With cinema’s popularity at an all-time high in Mumbai, India, filmmakers continue to flock to the region to begin their careers. As noted in a recent Vogue India article, the New York Film Academy recently held its first two programs in Mumbai: the 8-week filmmaking workshop and the 4-week acting for film workshop.
“We have always seen aspiring filmmakers and actors from India come attend workshops in NYC or LA—we knew there was a great interest and hunger to tell stories coming from this region,” said NYFA President Michael Young to Vogue India.
NYFA Mumbai workshops are held at the Urmi Estate (95 Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel [West] Mumbai, Maharashtra 400 013, India). The Urmi Estate is a modern 41-story skyscraper located in the heart of the city.
“This is our 25th anniversary and we know that Indians are the number one producers of films—there is a lot of potential and extremely talented people in the country,” added Vice President and Head of NYFA Mumbai Kitty Koo.
Notable NYFA alumni from India include Imran Khan, Sana Saeed, Kangana Ranaut, Athiya Shetty. And Rakesh Varre, who recently played Setu Patti in the blockbuster sensation, “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion.”
As is the case with all of NYFA’s locations and workshops, the Mumbai filmmaking workshops focus on learning in a hands-on film environment where students have the opportunity to make a fully-realized final film.
The acting for film workshops provide students with a strong foundation of acting skills with a specific focus on the basic elements of the craft of acting, using Stanislavski’s System, scene study, and monologue work as starting points. Students also participate in courses aimed specifically at training the actor for the technical requirements of acting on a film set.
Students in Mumbai also have the opportunity to transfer to NYFA’s NYC, South Beach, or LA locations to continue their education.