Page 130 – NYFA

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Broadcast Journalism Update: October 2, 2018

Last week was the first week for the new class of students attending the New York Film Academy (NYFA) Broadcast Journalism school. On their third day of classes they were introduced to nonlinear video editing software. Yes, it was time to meet Avid Media Composer 8. And the first reactions were… positive. The credit goes to our fabulous Editing instructor Christine Schottanes, and our equally stellar TA and NYFA grad for making complicated software understandable.

The class has students from Zambia, New York City, Ukraine, Connecticut, England, China, Louisiana, Spain, and Brazil.

When I posted this on Facebook, I heard from NYFA grad Laura Isern. She was chosen from among more than a thousand applicants for a prestigious journalism training program run by Brazilian media giant Globo.

She wrote: “I’m using Avid in my internship a lot. Classes were really helpful.”

I also took part in a Virtual Open House last Wednesday. It was great to get questions from people everywhere, including some folks for whom it was the middle of the night. (Now that’s dedication…) If you were one of the participants, thanks for spending time with us. And if you have any additional questions, we’d be happy to answer them…

So the Broadcast Journalism camera classes Celina Liv Danielsen took as a student at NYFA came in handy last week. That’s her in the picture below, shooting (and producing) a story at the United Nations for Denmark TV 2.

And here is some of what she wrote to me…

“…my new job title is journalist and producer for our US correspondent who is based in Washington DC. Together we are going to cover all US news for the people of Denmark. My job is to find all stories that we are going to produce for our newscast. I’m calling and finding all the sources, writing the manuscripts and articles, I’m the photographer when we are covering events where we are not making stories for our newscast but only covering it live. If my boss is on vacation or is doing other things then I’m reporting live to Danish national television. So I’m pretty busy and have a lot on my plate but it is so much fun. Since I got here I have only been in my apartment four times.

The first week was very hectic. I reported live from John McCain’s memorial in DC, then the Danish photographer and I flew to Boston to meet my boss (the US correspondent) to do a story there, then on to Toronto Film Festival and then San Francisco to cover the world’s first try to send out a machine in the ocean that can pick up all the plastic. Three days later we were in North Carolina covering the hurricane and this week was all about the UN. Next up is the midterm elections where we move out in “Trump land” to do many stories and then on election night a lot of live reporting.

I’m living in another city and get to travel all over America – it is so perfect. And I work with a very famous journalist from Denmark over here so people back home are starting to know my name in a bigger scale then before. Feel very lucky and blessed. But it took a lot of hard work ”

WOW!

[su_carousel source=”media: 28082,28081,28080,28079,28078,28077,28076″ limit=”49″ link=”lightbox” target=”blank” width=”780″ height=”360″ title=”no” autoplay=”0″]

Viviane Faver was a member of my very first class of 1-year Broadcast Journalism students in Fall 2013, after I had arrived at NYFA just a little more than a year earlier. Well I am still in New York, and so is Viviane. Last week she was doing what we in the business call a “cross-platform” story. It will appear in a Brazilian newspaper, a magazine, and on a website. Here is how she summed up the experience on Facebook:

“I just had the pleasure of interviewing the CEO of @Climategroup, Helen Clarkson. ‘As countries step up to drive down emissions it’s important not to leave others behind. We need to ensure a fair and just transition to a clean economy that benefits us all.’”

That’s Viviane on the right, in the picture below…

Thanks to LinkedIn, each morning I get to see the latest edition of GeekWire, hosted by NYFA grad Starla Sampaco. (Not “Sanpan,” as the autocorrect on my email keeps changing it to.) Last week she was reporting on how the cofounders of Instagram were leaving the company. But with all the talk about “fake news,” I have some questions, Starla… That’s a whole lot of blue sky behind you. I thought it rained in Washington State every day…

NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY (NYFA) ACTING FOR FILM ALUM MANUEL GARCIA-RULFO’S STAR KEEPS ON RISING

How many movies can you co-star in with Hollywood A-listers before you’re considered part of the A-list yourself? As New York Film Academy (NYFA) Acting for Film Alum Manuel Garcia-Rulfo keeps adding big roles in major films to his already-impressive filmography, that question may be answered fairly soon.

Garcia-Rulfo continues to build on the incredible momentum his career has carried with roles in several upcoming movies, including major Hollywood motion picture Widows, out this November. Widows is already gaining a lot of buzz because of the high-caliber talent behind every aspect of the film. It’s directed by Steve McQueen, who was nominated for a Best Directing Academy Award for 12 Years a Slave, 2013’s Best Picture Oscar winner. Widows is also written by bestselling author Gillian Flynn, who wrote Gone Girl and HBO’s Sharp Objects. The film is scored by master composer Hans Zimmer.

And that’s just behind the scenes. The cast is filled with Hollywood veterans and up-and-coming stars alike, including Viola Davis, Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Daniel Kaluuya, Carrie Coon, Jacki Weaver, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Brian Tyree Henry, and Michelle Rodriguez. Garcia-Rulfo plays the husband of Michelle Rodriguez’s character in the film, which tells the story of the women left behind after their criminal spouses are killed in a bloody heist. Viola Davis then leads the widows on a dangerous heist of their own.

The film, out this November, is just one highlight of many in Garcia-Rulfo’s career. The Mexican actor was born in Guadalajara before coming to study in the United States. He graduated from the 1-Year Conservatory in Acting for Film at New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus in 2004. The acting school at NYFA is renowned for its educational approach, providing practical experience and hands-on training to its students from a faculty of professional, working and veteran actors, writers, directors, and producers who give each student a personal focus in every class.

After completing his studies at NYFA, Garcia-Rulfo became a working actor in Mexico and Hollywood. His career has really taken off since landing a lead role in the From Dusk Till Dawn television series. He followed that up with roles in major Hollywood films The Magnificent Seven, Murder on the Orient Express, and the sequel to Sicario, as well as the Amazon series Goliath.

These roles allowed him to work with directors like Antoine Fuqua and Kenneth Branagh and act alongside such incredible Hollywood talent as Michelle Pfieffer, Denzel Washington, Josh Brolin, Daisy Ridley, Willem Dafoe, Penelope Cruz, Josh Gad, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Billy Bob Thorton, Maria Bello, Morris Chestnut, Dwight Yoakam, Molly Parker, William Hurt, Vincent D’Onofrio, Peter Sarsgaard, Catherine Keener, Matthew Modine, and Benicio del Toro.

Garcia-Rulfo’s career shows no signs of slowing down, either. After Widows, he has already landed a role in Michael Bay’s upcoming feature6 Underground, with co-stars Ryan Reynolds, Corey Hawkins, and Dave Franco. Garcia-Rulfo will also act with Jennifer Aniston, Anna Kendrick, Felicity Huffman, and William H. Macy in Mary, a film co-written by and starring Tom Hanks.

Starring in these Hollywood films with A-listers hasn’t caused Garcia-Rulfo to forget his roots, however. He’s still appearing in Mexican and Spanish-language films, including the upcoming Mexiwood and Perfectos Desconocidos. He has sought to continue and expand his education as well, having returned to NYFA in 2018 for our 4-week Filmmaking workshop.

The New York Film Academy congratulates Acting for Film alum Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and looks forward to charting his skyrocketing career as he continues to land major roles in upcoming Hollywood films!

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 (NYFA) Alum Ilaria Polsonetti Nominated for News & Documentary Emmy

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Documentary school alum Ilaria Polsonetti’s film has been nominated for multiple awards at the 39th Annual News & Documentary Emmys. Made for VICE News Tonight on HBO, “Libya: Intercepting Migrants” is nominated for Outstanding Editor News and for Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story. Winners are announced on the first of October in New York City.

Polsonetti graduated from NYFA’s 1-Year Documentary program in 2011. She is also a graduate of the 3-Month Screenwriting program, which she finished in 2013. Over the course of her career, the editor has melded her knowledge gleaned at NYFA with her M.S. in Sociology (London School of Economics). After graduating, she worked for Market Road Films, Singer Street Films, and as a freelance editor.

A screenshot from "Dirty Oil in Nigeria" — A screenshot from “Dirty Oil”

Since 2015, Polsonetti has worked for VICE in Brooklyn. With the expansive and ever-growing global media brand, she has had the chance to work on urgent and political topics such as Libya’s migrant crisis and Venezuela’s anti-government protests. VICE’s increasingly diverse and critically-acclaimed documentary series’ have been an ideal place for the multicultural filmmaker to hone her skills. In 2017 alone, Polsonetti worked on “German Hotelier turns Hotel into a Migrant Center,” “Dirty Oil,” and “The Politics of Terror” in addition to the aforementioned Libya piece. Along with her work for VICE, Polsonetti has worked on “The Notorious Mr. Bout” and “First to Fall.” She was also recently editor on VICE’s Raised in the System” starring Michael K. Williams (aka Omar on “The Wire”).

Documentary Chair Andrea Swift says of Polsonetti’s work,”These nominations don’t surprise me in the least. Ilaria has always been an insightful and diligent editor who demonstrated a unique sensitivity to the human experience. She developed a strong sense of story that is equally evident in this piece.”

The New York Film Academy congratulates Ilaria Polsonetti on her recent success and looks forward to seeing what she works on next! You can watch VICE on HBO’s documentary on migrants in the Mediterranean below:

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Alum Eustaquio Martínez Del Rio Wins Merit Award at the Awareness Film Festival

Eustaquio Martínez Del Rio, alum of the New York Film Academy (NYFA) MFA Filmmaking program, received the Merit Award at the 2018 Awareness Film Festival for his film Desolada/Bleak. The festival is organized by non-profit charity Heal One World, and spotlights filmmakers committed to making positive change throughout the world.

The film, which touches on both migration and women’s rights, tells the story of Rosa, a young single mother who makes huge sacrifices for her daughter Luisa. The Spanish-language feature is an emotional work, dealing with the mother’s pain and desolation. Del Rio’s previous film, Yacuna, Amor a la Vida (Yacuna, Love to Life), is a drama about native Mayan culture and ancestral knowledge. The film was screened on five continents, and received a special award from Mexico’s Museo Nacional de Antropologia.

Born in Mexico City, Del Rio has studied filmmaking at the University of Westminster in London, photography at the College of Art and Design Plymouth, and filmmaking at NYFA. He has worked on productions for New Line Pictures, Hallmark, and the BBC, as well as TV commercials, music videos, and feature documentaries.

Del Rio is strongly committed to championing the environment, and uses his films to promote the cause. His documentary Give Earth a Chance was screened at multiple festivals around the world to positive reviews. In addition, he has directed and produced two feature dramas, as well as ten feature documentaries.

The New York Film Academy congratulates Eustaquio Martínez Del Rio on his success and looks forward to seeing his future projects!

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Acting for Film Alum Abhimanyu Dassani’s Film Wins Toronto International Film Festival Award

New York Film Academy (NYFA) alum Abhimanyu Dassani’s cinematic debut, Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota (The Man Who Feels No Pain), recently won the People’s Choice Award in the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness category. The Bollywood-infused action-comedy follows a young man born without the ability to feel pain as he attempts to defeat 100 foes in a kumite tournament. Dassani plays the lead role of Surya.

The son of popular Indian actress Bhagyashree, Dassani completed the 4-Week Acting for Film program at NYFA in 2010. Despite his family’s history in the film industry, Dassani was determined to make it on his own without using connections: he responded to an open call for the role, and was denied an audition twice before finally being seen. All told, he ended up completing nearly 30 auditions and screen tests before landing the part.

“I was sure I wanted to make it on my own, because no matter how much you get in your life, what is it worth if it’s not deserved?” he said in an interview with Hindustan Times. He also mentioned that his casting was a shock to his parents, who had not expected him to follow in their footsteps. “They were really surprised because I have been independent since the age of 16, and I was in the process of setting up businesses.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BulOFf2Hu-J/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

To prepare for the role, Dassani trained for three months in a variety of martial arts, including free hand training and stick fighting. His preparation paid off. The film is the first Indian film to be featured in the Midnight Madness category, despite the country’s huge cinematic output. The role has gained Dassani worldwide acclaim–his work won him the Best New Young Actor award at the 3rd International Film Festival & Awards Macao, making him only the fourth Indian actor ever to receive an award at an international film festival.

The New York Film Academy congratulates Abhimanyu Dassani on his success, and looks forward to his future projects!

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Alum A.J. Rivera Joins All-Star Cast of Netflix’s “Another Life”

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Acting for Film alum A.J. Rivera is following up several high-profile guest roles on television with a starring role in Netflix’s highly-anticipated new sci-fi drama, Another Life.

The 10-episode series is getting a lot of buzz since being picked up by Netflix last April, in part because of a veteran television cast. The cast includes Battlestar Galactica star Katee Sackhoff, as well as Alex Ozerov (The Americans), Jessica Camacho (The Flash), Barbara Williams (Mayans MC) and Lisa Renna (The 100). Also starring are film stars Selma Blair (Hellboy, Cruel Intentions) and Justin Chatin (Dragonball Evolution, War of the Worlds.)

The show is part of a continued campaign by Netflix COO Ted Sarandos — who spoke earlier this year with NYFA — to produce original content and dominate the longform storytelling market. It tells the story of a team of astronauts and scientists on a mission to search for intelligent life. It was created by Aaron Martin (DeGrassi: The Next Generation).

A.J. Rivera plays Bernie Martinez, a microbiologist on the spaceship who also serves as part-time chef. He is part of the show’s comic relief, where his character uses jokes as a form of currency. Rivera is no stranger to comedy — his previous regular role on a TV series was with the John Stamos vehicle Grandfathered, as Victor.

Rivera has also appeared on numerous other television shows, including Goliath, Jane the Virgin, Lethal Weapon, Shameless, 2 Broke Girls, Baskets, and This is Us. He attended New York Film Academy’s MFA Acting for Film program in September 2011, at NYFA’s Los Angeles campus. There, he was able to train with talented faculty members currently working in the industry, and collaborate with film school students on the backlot of Universal Studios.

The New York Film Academy congratulates A.J. Rivera on his latest success, and looks forward to seeing him on Netflix’s Another Life in 2019!

Soap Hub Celebrates New York Film Academy (NYFA) Acting for Film Alum Chad Duell

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Acting for Film alum Chad Duell has been a soap opera mainstay for some time now and has amassed quite a few fans, but it’s still nice to be spotlighted once in a while. That’s what happened earlier this month when major soap opera publication Soap Hub wished Duell a happy birthday and invited its readers to do the same.

Duell is best known for his work on popular soap opera General Hospital as prominent character Michael Corinthos. General Hospital is the longest-running American soap opera in production, and second longest-running worldwide, having premiered way back in 1963. It is also the longest-running entertainment show in ABC history, and, with 13 total wins, holds the record for most Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series.

Duell is also an Emmy-winner, having won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his work on General Hospital. Before his critically-acclaimed work on the show, Duell also had recurring roles on the hit Disney show sitcoms Wizards of Waverly Place and The Suite Life on Deck.

Duell, who just turned 31, was born in Chicago and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona. He’d been passionate about acting from a young age, and attended theatre class in high school while also playing football.

In 2007, he took the 1-Year Acting for Film program at New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus. The acting school teaches students the craft of acting with a professional, working faculty and with hands-on experience that allowed Duell to act in front of a camera within the first week of his classes. Located in the heart of Hollywood, where students could shoot their projects on the famed Universal Studios backlot, Duell achieved his dream of making it to LA.

The New York Film Academy wishes Chad Duell a happy birthday and congratulates him on his continued success as an award-winning television star!

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Screenwriting Grads Celebrate With an Industry Pitch Fest

It was that time of year once more as graduating BFA New York Film Academy (NYFA) Screenwriting students recently attended their culminating Industry Pitch Fest Event, held at the penthouse ballroom of the Andaz Hotel on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, surrounded by the astounding views of Los Angeles.

A catered event and mingling opportunity for students, executives, and faculty alike, this capstone evening celebrated the New York Film Academy’s graduating Screenwriting school students by offering them a unique opportunity to jumpstart their professional development and pitching their film and TV thesis projects to entertainment industry professionals.

These exceptional writing students spent their final semester in their Business of Screenwriting classes working with instructor Jerry Shandy in conjunction with Faculty Chair Nunzio DeFilippis and other members of the Screenwriting Department, preparing and fine-tuning their pitches. They were also joined by a stellar Screenwriting alum that night. The Pitch Fest shared the venue with an equally impressive event by NYFA’s Producing school.

The students’ dedication and passion for their work was on display as they pitched their thesis projects, which they had developed for nearly a year. Students left with new contacts, excitement about the scripts they’d worked so hard on, and a sense of what it’s like to meet with industry professionals.

Considered by the school to be their first night as professional screenwriters, their hard work paid off as the talented and creative students pitched agents, managers, studios, and digital, VR, TV, and film production company executives in a relaxed, roundtable environment.

Organized and hosted by Jenni Powell, Ashley Bank, and Adam Finer, the Pitch Fest featured representatives from Hollywood companies including: Jim Henson Company, MGM, Practical Magic, Verve, Rain Management, Little Studio Films, Tremendum Pictures, and Gulfstream Pictures.

The New York Film Academy wishes to thank all of its participants, particularly our industry guests, without whom this evening could not have been possible. NYFA also extends a big congratulations to all of our BFA graduates and wishes them the best of luck as they move forward in their professional journeys!

[su_carousel source=”media: 28014,28013,28011,28010,28009,28012″ limit=”49″ link=”lightbox” target=”blank” width=”780″ height=”360″ title=”no” autoplay=”0″]

NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY (NYFA) AIRS 5 MOVIE MUSICALS IN THE TBAE FILM SHOWCASE

Five movie musicals from the New York Film Academy (NYFA) were selected by the Tampa Bay Arts & Education (TBAE) Network to premiere on Tampa Bay cable channels this September. The Official Selections were part of the TBAE Network’s TBAE Film Showcase, a worldwide submission festival that includes documentaries, features, shorts, music videos, and other media from around the globe.

The films aired on the Tampa Bay Arts & Education Channel, available on Spectrum 636 and Fios 34, to 1.3 million viewers. The films were also available to livestream from https://watch.tbae.net. The TBAE Network is a non-profit organization, established in 1987 to bring cultural, artistic, and educational works to the city’s cable offerings.

All five movie musicals from the Academy were produced by the Professional Conservatory of Musical Theatre (PCMT) at NYFA. The PCMT at NYFA offers aspiring musical theatre actors a one-of-a-kind opportunity to develop their skills as triple threat performers by studying with faculty who are working professionals on Broadway, and includes courses in Shakespeare, Ballet, Pop Rock, and Modern Dance, among many others. One of the top musical theatre colleges in New York, the PCMT at NYFA has graduated numerous successful alumni.

Here are the five Movie Musicals that premiered on the TBAE Film Showcase this September:

Kaya: Taste of Paradise

Directed by NYFA instructor Paul Warner, a prolific and award-winning film and theatre director and writer, Kaya: Taste of Paradise is an original movie musical that sheds light on New York City’s underground disco scene. Set prior to the dawn of the AIDS epidemic, the film focuses primarily on LGBTQ youth, many of whom are homeless.

Alma Mater

Directed by NYFA instructor Nathan Brewer, whose credits include Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center, Alma Mater is set in Fall 1993 at Beecher College during Alumni Weekend. Exploring issues of feminism and breaking social conventions, the musical comedy tells the story of warring student groups Riot Grrrls and the Women of Substance, double-booked for the same space and struggling to find common ground.

Plus One

Directed by NYFA instructor TJ Mannix, an actor with over 20 years of experience in New York City film, TV, commercials, improv, and musical theater, Plus One is an epic musical that spans three generations of women, two unexpected pregnancies, and a time-traveling secretary with the key to their futures.

Bang! Boom! Pow!

Directed by NYFA instructor Stephen Nachamie, whose credits include Small Town Confessions, Little Shop of Horrors, and She Loves Me, Bang! Boom! Pow! is a musical full of superheroes, supervillains, and superpowers. Set in the fantastical city of Metrocenter Six, the cast includes Emmy winner John Wesley Shipp (NYPD Blue, The Flash) and brings as many laughs as it does catchy musical numbers.

Hold Your Peace

Directed by NYFA instructor Nathan Brewer, who also directed TBAE Film Showcase Selection Alma Mater, Hold Your Peace is about a bride who entrusts four attendants with her something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. A musical comedy about finding what you really need, the bride quickly realizes she made a big mistake.

In addition to the TBAE Film Showcase, two of the movie musicals will be screening publicly in October. Plus One will be playing at the Sunscreen Film Festival on October 6, at 7:15pm PDT. Tickets and more information can be found here.

Kaya: Taste of Paradise will be screening at the Orlando Film Festival on Tuesday, October 23 at 4pm EDT. Tickets and more information can be found here.

The New York Film Academy congratulates the students and faculty of the Professional Conservatory of Musical Theatre at NYFA on their hard work, and encourages everyone to check out these movie musicals, online or at the above festivals!