Each year, Variety reviews educational institutions and selects the cream of the crop to feature in its Education Report, and the New York Film Academy (NYFA) has been honored to be included in Variety’s competitive shortlist of premier institutions from around the world for 2018. It is the second year NYFA has received such an honor from Variety, which last year named NYFA among its Stellar Film Schools in 2017.
Variety’s Entertainment Education Report: The Best Film Schools in 2018 alphabetically lists top film schools from around the world that “score high marks in both showbiz and academic circles.” In its write-up of the New York Film Academy, Variety highlights that NYFA’s “intensive training structure focuses on learning by doing,” while also finding time to mention impressive NYFA alumni Issa Rae, Aubrey Plaza, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Rakesh Varre, and Dhruv Singh.
Yet that’s not all. This past year, NYFA has celebrated many alumni success stories, including Acting for Film grad and motion capture Jason Liles, who starred alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the albino ape George in Rampage; NYFA Mumbai alum Warina Hussain, who was cast by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan as the leading lady in his upcoming feature film Loverati; NYFA Documentary Filmmaking alum and environmental activist Gary Bencheghib who, with his brother Sam, has sparked a massive campaign with the Indonesian government to clean up the Citarum River; and NYFA Documentary Filmmaking grad Laura Snow, whose Sundance 2016 film Newtown has been nominated for a Peabody Award.
As a truly diverse, international school, the New York Film Academy has locations in New York; Los Angeles, CA; South Beach, Florida; Gold Coast, Australia; Mumbai, India; Florence, Italy; and Beijing, China — with additional satellite locations across the globe. With a variety of accelerated degree, conservatory, or workshop programs, NYFA focuses on providing real-world experiences under the guidance of instructors who are working industry professionals.
To ensure all our students receive a cutting-edge education, NYFA’s professional faculty has maintained a working relationship with the film, TV, and entertainment industry. Some recent examples include NYFA Los Angeles Cinematography Chair Tony Richmond, who lensed Diary of Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul; NYFA New York Documentary Instructor Claudia Raschke, who lensed RBG (now in theatres); NYFA Los Angeles Chair of Game Design Chris Swaine, who wrote Game Design Workshop; NYFA Los Angeles Dean of Academic Advising Mike Civille, who directed Lifetime Movie Network’s The Rachels; and Acting for FIlm Instructor Ken Lerner, who appeared in This is US, Legion, and American Crime Story. This year, Netflix original short doc Heroin(e), edited by NYFA Documentary Filmmaking instructor Kristen Nutile, has received a Peabody Award nomination following it’s Academy Award nomination.
Along with joining a dynamic community of alumni and faculty, NYFA students can enhance their education through NYFA’s many partnerships and special events — such as the Young Saudi Film Festival in Los Angeles and the Hip Hop Film Festival in New York. Students may also have the opportunity to attend hands-on Master Classes with industry professionals such as Matthew Modine, Bill Duke, film critic Peter Rainer, and many more.
NYFA’s ongoing Guest Speaker Series provides another avenue for students to learn from working professionals and industry luminaries, with past Guest Speakers including Al Pacino, Steven Spielberg, Glenn Close, Mel Gibson, Seth Rogen, Ron Howard, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kim Cattrall, Kevin James, and many others. Recent guests include Jennifer Boyce (talent agent), Anne Goursaud (editor: Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula), Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter), Jeff Marx (Avenue Q), Ashleigh Murray and Casey Cott (Riverdale). And NYFA’s Industry Lab allows students and alumni to work on major productions for professional clients such as Warner Bros., Snoop Dogg, Matthew Modine, and others.
The New York Film Academy congratulates its community on achieving this honor and looks forward to a bright future as we continue to grow and evolve as a diverse student body, faculty, and staff.