On Wednesday, November 2, the New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus hosted a screening of Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest venture, “Before the Flood.” Directed by Fisher Stevens (“John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown,” “Another World”), “Before the Flood” is a powerful documentary following DiCaprio as he interviews scientists about global warming and its impact on the human race. The film features legendary scientists, politicians, and religious leaders including Barack Obama, Elon Musk, and Pope Francis.
Students from all departments packed the theater to be the first to glimpse the film. Acting student Zayne Clayton said, “I came because this is Leo’s project. He’s a great actor and I want to see what he’s doing in his off time. It’s kind of inspiring.”
Some came because of the star power, others for the film’s message. “I’m very interested in how climate change is affecting the world. I want to see how we can change it,” said John Porras.
After the screening, there were several tears and many planned to act on the call to action. Helen Ávila, who has been following DiCaprio’s activism and the development of Before the Flood through his Instagram, said, “This film shows what’s really happening. I hope people see the film and start to act.”
New York Film Academy would like to thank Tova Laiter for helping bring this film to NYFA students. “Before the Flood” is now in theaters.
Since graduating from New York Film Academy’s Musical Theatre program, Jaspal Binning has found success acting in theatre and television. In 2013, Binning appeared in Aaron Sorkin’s HBO series “The Newsroom,” and, beginning this month, the acting graduate will be playing the lead in Netflix’s original new series, “Brown Nation.”
Binning recently directed a TV pilot, “Doomsday,” which was an official selection at the three major TV festivals in the U.S. — the New York Television Festival, ITV Fest, and Series Fest.
He won Best Director (along with his co-director Sonja O’Hara) at the New York Television Festival and Best Pilot of the Festival at ITV Fest. His project has been featured in Deadline Hollywood (which you can view here) and Variety (which you can view here). Binning will continue to film the rest of the series in the coming year.
Starting Nov. 15, you will be able to see Binning as Guatam in the Netflix series, “Brown Nation.”
Below is a recent conversation the Academy had with the successful alumnus.
Congrats on all of your success thus far! Can you talk to us about “Brown Nation”? How did the role of Gautam come about for you?
Actors Access. A service that actors of all levels can use to submit themselves for consideration on a wide variety of projects. You don’t need an agent or a manager to register. I saw “Brown Nation,” on a breakdown and submitted myself for it. It was initially under a SAG New Media contract and it is now a Netflix show. It goes to show you just never know what will resonate with networks, so I believe you should always challenge yourself and put yourself out there.
How would you describe your relationship with the show’s writer/director, Abi Varghese?
Very strong. Abi is a visionary, and I feel very fortunate to have worked with him. He is a very kind, intelligent, but, most of all, patient director — a quality that I feel all directors should have, as patience is key in creating great performances. He exemplifies what it is to understand the human condition and guide it out of the actors and into the camera.
In your own words, how would you describe your character? Is he someone you can relate to?
Gautam is an intelligent office worker with a sensitive soul who comes across as a tragic hero. He always strives for the best, but feels he is let down by the stupidity of the other workers surrounding him, especially his boss, Hasmukh. He is a driven man trying to do the best for himself and his family, who cares about his work and strives to be the best in his field. I strive to do the best work I can possibly do and try to learn from every experience, both personally and professionally.
What were some of the biggest challenges in getting into this role?
I have never been married, so understanding that responsibility, and trying to bring truth to that circumstance was a new challenge. It’s not as simple as just putting on a ring. There is a weight and responsibility to every choice, and every life decision, and that was a cool aspect of Gautam to learn about and to bring truth to. It is also the first time I have performed in a comedy on camera — which was completely new — having only acted in dramatic projects before it was a real lesson. Learning about specific angles, timing, and freedom. Thank God for Kevin Laibson and his improv classes!
Would you say your NYFA experience was helpful in terms of your acting in this role, and your overall understanding of working on set?
Incredibly helpful! Especially as NYFA is such an international school. My fellow classmates were from all over the world. Going through the daily motions of classes with incredible human beings while also learning about their cultures, heavily impacted me in a positive way. Witnessing the diversity of students at NYFA has encouraged me to always strive for diversity and equal opportunity in all of the work I create now. I recognize the industry is still lopsided at the moment with regards to race, gender, sexuality and disability, and I hope this show encourages our industry to promote diversity, and reflect real life on stage and screen.
Have you already binged this series or will you be waiting like the rest of us?
I haven’t. I’m not cool enough. I will be binge watching with the rest of you on Nov. 15, and I really hope you enjoy it!
What advice do you have for students looking to break into the professional world of TV and film?
Know who you are, first and foremost. Your quality will always shine through and that is what casting directors, directors and producers are looking for in every circumstance. You are unique, and bring your own truth. The camera never lies. I also think it’s very important to have hobbies outside of acting that keep you grounded, like watching sports, travelling, reading, learning about life and applying that to your work. I’m an epic Manchester United fan, so if you’re ever in a football/soccer bar in New York you might see me around!
Are you working on anything else that you’d like to share with us?
In terms of performing, I will be acting on a new Amazon TV series (that I’m not yet allowed to tell you about, but I will soon, promise) and I also began writing. I’m currently in advanced talks with a production company to produce my new pilot that I just created.
The New York Film Academy Broadcast Journalism program has had quite an exhilarating and educational experience during the 2016 election season. For the third time, Colonel Jack Jacobs hosted an exclusive tour of NBC News for the NYFA 1-Year Broadcast Journalism students and program Chair Bill Einreinhofer. Col. Jacobs is chair of NYFA’s Veterans Advancement Program, a Medal of Honor recipient, and a frequent contributor to MSNBC.
“It is an honor to be involved in this business at NBC, and it is a great pleasure to expose NYFA students to the intricacies of the skill required behind the scenes to produce top-quality information and deliver it to those who consume it,” said Col. Jacobs.
Thanks to Col. Jacobs, students were given an inside look as to how TV news is produced at a major American television network at a crucial time in American history. In fact, the Election Night sets were still in the process of being built.
“There are few things in journalism more exciting than broadcast and cable news,” said Col. Jacobs. “They are always on the cusp of breaking events, and they feed the expanding reach of handheld delivery devices.”
Students also had a chance to sit in “the big chair,” which is typically occupied by the network’s top news anchors.
“To a budding journalist, NBC is what Wall Street is to a business student,” said Farai Makoni, a fall 2016 1-Year Broadcast Journalism student from South Africa. “Getting a chance to see the ins-and-outs of such a media giant further reminded me why I am doing broadcast journalism. It was an honor.”
Finally, students had the opportunity to briefly chat with MSNBC anchor Joy Reid before she headed off to the production studio for her Saturday morning broadcast. Ms. Reid is host of “ The Reid Report” on weekdays at 2 p.m. on MSNBC. She is also the former managing editor of theGrio.com, a daily online news and opinion platform devoted to delivering stories and perspectives that reflect and affect African-American audiences.
“Broadcast and cable professionals make it look so easy,” said Col. Jacobs. “When we see segments on television, we are struck by how smooth things look and how closely melded the commentary and visual elements are. But NYFA students know the truth: This is hard work that requires study and practice. I am always impressed by the consummate skill that NYFA students acquire in the classroom and then translate into superb product.”
The NBC News tour is offered exclusively to NYFA 1-Year Broadcast Journalism students. It’s one of the many fine elements that make studying journalism at NYFA so unique.
On Tuesday, October 25th, the New York Film Academy helped bring cultures together by working alongside the Korean Producers and Directors Educational Institute (KPDE) at the YouTube Space in Los Angeles. The producers traveled to America to learn about the American style of development, streaming, and television audiences.
The tour of YouTube Space included all the highlights. In the first studio, they visited there was a podium with a mock presidential seal at the far end of the room. This set was housed in one of the smaller studios, but the group had fun pretending to address the nation.
The next studio they visited was the largest in the building. Studio one is decked out with a hanging light rig, sound absorbing floors, and a three hundred and sixty-degree catwalk. Sets that have been housed in this space include half an airplane and a two-story hotel.
Other highlights of the trip include the gear room which holds a RED Dragon, a green screen room where Weezer shot a music video and the control room where live streams are produced.
The New York Film Academy would like to thank YouTube Space for hosting us and the Korean Producers and Director’s Educational Institute. If you’d like to learn more about YouTube Space LA and their various locations around the world click here.
For five plus years, the New York Film Academy Los Angeles has been sending teams to the LA AIDS Walk. And since Hollywood loves franchises, we did it again!
Starting in 1985, AIDS Walk Los Angeles has benefited AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), an organization dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by HIV disease. Their goal is to reduce the incidence of HIV infection and advocating for fair and effective HIV-related public policy.
Actor Peter Gallagher (“The OC,” “American Beauty”) and Mayor Eric Garrett sent the 10,000 walkers off in style through the streets of Downtown LA. Unlike last year’s surface-of-the-sun level heat wave, the weather cooperated and even some clouds helped shield our speedy NYFA Walkers. With our trusted unofficial mascot, Gambit, by our side, the team made it all 10 KM in record time (for us).
Once again, New York Film Academy is among the top fundraising universities… and can rise even further with your help!
Our team is still accepting donations for this important cause at: http://la.aidswalk.net/nyfa The deadline is November 15 — in order to be counted for this year’s total.
Enrollment for the 2016 Academic Year at the New York Film Academy College of Visual & Performing Arts (NYFA) includes a cohort of 10 outstanding international graduate students attending the Academy under the Fulbright Foreign Student Program.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Foreign Student Program enables graduate students, young professionals, and artists from abroad to research and study in the United States for one year or longer at U.S. universities or other appropriate institutions.
This year’s NYFA Fulbright Program group is the largest to date, and represents nine countries: Angola; Bahrain; Bulgaria; Egypt; Finland; Indonesia; Lithuania; Spain; and Uruguay. These students are enrolled in the graduate departments of filmmaking, screenwriting, documentary filmmaking, photography, and film and media.
In the past eight years, NYFA has hosted more than 40 Fulbright students from 22 countries, with every world region represented. NYFA is also honored to have four current faculty members that have received Fulbright fellowships. “The New York Film Academy is extremely proud to be a Fulbright Center of Academic Excellence, and to welcome extremely talented and creative new Fulbright graduate students every year,” said Jim Miller, New York Film Academy’s Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. Miller continued, “For a small higher education institution with a special focus, such as NYFA, the number of foreign Fulbright students is very impressive, and we are honored that these gifted artists have chosen our institution at which to accomplish their educational goals.”
A welcome dinner for the new Fulbright students was hosted by Dr. Jose Siles (president of the Fulbright Association’s LA chapter) and Miguel Cruz (film and TV director, NYFA director of Fulbright initiatives, Fulbright alum ‘05, and the vice president of the Fulbright Association’s LA chapter).
Dr. Siles, a Fulbright postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and Professor Cruz discussed different aspects of the Fulbright experience, and opportunities for our young students in the vibrant Fulbright community of Los Angeles. They also reinforced the close collaboration between NYFA and the Fulbright Association Chapter that has produced common events such as the successful 2015 TEDxFulbright conference. Very recently, NYFA faculty curated the visual presentations that will be shown at the upcoming National Fulbright Association Conference held this month in Washington, DC.
During the dinner, students and faculty had the opportunity to brainstorm about common projects, such as an exclusive visit for our Fulbrighters to the JPL premises in Pasadena and the possible Fulbright Film Festival to be hosted by NYFA in 2017.
It was a wonderful event during which the students had the opportunity to learn more about each other and about the Fulbright mission and community.
“Educational exchange can turn nations into people, contributing as no other form of communication can to the humanizing of international relations.”
– J. William Fulbright, 1983
These guests are not faculty and do not teach at NYFA, but they have appeared to share their stories and experience with our students. As guest speakers are scheduled based on their availability, NYFA cannot guarantee whether a guest speaker will visit during a student’s attendance or who that guest speaker may be. This guest speaker forum is not part of any NYFA curriculum and attendance at guest speaker events is purely voluntary. Students should be aware that guest speaker events do not represent a job opportunity nor are they intended to provide industry connections.
With tomorrow’s election coming up, New York Film Academy Broadcast Journalism students are getting more than their share of political news experience in the Big Apple.
We start with a spectacular behind-the-scenes tour of NBC News on Saturday. The tour was made possible by MSNBC contributor Col. Jack Jacobs, Chair of NYFA’s Veterans Advancement Program. A great friend of NYFA, he showed the Fall 2016 1-year students how TV news is produced at a major American television network.
In fact, the Election Night sets were still in the process of being built.
Students got a chance to sit in “the big chair” that will be occupied by top news anchors/presenters tomorrow night.
We also had the opportunity to briefly chat with MSNBC anchor Joy Reid before she was off to the production studio for her Saturday morning broadcast.
This tour is offered exclusively to NYFA 1-year Broadcast Journalism students. It’s one of the things that makes studying journalism at NYFA unique.
Finally, Tuesday night, election night, the BroadcastJournalism program is sending out three camera crews to cover the conclusion of what many are calling the most important election in decades. One NYFA News team will be at Clinton HQ, one will be at Trump HQ, and one will be in Times Square to get public reaction.
We believe this is a great learning opportunity, as the students will be covering a “real-world” story that has both national and international ramifications. The night will be unpredictable, and they will have to make editorial decisions on-the-fly. Equally important, they will only get one chance to capture essential footage.
The New York Film Academy Documentary Department is proud to announce the premiere of four NYFA thesis documentaries selected for the renowned DOC NYC Film Festival this Friday, November 11th, from 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM at the IFC Center, 323 6th Ave, New York, NY.
Brainchild of the Toronto International Film Festival’s celebrated programmer Thom Powers, 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 second year in a row where NYFA student thesis projects will premiere at the festival.
“Whether breaking your heart, opening your eyes or keeping you laughing for 16 minutes straight, these four films announce the arrival of a group of fast rising new Doc-Stars. And they are but the tip of an iceberg,” said Andrea Swift, Chair, NYFA Documentary Department. “We couldn’t be prouder to see them premiere at one of the top documentary festivals in the world.”
The NYFA thesis films that will screen are:
LEAVE-TAKING
Directed by Laura Snow
When Laura was 5 years old, her father moved out of the home and into a trailer in the backyard. Twenty years later, Laura sets out to discover why in this unsentimental, unvarnished family mystery. For anyone who grew up with a father just out of reach, and for veterans and their families still haunted by the horrors of war.
UNWELCOME
Directed by Ida Myklebost
Six year-old Menwar and his family live in a tent at a gas station in Greece. Having fled the Syrian Civil War, they now face the biggest decision of their lives: will they follow the other refugees to a prison-like government camp or break all the rules and make an illegal run for the border.
COACH MIKE
Directed by Anais Michel
Coach Mike instills strict Russian discipline, expects perfection and relentlessly demands that his boxers deliver — even though they are only 6 years old — and mostly just want to get through elementary school in one piece.
MOKSHA
Directed by Pavan Kumar Indla
There’s a hotel in India where people go to die. Here, Narayan seeks Moksha above the roar of the giant ritual fires that cremate the ceaseless stream of dead brought to Varanasi to enter the sacred river Ganges. If one can leave the body behind in Varanasi, it is believed they will be released from the cycle of birth and death, achieving Moksha. Narayan’s is a deep, intimate spiritual journey toward that end.
With limited seats available, you can purchase tickets to NYFA’s DOC NYC screening, here.
New York Film Academy Screenwriting students were invited to Nickelodeon headquarters in Manhattan to attend an entertaining and educational event with Nickelodeon show creators, executive producers and screenwriters. While nobody was slimed or got to meet SpongeBob Squarepants, students were able to meet with and learn from the writers behind-the-scenes of their favorite childhood shows. They were even given a peek into the writers’ room, which is the dream office of many aspiring screenwriters.
The students in attendance were Oluf Marshall, Heather Gil, Christopher Garro, Jianda Song, Merrill Watzman, and Thomas Cersley.
“This made me long for a writers’ room,” said screenwriting student, Thomas Cersley. “The collaboration that you get — the white board, hiring your best friends to make jokes all day — all of these guys are living out their dream. It’s certainly one way to motivate yourself.”
“I thought it was great to see how they get into their mind frame,” added screenwriting student, Christopher Garro.
For writers with completed screenplays looking to break into TV writing for kids, Nickelodeon offers an annual Writing Program that selects some of the top comedic TV spec scripts from writers of all backgrounds.
For more information, visit their Writing Program website by clicking here.
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The New York Film Academy Documentary Department is proud to announce the premiere of four 
