The 8th annual Nordic International Film Festival (NIFF), founded by New York Film Academy (NYFA) alumni Johan Matton and Linnea Larsdotter (Mikkelä), ran from Wednesday, November 16th through Sunday, November 20th, concluding with an awards ceremony held at Fotografiska. The festival included a variety of captivating short and feature films, including the winner of the prestigious Aurora Borealis Prize, Unity of Opposites, the short film Adieu, the feature-length film An Eternity of You and Me, and the documentary short The Militiamen, among others.
Aurora Borealis Prize Winner, Unity of Opposites
Unity of Opposites, directed, produced, and written by Alfred Hedbratt, is a short Swedish film about childhood friends on a camping trip. One friend invites a new friend along, which leads to discomfort and awkwardness amongst the group. The film screened at Scandinavia House and was one of many Swedish films at the festival. Short films The Maw, directed by Patrik Eriksson, and The Diamond, directed by Vedran Rupic, were also nominated in the category.
NYFA & NIFF’s Partnership
The event marked NYFA’s 4th consecutive partnership with the festival’s committee. In addition to the Aurora Borealis award, Hedbratt won a 4-week workshop scholarship for a discipline of their choosing. With two of NYFA’s alumni at the helm of the festival, NYFA supports the event, which aims to elevate films shot in Nordic countries and promote equality in film.
Before founding the festival in 2015, Larsdotter completed NYFA’s 2-Year Musical Theatre program, and Matton completed the 2-Year Acting for Film program at the NYFA New York campus.
Nordic International Film Festival 2022: Highlights
This year’s festival included screenings, a new Festival Village at Fotografiska, and a filmmaker lounge at Scandinavia House. This year, festival attendees were encouraged to follow visual and performance artists serving as NIFF’s ‘Artists in Residence’ at the Ace Hotel.
Artists in residence included filmmaker Brandon Brown (Renewal in Sunset Park, 2017, Lives of Bernard Herrmann, 2023), VR content creator Samantha Quick (Lutaw, 2019, Dreams of the Jaguar’s Daughter, 2019), writer and actor Corey Camperchioli, (Femme, 2018, Ecstasy & Agony, 2019), as well as NYFA Musical Theatre alumni Haley Rice. Rice graduated from NYFA’s 2-Year Musical Theatre Certificate program and is known for her original play LOU.
Participants could stream online the short narrative film, Hold Me Down through the NIFF website. Based on true events, the film is set in the Bronx, NYC.
A scene from Aurora Borealis Prize Winner Unity of Opposites
Festival Winners
Nordic International Film Festival 2022 winners include:
Best Nordic Feature – Beautiful Beings Best International Feature – Fucking Bornholm Best Documentary Feature – Historjá – Stitches for Sápmi Best Nordic Short – The Dinner Best International Short – Like You Best Documentary Short – The Militiaman Honorable Mention – Haulout Best Director – Sanne This, An Eternity of You and Me Best Cinematography – Jonas Rudström, Hans-Olof Utsi, Historjá – Stitches for Sápmi Best Lead Actor – Søren Malling, The Dinner Best Supporting Actor – Gisela Swarting, Double Cheese
Overall, the festival was a sweeping success, with films from Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, and the United States. NYFA congratulates alumni Johan and Linnea for their continued success in this latest edition of the Nordic International Film Festival.
The Nordic International Film Festival (NIFF) is back for its eighth year with a range of compelling short films and feature films from all over the world. Running from November 16th through November 20th, the festival will be held at Fotografiska and the Scandinavia House in Manhattan. There is also an exclusive, invite-only screening event on Thursday, November 17th at the Chelsea Hotel. The NIFF 2022 Awards Ceremony will be held on November 20th at Fotografiska.
New York Film Academy (NYFA) is partnering with the festival’s committee for the 4th year in a row, offering a 4-week workshop scholarship for any discipline to the winner of the prestigious Aurora Borealis Prize. The prize is awarded annually to one filmmaker. Previous winners have included Director Lisa Meyer for Birds of Passage (2021) and Director Nicolas Kolovos for Index (2020).
For the first time, the festival will have a Festival Village at Fotografiska. Attendees with a ticket to any of the Scandinavia House screenings may also access the filmmaker lounge on Saturday, November 19th, in Volvo Hall at the Scandinavia House.
Hold Me Down, a short narrative film (Sweden), is available to stream on the NIFF website. The film is based on true events and takes place in the Bronx, NYC. Festival goers can also follow the journeys of NIFF’s ‘Artists in Residence’ at the Ace Hotel online, which include photographers, filmmakers, playwrights, actors, writers, and a VR artist.
About The Nordic International Film Festival (NIFF)
Nordic International Film Festival (NIFF) is the largest Nordic film festival outside of Europe and strives to connect international filmmakers, showcase films shot in Nordic countries, elevate Nordic filmmakers, and promote equality in film. Each year, NIFF donates 50% of its Official Selection ticket sales to the Black Independent Filmmaker app and Brown Art Ink and publishes its diversity statistics. In 2021, NIFF had 130% more female representation in the role of director compared to 2020’s top 250 grossing films.
The festival was founded in 2015 by NYFA alumni Linnea Larsdotter (Mikkelä) and Johan Matton. Linnea Larsdotter, an actor and producer, is an NYFA 2-Year Musical Theatre program alum. She is now President of the film festival. Johan Matton, also an actor and producer, is a 2-Year Acting for Film program alum.
In 2020, the festival successfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic with a covid-safe drive-in at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in NYC. They also provided an online experience, where 50% of ticket sales went to organizations that support the Black Lives Matter movement.
2022 Feature and Short Films at NIFF
NIFF features film categories including documentary feature and short, international feature and short, as well as Nordic narrative and two Nordic narrative A and B shorts. This year’s films tackle an array of topics, including displacement, family, friendship, identity, politics, mythology, fables, and more.
In previous years, the festival has screened films such as Det Borde Finnas Regler / There Should Be Rules, 2015, Autumn Fall, 2016, Man and a Baby, 2017, and Tiger Milk, 2018. This year, NIFF will showcase films including Beautiful Beings (Iceland), a story about a clairvoyant teen, Historjá – Stitches for Sápmi (Sweden), about an artist fighting climate change, Rainbow (Denmark), where a young girl searches for her biological father, and Maybe (Norway), where two women have an unexpected conversation after closing hours at a library, and many more.
NIFF’s opening night and awards ceremony will be held at Fotografiska. The opening night event, which includes a Red Carpet for the directors and filmmakers, officially launches the festival. The feature Beautiful Beings, by Icelandic Director Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson, will premiere. The awards ceremony will conclude the festival, as well as an after-party featuring a performance from DJ Virgin Miri.
NIFF at Scandinavia House
Scandinavia House will screen most of its 2022 NIFF films on Friday, November 18th, and Saturday, November 19th.
Friday, November 18, 2022
Rainbow Historjá – Stitches for Sápmi
Saturday, November 19, 2022 An Eternity of You and Me The Militiaman Haulout The Diamond The Maw Unity of Opposites Maybe Animals Shower Boys Mayfly Double Cheese The Marsh The Dinner Adieu
For more information about tickets and the film festival schedule, click here. Best of luck to all of the filmmakers at this special event!
You’ve probably heard of the name Charlotte Dobre from the popular YouTube channel of the same name that features hundreds of videos where she reacts to current events and social media posts in ways that are often hilarious but also surprisingly refreshing.
Actress Turned YouTube Sensation Turned Television Pilot Writer
An actress by trade, Dobre was featured in commercials for international brands like Starbucks, Hilton Hotels, ReMax, Lindt, Credit Karma, Turbo Tax, and more. Her television roles include The Stepson and The Sonnet Project. The Canadian-born performer is not just an actress but a writer and producer with a new project in fruition.
Entitled The Swipe Life, Dobre’s new pilot series is a romantic comedy about modern dating life. The story showcases hilarious traps people fall into due to using online dating apps to find romance. According to Dobre, she drew inspiration from her own experiences. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, The Swipe Life’s pitch was en route with networks but halted once the world began its quarantine protocols.
After about three years of waiting for the pandemic to subside, Dobre wasted no more time and produced, funded, and wrote the pilot herself. She recruited Rodrigo F. Stoll to direct the pilot. The idea for the show came to her while reading the Chinese classical philosophy novel The Tao Te Ching (The Way) by Lao-Tzu while visiting her grandparents’ farm in Romania. Sadly, Dobre experienced a breakup at the time and, like all of us, stumbled through the unforgiving world of dating. While sitting in her grandparents’ chicken coup, she came across an underlined passage from the 7th verse of The Tao Te Ching (The Way).
The passage said, “The more you pursue desires, the more they’ll elude you. Try letting life come to you and begin to notice the clues that what you crave is on the way.” After “letting go,” Dobre had the idea for The Swipe Life.
Catch Behind the Scenes footage during the filming of The Swipe Life
Charlotte’s success comes from both hard work (she’s been doing this full-time since 2017) as well as utilizing clever marketing strategies. NYFA connected with her to learn about her experience as a YouTube sensation, consistently creating content for an audience of 1+ million subscribers.
Q&A with Actress/Writer/Producer Charlotte Dobre About Her YouTube Channel
New York Film Academy (NYFA): What is your favorite aspect about creating content for your channels, “Charlotte Dobre” and “Just Charlotte?”
Charlotte Dobre (CD): I love the flexibility it gives me. I created my channel at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when I wasn’t getting auditions and needed a creative outlet. Now, my channel allows me to fund my projects and go to auditions whenever I want without sacrificing things like hours at work. If I ever want to take time off, I can simply film and schedule videos ahead of time.
NYFA: How do you stay on top of YouTube’s constant changes in its Community Guidelines?
CD: I’ve been working on YouTube for about eight years, and the guidelines have always changed. When a change happens, you can either complain about it or adjust your content and adapt. I’ve always been able to adapt to the ever-changing rules. It also helps to work with someone like a YouTube strategist who knows the platform well. I recognize I don’t know everything, and there’s always room for improvement. That’s why I work with a YouTube strategist once a month and get my team up-to-date with the community guidelines.
Charlotte Dobre in Starbucks Canada ‘At Home’ Commercial
NYFA: Are there other reaction video vloggers you watch for inspiration or to see what their practices/styles are?
CD: There are plenty of reaction vloggers that I admire; however, I tend to stick to ideas that I come up with myself. If there are too many similar videos on YouTube, they trigger steep competition, which results in less of a chance people will find my videos. It’s better to follow your gut and produce something original.
NYFA: How do you keep your subscribers interested?
CD: I look at topics that have done well in the past. I ask myself, ‘what about that topic kept people interested?’ Was it the thumbnail, the title, or the length of the video? I then come up with variations of that topic that are similar but still original. In addition to coming up with topics independently, I conduct ideation meetings monthly with my content producers, where we flesh out 30-60 ideas. I also employ contractors that specialize in coming up with concepts.
NYFA: What skills does one need to enter into vlogging or creating video content on the internet nowadays?
CD: Above all things, discipline. There are days when you won’t feel like making content, but in order to stay in those algorithms, you have to keep posting. The more you post, the better.
Stick to filming in bulk on days you really feel inspired and focus on other things when you don’t want to be on camera. There’s always work to be done, and you have to treat it like a job if you want it to be your job. I also think having a good creative team behind you is key. When inspiration isn’t coming, sometimes the best thing to do is bounce ideas off of other people.
Portrait Photo for Charlotte Dobre’s self-named YouTube Channel
NYFA: Do you see yourself as more of a producer now that you’re working with editors, guests, schedules, etc…?
CD: I am definitely a producer as well as a content creator. When you’re a video creator, you’re not just getting in front of a camera — you’re a business owner and have to run a company with multiple employees, lawyers, and accountants. In addition to producing 30+ videos on YouTube a month, I recently was the executive producer of The Swipe Life, with over forty people working on it.
NYFA: What made you desire to study acting at NYFA?
CD: For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to study acting in New York. I knew people who had already studied at NYFA and had great things to say about the school. I applied, got in, and the rest is history!
NYFA: What did you learn at NYFA that you applied to your work?
CD: Classes at NYFA gave me the knowledge that allowed me to show up on set and know exactly what I was doing. Professionalism in the entertainment industry is very important. Productions want trained actors (not just talented people), and classes at NYFA were very much like a day on set. The first time I booked a job, it was like I had already been an actor for years because of my training at NYFA.
NYFA: What’s one thing you feel that you couldn’t learn in school but did learn while working on your own terms?
CD: School never prepared me for the amount of rejection I’d experienced. I always felt I was a good actress, and I was booking a lot of commercials. Still, I needed to book bigger roles because I lacked opportunity. As a result, I created my opportunities by starting a YouTube channel, a Facebook page, and now The Swipe Life.
New York Film Academy congratulates Charlotte Dobre for her continued success and endeavors as an actress, comedian, writer, and executive producer. Check out her work on her professional website, her Instagram, and The Swipe Life’s Instagram account for upcoming details!
For ages, the multi-hyphenates of the world have been shamed for their varying interests and talents. The phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none,” has been used to quell interests of those with an itch for exploration and variety. However, the phrase doesn’t end there: “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
New York Film Academy (NYFA) launched a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Entertainment Media degree program to engage aspiring visual and performing artists and develop their skills across a variety of disciplines, starting with a strong liberal arts foundation. At the halfway point, students choose a concentration, but by then, they will have engaged in an introduction to all areas of the arts in order to make an informed decision about what to study.
The BFA Entertainment Media program welcomes the multi-hyphenate, curious applicant with a desire to explore.
In their first six semesters, students engage in a liberal arts curriculum complemented by practical application courses that provide experience and training in various selected areas of visual and performing arts including Filmmaking, Acting for Film, Screenwriting, Cinematography, Documentary Filmmaking, Producing, Broadcast Journalism, Musical Theatre, 3D Animation, and Photography.
For their final year, students select a concentration in one of the offered disciplines mentioned above and engage in intensive study of that discipline centered on hands-on work, which culminates in a capstone project. Students have the option to follow NYFA’s three-year accelerated degree track or complete the program in the traditional four-year time frame.
Dean of NYFA’s New York City campus, Elli Ventouras, says this about the program: “This degree program allows students to explore multiple interests before deciding which area fits best with their creative and professional goals.”
NYFA is thrilled to add this innovative degree program to our repertoire of education opportunities for future storytellers everywhere.
Please note: NYFA does not represent that these are typical or guaranteed career outcomes. The success of our graduates in any chosen professional pathway depends on multiple factors, and the achievements of NYFA alumni are the result of their hard work, perseverance, talent and circumstances.
New York Film Academy Australia will be present at the prestigious Gold Coast Student Excellence Awards. The awards celebrate students that make significant contributions to the Gold Coast community through visual and performing arts, as well as charitable initiatives. Previous winners have served as activists and volunteers for impressive causes that range from organizing wide-scale, on-campus student mental health events to tackling health inequalities in diverse populations.
Nominee & NYFA Student Aqeedat Chishti Strives to be ‘The Voice of the Oppressed’
Aqeedat Chishti, a student of CUA521020 Diploma of Screen and Media in Filmmaking at NYFA Australia, was nominated for ‘Excellence in Fostering Creative Arts.’ The category recognises a Gold Coast student who mastered an art form, initiated an arts initiative for the community’s benefit, or made a significant contribution as a champion of the community in the arts. The Awards, presented by Study Gold Coast and endorsed by the Office of the Mayor of the Gold Coast, will announce the winners on Friday 11 November 2022 during a gala that celebrates the end of the academic year.
The Pakistan-born filmmaker won second prize at the National Amateur Short Film Festival with a film she created with her sister and mother, working with no camera and no budget. As a winner, she received a scholarship to join other aspiring filmmakers at NYFA Australia. Following a promise to follow in the footsteps of her father and grandfather, both investigative journalists in Pakistan, Chishti strives to speak on behalf of underrepresented people. She studies filmmaking to help materialize this vision.
Chishti was nominated by NYFA Australia for the Gold Coast Student Excellence Awards based on her exciting projects currently in production and pre-production. To learn more about her background, aspirations, and nomination, the team at NYFA Australia sat down with the filmmaker for a one-on-one Q&A.
New York Film Academy Australia student and filmmaker Aqeedat Chishti
Q&A With Filmmaker Aqeedat Chishti
NYFA Australia: Tell us about yourself! What is your background, and what brought you to New York Film Academy Australia?
Aqeedat Chishti (AC): I am a 22-year-old aspiring filmmaker from Lahore, Pakistan. I’ve been fond of writing and have become submerged in art. My journey to New York Film Academy Australia has been surreal and competitive. During my creative journey, I came across the National Amateur Short Film Festival in 2021, which offered a national and international platform for filmmakers.
I submitted my film Pathani, co-written and directed by my sister Ibadat Chishti and won second among 1,500 entries from over 72 universities in Pakistan. As a result, I received a scholarship to study filmmaking at NYFA Australia.
Watch the short film Pathani co-written and directed by Aqeedat Chishti and Ibadat Chishti:
NYFA Australia: How did you decide on filmmaking as your focus?
AC: Since childhood, I’ve observed stories. My father was a crime reporting journalist who followed his father to make a difference in Pakistan’s investigative journalism realm.
It was phenomenal to me the impact of storytelling in newspapers. My father always said it was not a job but a lifestyle like the air you breathe. Life brought me closer to the screen, and I remember participating in a documentary while I was seventeen. That experience changed my life.
That’s when I realized the power storytelling holds. Stories we tell can impact the lives of characters and the audience. I decided to focus on filmmaking after winning second in the National Amateur Short Film Festival in 2021. I took a leap of faith with a zest to get one eye behind the screen.
NYFA Australia: Tell us about your short film Pathani.
AC: My short film Pathani is a real story of a girl living in a small Pakistani village. She is a live-hearted girl who reveals her hometown and breaks through the camera while conversing with the audience. She expresses herself to the audience and shares her background, culture, and traditions.
The girl breaks the stereotype of a local, rural girl, and the film starts and ends with a fierce message. Pathani was shot in first-person POV, allowing the audience to see Pathani’s experiences first-hand. Pathani represents innocence, compassion, and fierceness in a girl who belongs to a faraway land. Pathani is a journey and feeling.
Chishti in action behind-the-scenes
NYFA Australia: What inspired you to create Pathani?
AC: I created Pathani with my twin sister, Ibadat Chishti, and our mother. We borrowed a camera from my friend and filmed with zero budget. I believe my lens is an empty slate on which the character can write themself.
Pathani represents the underrepresented women who live in remote areas of Pakistan. It was essential to give her platform and space to bring forth a character rarely seen on screens. The film gives her a chance to converse with people outside her borders. Pathani comes from the inspiration of wanting to be heard, a need that resides in everyone.
NYFA Australia: What did you learn at NYFA Australia that you apply to your work?
AC: I’ve learnt how to turn my visions into reality. The hands-on experience of filmmaking played a role in my creation of characters. NYFA Australia taught me professionalism and a blueprint to make impactful films. Like Pathani, I envision other stories, and NYFA Australia teaches me industry skills to help me build other films. Studying is like being in a laboratory and formulating story elements that can reach people’s hearts.
NYFA Australia: How did you react when you learned NYFA Australia nominated you for the Gold Coast Student Excellence Award?
AC: I was thrilled and hoped my nomination would help pave the way for a young girl, sitting in a rickshaw, gazing at the world, to tell her story. I feel humbled and thank NYFA Australia for providing me with this opportunity.
NYFA Australia: Are you working on other projects?
AC: I’m currently writing scripts, working on a short film, including a music video project, and also working on a documentary about people struggling with homelessness. The documentary discusses the conscious movement and healing of people.
NYFA Australia: What advice would you share with other students at NYFA Australia?
AC: Don’t let the words of people affect you. The character you’ve written could become paramount, or perhaps your dialogue needs to be heard by a viewer. Believe in your story and your characters because they are important.
Cinema is an art, and the audience is full of people who feel and have their desires. Keep jotting down your visions and believing in yourself. Believe in the character you’ve created, and continue to work toward bringing your vision to reality. It is you who has the power to change your state of mind.
We all came [to NYFA Australia] with dreams and hopes, leaving our homes and families to find and create stories. Meeting creators here has been a phenomenal experience. There are talented people here and I hope to continue to create impactful art to make a difference.
New York Film Academy Australia congratulates Aqeedat Chishti for her incredible work and nomination. You can catch details about her upcoming projects on her Instagram or Facebook account.
New York Film Academy (NYFA) had the honor of hosting a live video Q&A with actress and producer Emmy Rossum to discuss her career and Peacock TV limited series Angelyne with NYFA students and alumni. Tova Laiter, Director of the NYFA Q&A-List Series, curated and moderated the event.
Q&A-List Series moderator Tova Laiter (left) and Actress and Producer Emmy Rossum (right)
Emmy Rossum began her theatrical career when she was just seven years old, singing children’s roles at the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. Rossum was formally trained in classical vocal technique and stagecraft. Throughout her time at the Metropolitan Opera, she performed in five languages in twenty different operas. Since then, she’s captivated audiences with her incredible talents on stage and screen.
Rossum’s performance in Songcatcher earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination in the category of “Best Debut Performance.” Four years later, in 2004, her starring performance as “Christine” in The Phantom of the Opera earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination, as well as the National Board of Review’s “Best Female Breakthrough Performance” Award and the Broadcast Film Critics Association’s “Best Young Actress” Award in 2005.
In 2018, Rossum appeared opposite Will Forte in the Netflix original film A Futile and Stupid Gesture. The film follows the success of National Lampoon in the 1970s and 80s and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2019, Rossum signed a First Look deal with Universal Content Productions and began developing premium scripted content for the studio under her production company, Composition 8.
Rossum is recognized for her role as “Fiona Gallagher” in Showtime’s critically-acclaimed dark comedy series Shameless. The actress then made her directorial debut on the series during its seventh season before directing once more in season eight. Rossum starred in the series for nine seasons, ultimately departing the series in 2019. She shared with Laiter in the NYFA Q&A that she left the show because she had gotten comfortable and “really needed to be scared again.”
After getting a taste of the director’s seat on Shameless, Rossum directed an episode on another John Wells series TNT’s Animal Kingdom, and Amazon’s Modern Love series, based on The New York Times column of the same name.
Emmy Rossum as “Christine” in the 2004 film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera
Recently, Rossum produced and starred in Angelyne, a limited series based on The Hollywood Reporter’s investigative feature about the life of a ‘mysterious billboard icon in Los Angeles. Critics hailed her performance as “incandescent and gritty and equal measure” and “dazzling.”
The series’ subject, Angelyne, is a singer, actress, media personality, and model who came to prominence in 1984 after several billboards sprouted in and around Los Angeles, California, with only one word, “Angelyne.” The iconic billboards inspired a media frenzy, and soon after, Angelyne received film role offers, magazine interviews, and TV appearance invitations. The subject intrigued everyone while she remained an enigmatic presence in ads. Her real name and identity were intentionally concealed until 2017 when The Hollywood Reporter published “The Mystery of L.A. Billboard Diva Angelyne’s Real Identity Is Finally Solved,” alleging that Angelyne’s real name was Renee Goldberg and that she was the child of Polish Jewish Holocaust survivors.
Promotional image of the Peacock Original miniseries Angelyne
Emmy Rossum shared in the Q&A that she remembers seeing the billboards around LA as a young girl. “[Angelyne] was kind of LA’s unicorn… famous for being famous.” When the Hollywood Reporter published the article, Angelyne denied everything but enjoyed the new-found attention and sympathy she was receiving from a new generation of spectators. Rossum adds, “[The article] didn’t seem like it was [Angelyne’s] truth, but it might have been a truth.” Angelyne’s story and refusal to confirm or deny an imposed narrative was her strength; it was also a great example of America’s addiction to fame, doxing people, and co-opting women’s narratives.
“Of course, I wanted to tell the story, but I did not want to be part of the problem and really wanted her involvement,” Rossum adds that getting the rights to the Hollywood Reporter article and getting Angelyne involved and getting her to “option her life rights” was a “real process.”
Production still from the Peacock Original series Angelyne
Like Angelyne, Rossum had to fight for agency and autonomy during her tenure in the entertainment industry. She shared with Laiter that as a young girl, she didn’t have a “voice” and was placed in many situations where she felt uncomfortable and unprotected. “I feel much more confident to advocate for myself [now] … I’m not scared.” When asked if there was one piece of advice she could give to young actors new to the field, Rossum confidently and abruptly answered, “don’t be scared.” She then followed through with, “don’t lead with fear, even though it’s always there.”
Rossum discussed her experience with embracing vulnerable feelings for a role, “Getting yourself to a level of rawness requires a lack of self-consciousness about how people in the crew or audience view you. While I am aware of what’s happening on set, I keep moving through my emotions because if the director doesn’t like my emotion, he won’t use the shot.”
The guest speaker also discussed her method for memorizing her lines “For me, it’s just like a muscle. Like going to the gym, the more you practice, the easier it becomes. I record the scene and listen to it over and over. Then I carry out the other person’s dialogue on a tape recorder. I have many voice memos of scenes and the other person’s dialogue. I then cover my lines, play the other person’s dialogue, and switch back and forth until I memorize the lines. Then I’ll ask someone to run through the lines with my word for work to ensure I’ve memorized the lines fully.”
Rossum closed the conversation by thanking Laiter for the conversation and the students for their time. NYFA would like to thank Emmy Rossum for sharing her time and acting experience with the community!
Please note: NYFA does not represent that these are typical or guaranteed career outcomes. The success of our graduates in any chosen professional pathway depends on multiple factors, and the achievements of NYFA alumni are the result of their hard work, perseverance, talent and circumstances.
Writer, Speaker, Producer, and NYFA Screenwriting Instructor Alex Simmons spoke at the 75th Anniversary of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) National Convention in 2022.
Watch Writer & Producer Alex Simmons discuss his work & career at the 2022 NAEA National Convention:
Similar to previous trailblazers in education, Alex Simmons continues to challenge the barriers of modern technology in education, equal representation, and the continued use of stereotypes in contemporary visual media. His renowned work and accomplishments as a creator of visual media are why Simmons was listed among several professionals in this year’s Celebration of National Arts in Education Week by NAEA.
In celebration of the arts and recognition of the transformative power of arts in education, the Americans for the Arts created the National Arts in Education Week. Beginning the second Sunday of September, the National Arts in Education Week takes place each year and highlights transformative figures in the field of education and visual arts.
NYFA Screenwriting Instructor Alex Simmons
Readers might be familiar with his feature in the Golden Globe Awards online magazine for his work on “BlackJack,” a comic about the tales of an African American soldier or fortune globetrotting during the turbulent 1930s. Additionally, Simmons wrote for Disney Books, Penguin Press, Simon and Schuster, DC Comics, and Archie Comics. He developed and led master classes across the globe, including in the United States, the Netherlands, Ireland, Senegal, India, Russia, and Serbia.
Producer and co-founder of Kids Comic Con, Simmons has been a member of various education boards, including the Africa Cartoon Centre (Nigeria), New York State Alliance for Arts Education, New York State Council on the Arts, and The Museum for Comics & Cartoon Art, among others.
Watch an Interview with Writer and Podcast co-host Christoper Ryan and Kids Comic Con Co-Founder Alex Simmons.
The writer and producer started his career as an actor in his late teenage years. His early portfolio included acting work in films and commercials. As time progressed, Simmons played various roles on stage and carried his career into voiceover work in commercials and public service announcements. When he realized he had been writing more than performing, Simmons pivoted to writing stage plays and screenplays in the documentary, fiction, and animation categories. According to the NYFA Instructor, “I’m still very active as a writer of children’s books, comics, and graphic novels.”
Currently, Simmons teaches screenwriting in the Filmmaking Department at NYFA and has taught screenwriting within the Animation and Producing Departments as well. A well-rounded teacher, Simmons has also taught Cinema Studies and a course on Directing Actors. When he is not teaching at NYFA, he coaches a set of private clients and works as a Arts-n-Ed consultant.
When asked about his experiences as a teacher and instructor, Simmons had this to say, “I get the greatest joy out of seeing students discover their abilities and voices as creatives. Whether they pursue this as a career or not, it empowers them as individuals, it improves their communication and collaboration skills and, combined with their creative vision, that is something they can take with them wherever they go.”
NYFA congratulates Alex Simmons on his incredible work, continued devotion to the craft of visual arts, and teaching visual arts to youth and adults alike. Check out Alex Simmon’s professional website, where you can find other talks, interviews, and trailers for all his comics and animations!
This week, New York Film Academy’s (NYFA) Chair of the Veterans Advancement Program, and Medal of Honor recipient, Colonel Jack Jacobs, and NYFA’s Director of the Division of Veterans Services (DVS), Command Sergeant Major (Retired) Chris Moore, had the pleasure of visiting with Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade County. In attendance was also Gustavo Cruz, Director of Military and VA, Mia DeVane, Governmental and Community Liaison, and NYFA’s Dean of South Beach campus, Maylen Dominguez.
From left to right: Gustavo Cruz (Director of Military and VA), Maylen Dominguez (Dean of NYFA South Beach), Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (Mayor of Miami-Dade County), Colonel Jack Jacobs (Chair, NYFA Veteran Advancement Program), Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) Chistopher Moore (Director, NYFA Division of Veteran Services), Mia DeVane (Governmental and Community Liaison).
Colonel Jacobs and Chris Moore were able to discuss with Mayor Levine Cava and her team about ways that the Mayor’s Office and NYFA could potentially increase veteran opportunities within the Film and Media industries – to include education, career, and internships – in the Miami-Dade County area. The group was eager to hear one another’s ideas as each plays a special role in ensuring veteran success. They have already begun devising a plan of action in order to assist and reach more veterans that may be seeking careers and education in the industries. Chris Moore stated, “today was a small but important step in ensuring veterans are given a chance to seek a path in Film and Media.”
Chris Moore (left) and Colonel Jack Jacobs (right) of NYFA met with the Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of the Miami-Dade County
NYFA has been privileged to have enrolled more than 2,500 veterans and dependents of veterans in the past 10 years. With an abundance of programs in the performing and visual Arts, NYFA proudly accepts the Post 9/11 GI Bill and is a part of the VA’s Yellow Ribbon Program.
Read about the South Beach campus’ film screening of the documentary Colonel Jack (2022).
New York Film Academy’s (NYFA) Chair of the Veterans Advancement Program, and Medal of Honor recipient, Colonel Jack Jacobs had the pleasure of visiting NYFA’s campus in South Beach, Florida last week. He was accompanied by Command Sergeant Major (Retired) Christopher Moore, NYFA’s Director of the Division of Veterans Services.
NYFA’s Director of the Division of Veterans Services & Command Sergeant Major (Retired) Christopher Moore
NYFA South Beach hosted a screening of the short-documentary, Colonel Jack, which was followed up with a Q&A and networking night with Colonel Jacobs and Chris Moore. The two high ranking and highly decorated military veterans spoke with the students about a variety of topics – among them were leadership and how that translates onto a film set, working through adversity, and hearing from Colonel Jacobs about the circumstances from his tour in Vietnam for which he received the nation’s highest military tribute –the Medal of Honor. Colonel Jacobs also shared his experiences as an MSNBC On-Air Analyst, fiction and non-fiction author, and Executive Producer of the TV docuseries “10 Weeks”.
Medal of Honor recipient & NYFA Chair of the Veterans Advancement Program Colonel Jack Jacobs
The audience included NYFA students and veteran-students. NYFA has had the privilege to enroll over 2,500 veterans and dependents of veterans in the past 10 years. With an abundance of programs in the Performing and Visual Arts, NYFA proudly accepts the Post 9/11 GI Bill and is a part of the VA’s Yellow Ribbon Program.
Manage Cookie Consent
This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using our website, you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Q&A-List Series moderator Tova Laiter (left) and Actress and Producer Emmy Rossum (right)
