Department in New York

Amy Van Horne is an actor, teacher, and professional on-camera audition coach. She holds an MFA from Rutgers University-Mason Gross School of the Arts where she studied under the tutelage of Master Teachers William Esper and Maggie Flanigan. Amy has been a professional film and television actress for over 20 years, working in both LA and New York. Having firsthand knowledge of the many technical challenges actors face working in front of the camera on professional film/TV sets, Amy developed and led on-camera acting technique, scene study, and audition technique classes that she taught for over 10 years in LA. Teaching actors to find freedom on camera became Amy’s passion, and she returned to New York in 2013 to train as a master teacher under her mentor Maggie Flanigan. Selected film/TV credits include: Cost of Living, The City, The Big Easy, Hitz, Two Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place, Push, Veronica’s Closet, Family Rules, The Beach Boys: An American Family, Judging Amy, Strong Medicine, Cold Case, and Final Sale. She has also appeared in dozens of national network commercials. Amy joined the New York Film Academy in 2017.

Vladimir Velev

Vladimir Velev grew up in Sofia, Bulgaria admiring American movies and television from afar. He has studied Latin American and Ballroom dancing from the age of six and trained with the top teachers in the competitive dance world as well as in other styles of dance. Vladimir is a former Austrian national champion and quarterfinalist of both the World and European Professional Latin Championships. Since moving to the United States, he has established himself as a sought-after instructor, performer, and competitor. He joined the Musical Theater department of the New York Film Academy in 2016.

Elli Ventouras Dean of NYFA New York

MFA, Parsons School of Design. M.A., New York Institute of Technology – summa cum laude. Currently Ms. Ventouras oversees the day to day Academic operations in the New York location. Previously, she was the Founding Dean for the New York Film Academy in South Beach where she contributed to the development of the Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree programs in Filmmaking and Acting as well as the Conservatory and short term programs.

As a director, producer and editor, her Award winning film Voices screened internationally at: Golden Gate Documentary Film Festival in San Francisco (Distinguished for Special Artistic Value), Festival Du Cinema de Bruxelles (winner for the La Realisation Integrale Award), Festival Du Court Metrage De Lyon (winner of Le Senario). Voices was also Semifinalist at Boston Motion Picture Awards and was requested and screened as part of the activities planned in Athens, Greece for the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Other screenings include The Queens Theater in the Park in Flushing NY, Panorama Film Festival in Thessaloniki, Greece; Drama Short Film Festival in Greece, Miami International Short Film Festival, Barcelona Short Film Festival, and the Hollywood International Student Film Festival. Her film Modern Greek Tragedy was nominated for best international film at the Drama Film Festival and screened at the Molodost Film Festival in Russia.

José Venutolo Camp Director

José Alberto Venutolo Chirinos is a Venezuelan Filmmaker based in New York City since 2010, he works as a Director, Producer, Editor, DIT, Videographer, and Educator. Born and raised in Venezuela he found his way to New York in 2008 and pursued studies in filmmaking at the New York Film Academy from 2008 to 2010, he’s fluent in Spanish and English, and conversational Italian.

From 2010 to present he walked the path of freelance filmmaking as a Director, Producer, and Editor. Has worked in TV, advertisement, PSA, and independent productions and art installations, while walking a path at the New York Film Academy (NYFA) that evolved from TA, to instructor, to Youth Programs Director. He is currently the Director of the Teens’ Summer
Camps at NYFA’s New York City campus.

José has a passion for teaching and wishes to never be fully removed from the classroom, he loves incorporating his own perceptions and experiences to his teaching, and also that of an immigrant professional finding a foothold in the US media production and education businesses. He keeps connected to his freelance work which in his 15 years’ career has taken him to an eclectic range of work, from video production for both narrative and commercial products, including short and feature films, advertisement, institutional videos, PSAs, documentaries, and music videos, frequently wearing many hats on a production.

Victor Verhaeghe Acting for Film Instructor

Victor is currently workshopping a musical he wrote: Doormen, The musical, with Royal Family Theater. COP-DOC, a short film/web series that he wrote, produced and starred in, has picked up several awards in festivals this year, with more on the way. Currently in development with a production company. As an actor, Victor continued his work on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” as Antonio, the doorman, which is ironic since he is writing a musical about doormen. He shot the feature film, Bad Education, with Hugh Jackman, Alison Janey and Ray Romano, that is now running on HBO.

Other recent work: Feature Film, Peel with Emile Hirsch and Amy Brenneman, guest starring role on The Americans, and the lead in another feature, Bride in the Box. Victor is also producing a series of videos called, What if… based on the idea of what if we tried love instead of guns, love instead of hate. He has already produced and shot four of these videos and continues writing and raising funds for more in the series.
He also has another short film that he wrote and starred in, doing well on the festival circuit called, The Parker.

Evgenia Vlasova

Evgenia Vlasova is an instructor in Broadcast Journalism, Personal Journalism and Digital Editing. In addition, in 2020 she co-taught a three-week online Journalism Summer School for 22 early career Russian journalists, and a week-long in-person media training workshop for 20 accomplished TV professionals in Kazakhstan. (Both projects were funded by the U.S. State Department.) She co-produced and edited Shanghai 1937: Where World War II Began, a feature documentary which was broadcast by 200+ U.S. Public TV stations, as well as internationally. Prior to moving to New York, for seven years she co-anchored and co-produced an award winning morning show on Channel 6TV in Khabarovsk, Russia. She began her professional career with Radio Europa Plus.

Bill Waldinger

In addition to his faculty position at NYFA, Bill is also on the faculty at The Joffrey Ballet School, Broadway Dance Center, Molloy College’s CAP 21 Musical Theater Program and the New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. Certified by Luigi to teach the Luigi Jazz Technique, Bill has recently been filmed and interviewed for the recently released feature film Uprooted which chronicles the history of Jazz Dance. He has coordinated workshops bringing together the techniques of Luigi and Matt Mattox with classic musical theater choreography. Bill also frequently travels the world As a Master Teacher. He has also developed absolute beginner “Dance Classes For Singers” at The Singers’ Forum. As a performer, Bill has appeared in musical theater, concert dance, commercials, music videos, television and industrials. Highlights include regional and Off-Broadway productions of A Chorus Line (Paul in the first regional production), Carousel (Carnival Boy), Kismet, Drood, Oklahoma! (Dream Curly), A Funny Thing…, Guys and Dolls and Godspell. He was a company member of The David Storey Dance Works and Labyrinth Dance Theater. He has danced in commercials, music videos, was a featured dancer on the television show Soul Alive and appeared in videos for the Theater Dance Workshop.

Paul Warner

Paul Warner is an award-winning director and educator, whose more than 50 productions span film, theater, and opera. He most recently directed the feature film, HAMLET/HORATIO, which premiered on Amazon in June 2021, and subsequently enjoyed limited theatrical release in 2022. HAMLET/HORATIO has been the recipient of 15 international festival awards. Prior to HAMLET/HORATIO, Warner directed a new musical, RIVER OF STONE by Drama Desk nominee Peter Melnick with book by Ty Defoe which premiered at the Jaffa Festival as well as Wendy Whelan of the New York City Ballet in the premiere of WOMEN: THE WAR WITHIN, a dance-opera by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Du Yun and Obie-winning writer Matthew Maguire, which premiered at The Baryshnikov Arts Center. Film credits include the feature FALL TIME (Lionsgate) starring Mickey Rourke (nominated for The Grand Jury Prize in competition at Sundance), IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER (Sundance premiere), the disco movie musical, KAYA: TASTE OF PARADISE (lyrics and music by Anna K. Jacobs (Teeth) and book by Jerome Parker as well as David Michalek’s PORTRAITS IN DRAMATIC TIME, with Alan Rickman, William H. Macy, and Holly Hunter (Lincoln Center Festival premiere), for which he directed the actors and served as Executive Creative Consultant. Warner is a graduate of Harvard and The American Film Institute and the recipient of numerous honors including The Statue Award from the Princess Grace Foundation for sustained achievement in directing. He has served on the faculties of: NYU, SVA, and SUNY Purchase, amongst others. Currently, he is a senior instructor of Directing, Acting, and Producing at The New York Film Academy. Paulwarnerofficial.com

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