In 2024, NYFA was an official sponsor of four major film festivals in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami, including the 62nd annual New York Film Festival, the10th Annual Nordic International Film Festival, the Latinx and Hispanic edition of New Filmmakers LA and the American Black Film Festival in Miami, FL. Through our sponsorship, NYFA was able to provide two free screenings at NYFF for students in the New York City area, provide a scholarship and student access to NIFF, provide students access to the events and screenings at New Filmmakers LA, and host two NYFA instructor-taught master classes on our Miami Campus with the American Black Film Festival.
New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival, held each fall at Lincoln Center, is one of the most esteemed and longest-running festivals in the United States. It features a global selection of films, blending highly anticipated releases—such as Sean Baker’s Anora and Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist starring Adrien Brody—with smaller, independent films that often don’t reach wide audiences in the U.S. As a Contributing Sponsor, NYFA proudly supports this cherished New York tradition, helping to ensure its continued excellence.
NYFF is known for its incredible, diverse documentaries, as well as showing brand-new restorations of important past films, which is why NYFA was thrilled to sponsor screenings of each this year for high school and college students across the city. Union chronicles the Amazon Labor Union’s historic 2022 effort to unionize a Staten Island warehouse, highlighting the struggles, resilience, and leadership of workers in their fight for job stability. Directors Brett Story and Stephen Maing were on hand after the screening to conduct a Q&A with the students and answer their in-depth questions on the filmmaking process. Later during the festival, NYFF and NYFA screened a newly-restored Compensation, a 1999 independent film, a decades-spanning epic following the lives of two African-American couples, one in the early 1900s, the other parallelling in the 1990s. A former teacher, the film’s director Zeinabu irene Davis was able to offer students intelligent conversations about how to make independent films during the in-person Q&A following the screening – essential information for any student filmmaker!
Courtesy of Film at Lincoln Center, Photos by Colleen Sturtevant
Nordic International Film Festival
The Nordic International Film Festival (NIFF), held annually in New York City, celebrates the best in Scandinavian and international cinema while fostering connections between filmmakers and industry professionals, and the festival director, Linnea Larsdotter, is a NYFA alum. As a proud sponsor, NYFA was thrilled to contribute to this year’s dynamic event, showcasing its commitment to the global film community. Our collaboration included an exclusive interview for NYFA with NIFF Festival Director and NYFA alum Linnea Larsdotter, highlighting her inspiring journey and contributions to the festival’s success.
NYFA’s involvement also provided unique opportunities for its students and faculty. NYFA New York students, all first-year BFA students, attended screenings and a special networking event, thanks to the efforts of Linnea Larsdotter and NYFA faculty. At the festival’s Closing Event, NYFA faculty member Lauren Brickman proudly presented an award, further underscoring NYFA’s active participation in celebrating filmmaking excellence. This partnership continues to strengthen NYFA’s mission of fostering the next generation of storytellers while supporting platforms like NIFF that champion diverse voices in cinema.
New Filmmakers LA
NYFA has been sponsoring New Filmmakers LA’s monthly festivals all year, and in September 2024, NYFA Los Angeles students, along with Crickett Rumley, Senior Director of NYFA’s Film Festival Department, attended New Filmmakers LA’s Latinx and Hispanic focused film festival. Students were able to walk the red carpet and network with some of the biggest up-and-coming filmmakers in Los Angeles, as well as other student filmmakers in the metro area. NYFA recent graduates Marian Fragoso and James Valdez had their thesis films showcased at the event, which our current students were thrilled to see. NYFA is proud to continue this ongoing partnership. New Filmmakers LA and NYFA collaborate on festivals for each month of the calendar year, supporting the best of diverse cinema each month. New Filmmakers LA also screened NYFA Alumni Andrea Figueroa Chavez’s film at their January 2025 festival.
American Black Film Festival
The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is an annual event celebrating Black talent and stories, held in South Beach, Miami, Florida, near NYFA Miami’s campus. The 2024 festival featured three master classes, including workshops by NYFA instructors Patrice DeGraff-Arenas and Miguel Parga on acting and low-budget filmmaking. Writers Mike Gauyo and Amy Aniobi led a TV screenwriting session, and NYFA alum Issa Rae was the festival’s Creative Director. NYFA students had the opportunity to volunteer at the festival, and attend screenings of films like Swoon and Tyler Perry’s Divorce in the Black. They also joined conversations with Rae and the cast of All American and All American: Homecoming, making the festival an exciting opportunity for the students to network and learn.
“Many of our students are new to the professional film industry, so attending quality festivals not only gives them an opportunity to watch films by new and emerging filmmakers, it also provides a solid foundation for what to expect when they start submitting their films. Both New Filmmakers LA and Nordic International are known for their beautiful programming and support of young filmmakers, and of course, New York Film Festival is a landmark institution that all aspiring filmmakers should attend,” said Crickett Rumley, Senior Director of NYFA’s Film Festival Department.
NYFA was thrilled to be a sponsor at these film festivals, having representation on the national stage and supporting alumni films, as well as continuing to partner with the festivals for networking events and special screenings. By providing opportunities for our students to attend important film festivals near all of our U.S. campuses, NYFA is able to provide students with unique experiences in one of the most important aspects of the industry for independent filmmakers.