Page 25 – NYFA

NYFA Alum Bill Hader’s Barry Season 3 Is Still Killer

NYFA Alum Bill Hader's Barry Season 3 Is Still Killer

NYFA Alum Bill Hader’s Barry Season 3 Is Still Killer

After a critically-acclaimed first and second season, NYFA Filmmaking alum Bill Hader’s HBO Original Series, Barry is back with impeccable reviews and a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. From the start, Barry boasted a 98 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while season 2 and 3 scored 100 percent.

According to the critics’ consensus on season 3, “Bill Hader and company can take a well-deserved bow—Barry makes its belated return to the screen without missing a step, retaining its edge as one of television’s funniest and most unsettling offerings.”

Bill Hader co-created, directed, wrote, executive-produced, and starred in the hit-series. Since its premiere in 2018, Barry has amassed 30 Emmy Primetime Award nominations and 6 Emmy Awards, including two ‘Best Lead Actors in a Comedy Series’ and ‘Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.’

The premise of the comedy-drama is a unique one: a hitman, Barry, travels to Los Angeles to kill someone and finds himself joining an acting class in the process. His acting teacher, Gene Cousineau, played by NYFA Guest Speaker Henry Winkler, becomes a mentor for him and Barry begins to question his life path and choices. He also meets Sally Reed, an aspiring actress with whom he begins a romantic relationship. Hader notes higher stakes for season 3, “This season’s Barry is unhinged … living a lie more than ever before.” Sally steps into the role of girl boss running her own show, Hank (Barry’s criminal associate) sneaks around with the enemy and Barry’s former acting teacher, Cousineau, is out for revenge.

In a Q&A-List Series conversation with Tova Laiter back in 2019, Hader shared that the essence of Barry is in its protagonist. As an actor, you must feel things and as a hitman, you must detach yourself. Actors want to be seen and hitmen need to remain in the shadows. Hader’s knowledge of life as an actor made him the perfect man to lead this show. In the season 3 trailer, Barry says, ‘[Cousineau] didn’t just teach me how to be a better actor, he taught me how to be a human being,’ as though straight from the mouth of Stella Adler herself. The show does a remarkable job of capturing the essence of being an actor in Los Angeles while breathing real life and nuance into its leading hitman.

Check out the rest of the conversation below:

Since graduating from NYFA, Actor Bill Hader rose to fame and acclaim in a remarkable career in both film and television. Prior to Barry, Hader was a member of the cast of NBC’s Saturday Night Live for eight years, appearing in a total of 160 episodes over the course of his 8-season tenure. Hader received three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award for his comedic work on the NBC long-running show.

New York Film Academy is proud of Bill Hader’s incredible work, well-deserved recognition, and the success of his latest series Barry.

Please note: NYFA does not represent that these are typical or guaranteed career outcomes. The success of our graduates in any chosen professional pathway depends on multiple factors, and the achievements of NYFA alumni are the result of their hard work, perseverance, talent and circumstances.

NYFA DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING INSTRUCTOR CLAUDIA RASCHKE IS DP FOR CNN+ SERIES

NYFA Documentary Filmmaking Instructor Claudia Raschke’s career has run the course of 33 years. She started her career in 1988 and worked her way up to lead cinematographer. In 2011, she was the cinematographer for the Oscar-nominated documentary God is Bigger Than Elvis about actress Dolores Hart who renounced her successful career at the age of 24 to become a Benedictine nun, the film’s success was a precursor of what was to come for Raschke. She has since been the director of photography for multiple award-winning films: the Emmy award-winning documentary RBG about the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Peabody Award-winning film Black Magic on ESPN, and Oscar short-listed films Mad Hot Ballroom, Particle Fever, Atomic Homefront and The Freedom to Marry.

Right before the recent purchase of Twitter by tech magnate Elon Musk for $44 billion dollars, Raschke was working behind the camera to bring to life CNN +’s Land of the Giants: Titans of Tech, a five-part documentary-series about the world’s most powerful CEO’s and how their companies reshaped our world.

Land of the Giants: Titans of Tech examines the rise of Meta (formerly Facebook), Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google. This documentary series unearths the unabridged history of these organizations, from their meager origins to their current standing as billion-dollar entities and their impact on our society. The series uses a combination of archival footage and interviews with field experts, to give the viewers insight into the genesis of the worlds most influential companies and their polarizing founders: Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Reed Hastings, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

Raschke has worked on many projects, of varying subjects but what ties them all together is her method and style of filmmaking: Cinéma vérité. The term itself comes from the French film movement that took off in the 1960s, wherein directors filmed people in everyday situations speaking unscripted dialogue and interacting authentically. The term is used to describe a style of filmmaking that is unimposing.

NYFA Documentary Filmmaking Instructor Claudia Raschke behind the camera.

Raschke has a masterful eye for the truth and her style of filming allows her to tackle nuanced and complex subjects, similar to the ones in Land of the Giants: Titans of Tech and God is Bigger than Elvis, with intimacy. During a conversation with 20/20 host Liz Hinlein, Raschke explained that the key to documentary filmmaking is ceasing the moment. She also shared with us that, at times, while filmmaking, there is a level of vulnerability shared by both the cinematographer and the subject. Raschke said “there is bonding because we experience something together: emotions, anger, resolve, struggle and when that happens they do turn to me.”

Check out the interview below where Raschke discusses her experience filming the political legend Ruth Bader Ginsburg for the documentary film RBG, and cinéma vérité, the art of truthful documentary filmmaking.

NYFA congratulates Claudia Raschke for her commitment to teaching and her creative success!

New York Film Academy Named Top 25 School for Game Design & Animation

New York Film Academy (NYFA) is excited to announce that for the second year in a row, our Game Design Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program was ranked as a ‘Top 25 Game Design BFA program in the U.S.’ by Animation Career Review. Our Animation department was also listed as a ‘Top 25 School in California for Animation’ and ‘Top 25 Animation School and College on the West Coast’ for 2022.

Woot Woot!

It is an honor to be named among the ‘Top 25 Animation Schools on the West Coast’ by Animation Career Review and in honor of this achievement, we want to highlight the work of some of our alumni!

Francesco Panzieri

The NYFA 1-Year Conservatory 3D Animation & VFX alum Francesco Panzieri has a long list of credits ranging from Hollywood A-list films to popular TV series including Dune,Clash of the Titans, For Colored Girls, Madea’s Big Happy Family, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, Jingle Jangle, and many more.

In a conversation with NYFA, Francesco shared with us his advice for incoming students:

“Working in visual effects requires a never-ending amount of passion every day. For me, to be able to work alongside the filmmakers and the visual effects supervisors of movies that I’ve grown up watching back in my days in Italy still represents my biggest source of motivation and admiration for the job. It is a very challenging field of work because it involves art, science, and physics. You have to be open to always learn new technologies and techniques, and the number one rule in my book is to never give up. You are constantly being challenged with new tasks, new requests, and it is up to you to figure out a way to face those challenges.”

Diana Lobo Dias

The NYFA 1-Year Conservatory 3D Animation & VFX Diana has worked on numerous VFX projects since graduating. Her credits include Ad Astra, Venom, Cats, Pokemon Detective Pikachu Ad, Sonic the Hedgehog and many more.

Here’s Diana’s advice for new students:

“You get out of NYFA what you put in when you show up each day with enthusiasm and a readiness to listen and learn, you’re planting seeds with your teachers and classmates that blossom into a professional network. I am very grateful for my teachers at NYFA who not only taught me the skills I needed but also nurtured my potential, and then gave me my first industry opportunities. A special shoutout to Rob, Boaz, Gavin, Tim, and Phoebe!”

Andor Zahonyi

NYFA’s 12-Week Filmmaking workshop alum and professional Digital Compositor Andor Zahonyi has not stopped creating breath-taking visuals since completing the program. Andor has almost 50 visual effects credits on IMDB and more than 300 TV commercials as either VFX supervisor, editor, lead VFX artist or VFX artist credited to him.

The trailer for Andor’s most recent project,The HUN, saw great success in the festival circuit where it won first place in 12 festivals including Cannes World Film Festival, Europe Film Festival, Berlin Underground Film Festival, New Harvest Film Festival in Moscow and Hollywood Independent Filmmaker Awards and Festival.

Guillermo Quesada

NYFA alum Guillermo Quesada, graduated as a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Game Design at our Burbank-based campus. While studying at NYFA, he learned the art and craft of game design and storytelling at the professional level, acquiring the skills of game prototyping, playtesting, iteration, presentation, collaboration, and how to develop software using industry standards—including workflow, multiple platforms, and coding. All skills that he then transferred to his work in the remake of The Lion King using a virtual reality system.

NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY NAMED TOP 25 SCHOOL FOR GAME DESIGN & ANIMATION

NYFA’s BFA in 3D Animation & VFX is an eight-semester conservatory-based, full-time study undergraduate program. Our curriculum is designed to immerse gifted 3D Animation & VFX artists in all aspects of the discipline. NYFA’s 3D Animation & VFX programs provide a creative setting in which to challenge, inspire, and perfect the talents of its student body.

It is an honor to be named among the ‘Top 25 Animation Schools on the West Coast’ by Animation Career Review and in honor of this achievement, we want to highlight the work of some of our alumni!

Francesco Panzieri

The NYFA 1-Year Conservatory 3D Animation & VFX alum Francesco Panzieri has a long list of credits ranging from Hollywood A-list films to popular TV series including Dune, Clash of the Titans, For Colored Girls, Madea’s Big Happy Family, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, Jingle Jangle, and many more.

In a conversation with NYFA, Francesco shared with us his advice for incoming students:

“Working in visual effects requires a never-ending amount of passion every day. For me, to be able to work alongside the filmmakers and the visual effects supervisors of movies that I’ve grown up watching back in my days in Italy still represents my biggest source of motivation and admiration for the job. It is a very challenging field of work because it involves art, science, and physics. You have to be open to always learn new technologies and techniques, and the number one rule in my book is to never give up. You are constantly being challenged with new tasks, new requests, and it is up to you to figure out a way to face those challenges.”

Daniela Lobo Dias

The NYFA 1-Year Conservatory 3D Animation & VFX Daniela has worked on numerous VFX projects since graduating. Her credits include Ad Astra, Venom, Cats, Pokemon Detective Pikachu Ad, Sonic the Hedgehog and many more.

Here’s Daniela’s advice for new students:

“You get out of NYFA what you put in when you show up each day with enthusiasm and a readiness to listen and learn, you’re planting seeds with your teachers and classmates that blossom into a professional network. I am very grateful for my teachers at NYFA who not only taught me the skills I needed but also nurtured my potential, and then gave me my first industry opportunities. A special shoutout to Rob, Boaz, Gavin, Tim, and Phoebe!”

Andor Zahonyi

NYFA’s 12-Week Filmmaking workshop alum and professional Digital Compositor Andor Zahonyi has not stopped creating breath-taking visuals since completing the program. Andor has almost 50 visual effects credits on IMDB and more than 300 TV commercials as either VFX supervisor, editor, lead VFX artist or VFX artist credited to him.

The trailer for Andor’s most recent project, The HUN, saw great success in the festival circuit where it won first place in 12 festivals including Cannes World Film Festival, Europe Film Festival, Berlin Underground Film Festival, New Harvest Film Festival in Moscow and Hollywood Independent Filmmaker Awards and Festival.

Guillermo Quesada

NYFA alum Guillermo Quesada, graduated as a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Game Design at our Burbank-based campus. While studying at NYFA, he learned the art and craft of game design and storytelling at the professional level, acquiring the skills of game prototyping, playtesting, iteration, presentation, collaboration, and how to develop software using industry standards—including workflow, multiple platforms, and coding. All skills that he then transferred to his work in the remake of The Lion King using a virtual reality system.

New York Film Academy is very proud of our reputation in the Animation, VFX and Game Design industries, and we wish the best of luck to all our alumni who keep moving forward to push the limits and create internationally-recognized works.

Please note: NYFA does not represent that these are typical or guaranteed career outcomes. The success of our graduates in any chosen professional pathway depends on multiple factors, and the achievements of NYFA alumni are the result of their hard work, perseverance, talent and circumstances.

NYFA CHAIR OF CINEMATOGRAPHY (LA) IS DP FOR THE BEATLES DOCU-SERIES

NYFA Cinematography Chair (LA) Anthony Richmond, ASC has worked on films of varying genres; Don’t Look Now, a horror film for which Richmond won a BAFTA Award,The Man Who Fell from Earth a sci-fi film starring David Bowie, the horror-thriller Candyman, and the iconic rom-com Legally Blonde all form part of his eclectic portfolio. In addition to his extensive work behind the camera and his invaluable time in the classroom, Richmond is also a member of the Academy Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (A.M.P.A.S), British Academy of Film & Television Arts (B.A.F.T.A), American Society of Cinematographers (A.S.C), and British Society of Cinematographers (B.S.C).

Anthony Richmond’s career was covered in the April 2022 issue of American Cinematographer wherein the legendary magazine celebrates Richmond six-decade career and the way he’s captured rock-and-roll royalty throughout the years.

In January 1969, only two short years after becoming a cinematographer and five years after beginning his career in the film industry without any formal training, Richmond was entrusted with filming The Beatles as they prepared their 12th studio album and rehearsed for a world tour in under three weeks.

The initial release of Richmond’s Beatle footage was seen in Let It Be, a documentary that followed the Beatles through a “fly on the wall” perspective, devoid of narration and interviews from the band mates. In the first half of the film, the audience sees the band toil over songs, trying to make them better and rehearsing at Twickenham Film Studios in London. The Fab Four were not fond of Twickenham Studios and neither was Richmond who told American Cinematographer, “It was very boring — a big, old stage with a huge white cyc.” The colorful background we now recognize in the rehearsal space was Richmond’s doing. “There were a lot of lights rigged up in the gantry, so I had gaffer Jim Powell introduce different gel colors onto the cyc every day to get rid of the horribleness of the white.”

Whereas the first half of the film is focused on the band’s collaboration, the last part of the film is all about the Beatles’ performance on the rooftop of Apple corps headquarters. The impromptu performance would be the Bealtes’ last live performance together but Richmond maintains that it was a good experience. “Let It Be was a really dark piece about the Beatles breaking up,” he says, “but it certainly wasn’t an unpleasant experience for me. It’s always fun shooting.”

Richmond also says of the Beatles “[I] never thought of [the Beatles] as stars. I saw them as guys in a band. To me, stars were movie stars.” Perhaps it was best that Richmond was not starstruck by the most influential band of all time. Richmond’s footage is the gift that keeps giving and it’s the kind of footage that insists on the humanity of the Fab Four. It is why Peter Jackson and Jabez Olssen were able to edit almost 60 hours of footage for four years to bring us The Beatles: Get Back on Disney +.

The new footage in Get Back redirects the attention to what made the band so dynamic. Get Back
gives Beatles fans a front row seat into the band’s process and provides rock band novices a thorough introduction into the dynamics and mechanics of the legendary band.

Richmond spoke with NYFA 20/20 host Liz Hilein about his career, acknowledging that while it was easier in the 60’s to learn on the job, these days, the film industry moves at such a rapid pace there is less time to teach onset and highlights the importance of studying the greats.

The New York Film Academy congratulates NYFA Chair of Cinematography (LA) Anthony Richmond, ASC on all of his success and his timeless films!

NYFA INSTRUCTOR TOMMY MADDOX-UPSHAW, ASC WINS BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

NYFA Cinematography instructor Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, ASC grew up in Boston and first became interested in the world of cinematography when his sister Kyla got him a job as a Production Assistant for a Hype Williams music video at 19 years old. “I saw how the Cinematographer worked with everyone and created such beautiful images and I already liked photography,” he shared. “I was like, ‘I want to do what he does’. After this discovery, he set out to learn the art of cinematography even though his college didn’t have a film program. To bridge the gap and begin his studies, Maddox-Upshaw read American Cinematographer Magazine and watched documentaries like Visions of Light – which he cites as a major source of inspiration.

Since then, Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, ASC has worked on ground-breaking shows like Empire, On My Block, worked for commercial clients like Ford, Allstate, HBO and collaborated with visionary giants like Spike Lee and Matthew Libatique, ASC. Most recently, Maddox-Upshaw worked on FX’s Snowfall as Director of Photography.

Snowfall takes place in 80’s Los Angeles during the crack epidemic. The series follows several characters whose lives intersect, showing how a wide array of people were responsible, affected and caught in the middle of the crack epidemic that took the United States by storm in 1980’s. The series has seen great success and its breakout star British actor Damson Idris has become a fan-favorite for his portrayal of Franklin Saint. Snowfall has also received wide acclaim for its cinematography, its use of long takes and its iconic lighting of both Black skin tones and 80’s Los Angeles.

The critically-acclaimed show was renewed for its sixth and final season last week but not before scoring Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, ASC his first American Society of Cinematographer award for “Best Cinematography on a One-Hour TV Series (Commercial)”. Upon receiving this distinction, Maddox-Upshaw said, “Representation matters a lot.”

In 2020, Maddox-Upshaw joined the prestigious ranks of 380 active ASC members. In 2019, only 5% of its members were Latino, 3% were Asian and 2% were black, according to ASC. “Becoming part of the ASC has been a goal of mine since the time I really started to study and read American Cinematographer Magazine and watch Visions of Light when I was about 20 years old,” Maddox-Upshaw told NYFA.

The American Society of Cinematographers was founded over 100 years ago in 1919. The society was formed to advance the art of cinematography and gather cinematographers to discuss ideas and advocate for the art form. Since its inception, ASC has seen less than 800 members. The society has maintained its prestige in part due to a meticulous selection process: only film cinematographers and special effect supervisors can become ASC members, they must be a director of photography for a minimum of five out of the last eight years, have an impeccable professional reputation and be recommended by three active or retired ASC members.

“Congratulations to Tommy Maddox-Upshaw on behalf of the Cinematography faculty and everyone at NYFA,” says Mike Williamson, Associate Chair of the Cinematography Department at the NYFA Los Angeles campus, “He has been doing some amazing work recently, including many episodes of Snowfall, and it’s great to see that he is being recognized with this award. Receiving an award from the ASC means that you’re being honored by your peers, so this is a special honor for a cinematographer.”

Maddox-Upshaw sat with 20/20 series host Liz Hinlein to talk about photography styles, film school and how to light Black and brown skin tones:

The New York Film Academy congratulates Cinematography instructor Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, ASC for his achievements – we look forward to seeing more of his work!

NYFA SCREENWRITING ALUM MOHAMED DIAB DIRECTS MARVEL STUDIOS “MOON KNIGHT”

NYFA Screenwriting Alum Mohamed Diab Directs Marvel Studios 'Moon Knight'

NYFA Screenwriting Alum Mohamed Diab Directs Marvel Studios “Moon Knight”

April 7, 2022

Marvel’s first Arab director may be new to Hollywood filmmaking, but Mohamed Diab has an internationally-acclaimed body of work to his name. NYFA 1-Year Screenwriting alum Mohamed Diab is an award-winning Egyptian screenwriter and director known for telling intimate stories. His directorial debut Cairo 678, the story of three women in search of justice after being victims of sexual harassment in Egypt, won several awards. But despite the great success of his first film, Diab waited five years to release his sophomore film. His reason: he wanted to be better. Diab told NYFA, “Time is your best ally … I got better. I spent five years working on myself, learning, watching movies, watching international cinema, trying to get better and trying to teach myself.” And the results of Diab’s five years of preparation were tangible, his second feature film, Clash, was the official opening selection at the 2016 Cannes Festival, ‘Un Certain Regard’ category.

After the international success of his first two feature films, more doors opened. Diab found himself with a buffet of scripts and projects at his disposal – and he said “no” to them. For him, it was important to connect to the material and the projects weren’t clicking. Instead, he set out to write scripts with his wife and creative partner, Sarah Goher, and sold them to studios like Blumhouse Productions.

Everything changed when he read Jeremy Slater’s script for Moon Knight. Diab and Goher immediately set out to prepare what would be a 200-page pitch complete with locations, a score, tone, pictures and costumes. The pitch would become Moon Knight’s bible, what is today the Marvel miniseries.

Out of all the stories in the Marvel cinematic universe, Moon Knight was always the outcast in the catalog. Moon Knight made his first appearance in Werewolf by Night #32 as a man who received his powers as a byproduct of an ancient curse placed on him by an Egyptian god. The story, although it did not entirely align with the standard Marvel style, became a favorite amongst the editors at Marvel.

The character and the story were distinct and for the Disney + miniseries, there was only one man for the job.

Mohamed Diab and Oscar Isaac on the set of Moon Knight from Esquire

Diab has long championed the fight for Arab representation and been vocal about misrepresentations of Egypt as a flat desert place with only pyramids interrupting the landscape. Diab told Screen Rant, “The way we are always portrayed in cinema has always bothered Egyptians, because it’s mostly not shot in Egypt. Imagine Paris, and you’re seeing Big Ben at the back. It’s insulting, and it hurts. Or it’s shot in Egypt, but you’re trying to make it a bit exotic, so you always see the pyramids and the desert.”

As Marvel’s first Arab director, Diab made sure that this time around, Egypt was represented accurately. By collaborating closely with the film’s production designer and costume designer, Diab was able to depict Egypt as it is. He also made sure to bring along some of Egypt’s best, editor Ahmez Hafez and Egyptian composer Hesham Nazih to create the series’ score and ensured that 90% of the film’s Egyptians roles went to Egyptians. Diab told NYFA,“I hope that Moon Knight, if it succeeds, opens doors for more Egyptians – I tried my best to make a Moon Knight with an Egyptian flavor.”

Diab’s 200-page bible and search for authenticity proved to be successful; the series premiered last week to rave reviews.

Diab’s former screenwriting instructor and current Director of the Film Festival Department at NYFA, Crickett Rumley remembers Mohamed fondly, “I remember Mohamed as a thoughtful, inquisitive, observant student of both screenwriting and human nature. It’s been thrilling to watch him grow as a filmmaker, to see his stories connect with audiences first in his home country then in larger and larger arenas on the international film scene.”

Mohamed Diab shared with NYFA his advice for aspiring filmmakers, “believe in yourself … The people who achieve their goals are the people who bet on themselves and take risks.” He added, “I knew one day I would be back [in Hollywood], I was in Hollywood 15 years ago and I knew I would be back when I was ready.”

The New York Film Academy congratulates Mohamed Diab on all of his hard work, success and dedication to authentic representation!

FILMS FROM NYFA AUSTRALIA ALUMNI SELECTED FOR GOLD COAST FILM FESTIVAL

Drum roll please!

NYFA Australia Filmmaking Alum Stephen Osborne is no stranger to successful film releases. Since his short film, Jane, which he created as a New York Film Academy Australia (NYFA Australia) project, Stephen’s films have been collecting awards and screening at prestigious, internationally-acclaimed film festivals around the world like Los Angeles CineFest, Global Film Festival Award and the Gold Coast Film Festival in Australia.

This year – for the second year in a row – a Stephen Osborne film has been selected for the Gold Coast Film Festival!

The Gold Coast Film Festival is one of Australia’s stand-out festivals. With over two decades of international film production with the support of Warner Bros. Movie World and Village Roadshow Studios, the festival has dedicated itself to supporting the next generation of Australian filmmakers. The Gold Coast Film Festival has become a major event for the Australian film industry and ambitious filmmakers from around the globe; and this year, on April 26, Stephen Osborne’s feature film
Dome House 6 will have its world premiere at the Home of the Arts (HOTA) theater as part of the festival’s official selection.

Dome House 6 is set in the future, “after a significant collapse of civilization, it is a soft sci-fi thriller about trust, mischief, lust and control; that follows four seemingly unconnected people as they try to survive in a post-apocalyptic landscape.” The film includes a voice-over performance by Australian actress Charlotte Best, promising new-comer, Madyn Rae and actor and NYFA Australia alum Prem Sagar Krishnan.

In 2021, his first feature film Strangeville was invited to screen at the acclaimed Gold Coast Film Festival and compete in the Best Australian Indie Film category after the film’s world premiere at the Sydney Sci-fiction Film Festival. Strangeville, a film about a town by the same name known for its U.F.O activity, is home to mysterious alien abductions that are kept under wraps by the local law. The sci-fi film found much success and its lead actors were nominated in the Best Actor, Best Actress category at the Sydney Science Fiction Festival and hailed by Blunt Magazine as a “well-earned break for your viewing schedule.”

Needless to say, Dome House 6 had big shoes to fill – and it did not disappoint.

Check out this spotlight video on Award-Winning Filmmaker and NYFA Australia Filmmaking Grad Stephen Osborne.

NYFA Australia’s presence is being felt all around the Gold Coast Film Festival. This year – again, for the second time in a row – recent Filmmaking graduates are premiering their NYFA Australia student short films at the EMERGE! screening. Anantha Krishna Raj’s film DIG and Jackson Fields’ film The Driver are joining a handful young filmmakers as they showcase their short films at EMERGE!, in the Gold Coast Film Festival continued effort to usher Queensland’s next generation of filmmakers onto the big screen.

Dome House 6 screening and the Emerge! student short film showcase still have tickets available. To book your tickets, click the links below:

Tickets for
Dome House 6

Tuesday, 26 April at 7:00 p.m. AEST

Tickets for
DIG and The Driver

These films will be part of EMERGE! short film showcase.

Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. AEST

The New York Film Academy and NYFA Australia congratulates Stephen Osborne, Anantha Krishna Raj and Jackson Fields for their success and hard work! We are excited to see their films which also showcase an array of NYFA Australia students and alumni as part of their cast and crews.

Q&A with NYFA Acting Alum Amanda Azevedo

NYFA Acting for Film alum and Brazilian actress Amanda Azevedo recently starred in Netflix’s Back to 15 as Luiza, a seemingly-perfect young girl struggling with her desire to please everyone around her, alongside seasoned-performer, Maisa Silva. Prior to being cast in the Netflix original, Amanda was performing in plays in a theater in Sao Paulo – Back to 15 was her first big role!

However, although Amanda got her start in the theater, she is not new to the camera. In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic that shut down stores and theaters alike, Amanda created a web series called Call Com Cleo or Call Cleo. After going through a breakup at the start of quarantine, Cleo, played by Amanda is tasked with adapting herself to the single life in the midst of a global pandemic. In every episode of the web series, Cleo has a video call in monologue format.

Amanda spoke with the New York Film Academy about how she prepared for the role of Luiza, her biggest challenge since graduating from NYFA and her hopes for the future!

How long have you been acting?

I’ve been acting since I was 7 years old. I started in a theater company in Sao Paulo where I did more than 15 plays over the years. However when I went to college, I followed a different career. I was working in an advertising agency when I realized that what I really wanted was to be a professional actress. So in 2019, I left my job and went to NYC to start over and study with great teachers.

What prompted your interest in the Netflix series Back to 15?

Being able to talk to the youth in a light way about deeper subjects. I really liked the journey my character takes. I felt a real need to tell her story because I identified a lot with her, especially when I was a teenager. On top of that, there is this 2000’s vibe, which gave a really nostalgic feel to the show. And it’s incredible being part of a Netflix project, and being able to reach all around the world and therefore taking a Brazilian project to several countries.

What did you want to bring to the role of Luiza?

Luiza is a girl who appears to have the perfect life, but throughout the story we see that she suffers a lot trying to be this perfect girl that lives to please others, especially her mother, who puts a lot of expectations on her. I wanted to bring her dissatisfaction slowly, through details and subtleties. With one look, one breath the character becomes more vulnerable and throughout the episodes she’s getting closer and connected with the audience.

What’s the one thing you’d like audiences to take away from your role as Luiza, and the show in general?

I think the show talks about how we can write our own stories, no matter the expectations that others put on us. It’s important to open this topic with families so that young people can learn to understand themselves better and follow their own path.

How do you personally like to prepare for a role?

I like to justify everything, such as why the character has a type of behavior, create her past, her goals as well as using my own material. When creating Luiza, I recreated many situations that happened to me when I was a teenager, and talked to some girls who went through the same thing. I also studied some psychology articles to understand the relationship between Luiza, her mother and her sister. In addition to that, I watched a lot of 2000’s movies to dive into that universe. On set, during each scene, I liked to discover something new about the character.

Amanda Azevedo on the set of Back to 15 with a blue cake in front of her. — Amanda Azevedo on the set of Back to 15

What are your professional aspirations or goals as an actress?

Most importantly, I want to have a long steady career and continue to develop my craft because I know it’s a tough and competitive industry. I want to give life to different kinds of characters that contrast with Amanda’s way of living and biographic characters would also be an awesome challenge. I would love to film in many places in Brazil and in the world where I can be in touch with different cultures. Also, I aim to pursue an international career.

What has been the biggest challenge for you since graduating from NYFA?

After my graduation, I continued my studies on acting and even though I felt prepared, the biggest challenge was to get this first big job. I received some no’s in the past years, but they brought me to the big yes. It’s part of the journey!

What did you learn at NYFA that you applied directly to your recent work?

The set experience and the familiarity with the camera. NFYA has, in addition to the theory, a hands-on learning program which is essential to the craft. This preparation was really important to me to feel comfortable during the shooting and giving my best during the scenes, as Back to 15 was my first big project on TV.

Are there any other upcoming projects we should know about?

I’m in the process of creating a play and I’m still working on my web series Call Cleo, which I have on my Instagram and now it’s running through international festivals. And why not a second season of Back to 15? I’m hoping for it!

Do you have any advice for incoming Acting students?

Study a lot, be prepared and welcome the opportunities. Be in touch with your creativity, develop your own projects, don’t wait around for things to happen. Find out what you want to communicate to the world through your art because when you do a work that’s authentic, you most certainly will shine!

NYFA congratulates Amanda Azevedo on her work in Back to 15 and Call Cleo and all her future endeavors!