The New York Film Academy Welcomes Photographer Nina Berman as Guest Speaker

December 8, 2017

This Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 5 p.m., the New York Film Academy (NYFA) will host esteemed documentary photographer Nina Berman as a special guest in the ongoing Guest Speaker Series. Students, faculty, and alumni will gather in the main studio space in the New York City campus for this exclusive event, moderated by NYFA instructor Nancy Burson.

“Nina Berman is regarded as a highly praised documentary image maker and educator, whose work is shown and published worldwide,” explained Nancy Burson. “We’re honored that she will be presenting her images to the photography students at NYFA.”

Known for her arresting work in documentary photography, Nina Berman is an award-winning multimedia artist who has also created extensively as a filmmaker, author and educator. An associate professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a member of NOOR photograph/film collective based in Amsterdam, Berman turns a distinct and probing lens toward investigating American politics in contexts such as militarism, trauma and resistance. Social justice and violence — and their human toll — are eloquently explored in her imagery.
Spc. Adam Zaremba, who lost his leg in combat Iraq, photographed at Ft. Riley Kansas at the Cavalry Museum on base. 2004
Last month, Berman was featured in the New York Times in the article “A Photographer and Her Subject Share a Journey Over the Decades,” which spotlighted her recently published book “An Autobiography of Miss Wish.” The book chronicles Berman’s 27-year relationship with Kimberly Stevens, who has survived a life of poverty, homelessness, and sexual abuse. The book explores not only the effects of violence and trauma, but how memory of these things are treated externally. On the timely release of the book amidst a season full of headlines regarding survivors, trauma, and allegations, Berman told the Times, “Women of a certain privilege are speaking out in every industry. It is tremendously important, and hopefully people will start to understand that this is endemic.”
Muslim Day at the Texas State Capitol draws counter demonstrators who assert that Sharia law is coming to the US and condemn Muslims refusal to “assimilate”
“An Autobiography of Miss Wish” is one of three noted monographs Berman has published, while the others are “Purple Hearts – Back from Iraq,” and “Homeland.”
With exhibits held worldwide at more than 100 venues — including the Whitney Museum 2010 Biennial, the Brooklyn Museum, and Dublin Contemporary — Berman will provide a truly remarkable insight into the realities of today’s documentary photography industry for NYFA Photography students.