Page 212 – NYFA

Film Critic Peter Rainer to Teach at NYFA Los Angeles

Part of what makes up a successful filmmaker is a having a vast knowledge of cinema history. Look no further than Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, who are both well known for having an encyclopedic memory of films over the last century.

Given the importance of film and cinema studies, the New York Film Academy is delighted to welcome its newest faculty member, Peter Rainer, who has thirty years of professional experience as a film critic. “There is still nothing like seeing a movie in a theater on a big screen and being awed by the whole experience — that communal feeling,” says Rainer.

Rainer is currently the film critic for the Christian Science Monitor, a columnist for Bloomberg News, the president of the National Society of Film Critics, and a regular reviewer for FilmWeek on NPR. He’s also written for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles magazine, New York magazine, and New Times Los Angeles, where he was a finalist in 1998 for the Pulitzer Prize in Criticism. He is also a three-time winner of the Arts and Entertainment Journalism Award for best online film critic.

The first film Rainer reviewed professionally was “Chinatown,” which is considered a must-see for any aspiring screenwriter or director.

“I really had this jones to be a critic ever since my dad gave me this book called ‘Agee on Film: Criticism and Comment on the Movies,'” says Rainer. “I learned you could be a real writer and still be a critic.”There is still nothing like seeing a movie in a theatre on a big screen and being awed by the whole experience, that communal feeling.

rainer and calderon — NYFA Dean of the College Sonny Calderon with Peter Rainer

Beginning this spring, Rainer will begin teaching a special topics seminar at NYFA’s Los Angeles campus, which will consist of eight courses. His love for Robert Altman’s career will be an integral part of his course as he intends to screen and discuss much of his work.

In addition to his seminars, Rainer has been a guest speaker at NYFA LA and intends on speaking at its New York campus in 2017.

AWARD-WINNING FILM CRITIC PETER RAINER JOINS NYFA LA FACULTY

The New York Film Academy Los Angeles is delighted to welcome its newest faculty member, Peter Rainer, who has 30 years of professional experience as a film critic. “There is still nothing like seeing a movie in a theater on a big screen and being awed by the whole experience — that communal feeling,” says Rainer.

Rainer is currently the film critic for the Christian Science Monitor and can be heard regularly on NPR’s “Film Week” on kpcc-fm. He was one of three finalists in 1998 for the Pulitzer Prize in Criticism and is a three-time winner of the Arts and Entertainment Journalism Award for best online film critic.

Rainer is president of the National Society of Film Critics and has appeared as a film commentator on CNN, ABC News World Tonight, Bloomberg Radio and Nightline. Peter served as film critic for New York Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, New Times Los Angeles and Los Angeles magazine. His writings have also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, and GQ.

He has also written and co-produced two A&E biographies, on Sidney Poitier and John Huston, as well as co-authoring the film “Joyride” (1977). He has served on the main juries for the Venice and Montreal film festivals.

The first film Rainer reviewed professionally was “Chinatown,” which is considered a must-see for any aspiring screenwriter or director.

“I really had this jones to be a critic ever since my dad gave me this book called ‘Agee on Film: Criticism and Comment on the Movies,'” says Rainer, on beginning his career. “I learned you could be a real writer and still be a critic.”

Beginning this spring, Rainer will teach a special topics seminar which will consist of eight classes that focus on the career of Robert Altman, whose work Rainer admires tremendously.

For those looking to acquaint themselves with Rainer’s work prior to his lectures, we recommend some of his publications, which include “Love and Hisses” (1991) and “Rainer on Film: Thirty Years of Film Writing in a Turbulent Era” (2013), a career-spanning collection of his essays about which David Denby of The New Yorker wrote: “No one is better at establishing the intersection of politics and popular culture.”

In addition to his seminars, Rainer has been a guest speaker at NYFA LA and intends to speak at the New York campus in 2017.

Broadcast Journalism Grads Land Jobs at “Squawk Box,” “Record TV,” “Globo,” & “KION”

A number of Broadcast Journalism graduates from the New York Film Academy got in touch with Chair Bill Einreinhofer over the holidays, to inform him of some of the success they’ve achieved in 2016. Below are just a few of the graduates who have gone on to begin their careers in the industry.

Cameron Costa started a new job just days before she graduated from the September 12-week Evening Broadcast Journalism Workshop. Costa’s hard work got her a job on the CNBC show Squawk Box. She reports for work 4:30 am weekday mornings at the NASDAQ Stock Exchange here in Manhattan, and helps produce the leading cable business news morning program in the United States. In fact, the program is seen globally as well on CNBC International. Congratulations, Cameron!

Francielle Maines, a Summer Session graduate from Brazil, is now working a video editor at Record TV in her home town of Santa Catarina. She has been assigned to a wide range of projects, and we have no doubt she is doing remarkable work. We will always remember her for the fabulous story she did on a sultry August afternoon about dancers in City Hall Park, not far from NYFA’s Battery Place campus. (Don’t miss her remarkable stand-up, at :44 into the story.)

Laura Isern is also from Brazil. She attended the September 2016 4-week Broadcast Journalism workshop. Just before the Christmas holiday, she told me that she was hired as a Journalism Intern at media giant Globo. (Globo dominates the media scene in Brazil, across print, broadcast, cable and digital media platforms.) “During my interview, it was clear that my experience at NYFA was the one thing they liked the most about my curriculum,” said Isern. “I’ll be writing articles, but mainly, I’ll be practicing my audiovisual skills, producing content for their social networks.”

The first class Einreinhofer taught at NYFA when he became the Chair of the Broadcast Journalism department was the 12-week Evening course, and one of the graduates from that first class was Linda Zhang. Born in China, she moved to New York as a teenager. Bilingual and bi-cultural, she is a talented reporter. Last year she joined the news staff of KION in Salinas, California. While the Central Coast is generally considered a small TV market, Linda is right next door to Los Angeles, the #2 market in the country.

Congratulations to all of our graduates! We wish them much success as they continue represent the Academy all over the world.

NYFA does not represent that these are typical or guaranteed career outcomes nor does it have a career placement office. The success of our alumni is a testament to their hard work, talent and circumstances.

Child Dance Sensation Takes Up Acting for Film at NYFA

Kevin Tellez began having an interest in dance when he was four years old, but his talent was far beyond your average four-year old’s little shimmy. By the time he was seven years old he won first place at The World Latin Dance Cup.

“His father loves music, but I think that his talent comes from his hard work because he loves acting and dancing more than anything.”

Kevin has made appearances on several TV shows, including Ellen where he was able to show off his skills to the host, who is known for her love of dancing. He is now in Gloria Estefan’s Broadway show “On Your Feet,” where he has performed for over a year as the young Emilio Estefan.

Now at the age of 11, Tellez has taken up the 12-Week Kids Acting for Film Weekend program at the New York Film Academy.

“Before NYFA we tried other programs where he didn’t feel comfortable and didn’t enjoy it,” said Tellez’s mother, Anny Tellez. “At NYFA, he is learning and doing what he really loves. We definitely have seen improvement and growth in his acting.”

Like most parents with children in show business, Tellez’s parents were nervous about letting their son travel around the world and performing on Broadway. “Our main concern was school,” said Mrs. Tellez. “We thought it was going to be too much for him; going to school like everyone else and then going to Broadway. Luckily, we have been able to manage the acting and dancing career as well as school. He is a very responsible child and he has amazing grades in school. My husband and I didn’t want him to be home schooled. Kevin is the type of child that enjoys being around his peers and we try to keep his life as normal as possible.”

Kevin dreams to some day be an actor in Hollywood and hopes he will inspire other kids to follow their dreams.

“As a parent I would say that our job is to support our children in whatever it is that they want to do,” said Mrs. Tellez. “I never in my life thought that my son would be on Broadway and have a career in entertainment at such a young age. Sometimes it’s not easy to make time for everything that as parents we have to do, but we always want our children to be happy and will do the impossible for them — and some way or another we manage to do it. At the end of the day all of the sacrifices that we make are so worth it.”

NYFA Brings Digital Storytelling to Liberation Diploma High School

The Digital Storytelling Program was created to provide filmmaking access to a community that would not have had it otherwise. Over the course of eight weeks, New York Film Academy staff taught filmmaking to high schoolers from Liberation Diploma Plus High School in Coney Island. Each student wrote and directed his or her own short film, which will culminate in a screening this upcoming January 2017.

The project aims to create a fun and artistic opportunity for both students and teachers, and more importantly, gives students the opportunity to share their stories and voices through the medium of filmmaking.

“I believe change begins when those unaffected become just as outraged as the affected,” said Director of Youth Programs, Kenzie Ross. “With programs like this, young people can begin to believe in their voice, their creative mind and their empathy for others through storytelling. Human stories are why we love film so much and why we connect to timeless lessons time and time again. All humans and their stories need to be heard, not just the educated or elite. Art has no boundaries.”

“I loved the editing classes the most. That was good fun and I probably learned the most in that class,” said one of the high school students, Jamie.

“I liked the actual shooting of our films and being behind the camera,” added another student, Jay. “If [NYFA] does these classes again we would want to come.”

Sadly, at a lot of schools the first thing to go due to budget cuts is the arts program, when in fact it’s so important to allow for creative thinking. “Our focus is not to simply help facilitate the next generation of filmmakers and encourage self expression, but also enable students to develop interpersonal skills they can apply to any aspect of life, through team work, leadership, problem solving, etc,” said NYFA’s Rabia Mirza.

It’s been an amazing experience working with the wonderful group filmmakers from Liberation Diploma. We look forward to screening their wonderful short films this upcoming January 2017!

NYFA Volunteers for Rose Bowl Parade

On Monday, Dec. 26th, students, faculty, and staff volunteered their time to help build the city of Burbank’s float for the Rose Bowl Parade. This year’s theme is “Home Tweet Home” and features twirling birds and fun music.

New York Film Academy members brought family and friends and lined up early to register. Everyone ages six and up were welcome to come help. Jobs ranged from painting to coating portions of the float in seeds.

Coordinator Allyson Manno said, “It’s a huge honor to help build Burbank’s float. Not only is Burbank NYFA’s home, but they also win an award almost every year. This is a long lasting tradition. I’m excited to see NYFA take part in this great legacy.”

An hour into volunteering and NYFA had brought more people than there were jobs. In all, 120 people showed up to represent the school in the build. Organizers of the float were so impressed they invited NYFA to come back for the official judging this Saturday, Dec. 31st.

Judges from the Rose Bowl committee will come to the build site to make sure the float follows all the rules, is in proper working order, and judge the final presentation. Those in the Los Angeles area are encouraged to come by and show their support. The moving part of the float will be active and the float’s theme music will play.

For everyone who is bummed about missing out on volunteering, there’s no need to fear. The rest of the week is still open to volunteers. Workers will be doing construction every day from 10 AM to 10 PM.

NYFA would like to thank the Burbank Rose Bowl committee for inviting our crew to come back for judging as well as all those who gave their time to make the float a reality.

For a look at an album of photos of our generous volunteers, CLICK HERE.

NYFA Broadcast Journalism Grad George Colli to be Honored with 2017 duPont Award

New York Film Academy Broadcast Journalism graduate George Colli, along with the investigative team at NBC-Connecticut, has been honored with a 2017 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award. This is one of the most prestigious honors in American journalism, and we are so proud of what George has accomplished!

In July 2015, Colli and his team broke the story about dozens of homeowners in Hartford, Tolland and Windham Counties who discovered their concrete foundations were deteriorating. The homes with faulty basements were all built between the early 1980s and the early 2000s and most began to show signs of deterioration between ten and 20 years after construction. Their investigation was the catalyst for the State of Connecticut to launch its own multi-agency probe into the cause and scope of the problem.

“Thank for for all the support and mentorship,” said Colli to Broadcast Journalism Chair Bill Einreinhofer. “I really appreciate everything NYFA did to train me for this career.”

Every year about a dozen news stories and films are honored by the duPont-Columbia University Awards for the strength of their reporting, storytelling and impact in the public interest. The winning pieces are selected by the duPont jury from hundreds of entries vetted by a board of screeners.

This year’s duPont Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday January 25, at Columbia University’s Low Memorial Library. It will be co-hosted by Lester Holt, anchor of NBC Nightly News, and Jane Pauly, host of CBS Sunday Morning.

A Talk with NYFA Alumna Acelina Kuchukova

Acelina Kuchukova is a talented and ambitious woman who began working as a model at a very young age. In addition to modeling, Acelina received a degree in finance in her home country of Kazakhstan. After achieving many accomplishments in her career, she decided to become an actress. Now she works in Hollywood and can be seen in commercials, music videos and films. Despite her busy schedule, Acelina continues to improve herself and always has a positive attitude. She is already a SAG-AFTRA member and is ready to share some of her professional secrets.

Acelina, please tell us how you became a model? Was it your childhood dream?

No, it happened suddenly. When I was 13, two other girls and I were chosen from our school to present flowers to the President of Kazakhstan during some of the major official events of Astana. They taught us how to dress up, to do beautiful make up and so on. I was going to school in the mornings, and after that I attended different events in the national costume. I did not think I would become an actress at that time, but I became the face of Procter & Gamble Company in Kazakhstan in 2008. One of the tasks of that project was to make a short film. I started to work with a famous actor, Sergey Ufimtsev. I felt in my heart: “Oh, I like it, I want to become an actress.” At that moment my destiny was determined. When I won the “Miss Kazakhstan” competition, I went on to another competition, “Miss Universe.” There I was presented with a certificate for training at NYFA in Los Angeles in the Acting for Film program. It was in 2010. It was more important than the crown for me; it was the fulfillment of my dream!

Before entering NYFA I decided to go to one last competition, “Miss Multiverse,” and won the crown there. When my victory was announced, I was so excited. I did not expect that. Before that I had never won any international competitions. It was a worthy finish to my career as a model. I started my education in America in January 2014, in Hollywood, the home of the film industry.

You are in SAG-AFTRA, the Actor’s union. Please tell us what is required to enter SAG-AFTRA?

It is not easy. Anyone can get there, but there are some requirements. I started to work as an extra. It is very important to accept every job, because you do not know which will open the door for your career. This happened to me. I went to a small project and the director of a bigger project noticed me there. They accepted me because of my role as an extra in “La-La Land.” I received a SAG voucher on March 8, 2015, but became a full member of the union only six months ago because you have to pay a fee to join. You need to work on a large project if you want to become a member of SAG. In fact, you can be in commercials for big companies to enter the Union, but this project should be big.

Tell us more about your projects?

When I graduated NYFA, I got an OPT and had a lot of practice before I started fully working. I starred in short films, feature films, TV shows. I played in a commercial for Hulu. Recently, I had a part in a commercial about skin care products for a big company, Kayani. This was a very big project with video and brochures; I was a lead. I also starred in many music videos including RedOne’s “Don’t You Need Somebody,” Don Broco’s “Automatic,” Chris Brown’s “Picture Me Rollin” and AWOLNATION’s “Woman Woman” directed by Marc Klasfeld to name few.

Can you tell us about your work in the theater?

Yes, 2015 was very productive for me on stage. I was in the play “Imported Bride” at the Torrance Cultural Arts Theatre with 500 seats. Then I had a lead role in “Morbid Cabaret” at the McCadden Place Theater for two months. At the Next Stage Theatre I played in “The Dark Side of the Moon” directed by Chris Berubes. Also, when I was at NYFA, I performed in several plays.

Which projects are you most proud of?

My Kazakhstan TV project with Procter & Gamble, the television show “Pantene.” Also, I am very proud to have been awarded the crown at “Miss Multiverse” in 2014.

I starred in a commercial with Antonio Banderas, which was very important to me. In Hollywood, I am proud of my performances at the Torrance Cultural Arts Theatre, where for the first time I played in front of such a large audience. I am very proud of my work in the Hulu and Kayani commercials as well.

Acelina, please tell us about your experience at NYFA.

When I had the dream of becoming an actress I couldn’t imagine that I would study in Hollywood. But when I was awarded the certificate to study at NYFA in the Acting for Film program, I realized that my dream could become true.

In the Academy I felt at home. The director, Dan Mackler and all the instructors were so attentive to each student, as if they were their own children. They dedicate a lot of time to each individual. Instructors have vast experience and continue to work in their profession. I listened to lectures with great pleasure, trying to write everything down. I also took extra individual lessons. The program is very intense and well planned out. Of course, I had no time for a private life, only for classes. But I was happy! My favorite instructors were Ken Lerner, Andrew Bloch, and Suzanne Kemp.

Can you share with us the secret of your success?

I always set up goals and I am very persistent. Every year I write the plan for the next year on December 31. At first, I write big goals, and then break down steps for achievement. This year my mission was completed, because today I completed the last goal for 2016 — I got a driver’s license!

You need to write everything down, plan and do all you can towards your dream. It is very important to make priorities. It helps me not to dissipate attention and focus from the essentials. I attend all new screenings and film festivals. I try to spread positivity around me. I love what I do, and I would like to give advice to future students of NYFA: “If you chose acting, you should adore it. Otherwise, it is better not to start.”

Where do you see your career in a few years?

I will star in Hollywood blockbusters. In three to five years I will receive the Oscar!

Can you promise to give us an interview when you get the Oscar? We will remember this conversation.

Yes, of course I promise (laughing).

New York Film Academy would like to thank Acelina Kuchukova for taking the time to speak with us. We wish her success in all of her projects and achievement of all her goals.

Don’t forget to check her website for more info: www.acelina.com

NYFA Student’s Award-Winning Short “Rose Garden” Screens at 24 Film Festivals

MFA Filmmaking student Rafael Pires Nani’s short film, “Rose Garden,” which he shot in his first year at the New York Film Academy, was accepted into 24 film festivals so far, and has won fifteen awards.

“Rose Garden” tells the story of an intelligent kid who manages to easily drive his family and neighbors crazy. Though, more than relationships and family, it is about how some people can suddenly appear in our lives and completely change us. Like a fable, the movie is able to disarm minds and hearts, making people dive deep into the story.

“As an Intermediate Project, we spent four months constantly work-shopping the script in class,” recalls Nani. “My teachers and classmates were extremely important in helping me take my script to the next level. And all development — in terms of script analysis, shot list, floor plan, storyboards, and directing actors — made all the difference to me on set. It’s on the screen; everything was well thought out, and you can see the harmony in all of these elements.”

Nani says film festivals are about personal voice and style, and believes audiences at festivals are more open minded for new ideas. “They want something different, something that they can’t find in the mainstream,” says Nani. “Of course, they want to see a really good story, but I’ve been in lots of film festivals around the world, and I can tell there is a huge space for what’s new or different — even when the story is common and usual.

Though, Nani warns filmmakers not to create a film while thinking about festivals. “Do whatever you want to do; be proud of your work,” he adds. “When it’s done, you will find the festivals that will be related to your ideas.”

While continuing his MFA Filmmaking degree program, Nani is developing his thesis project, which is a feature sci-fi / horror film called “Bloody Eyes.”

“It’s a project that I’m really excited about, and I can’t wait to be back on the set to shoot it,” Nani said.