Page 196 – NYFA

NYFA Grad’s Documentary Shines Light on Historic LGBT Tragedy in “Upstairs Inferno”

On June 24, 1973, an arsonist set fire to the Up Stairs Lounge, a gay bar located on the edge of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. For 43 years, it was the deadliest single event to affect the gay community in U.S. history. Thirty-two people were killed and some bodies were never identified. One-third of the New Orleans chapter of the Metropolitan Community Church were killed in the blaze, including two clergy. The primary suspect was never charged with the crime. The tragedy did not stop at the loss of lives. There were also the delayed injuries: lost jobs, fear, public ridicule and severed families. The devastation was compounded by the homophobic reactions and utter lack of concern by the general public, government and religious leaders. The fire permanently altered lives and was the root of many lifelong struggles.

NYFA Alumnus Robert Camina at Manhattan Film Festival Premiere

Despite the staggering historical significance, few people know about the devastating event. Filled with the desire to bring this tragic story to life, director Robert Camina made this the focus of his second documentary feature, “Upstairs Inferno.” Camina’s documentary brings humanity to the headlines by shining a light on the very painful effect the tragedy had on survivors, witnesses and loved ones. Their interviews are gut wrenching, yet insightful. Some of the people interviewed in the film haven’t publicly discussed the fire until now, especially on camera. The film is narrated by New Orleans’ own New York Times Best Selling Author, Christopher Rice.

The documentary has been an official selection of nearly 40 film festivals around the world, winning a total of 8 Jury Awards, 4 Audience Awards, 2 Special Programming Awards and 2 Community Awards. It’s been in the spotlight in the New York Times and CNN. The film has received glowing reviews, including the San Francisco Chronicle citing that the doc “echoes of Spike Lee’s [Oscar nominated] civil rights film “4 Little Girls.” It was also invited to screen at the Library of Congress in February 2017.

Camina, a 2006 graduate of the New York Film Academy 8-Week Film Workshop, recently returned to New York for his NY premiere at the Manhattan Film Festival at Cinema Village. The festival awarded his film with the distinguished Film Heals Award.

“New York has a very special place in my heart,” said Camina at his premiere. “This is where my film career began — at the New York Film Academy in 2006.”

Camina’s first official film, “Hunter4Love,” a short comedy produced at the New York Film Academy, played in twelve film festivals across the U.S.

“The New York Film Academy provided more than technical training,” added Camina. “It provided an opportunity to meet other people like myself. You can’t place a value on that. Before our session, I had never felt such a strong bond with a group of people. I felt I had finally found my tribe after years of looking. My class was filled with phenomenal people from around the world with a common passion: to tell stories. We got very close and in fact, we all still keep keep in touch through a Facebook group. Two members of my class who met for the first time while at NYFA, ended up getting married and starting a family. We not only made movies, we made lifelong friendships. My classmates gave me (and continue to give me) the support to pursue filmmaking.”

A promotional video that Camina directed for the Dallas Theater Center, “Meet Kevin Moriarty,” earned him 2 Telly Awards: “Outstanding Achievement in Direct Marketing” – Bronze, and “Cultural Marketing” – Bronze. The Telly Awards are the advertising industry’s highest accolade.

“Martini the Movie,” Camina’s second official short film, wrapped production in the Fall of 2008. The film screened at 10 film festivals across the country, winning the award for “Best Comedic Short Film (Men’s)” at the 2009 QCinema Film Festival. The film also won the Audience Award for “Best Musical” at the 2012 Out in the Desert – Tucson International LGBT Film Festival.

In June 2009, Camina began principal photography on his first full length feature film, “Raid of the Rainbow Lounge,” a documentary about the controversial and violent police raid of a Fort Worth, Texas gay bar that sparked an unprecedented outcry by the gay community leading to historic change. The film, narrated by Emmy nominated actress and TV icon, Meredith Baxter, opened to rave reviews and a media frenzy in March 2012. It was the official selection of more than 30 film festivals and garnered a number of awards, including 5 “Best” film awards and 3 “Audience” awards.

One of the many highlights of Camina’s career was receiving an invitation to the White House to meet President Obama during Obama’s 2012 LGBT Pride Month Reception.

“Upstairs Inferno” is now available on Blu-ray and DVD, and can be purchased here.

NYFA Photography Student’s Photo I Project Makes Cover of “Imirage” Magazine

mirage rutvik — Photographer/Retoucher: Rutvik Katuri
Model: Camille John @ BMG Models NY
MUAH: Sonia R
Magazine: Imirage, Issue: Living For Love #3.

Born and raised in the southern part of Hyderabad, India, Rutvik Katuri‘s hobby of photography slowly grew into his passion after shadowing local event and wedding photographers. He grew even fonder of the art after discovering the work of fashion photographers like Emily Soto and Lindsey Adler. From there, Katuri moved to New York City where he currently studies at the New York Film Academy Photography School.

“NYFA has definitely improved my skills in terms of getting the light setup quicker as well as with working on post-production in Photoshop,” says Katuri. “To give you a little bit of perspective, it used to take me 30 minutes to get a simple setup with one light. Now I take about 30 mins for a complex four light setup. Same goes for my post production — it has cut my time in half.”

Katuri’s final project for his Photo I class was “Holi Colors,” which was inspired by the Indian festival called Holi, a festival of colors and love. “It’s a play of analogous and complementary colors,” he says.

His photo was chosen for a recent cover of Imirage, a monthly magazine that applauds relevant and visually stunning features on art, design, writing, film, music, photography, style and other creative genres.

“Technically it was just a simple one light setup with a beauty dish and capturing the images with a simple macro lens,” said Katuri about the work on his cover image. “To me it was more about picking the right colors and figuring out what were the right designs that fit the face. We started out by adding red around one eye and we let the design go wherever it took us, but we kept in mind that it has to be symmetric on both the sides.”

Katuri says he is heading more into studio fashion and beauty and will be expanding to on-location fashion. Two projects that he is currently working on are “Futuristic Fashion” and “Symmetry.”

NYFA Alumni Team Up on Short Film “Worth It?”

Inspired by films like “The Jungle Book,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Gravity,” and “Inception,” among others, Edgar Vega began his career working as a Lighting/Compositing artist on a feature animated film in Guadalajara, Mexico. From there, he wanted to further his knowledge and skill in the field of cinematography and decided to leave his hometown of Mexico to study at the 1-Year Cinematography Program at the New York Film Academy.

“After working on that feature film I needed to properly learn the origins of lighting for picture as well as how camera and light reinforces the narrative,” said Vega. “There was always an interest in narrative since I did my Bachelor’s in Animation & Digital Arts back in Guadalajara, but I never had a real approach to lighting until I worked in this film I’ve mentioned. The final look of it relied more on illustration rather than the use of cinematography tools, which is not bad, it was just the vision of the director at the time. I believe that in a film that uses 3D and CGI rendering tools that produce photorealistic images, cinematography would be the right tool for producing and achieving the desired result.”

Vega wanted to learn and experiment with merging both worlds like “Gravity” and the other films that inspired him. He says his favorite cinematographer is Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki, not only because he’s from his country, but also because while filming “Gravity,” Lubezki and the VFX Supervisor Tim Webber developed technology to merge the hybrid CGI and live action into one image. “That was the challenge there,” said Vega. “They had to determine how lights would affect character’s faces, and then match it to composite the live action and animation perfectly.” The film ended up winning the Academy Award in both fields in 2015.

Since graduating from the Cinematography Program, Vega has had the opportunity to work as a Lighting/Compositing Artist on the Nick Jr. series called “Block Party.”

“Chris Papa, Scott Kennell, and their team were developing a new pre-school franchise that speaks about teamwork and unity,” Vega said about the series. “I was invited onto ‘Block Party’ to develop a possible final look, which earned an internally good response. As a result, a first episode was made. Thanks to the concepts learned at NYFA, I was able to assertively respond to the necessities of both Chris and Scott.”

He is now in postproduction on his thesis film, “Marcus,” which merges live action and CGI.

Vega also was the DP on NYFA Filmmaking alumna Cheyenne Pasquer’s film, “Worth It?,” which screened at the London Monthly Film Festival December 2016, Miami Independent Film Festival December 2016, The Lovecraft January 2017, and the California Women’s Film Festival February 2017, where it was nominated for Best Director.

“At the beginning we both had a lot of questions about the complexity of the film, since the script was extensive for the amount of days I could afford to shoot,” said Pasquer about her collaboration with Vega. “Most of the shoot was overnight, so I think the adaptation was a crucial skill that me and Edgar developed during the shoot of ‘Worth it?’ We were both in a difficult scenario not only because the film was physically demanding, but also because we successfully worked out with our crew and actors. As a DP he delivered beautiful shots that matched with the requirement of the story, both aesthetically and narrative wise.”

“Worth It?” will be screening at this year’s Cannes Short Film Corner in May.

Student Veterans Organization Hosts Open Mic Night at Local VFW

veterans open mic — NYFA Veterans who showcased their talents gather together after the event”

On Friday, April 21, the Student Veterans Organization (SVO) of the New York Film Academy hosted an Open Mic night at the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Ship 8103 in Burbank, CA. The Open Mic night provided an excellent opportunity for veterans to more deeply develop camaraderie and fellowship.

The VFW eagerly supported the NYFA SVO event, which brought many younger Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to the VFW. The NYFA SVO President Vincent Cugno, who is a BFA Acting student at the College, hosted the evening and brought together current fellow NYFA veteran students, and alumni, who wanted to showcase their talents. Gino Filiponi, NYFA Acting for Film student, stated “It was great to share some laughs with fellow veterans.”

Seasoned comic Travis Frazee—who has showcased at local comedy clubs—was the headliner for the evening. Frazee, currently a student in NYFA’s BFA Program, has performed routines at venues including the “Ha Ha Comedy Club,” “Flappers,” and “The Comedy Store.”

This was the first of many events that the NYFA Student Veteran Organization will be organizing. Other activities include community service engagement, BBQ’s, sports nights, and more that are all designed to bring veteran students together.

NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY OBSERVES SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS WEEK

Trigger Warning: The image and video included in this article are PSAs designed to raise awareness to stand against sexual assault, and artistically represent distressing and/or violent scenarios. Content may be disturbing to some viewers.

Every April, the U.S. recognizes an especially important and difficult topic by observing Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). The official site of SAAM states: “Sexual violence is a major public health, human rights and social justice issue. We need everyone’s help to end it.”

This year, New York Film Academy observed Sexual Assault Awareness Month by holding dedicated Sexual Assault Awareness Weeks at our campuses in New York City, Los Angeles, and South Beach, Miami throughout the month of April. NYFA awareness events ranged from self-defense workshops to Denim Day, and from invited guest speakers such as the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault to movie screenings. Separate events were held for both students and employees with the goal of raising awareness within the NYFA community as well as empowering and educating every individual to take action and learn skills for sexual assault prevention.

The capstone event for NYFA’s Sexual Assault Awareness Weeks was a student production contest, where students were invited to pitch and submit their own original media for Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and explore the responsibility and power of the media in shaping how we view sex, sexuality, consent, and violence. With such a diverse, international community of visual and performing artists, the NYFA student production contest for Sexual Assault Awareness provided a unique opportunity for new voices to be heard. Winners were selected for the poster and video categories from NYFA’s Los Angeles and New York campuses, respectively.

At NYFA Los Angeles, the student production contest video winner was MA filmmaking student Samuel Gonzalez Jr., who created the deeply moving short, “Awareness.” The film delivers startling facts regarding sexual assault while artistically portraying a real-life sexual assault victim’s 911 call. Regarding the film, NYFA Los Angeles Dean of Students Kelly Gardner notes, “I am very proud of the work our student Samuel Gonzalez has done in creating the following Public Service Announcement for Sexual Assault Awareness through our student PSA program.”

At NYFA New York City, one-year cinematography student Paola Herrera won the student poster contest through the creation of her powerful image of a barefoot woman sitting in a darkened laundromat, surrounded by her suitcase and a pile of clothing. The lighting, the woman’s pose, and the costume and makeup evoke the aftermath of an assault. The image is gut-wrenching, and provides a dramatic portrayal of struggles faced by many survivors of sexual violence.

At NYFA South Beach, students participated in Denim Day by taking part in a denim art project. NYFA South Beach Title IX Coordinator Laura Gasperini presented information on Title IX and sexual assault awareness while students enjoyed pizza and signed a pair of jeans hung in the equipment room as a pledge to stand together against sexual assault.

New York Film Academy is proud to join with many institutions, schools, businesses, artists, and allies who chose to participate in Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The NYFA community stands together against sexual violence. The first step to ending sexual violence is to raise awareness, which is a responsibility that New York Film Academy takes especially seriously as a visual and performing arts school committed to training the next generation of storytellers, artists, and media creators.

As SAAM notes, “We can all use our voices to change the culture to prevent sexual violence.

Award-Winning Comedian Adrián Minkowicz Returns to NYFA to Perform Stand Up

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Adrián Minkowicz, also known as “The Argentinean,” is an award-winning comedian based in New York. He performs stand-up in English and Spanish with equal success, touring internationally, performing in major clubs and festivals like “Just for Laughs” and the “Fringe” in Edinburgh. He has been featured guest on talk-shows and done sets on TV in Europe, South America and in the USA, on shows like “the Artie Lange Show” and “Gotham Comedy Live.” He also opened for renowned comedians like Artie Lange and Godfrey.

“I met Artie in the comedy circuit, at the Comic Strip Live or the Comedy Cellar,” recalls Minkowicz. “He thought that my story was interesting enough to bring me to his show and he interviewed me three times. I recently had the honor to open for him at the Count Basie in New Jersey. His fans really love him and he deserves it. He is not only a very talented and hilarious man, but a really nice and giving person.”

A prolific published writer, Minkowicz is also the author of several theatre plays, TV scripts, articles for magazines and newspapers, and sketches for radio.

“When I started living in New York many years ago I felt that I need it to complement my formation as an actor, playwright and comedian with film studies and I decided to attend New York Film Academy,” said the NYFA alumnus. “It has been really helpful for my career for several reasons. I’m not only a comedian but I’m also a published playwright in Argentina. I run a theater and dance company with my wife called ‘Human Works’ based in Brussels. Our last project ‘Dry Act #2: South Domino’ is a piece about games divided in three parts: a documentary, a performance and a board game that I invented. I would never have been able to make the documentary without attending NYFA.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHacSgZBwbY&feature=youtu.be

In addition to his work in New York, Minkowicz holds a yearly workshop for professional comedians in Buenos Aires, sharing his experiences as an international and New York based comedian. The workshop is given as a ‘writer’s room’ where the participants have the possibility of developing material together with colleagues. “I receive a lot of questions about whether you can translate material from one language to another, and my answer is normally no,” says Minkowicz. “The reason is that people will not perceive me the same way in Argentina as they do in the United States or United Kingdom. Therefore, the comedian should always be aware of what different peoples perception of you are and act in consequence, not necessarily giving them what they want, but you could prove them wrong in their opinions.”

Minkowicz will be featured in tonight’s April 27 open mic show at the New York Film Academy Theater at 17 Battery Place in lower Manhattan, hosted by NYFA Instructor Criag Fox. The evening begins at 7pm and includes a night of stand-up, live music, and poetry where NYFA students have the opportunity to share the stage with NYC pros.

On May 18, Minkowicz is producing his own show called “The Argentinean’s Rancho” at the New York Comedy Club. (Tickets are only $10 with the code “Rancho.”)

He will be performing for an hour at the “Best Newcomer” all August at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh. It’s a solo show with stand-up, film, and music, featuring known and not so known comedians from around the globe “advising” him on what is the best way to win a prize a the festival.

VARIETY HIGHLIGHTS NYFA MUSICAL THEATRE PROGRAMS

With “La La Land” putting movie musicals back into the limelight of modern Hollywood cinema, more and more aspiring musical theatre actors are turning to the New York Film Academy Musical Theatre program, as Variety noted in a recent article.

Since 2012, NYFA Musical Theatre’s Two-Year Conservatory has developed original movie musicals to prepare students not only for the stage but also for careers in the film and television industry.

Each film consists of original music and stories that feature collaborations with industry professionals such as Tony Award-winner James Monroe Iglehart and Tony Award-nominee Charlotte D’amboise. While these respected and well-known Broadway names draw attention to each musical, it is the students who remain the stars of the films.

Touching on a range of topics — from “The Ghosts of Ethan Dean,” a cautionary drama about addiction, to “Landed,” which follows a group of expats trying to make it in New York — each film showcases a modern musical paradigm with an edgier subject matter with the hopes of encouraging aspiring performers and theatre producers to confront issues that truly speak to millennials.

NYFA’s productions of “Landed,” “Streetwrite,” and “Gingerbread House,” have all screened at film festivals across the country, including the Manhattan Film Festival, The Nova Fest, NewFilmmakers NY, the Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival, and others. “Landed” will also screen at the Cinema New York Film Festival. More details will be available on their website including the program and how to purchase tickets.

“Seeking Alice” won Best Musical at the Nova Fest and “The Ghosts Of Ethan Dean” won Best Musical Short at the 15th Anniversary Garden State Film Festival.

“We’re so excited by this program because of the quality of what the students experience in the classroom, and the quality of what they put on film,” said NYFA Senior Executive Vice President David Klein in his recent interview with Variety. “There is so much opportunity for them.”

“The musical form is something that has great currency overseas,” added NYFA President Michael Young. “There is an opportunity to develop these programs and bring them around the world.”

NYFA Musical Theatre Alumna Cast in Asian Tour of “Sister Act”

New York Film Academy Musical Theatre alumna Sophie Kim So-hyang has been cast in the US production of the hit Broadway musical “Sister Act,” making her the first Korean actress to have been cast in the American production of the musical. She will play the part of Sister Mary Robert, a quiet and timid nun who becomes inspired by the main character Delores to eventually break out of her shell. The show is a musical adaptation of the hit 1992 comedy film of the same name starring Whoopi Goldberg.

“My Korean agent told me that there will an audition for ‘Sister Act’ in the Asian tour and that I should try to get in,” said Kim. “At first, I didn’t think too much about it because there are no roles for Asians in the play. But since it was an Asian tour, my agent told me that there would be a slight possibility of getting the part. So, I auditioned, got several callbacks, and finally got it. I was so excited!”

Born and raised in Korea’s theatre district, Kim and her mother went to many shows as a child. “My parents were really supportive and always encouraged me to be an actress,” she recalls. “I was the kind of girl who loved to sing and dance.”

While in Korea, Kim performed in many shows such as “Rent,” “Aida,” “Mamma Mia,” “Dreamgirls,” “Fame,” “West Side Story,” “Evita,” and “Wedding Singer.”

After attending and graduating from NYFA’s Musical Theatre Conservatory, Kim became the first person to join the AEA (Actors Equity Association) as a theatre actress from Korea. She played ‘Gigi’ from Miss Saigon (Paramount Theatre) ‘Tupim’ from ‘The King and I’ (Harbor Lights Theatre). Kim also appeared in the show of “Oliver,” “Spool Girl,” “6 Month Club,” and “Portrait of Father.”
“Everything I’m doing now I learned from NYFA,” said Kim. “I learned history, preparing for auditions, ballet, vocal, stage combat, jazz, tap, Meisner, makeup, improv, and so much more. I would never be able to get a job if I didn’t go this school.”

This Friday, April 28th, Kim will perform in the EnoB Benefit Concert at Saint Peter’s Church in Manhattan. The Benefit Concert is a semi-annual fundraising event hosted by EnoB, a non-profit music outreach organization that serves hospitalized and disabled children and youth and senior citizens through the joy and the healing power of music. It’s an opportunity for EnoB to raise funds to sustain the critical services for people in need and celebrate its work among friends and family.

The Asian tour of “Sister Act” will begin in Singapore from May 9-28.

NYFA Covers Make-A-Film-Foundation’s Premiere of “The Black Ghiandola”

This Saturday the New York Film Academy’s Red Carpet Team was invited to cover an exclusive event at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Filmmakers from every corner of the globe showed up for the premiere of “The Black Ghiandola,” which was created by the Make-A-Film Foundation.

The Make-A-Film Foundation is an organization, founded by NYFA alumna Tamika Lamison, that gives terminally ill children an opportunity to make a movie. Their goal is to make 50 shorts a year with hospitals, 60 children short films, and two red carpets a year.

This first red carpet of the year highlighted filmmaker Anthony Conti; a sixteen-year-old who was diagnosed with stage 4 Adrenal Cortical Cancer. Conti took his diagnose and turned it into art. The “Black Ghiandola” is a love story set amongst a zombie apocalypse. With his entire family gone the only thing he wants to do is save the love of his life. Conti passed before the screening, but he was able to see a final cut and approved of how his vision turned out.

It is no surprise the film was a huge success. Directors included Sam Raimi, Catherine Hardwicke, and Ted Melfi. Appearances by Johnny Depp, Penelope Ann Miller, Richard Chamberlin, Laura Dern, David Lynch, and former NYFA guest speaker J.K. Simmons elevated the film.

NYFA LA Red Carpet Correspondent and current student Amari Agee had the opportunity to interview Hardwicke and Miller on the carpet. Agee said of the evening, “I had a blast. I can’t wait to do it again.”

The New York Film Academy would like to thank Ms. Lamison for giving this incredible opportunity to our students. For the latest in red carpets and special events for all of NYFA’s campuses check us out on Snapchat.