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Anna Serner Speaks on Behalf of Gender Equality in Film

anna serner

Since the beginning of 2000, the pursuit for gender equality in film has been an ongoing objective in Sweden. To reach that goal by the end of 2015, the Swedish Film Institute, led by its CEO Anna Serner, made an actionable plan with encouraging results. Under her guidance since 2011, the Swedish Film Institute has made Sweden the first-ever country to achieve 50:50 gender parity in terms of government financing for films. Last year, Serner succeeded in funding an equal number of films made by women and men in Sweden and Europe.

On Monday night, New York Film Academy students, faculty and staff were invited to attend a special lecture and discussion with Anna Serner, CEO of the Swedish Film Institute, to hear a presentation on a topic very much in the forefront here and abroad. That topic is gender equality in the film industry. Much has been said and written about the significant pay and role disparity in the acting field and the fact that women are under represented in the directing profession both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Ms. Serner, who presides over the institute, a governmental organization which reviews applications and grants funding to prospective filmmakers, presented a list of most common arguments to which she has been subjected that seek to reinforce that disparity in the Swedish film industry and tied those to the conditions that exist in the American film industry as well. The arguments include rationalizations ranging from accusations of funding by quota to ‘women just don’t want to be directors’. Her responses brought to light cultural obstacles and ways of thinking that perpetuate these misconceptions.

Regarding the accusation of managing by quota she responded, “We don’t do quota.” She went on to say that if an organization does that they have two different funding mechanisms—quota and quality. She maintains that the primary criterion is always quality and commented at length throughout the presentation regarding the quality of female produced and directed works.

Key to overcoming these obstacles is a system in which female filmmakers are mentored and educated on how to navigate the system. Also key to moving forward, according to Serner, is an inclusive approach that helps to change male cultural paradigms, and brings distributors in early in the development of female led projects in order to make them vested sooner in the process and appreciate the evolution of the films in question.

Grad’s ‘Susie Q’ to Premiere at NYC Independent Film Festival

Like so many filmmakers, from amateurs to professionals, there came a time when New York Film Academy graduate Vilan Trub felt like a failure after being unable to complete his first attempt at directing a feature film. As the cliché goes, most people will fail many times before achieving something great.

To take his mind off of his disappointing debut, Trub went to the NY Film Forum to enjoy a screening of Jean-Luc Godard’s “Bande a Part” (Band of Outsiders) — a movie that was never completed. He kept thinking if Godard could make that film, there’s no reason he couldn’t put a feature together himself.

“That’s the ultimate lesson we, as filmmakers, should take from Godard’s work,” says Trub. “All you need is a simple story and the will to go out and shoot it to completion. If you’ve studied movies and why they work, you’ll know how to make even the smallest feature work.”
With a newfound motivation and reenforced confidence, Trub went out and completed the feature film, “Susie Q,” which surrounds two down-and-out brothers spending their days fighting over the attention of a neighborhood ‘bad girl’ while plotting how to rob her.

“This movie is meant to show what it’s like to be young, what it’s like to be in love, what it’s like to think you’re in love, and what it’s like to be stupid,” said Trub. “I want people to watch this movie and remember what specific emotions and feelings they had when they were the same age as the characters in the movie. The only way I could achieve that was by creating characters and a world that are ridiculous and generally unbelievable. Sometimes the only way to be reminded of a real feeling is by seeing the day dreams we create while living with that feeling. That is why the more ridiculous the characters’ actions seem, the more believable their emotions become.”

“Susie Q,” starring Antonio Robles, Ausar English, and Olga Elliot, will premiere Thursday, April 28 at 7:15PM at the NYC Independent Film Festival at the Producers Club in Manhattan.

“NYFA was definitely an important experience for me because it gave me the opportunity to work together with other filmmakers,” said Trub. “It showed me what kind of other personalities are going into this and what drives them and how. It was like being an athlete playing against the best competition. We learned how to work together for a common goal. There is a respect and at the same time the drive of knowing you want to be better than the other students and want to make the best movies ever made, because you know it’s in you.”

“Being a TA for a summer youth program at NYFA was just as important. It gave me the opportunity to see growing passions for cinema as they first start to develop. Everything is new to the students and what they consider important and inspiring and why is very interesting.”

With one successful feature film in the books, Trub is already preparing for his next movie, which he describes as an “anti sci-fi movie.”

“It’s about the gene inside us that drives us to explore, whether crossing the Atlantic Ocean for the first time to see new lands or exploring our own limits as human beings,” addes Trub. “Is that drive inherently part of our existence?”

For more information and tickets for “Susie Q,” please CLICK HERE.

To view the trailer for “Susie Q,” please CLICK HERE.

And that’s not all that’s in the works for this busy filmmaker. Trub’s upcoming crime thriller “The Dirty Kind” has recently signed Michael Madsen (“Reservoir Dogs,” “Kill Bill”) as executive producer.

NYFA South Beach Campus Hosts Premiere Screening: “Beyond Glory”

A red carpet, lights beaming into the sky, celebrities and local dignitaries posing for photographs—this was the scene this past Saturday night at the City of Miami’s historic Manuel Artime Theater, where the New York Film Academy College of Visual & Performing Arts (NYFA) South Beach campus held a Hollywood-style film event in support of the veterans community of South Florida.

NYFA is grateful to have partnered with the City of Miami’s Office of Film & Television, Miami Dade College, and 8180 Films in presenting the documentary film, Beyond Glory, written and performed by the award-winning stage and screen star, Stephen Lang. The film was directed by Larry Brand, narrated by Gary Sinise, and was executive-produced by multiple film-industry award-winners, James Cameron and Jon Landau.

Beyond Glory tells the stories of eight veterans from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. It renders first-hand accounts of valor that resulted in the awarding of the nation’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor. The oral histories of these eight men are brought to life through Lang’s commanding performance. The Wall Street Journal’s entertainment critic reported the experience as, “One of the richest, most complex pieces of acting I’ve seen in my theater-going life”. On hand Saturday for the Q & A with Mr. Lang was NYFA’s-own Colonel Jack Jacobs, the College’s Chair of the Veteran’s Advancement Program. The conversation, which was moderated by Maylen Dominquez, Associate Chair of Filmmaking at NYFA’s South Beach campus, was an inspirational exchange between the actor and Colonel Jacob’s, who is one of 75 living Medal of Honor recipients. Both Col. Jacobs and Mr. Lang personally knew the Medal of Honor recipients portrayed in the film, and there was a wonderful exchange of stories both of the battlefield valor and the colorful characters of the men.

The program began with a celebration of the collaboration between the City of Miami and NYFA. Mayor Tomas Regalado presented the key to the City of Miami to Colonel Jacobs in recognition of his valor in service to the country. The Mayor also presented Mr. Lang with a special certificate of appreciation. Lt. Col. Antonio Colmenares, the Director of Veteran Services in the City of Miami, spoke passionately about the need to support local veterans and joined the Mayor and others in welcoming the New York Film Academy to the South Florida community. NYFA’s VP and South Beach Director, Elli Ventouras, spoke about the College’s facility in South Beach, opened last September, which offers degree programs and workshops in filmmaking, acting, and photography, among other professional disciplines.

It was a special evening, enjoyed by many Miami citizens—including those in military service—as well as NYFA faculty and students.

You may view the entire photo album of our photo booth on the NYFA Facebook page by clicking HERE.

For more images from the event, please click HERE.

Filmmaking Grad Lands Editor Position at ‘Content’ in LA

The latest music video, “Champion,” from famous Trinidadian cricketer and singer Dwayne “DJ” Bravo made quite an impression around the world. After blowing up on YouTube with over 12 millions views in a month, it successfully premiered on ESPN. The music video was edited by NYFA Grad Bogdan Yansen, who became involved with the project as a part of the CONTENT team.

Yansen admits that he wasn’t initially sure what he wanted to do in the film industry when he first came to Hollywood. So he decided to start by attending the One-Year Filmmaking Program at New York Film Academy where he was able to get experience in all of the key positions involved with filmmaking. During the educational process he realized that his main interest was in cinematography and digital editing.

“To succeed in the industry you have to find the right position for yourself,” said Yansen. “Once you can determine what your real passion is, things will fall into place. NYFA helped me to find out what I’m good at. Prior to NYFA, I received a Master’s in Architecture and never knew that it could be so useful in terms of cinematography. I can analyze the space and apply it for the visual aspects of the shot.”

It seems that Bogdan Yansen is on the right track in his career. Right after graduating from New York Film Academy he was offered an editor position at the Los Angeles based production company Content, which provides its clients with all aspects of video, photo, audio and SM content, including photoshoots, films production, commercials, music videos, and more.

Last year, Yansen made several projects as a DP, including the music video “Roller Skater” for Swedish DJ Chris Tall, travel guide TV project “Citizen of the World,” and the character-driven short comedy “Amish.”

NYFA wishes Bogdan Yansen all the best and is looking forward to hearing about his future professional accomplishments!

NYFA Actions Basketball Team Wins Burbank Sports League

The New York Film Academy College of Visual & Performing Arts Men’s Basketball team performed admirably this Winter 2016 Season thanks to the guidance of their coach, former player, Lucius Allen, who not only played for the 1971 NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks, but was also a part of the two-time NCAA championship team at UCLA in 1967 and 1968. At the beginning of the season, our NYFA Actions faced off against high-level opponents with ‘down-to-the-wire’ victories. During the mid-season reign, the team continued to grow and enhance their skills and court strategies, which paid off when they earned a solid position in the playoffs.

The first round of the playoffs tested the team’s training and diligence when matched against formidable teams. The games started out close, but in the end, NYFA secured victories culminating in a score of 61- 50 in their final game to end the playoff season. With their new found ethics of team work, led by coach Lucius Allen, the NYFA Actions earned their place in the championship game for the Burbank Sports League.

The season finally came to a head this past Tuesday night when the Actions took on the Burbank ‘Wolf pack’ in the championship game of the Burbank Sports League. It was a true nail biter, but the team kept their composure and were able to keep the score close as starting point guard Jean Hyppolite led the way with 23 points.

With aggressive defense, and a well-executed offense, the Actions were able to take the lead away from the ‘Wolf pack’. They held this advantage until the end of the game with a win and a final score of 65-56.

Coach Lucius Allen, and the entire basketball athletic staff have done an incredible job this season. We’d like to invite everyone out to the games this summer as our very own NYFA Actions will be looking to move up a division and repeat this season’s victory.

Matthew Modine’s “Super Sex” Premieres at Tribeca

Friend and frequent guest of the New York Film Academy, Matthew Modine premiered his short film last week at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film, Super Sex, was shot by Julio Macat and stars Kevin Nealon, Elizbeth Perkins, Efren Ramirez, Ruby Modine, and the legendary Ed Asner. Given Modine’s strong relationship and respect to the Academy and its students, he and his team crewed up with the NYFA Industry Lab—a program set up at the Los Angeles campus to provide real world experience while preparing students for life after graduation

“It’s important to give back,” said Modine in an interview with Rafael Pi Roman from MetroFocus. “All of these experiences that we have in our life. It’s important to give people the opportunity to apprentice.”

Several students, in fact, had the opportunity to be an apprentice to Modine and Hollywood cinematographer, Julio Macat. Evan Stulc of the Industry Lab’s camera department was brought on to be Macat’s camera assistant, giving him an amazing opportunity to work with one of the leading cinematographers in the motion picture industry. Macat has worked as cinematographer on films like Home Alone, Ace Ventura, Horrible Bosses 2, and many others.

“It was a fantastic experience,” said NYFA’s Evan Stulc. “I learned so much about the craft working alongside a legend like Julio.”

Modine and his producer, Joe Toronto, also interviewed NYFA students eager to work on the film. Toronto chose Mara Topic as an Associate Producer. Joann Wong, Alyssa Manno, Egor Povolotskiy, Aaron Pong, James Geyer, David Mori, and Nick Ramsey worked in the art, lighting, and editorial departments.

“It was wonderful working with the NYFA students,” said Toronto. “They were helpful and enthusiastic and worked hand-in-hand with experienced professionals. I feel the best way to learn a craft is by doing—and they did!”

The film received a terrific response at the TFF, which leads us to believe we’ll be seeing Modine’s feature films in the near future.

To watch the full interview with Matthew Modine on MetroFocus, in which he discusses his film, his upcoming projects and his work with the New York Film Academy, please click HERE.

NYFA Student Veterans Film Vets4Warriors PSA with Colonel Jacobs

Last week, New York Film Academy Veteran Advancement Program’s Chair, Medal of Honor recipient Colonel (Ret.) Jack Jacobs, was delighted to host the Director of Rutgers University Behavioral HealthCare (UBHC) Major General (Ret.) Mark Graham for a collaboration that would bring the spotlight on Vets4Warriors and the wonderful accomplishments of this unique hotline.

Vets4Warriors is an exciting, multi-platform, peer-to-peer resource network—staffed by veterans—for veterans and military members of all eras of conflict. It is more than just a crisis hotline—the aim is to service and provide assistance to those who have been impacted by military service before an avoidable challenge or catastrophe occurs in their lives.

Colonel Jacobs, speaking on behalf of both institutions, filmed with NYFA veteran students and production team members to create a public service announcement that will promote Vets4Warriors, now in its fifth year, to an even larger national audience.

The partnership between the New York Film Academy and Rutgers UBHC symbolizes both institutions dedication to those who have served our country faithfully.

‘Blair Witch’ Producer Michael Monello Discusses TV Marketing Through Storytelling

New York Film Academy Game Design Chair Phoebe Elefante invited Michael Monello, a pioneer in digital marketing and storytelling. As one of the creators of the cult classic The Blair Witch Project, Monello and his film forever changed how audiences engage with story, and how marketers approach the Internet.

After Blair Witch began opening doors for Monello, he founded Campfire—where he currently leads the creative team—working with some of the world’s biggest and most prestigious brands including HBO, Cinemax, Harley Davidson, Infiniti, National Geographic, FX, Verizon and more. His work has been awarded top honors at the One Show, Clio, Mixx, ad:Tech, Effies and Cannes Lions Festival.

Still a staunch storyteller at heart, Mike was a charismatic and highly informative speaker, who understands the future of storytelling and the rapidly shifting media landscape. As a creative entrepreneur who has landed major work with shows like Game of Thrones and True Blood, Monello advised students interested in acquiring similar clients to have a tight pitch with a focus.

“You must understand what the investor or the specific company wants,” said Monello. “You have to know who you are selling to. What’s the organization like? Where are they going? Is there a statement about the future of the company? Then, pitch through that lens.”

As an example, Monello recalled his initial pitch to HBO in order to promote their first season of True Blood. Not only did Monello and his team have to discover who their audience is and what they want, but they also had to learn and truly understand the overall internal landscape of HBO—the creators, executives, marketing team, on-air promo team, etc. Once he and his team had a firm grasp on the duties and needs of each team, they were able to secure the job with a “capabilities pitch” that fit the needs for everyone.

In terms of continuing to work and maintain relationships with networks like HBO, Monello says it’s all about delivering quality work and always knowing your audience. “Never get cynical about your audience,” says Monello. Just as gamers don’t want to be typecast as teenage boys who live in their parents’ basement, other audiences do not appreciate being pigeonholed in terms of the marketing approach to gain their interest.

As a final piece of advice for NYFA game design students, Monello encouraged them to look for ideas outside of gaming. Do not draw inspiration solely from other games. Considering the surrounding landscape of our campuses and the diverse background of our students, we’re feeling pretty confident that our students will be able to develop truly original content.

NYFA’s Craig Ross Jr. to Direct Pilot for TV One

New York Film Academy Directing Instructor Craig Ross, Jr. has been tapped to direct an upcoming drama series from media titan Cathy Hughes. Ross has previously directed a number of high profile television shows, such as Number, Bones, Prison Break, and NCIS. Ross says he and the producers worked together in the past, and he has been on the verge of working with this network for months now.

Hughes founded Radio One and later expanded into TV One, which went public in 1998, making Hughes the first and only African-American woman to head a publicly traded corporation at the time.

The upcoming series for TV One, tentatively titled “Cathy Hughes Presents Media,” was written by Kevin Arkadie and is being produced by Sheila Ducksworth, Susan Banks, Kevin Arkadie, and Mitchell Galin. The series is said to be a soap opera surrounding a black family with a media empire called JUMP—Jones Universal Media Productions.

“It’s intelligent writing with suspense and dramatic twists,” says Ross. “So, yeah, that’s definitely in my wheelhouse.”

Production is set to begin on May 9th, 2016.