The New York Film Academy Documentary Department is excited to announce a special NYFA Showcase at the renowned DOC NYC Film Festival this Friday, November 10th, at 11:45 AM at IFC Center, 323 6th Ave, New York, NY. Tickets for the Showcase can be purchased here.
DOC NYC has been voted one of MovieMaker Magazine’s “five coolest documentary film festivals in the world.” It’s also one of the most respected, and America’s largest. Based at the West Village’s IFC Center, Chelsea’s SVA Theater and Bow Tie Chelsea Cinema, the eight-day festival showcases new achievements in documentary film along with panels and conversations. This is third consecutive year NYFA students will premiere projects at the festival.
“DOC NYC is one of the most important documentary film festivals in the world. It’s a huge honor to be included in their showcase for the third year in a row. Luckily, our students are up to the challenge,” said Andrea Swift, Chair, NYFA Documentary Department. “These five films are as accomplished as they are diverse, which is representative of the majority of NYFA documentaries.”
“Jatar” by Braulio Jatar
When tagging DOC NYC on social media platforms, use @DOCNYC and #docnyc or #docnycpro
The NYFA films that will screen are below:
Atomic Love (USA, 17 min., Yusaku Kanagawa) A Hiroshima orphan begins a tentative friendship with an enemy soldier.
Home Free (USA, 15 min., Marie Vanderrusten) Jack the bubble man, who has lived in Central Park for years believes himself more home-free, not homeless.
Little Red Lie (USA, 13 min., Mariko Ide) Battling the fable of the Big Bad Wolf, Rebecca struggles to release young Mexican Gray wolves back into the wild.
Jatar (USA, 10 min., Braulio Jatar) The “capture order” on a young journalist’s head stands between him and his father, a high-profile dissident dying in a Venezuelan prison.
Jaguaribara (USA, 17 min., Lucas M. Dantas). When the ruins of the submerged city, Jaguaribara begin to reappear after a drought, the filmmaker’s family search for their lost ancestral home.
Jaguaribara by NYFA student Lucas Dantas
Three faculty films are also premiering at DOC NYC. Information about those is included below:
Sun Nov 12, 2017, 4:45 PM| IFC Center. Tickets Hot Grease, (world premiere) directed and produced by NYFA Documentary Department Producing professor, Jessica Wolfson
Atomic Homefront, (NYC premiere) NYFA Documentary Department Cinematography prof and 4 x Oscar Nominee and cinematographer, Claudia Raschke This film is co-presented by Human Rights Watch.
DOC NYC U – New York Film Academy Showcase Fri Nov 10, 2017, 11:45 AM| IFC Center Buy Tickets
This October, the New York Film Academy Gold Coast campus held the March 2017 Diploma of Acting for Film end of year screening at Event Cinemas in Pacific Fair. The event included an opening reception for students, friends and family, and concluded with a screening of the students’ performances filmed throughout their year at NYFA Gold Coast.
Acting Coordinator Louise Lee Mei said, “We are all very proud of the skill, motivation and determination of these students. Two special guests, Gael McDonald from Williams Management and Casting Director Cinzia Coassin, were in attendance to congratulate the graduates on their showcase scenes. As students prepare to enter our Advanced Diploma, the Acting for Film team look forward to further developing their professional skills for on-camera work.”
Senior Acting Lecturer Adam Couper stated, “These students truly embraced the spirit of collaboration. They were a tight-knit and mutually respectful group and I think the work we saw showed how successful they were.”
On behalf of all the staff and lecturers at the New York Film Academy Gold Coast, we would like to give our sincerest congratulations to the following graduating students: Amber Monaghan, Christopher Le Poidevinm, Ilavalu Tupou, Jake Dodds, Lachlan Crane, Lachlan Bliss, Olivia Samin, Shaunyl Benson and Tarnequa Pettet.
This October, the New York Film Academy Gold Coast campus held a joined graduation screening night for Sept. 2016 Filmmakers and March 2017 Filmmaking at Event Cinemas in Pacific Fair.
Students and guests gathered in the foyer, where they were photographed at our NYFA media wall before being ushered into the cinema to watch the end of year films. All graduating students screened incredibly diverse and high quality films that showcased their exceptional skills in the art of storytelling.
Directing and Editing lecturer Trevor Hawkins stated, “It’s been a privilege to be part of these students’ journey in becoming future filmmakers. Filmmaking is a skilled craft. Having a good story also helps, and NYFA certainly gives a firm grounding on both counts. The result has been some of the most impressive end of year productions. I wish them all well and I hope to work with them again sometime in the future.”
Deputy Chair of Filmmaking Brian Vining said, “The screening was a huge success, with a big turnout of current student filmmakers, family, supporters, cast members and alumni. We are very proud of the skills, motivation and talent of our graduating filmmakers.”
Congratulations to the graduating students: Brad Smith, Emilie Chetty, Lynne Cairncross, Adam Anonuevo, Callum Taylor, Isaac Moit and Philip Paton. We are very proud of their skills, motivation and talent, and can’t wait to see them succeed in their chosen fields.
With an eye to the increasing opportunities for collaboration between major international film markets, the New York Film Academy Mumbai held a three-hour master class bridging the filmmaking styles of the American and Bollywood industries. The Foundations of Filmmaking Master Class was led by filmmaker, producer, director, and NYFA Co-Chair of Filmmaking and Virtual Reality Jonathan Whittaker.
Jonathan Whittaker is an educator and media production professional whose credits include “In the Loop,” “Louie,” “Trophy Wife,” and a four-piece Venus by Gillette campaign with Chrissy Teigan. He has created a 3D special for Sony Pictures, directed commercials for Nissan and Hyundai, and produced two feature films: “My Name is David” and “America Here We Come.” His collaborators and clients include Nissan, Sony Pictures, FILM.UA, DirecTV, MiSK, Gillette, Hyundai and Sports Illustrated.
In describing the workshop, Mr. Whittaker explained, “Students explore new skills for directors, actors, cinematographers, screenwriters, and producers, expanding their vocabulary for collaboration and storytelling. This is a wonderful way to learn more about American-style filmmaking and open new possibilities for collaboration between the U.S. and Indian film industries.”
Opportunities for cooperation and exchanges between the Indian and U.S. film industries are now at an unprecedented level, with Bollywood films like “Baahubali: The Conclusion” breaking international box office records and Paramount announcing that it will distribute a Bollywood film for the first time. (“Padmavati,” will be released worldwide alongside the film’s Dec. 1 opening in India.)
NYFA alumnus Rakesh Varre, who played Setu Patti in “Baahubali: The Conclusion,” has given credit to his education at NYFA for his recent acting success: “Taking that experience from NYFA, I was able to act as a major supporting role in ‘Baahubali.’”
While the New York Film Academy (NYFA) has held workshops in India for many years, it opened its doors to a permanent location in Mumbai, India, in May 2017, bridging two of the world’s largest filmmaking industries.
The New York Film Academy’s Mumbai, India location holds film and acting programs at the Urmi Estate, a modern 41 story skyscraper located in the heart of the city.
This month, award-winning journalist and NYFA Broadcast Journalism alumnus George Colli took over as lead reporter on the News8 Investigative Team. WTNH also features NYFA Broadcast Journalism alumna and multimedia journalist Alyssa Taglia as the temporary traffic anchor for “Good Morning CT.”
Before moving to WTNH/TV8, George reported for Cox Media from Washington DC, appearing on stations across the United States, as well as reporting for NBC-Connecticut. He is a graduate of NYFA’s 1-Year Broadcast Journalism Conservatory, and in 2017 was awarded the most prestigious honor in American journalism, an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award.
“Thank for for all the support and mentorship,” George said to Broadcast Journalism Chair Bill Einreinhofer. “I really appreciate everything NYFA did to train me for this career.”
NYFA alumna Alyssa Taglia previously held the title of Miss Connecticut in 2016 with the Miss America Organization, and graduated from NYFA’s 8-Week Broadcast Journalism Workshop in August 2017.
Congratulations to our talented and successful graduates at WTNH-TV8.
“A great man must live in honor or die an honorable death” were the weighty words spoken by actor Zach Grenier (“The Good Wife,” “Fight Club”), as he voiced the character of Ajax, the mighty Greek warrior. Grenier’s Ajax then turns to his wife, Tecmessa, played by the multiple Tony and Academy Award nominee Amy Ryan, describing the indignities and horrors he has suffered since returning home from the Trojan War.
Inside the dimly lit walls of New York Film Academy’s (NYFA) campus theater on October 25, the student veterans and their supporters, over a hundred in attendance, were deeply moved by the performances by Mr. Grenier, Ms. Ryan, and NYC Council Member Jumaane Williams.
Justin Ford, a U.S. Army Combat Veteran, NYC-based filmmaker, and NYFA Alumni, offered, “I never met anyone who sees [“Theater of War”] and isn’t moved — it’s an amazing emotional experience.”
Like the fabled wars of antiquity, veterans returning home from modern conflict face challenges and obstacles with themselves, their colleagues, and their loved ones stemming from violence. Moral injury is at the center of the discussion that director of “Theater of War” Bryan Doerries hopes to start by utilizing ancient Greek plays to foster constructive community discussion.
Chair of NYFA’s Veterans Advancement Program Colonel Jack Jacobs, Medal of Honor recipient and one of the most decorated soldiers of the Vietnam War, gave an opening welcome to the audience before a panel discussion about the challenges and obstacles that come from the invisible wounds of war and combat followed the night’s performance.
“Knowing this issue is at least 2,500 years old, it seems silly that we aren’t rock stars at helping our veterans return home from war and give them the help, support, and an environment that facilitates healing,” said USMC combat veteran, infantry officer, and NYFA student, Caleb Wells, who participated in the night’s discussion as a panelist offering his own unique viewpoint on assimilating back into civilian culture after the experience of war.
Theater has been recognized since the days of ancient city-states as a powerful medium for audiences to experience the release of negative emotions, or catharsis, through performance. Retired Brig. Gen. Commissioner Loree Sutton, MD of New York City’s Department of Veteran Services, has supported the dialogue through the City’s Public Artist in Residency Program, believing that an open dialogue is key to reducing stigma and encouraging sufferers of PTSD and moral injury to seek assistance.
“New York Film Academy, being an avid supporter of the veteran community and veterans in the arts, was eager to host the ‘Theater of War’ performance,” stated NYFA’s VP for Strategic Initiative Jim Miller. “The evening was important to us because we not only provided this powerful performance to veteran students, but our non-veteran students were able to better understand their classmates who have experienced war, and the scars that combat leaves on their emotions. NYFA is grateful to Commissioner Sutton and Mr. Doerries for this very special opportunity.”
For all students, the transition from art school to the professional world is a journey of transformation often wrought with surprises both good and bad, but it takes particular skill and dedication to turn such life experiences into a work of art.
With her original work “Chrysalis,” NYFA Musical Theatre alumna Kodi Milburn morphed the challenges she found in the entertainment industry into an artistically satisfying and empowered performance piece. We had a chance to catch up with Kodi to hear about her collaborative creative process and thriving in life after NYFA.
Photo by Sean Ben-Svi
NYFA: First, can you tell us a little bit about your journey and what brought you to NYFA?
KM: I grew up in Nebraska with my single mother. She is both a hippie and a musician, qualities that shaped me into who I am now. I’ve always been into music and theater.
My first show was as a baby in “Fiddler in the Roof,” followed by “Peter Pan.” My mom was Peter and I was a Tiger Lilly dancer. Time went on, and I knew I wanted to pursue art further. It’s kind of the same old story: a small town girl from the Midwest moves to the city to pursue a dream.
I chose NYFA because it was a more down to earth and artistic environment than other schools. I needed that freedom to work on my art. I also noticed the star-studded list of instructors, some of which had directly inspired me to become a performer (Deidre Goodwin). How cool is it to learn dance from a woman you used to watch on TV?
NYFA: Why musical theatre? And, what has inspired your work lately?
KM: I have since branched out into different genres, but the core of my training is in musical theater. I think that as a musical theater performer you have to be a triple threat. Therefore, I feel prepared to attack any genres head on. Lately the work of my peers, Terra Warman, Caleb Settje, Zoey Michaels, and Makayla Benedict, has inspired me to put up local theater and produce more of my own work!
NYFA: What surprised you most about your time studying with us? Do you have a favorite NYFA moment?
KM: I was surprised at how close I got with my peers and instructors. You’re really going through the trenches together, and I work with those same people on nearly every show I do outside of NYFA. They quickly became family to me.
My favorite NYFA moment was being selected to sing for the Jonathan Groff master class. You had to be nominated by your teachers to be selected. That was a validating and humbling experience, to be chosen by the people I held in such high regard.
NYFA: Can you tell us about your experience filming NYFA movie musical “Seeking Alice,” and seeing it go on to win awards like Best Musical at the Nova Fest?
KM: Filming “Seeking Alice” was a hoot, but we were up all night and filming outside in January. You do it for the art though! Funny enough that was not the first time I had played Tweedle Dum, and I got to revive the character alongside one of my dearest friends, Jonina Bjort. The crew and creative team for the film were innovative and an absolute joy to work with in such hard-core conditions. I mean, I got to eat ice cream, refine my MUA and Hair tech skills, and belt Bobby Cronin’s original music — of course it was amazing.
As you can imagine, we were all thrilled to see that the film was loved as much by the professionals at the Nova Fest as it was by all of us involved! Truly the icing on the cake
NYFA: For our current Musical Theatre students, what did you find most challenging in transitioning to work outside of the program environment, and do you have any advice for navigating that transition?
KM: I found that the balance between working on art and becoming a responsible adult was the hardest transition for me. Here’s the thing: That transition is hard for everyone. The good news is the instructors at NYFA have the tools to help you into the real world. I’m sure you’ve heard it from them but my advice is to follow these four rules.
1) Be professional. (Meaning, show up early and show up prepared).
2) Take yourself seriously and take care of yourself. (Get up and go to that 5 a.m. audition and invest in your own business. Get a survival job! You have to pay your rent to stay here).
3) Be a good person. (You will work with the same people over and over again, do not burn bridges!)
4) Be true to yourself. (There is no right way to be successful in this industry, so if you end up doing something that isn’t exactly what you planned, that’s not a fail, it’s part of a path.)
NYFA: How did your original project “Chrysalis” come about? Can you tell us about that creative process?
KM: I started writing “Chrysalis” after I graduated. My friends and I were auditioning and it seemed that we couldn’t book anything because we were too thick or too dark skinned or not blonde enough, not because we weren’t talented. So I wrote a show for those people and me to perform artistically satisfying pieces without feeling like we needed to change something about us in order to do so.
The creative process was a lot of work. I began writing music and then the script. Next I gathered my team (which included NYFA alumni) and began rehearsals. I then pitched my show to a millennial, all-female, producing team called The Creators Collective. They picked up the show and we began fundraising.
We received free space from CC and 100 Bogart, and most of our funding from a group funding campaign and a live fundraiser in my hometown of Rushville, Nebraska. The show went up on Aug. 5, 2017! We are now recording a cast album and applying for grants for a 2018 run of the show.
NYFA: Can you tell us about any upcoming projects you are working on?
KM: Currently I am continuing my work on “Chrysalis,” appearing in Tandem Children’s Theater Company as a female Harry Potter, collaborating with Caleb Settje on his new musical, “aKing,” partnering with my producers and AirBnB for live AirBnB experiences, taking promotional photos for SHIFT dance collective, and working with Makayla Benedict and Zoey Michaels on a song set for live performances. My Facebook is updated with my current/future projects.
NYFA: Anything I missed that you’d like to share?
KM: I am a promotional portrait photographer with reasonable rates for fresh graduates and students. You can contact me if you would like to set up a session.
Last week, the biggest American story was right here in New York City. It was an act of terrorism, and it drew global attention. NYFA Broadcast Journalism graduate George Colli was on-the-scene the following morning, along with Keith Porter, the chief camera operator of WTNH TV. They were here not just to report for their own station in Connecticut, but for the 170 other TV stations owned by the Nexstar Media Group. That’s a lot of TV stations…
It was an opportunity to remember the important role that journalists play in society, and our responsibility to provide accurate and timely information, not hyperbole and speculation.
There is a saying among journalists: “The first report is always wrong.” That means initial information on a developing story is almost always fragmentary and imprecise. CNN Money pointed out on its Reliable Sources site how that rule applied last week.
Journalists scramble to cover terror attack right in their backyard
The initial reports of an “active shooter” in lower Manhattan were wrong. So were the reports a few minutes later of a “road rage” incident. But unfortunately the reports of multiple fatalities were right. The 3 p.m. hour was consumed by confusing reports of injures along the West Side Highway in NYC. During the 4 p.m. hour, it became clear that the injuries were from a truck attack — and that
it was being investigated as terrorism. In the 5 p.m. hour, officials said eight people were dead in an “act of terror.”
Many people were looking to digital sites for information. One prime example is Snap Maps, which provided a graphic depiction of “what” was being reported by users “where,” along with user-generated footage. It captured both the potential, and pitfalls, of crowd-based news gathering. The site pretty well guarantees that images are being posted by real people, but those real people can say some really questionable things. That’s why, in an era of instant-everything, journalists continue to play a critical role.
The Pew Research Center is a wonderful source of nonpartisan, data-driven information on a wide range of subjects. One of their areas on emphasis is journalism, and their latest effort looks at how increasingly people who get their news via social media are turning to multiple platforms for information. Traditionally, I’d look at the NBC News site, CNN, MSNBC and Fox to see how a story is being covered … or,sometimes, if it is being covered at all. Now I have to include Facebook and Instagram too.
Circling back to CNN, correspondent Brooke Baldwin did a fascinating behind-the-scenes story about her recent visit to the Republic of Korea (aka “South Korea”). Her description of landing on an American aircraft carrier is vivid, as are her portraits of Americans she met there, all living under the very real threat of a nuclear attack. Her story went beyond the usual soundbites and “talking points.” The online headline, however, doesn’t do it justice…
Finally, you all know how I love to hear from our graduates. Here is a note I got last week from recent grad Luis Cacio:
I’m glad to tell you guys that I get my first job with a Brazilian Soccer team, who has an affiliation in Orlando, Florida. It’s my first filming, editing and animation with Sports, what I wanted when I applied for NYFA! I’m really happy and grateful for the learning that I got with the Program!
The New York Film Academy (NYFA) was recently honored to have Andrea Swift, NYFA’s Chair of the Documentary Department, selected to run a storytelling workshop at the annual mid-year conference for Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (Fulbright FLTA). Professor Swift will provide a short course on micro documentaries for non-filmmakers entitled, “You have a doc in your pocket!”
The Fulbright Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State, funded by an annual appropriation from the U.S. Congress to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). ECA administers the program with the assistance of binational Fulbright Commissions in 49 countries, U.S. embassies in more than 100 other countries, and cooperating partners. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and the United States also provide direct and indirect support.
This year, more than 400 Fulbright FLTAs from 53 countries across the globe will attend the conference in Washington, D.C. from December 7-10, 2017. Fulbright FLTAs teach over 30 different languages to American students, including critical and uncommonly taught languages, at more than 180 colleges and universities throughout the United States. Languages taught by FLTAs include Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Kiswahili, Persian, Russian, Turkish, Urdu, and Yoruba. The mid-year conference aims to enhance the FLTA experience by strengthening teaching methodologies and providing supplementary classroom techniques with an emphasis on cultural exchange.
NYFA is proud to have hosted more than 50 Fulbright Foreign Students from nearly 30 nations over the past 11 years, representing countries as diverse as Angola, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, France, Indonesia, Lithuania, Pakistan, Paraguay, Russia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Uruguay, Vietnam, Zambia and more. Most of the participants have enrolled in NYFA’s MFA and MA programs to pursue their artistic and educational goals.
NYFA is committed to maintaining an active relationship with the Fulbright community, from holding special film screenings for the Fulbright Association, an independent, non-governmental organization for U.S. Fulbright alumni, to helping organize and produce the Fulbright Association’s 2015 and 2017 TEDxFulbright events in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
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