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Netflix’s First Team: Juventus Edited by New York Film Academy Doc Alum & Instructor

What’s it really like to play for one of the most successful football (or soccer, for my fellow Americans) teams in the European League? Beginning Feb. 16 you can find out, when Netflix’s First Team: Juventus, drops. We’ll be tuning in to see the work of New York Film Academy Documentary Filmmaking alum and instructor Andrea “Fuma” Fumagalli, who edits the series.

“With Fuma’s editing and storytelling chops, he’s a natural for a world class project like this,” says NYFA Documentary Filmmaking Chair Andrea Swift. “I think you’ll agree his work is both exciting and masterful. He’s also a very talented weekend football (soccer) player, and a huge Juventus fan. It would be hard to get closer to finding your dream job.”
Andrea Fumagalli came to New York City from Italy to attend NYFA’s Documentary Conservatory program, graduating in 2008. His work has been so successful that he returned as an Instructor a few years later. Fuma has kept quite busy as an editor, cinematographer, and photographer, with credits including Moving On, Le bambine di Calcutta crescono, La Casa Bianca, dozens of films for Canon and Rai and, now, Netflix’s First Team: Juventus.

The Netflix Original Series promises to offer a fresh new angle on the famous Italian team as it takes viewers behind-the-scenes, exposing the personal and professional pressures faced by the players.

Owned by the same family that controls Fiat, the Angielli family, Juventus claims an impressive legacy. Not only do they hold the most Italian championships, with an official 33 wins (though two were revoked), but Juventus has also boasted some of the world’s most lauded players, from Michel Platini to current forward Paulo Bruno Exequiel Dybala (who Messi wants to steal for Barcelona).

Get ready for the world cup this year with the inside story behind one of the world’s biggest teams. Congratulations, Andrea!

BOLLYWOOD SUPERSTAR SALMAN KHAN ANNOUNCES NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY ALUM WARINA HUSSAIN WILL STAR IN LOVERATRI

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, reported in Forbes as the 9th highest-paid actor in the world, rocked the Twitterverse this week with a cryptic message:

Translation: “I found a girl.”

Fans and news platforms alike scrambled to decode the tweet, and speculation soared over whether the iconic Bollywood actor had decided to tie the knot in real life or had finally cast the lead for his production company’s next highly anticipated feature, Loveratri.

As suspense mounted, Khan solved the mystery and presented the leading lady of Loverati: New York Film Academy Mumbai alum Warina Hussain.

Hussain is a model and actress of Afghani-Iraqi descent, and attended the New York Film Academy’s Mumbai campus in 2017 to study Acting for Film. In the Hindi-language romance Loverati, she will star alongside Khan’s brother-in-law Aayush Sharma, in his acting debut.

The NYFA alum and leading lady reacted to Salman Khan’s announcement of her casting through her Instagram account:

“At NYFA Mumbai we are always proud to see our students put what they learn into practice as they go on to achieve great things in the industry,” said Kitty Koo, NYFA Vice President – Mumbai, India. “It’s wonderful to see Warina Hussain’s success in working with Salman Khan, and we look forward to seeing more of her work.”

The actress had previously appeared in a popular commercial for Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk. Following the Loverati casting announcement, Hussain has catapulted into the limelight in the world’s largest film industry and skyrocketed to nearly 50K followers on Instagram.

According to IMDB, Loverati is currently filming and anticipated for completion in 2018. It is the fifth feature film by Salman Khan Films, the eponymous superstar’s production company. Salman Khan has performed in 118 Bollywood hits, including Bodyguard, Tiger Zinda Hai, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Hum Aapke Hai Kaun, Maine Pyaar Kiya, and the Dabangg series.

New York Film Academy Broadcast Journalism Alums at WTNH in New Haven, Channel 9 in Melbourne, & Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Rio de Janeiro

Once again, I am returning to a subject I’ve discussed before — how “newspapers” are no longer just “newspapers.” Last week I visited Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts, and I spoke with several faculty members about the transformation of so-called “legacy media.” You can’t get more “legacy” than newspapers.

Today The New York Times has far more digital subscribers than folks who buy the physical version of the publication. They often “break” stories in the evening, hours before their print edition “hits the street.” The Times has a TV studio set up right off of its newsroom, so that it can go “live” online whenever it makes sense. In fact, last time I visited, they had 75 video journalists. Video has become a central component of the Times ecosystem, with 20 channels and shows. As current and former students know, the Op-Docs channel is a continuing source of outstanding visual journalism.

DMN posted a fascinating story last week about the Times use of AR (Augmented Reality), the cousin of VR (Virtual Reality). When combined with 360-degree video, it will (I am told) allow “viewers” to actually “walk into” a story.

Of course, central to the use of AR and 360-video is developing a business model that will sustain them. Technology is great, but you simply can’t give your product away. Perhaps by combining these new technologies with more standard features, and a pay wall, the Times will do just that. We’ll see…

A big “Thank You” to the folks at Endicott College for welcoming me, along with NYFA Photography Department Chair David Mager and Musical Theater Creative Director Kristy Cates, to their campus last week. We had an opportunity to meet with students considering a three-month “New York City internship,” as well as members of the faculty and administration. They even put our names on a poster!
More good news via Facebook and email this week. First I heard from Alyssa Taglia, who is working at WTNH in New Haven, Connecticut:
Hi Bill! Hope you’re well, I wanted to share with you that I was hired here at WTNH News 8 full time as their traffic anchor for Good Morning Connecticut 4:30-7 a.m, and as an MMJ. Early mornings (wake up at 2, or on snow days when we go on early I wake up at 1 a.m) aren’t always the easiest, but I truly truly truly love this business and this career I’m so thankful to have. It’s still amazing to me that just two weeks after graduating I landed a job here in my home state, which was always my goal! Thanks again for everything you and NYFA gave me!

NYFA alum Alyssa Taglia at WTNH in New Haven, Connecticut.

Then I found out Bryanna Reynolds is now working at Channel 9 in Melbourne, Australia. (That’s Bryanna on the far right in the picture below.) If there is one quality Bryanna has in abundance, it’s enthusiasm!

Suzane de Oliveira works for Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Last week she re-posted her NYFA graduation picture, and I was deeply honored by her kind words. She wrote, in part:

The moment so expected, dreamed and destined! NYFA! How many lessons I learned here in the most intense month of my life! … I’m very happy! Dream come true!

New York Film Academy Alum Sapra Drops Love Trumps Drugs Music Video

At the New York Film Academy, we are big believers in the idea that understanding all different aspects filmmaking offers a huge advantage for aspiring artists — an advantage that can pave the way to all kinds of creative successes. NYFA Cinematography Conservatory grad Sapra (2009) is living proof that being able to approach the entertainment industry from multiple angles is sure to come in handy. The dynamic artist is many things — rapper, actor, director, producer, cinematographer — and now he has just dropped his own music video, Love Trumps Drugs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pujepWQ_lw0

Sapra took the time to catch up with the NYFA Blog to speak about his experience making his own music video, and what it’s like to forge a truly unique path as a multi hyphenate artist.

NYFA: First can you tell us a little bit about your journey and what brought you to the New York Film Academy?

Sapra: I was born in New Delhi, India, and started playing instruments as a kid. I was auditioned for a theater show randomly when I was bunking a class and that got me a lead part in a big theater production. That started my acting career. I got a taste of what it feels like to be in front of 5,000 people at an early age and I got addicted to the fun of performing. I remember while all of my school friends were studying in seventh standard and I was touring with my high school all over India. So I got to skip the classes!

In college, I was a theater performer, emcee and an event manager. I had my own event management company called Beyond Exclamation. This was in my first year of college. After doing a lot of that, I wasn’t able to really reach out to millions of people, I was performing for thousands. So the yearning to learn film got me to NYFA. I started with studying film and cinematography, and then ventured into acting for film.

After graduating from NYFA, I directed and produced multiple music videos for other artists, and I also directed and acted in PSAs. NYFA gave me a kick start in Los Angeles

NYFA: Love Trumps Drugs is very polished, romantic, and high-energy music video. Can you tell us a little bit about what inspired the music and the story?

Sapra: I see the youth involved in all kinds of substance and I also see adults fancying the use of marijuana. I had a personal encounter where female friends of mine would use marijuana and become delusional and act weird. I also saw a lot of my talented friends leaving back for their country get involved in things they should have stayed out of.

What I found common in all of them was abuse of such drugs. I saw people who were more talented than me giving up because the drug made them weaker. So I thought of an interesting way to entertain youth and suggest my thoughts. I am not being judgmental about the usage of marijuana in my video, however, I am suggesting a fact.

NYFA: What surprised you most during the music video shoot?

Sapra: The steady cam guy did not show up, so I had to find someone on the day of. I was the producer on this so it was a challenge juggling multiple things and keeping everyone happy.

What also surprised me was the amount of money and time one has to spend to make each frame look good. Also one has to be spontaneous for last-minute story changes.

NYFA: Were there any challenges in creating this music video, and how did you overcome them?

Sapra: Budget was a challenge. What we wanted was not cheap. Our financier backed out two days before the shoot, so I had to take out a loan. The rest was easy as I had a great team.

NYFA: What advice would you share with our NYFA students who want to produce their own music and music video?

Sapra: Los Angeles is a producer’s paradise — you can make anything happen here! You can work with the best of the best people and teams if you hang tight. The best part is that it doesn’t matter if you have money or not. What matters is whether you are ready to put in the work.

My agent, Jon of JS Represents, says Los Angeles is a one-way move. Once you are here, get financially stable first. Make this your home and keep on your career, and you will find yourself where you want to be. The industry will cast you when they are ready for you in their time. So hang tight and don’t give yourself a time limit.

NYFA: What is next for you? Any upcoming projects you can tell us about?

Sapra: I am looking for distribution for my next music video Coco, which is my favorite of all. I filmed it in Mammoth. I have produced the video and it’s directed by my decade-old friend AB Chandra.

I have two more videos in pre-production and a series I am casting for — and guess what? All this with no financial support from anyone!

NYFA taught me in the beginning: DIY (do it yourself). I have the best mentors and team in the world. I am the lead actor/rapper and producer in all the productions.

NYFA: Would you say your time at the New York Film Academy was at all useful for the work you are doing now?

Sapra: Yes, NYFA taught me a lot. They supported me after completion of my course. They had great follow up. Dan Mackler, Michael Pessah, and Kirill guided me throughout my stay at NYFA.

NYFA gave me a jump start and gave an overall understanding of Hollywood and filmmaking in general. Doing multiple projects and finding ways to make them happen without any resources is a part of the great training one can get from NYFA. You can be the best writer, actor, or director, but if you don’t consistently produce your content you may not be seen for years in the industry. That’s what NYFA taught me.

The New York Film Academy congratulates Sapra on his exciting music video launch. Check out Love Trumps Marijuana, Coco, and more from Sapra, coming soon!

New York Film Academy Alum Made Head of Development at October Films

New York Film Academy alum Louis Mole has been promoted to Head of Development US at production company October Films, along with colleague Matt Dewar, who’s been made Head of Development UK.

Mole enrolled in NYFA’s 1-Year Documentary Program, chaired by Andrea Swift, in September 2011 at our New York City campus. In the program, Mole learned to conceive, pitch, produce, direct, and edit various types of documentary shorts, as well as gain experience as cinematographer, sound recordist and assistant camera.

Of his time at NYFA, Mole said in 2013: “You come out of the program with the fundamental expertise of every single aspect of making a film – which is so unique.”

Mole put the education to good use, heading to Singapore after graduation and writing three episodes for the docuseries Asian Swindlers. He then joined October Films in 2014 within their London development team, and later came back to the Big Apple when he transferred to the New York office of October Films.

October Films is an award-winning, fast-growing production company based in the US and UK that focuses on independent content from a variety of genres — including documentaries, dramas, and entertainment and reality programs.

Some of their recent projects include Eight Days That Made Rome, Dangerous Borders, Annie: Out of the Ashes, Motorheads, and From Russia To Iran: Crossing The Wild Frontier. October Films also has series in production for the BBC, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, the Science Channel, and Channel 4.

Before his promotion to Head of Development, Mole worked on multiple projects for October Films, including Mygrations for the National Geographic Channel, Trailblazers for Discover Channel, and a seven-part series for Lifetime.

Louis Mole has also paid it forward to newer students at the New York Film Academy, speaking with them as a guest lecturer, and offering his solid expertise.

The New York Film Academy congratulates Louis Mole on his well-earned success, and looks forward to seeing where his career heads next!

Artist William Wegman is Guest Speaker at New York Film Academy

The New York Film Academy Guest Speaker Series welcomed acclaimed visual artist William Wegman to the New York Film Academy this month. 

Speaking to a packed house at the NYFA Theatre at 17 Battery Place, Wegman began by presenting with drawings he made at the beginning of his career. His work has been exhibited internationally since the ‘70s and is part of the permanent collection of numerous museums including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Hammer Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Centre Pompidou, Paris.

A pioneering video artist, photographer and painter, Wegman’s Before/On/After: William Wegman and California Conceptualism is currently on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while his 30-year traveling survey exhibition Being Human opens summer 2018 in Arles. A book of the same title will accompany the opening, published by Thames and Hudson/Chronicle.

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Wegman is best known for the portraits and videos of his Weimaraners, who have collaborated with him in his art making process for many decades. His photos and videos have not only been an art world success, but also a popular success. They have been featured in books, advertisements, TV commercials, and films, from the cover of The New Yorker to Saturday Night Live.

The New York Film Academy thanks William Wegman for sharing his expertise and insights with our students.

WWF Features New York Film Academy Documentary Alum Valentine Rosado in Annual Report


With 2017 the third hottest year on record, climate change and environmental conservation have become trending topics. Yet for conservationists like biologist and New York Film Academy (NYFA) Documentary Filmmaking alum Valentine Rosado, the important work to protect the planet is an ongoing, lifelong commitment.

After returning from his studies at NYFA New York City through a Professional Development Grant from World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Russell E. Train Education for Nature Program (EFN), Rosado recently launched environmental consulting firm Grassroots Belize with his wife Angie in his home country of Belize.

Now, Rosado and his work are featured in WWF’s Russell E. Train Education for Nature Annual Report.

“Guadalupe Valentine Rosado, a biologist from Belize, received a Professional Development Grant to attend a six-week documentary filmmaking workshop at the New York Film Academy,” the WWF Report states. “He is using the skills learned in the workshop to create impactful and educational films about environmental issues facing Belize, such as mangrove reforestation and restoration.”

With the WWF’s annual membership reaching upwards of 5 million, it’s exciting to see that news of Rosado’s incredible conservation work for Belize has reached such a wide audience, and that what he’s learned at New York Film Academy’s Documentary School has contributed to his important work in Belize.

https://youtu.be/eg2rSVJk9GM

“Conservation endures as a living discipline because it is inhabited by a magnificent collection of people,” WWF President & CEO Carter Roberts states on their website. “Only by working together can we create solutions to the most vexing problems we face.”

We couldn’t agree more. Congratulations, Valentine! We look forward to seeing what’s next for Grassroots Belize. You can learn by connecting with Valentine and following Grassroots Belize on Facebook.

HOLA Partners with New York Film Academy Jaguars to Create Basketball Clinic for Kids

This winter, the New York Film Academy (NYFA) Los Angeles campus men’s basketball team, the NYFA Jaguars, embraced the idea of giving back. Forming a partnership with Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), a non-profit organization that provides Los Angeles children free access to academic, art, and athletic-based classes, together, HOLA and the NYFA Jaguars created a basketball clinic for kids.

The clinic was led by the NYFA Jaguar’s coach, NBA Champion Lucius Allen. The clinic consisted of basketball drills that legendary UCLA Coach, John Wooden, used to train Allen when he was in college. “Wooden’s philosophies helped define success for me both inside and outside the game of basketball.” Allen said. The goal was to help instill confidence and sportsmanship in the young basketball players.

Reflecting on the class, HOLA Athletic Director Kristina Wheeler said, “This was a great experience for our kids. The opportunity to learn from someone like Coach Lucius Allen is rare. I believe the lessons learned today will stick with the students for the rest of their lives.”

The NYFA Basketball team felt the experience was a special one as well. Coach Allen remarked, “The kids were great. They were receptive, respectful to each other, and very competitive.”

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That sentiment of creating positive change within the community is a cornerstone of the New York Film Academy’s Athletics Program. Through the Athletic Leadership Development Program (ALDP), NYFA students are encouraged to seek out opportunities where they can give back as a team. With that goal in mind, the basketball team will also be creating Valentine’s Day cards for children at a local hospital.

The New York Film Academy would like to thank HOLA and Coach Allen for giving our students a chance to pay it forward.

2 New York Film Academy Grads Premier Films at 2018 Winter Film Awards

New York City’s Winter Film Awards International Film Festival will feature the short films of two New York Film Academy (NYFA) grads in its seventh season, beginning Feb. 22. NYFA Los Angeles grad Tamara Ruppart screens Path of Dreams, a love story based on the life of Japanese poet Ono No Komachi, while NYFA New York grad Joseph Park premiers Inner Glow, a surreal journey of self-discovery and freedom following a troubled young woman in the clouds. More details from the Winter Film Awards, below:

Path of Dreams

Directed by NYFA Alum Tamara Ruppart

Short, from Japan, in Japanese, 25 mins, 2017

Screening Sunday Feb. 25, Block 10: 9:15 PM-11:45 PM     

Path of Dreams TRAILER from Kotaro Mori on Vimeo.

 

In poetic Japan, Komachi strikes a tantalizing bargain with suitor Shosho. If he agrees to write poetry with her for 99 nights, she promises they will create a love more beautiful than poetry. Every day he must ride to her home, and when the sun sets on the 99th night she will take him as her lover. For 98 nights, they journey through poetry, exploring their hearts and minds, as their love and desire grow in anticipation. On the 99th night, Komachi joyfully awaits her lover. But as she watches the sun set, Komachi moves from disappointment to anger, until a sense of mystery fills the stillness in the air, and heartbreak takes hold of her heart. In her grief, she will carry Shosho with her as she walks the path of dreams.

Inner Glow

Directed by NYFA Alum Joseph Park

Short, from United States in English, 11 mins, 2017, World Premiere

Screening Saturday Feb 24, Block 4: 3:45 PM-6:15 PM /Wednesday Feb 28, Matinee: 2:00 PM-5:00 PM    

Skye, a troubled young woman trapped amidst the dark clouds with nothing but a window, struggles to access her power to illuminate light bulbs. After much despair and failure, Skye discovers a calling from outside, which turns out to be her clone. This encounter allows her to draw more power, and therefore, the bulbs begin to glow. However, she finds that her clone disappears, which causes the light bulbs to fade away. Skye’s only hope of freedom lies in seeking her true self and acceptance in order to bring in light again.

The Winter Film Awards lineup will include a total of 93 films at Cinema Village in Greenwich Village, and this year the festival has reported their selected filmmakers come from 31 countries; 40% of the films were created by women, 43% were created by people of color. The New York Film Academy applauds the continued work to promote diversity in the entertainment industry, and congratulates Tamara Ruppart and Joseph Park. If you’re in the city, tickets are on sale now — check out our alumni films at the Winter Film Awards.