It’s with great enthusiasm that we discover New York Film Academy Sydney graduate Ren Thackham has not one, not two, but three films screening in this year’s Sydney Indie Film Festival!
Coming from a background in production design and having produced corporate videos for several years, Thackham returned to her hometown of Sydney to attend NYFA’s One Year Diploma of Screen and Media, in order to take her filmmaking skills to the next level.
“No matter how much experience you have flying solo, you’re miles behind anyone with a year of NYFA under their belt,” said Thackham. “The teachers are all industry, they’re speaking from experience not textbooks and they give real answers to real world questions. It provides the confidence to take on more ambitious projects. The training was definitely valuable and I miss it, but the post graduate support and the pride NYFA has in their graduates is worth the course fee alone.”
The three films that Thackham will be screening at the Sydney Indie Film Festival, which runs from October 17-25, are:
Lady Luck
A film that follows one man through a game of poker where Lady Luck herself materializes and takes him to a fantasy world where he meets the characters at the table as they really are. This was Thackham’s NYFA graduation film.
Glow
This short film throws a twist on the smartphone addiction debate by referring to it as an actual drug called Glow. Glow has been her most successful film thus far, as its been selected for nearly every online festival she has entered.
Brainless Killers
This is by far her most ambitious project. It’s set in a world where zombies and humans coexist. Zombridge is the town where all the zombies reside and survive off donations of cerebral fluid. The story follows a couple of journalists into Zombridge where they uncover an illegal hunting and farming operation and have to blow the lid off the story before they become victims themselves. It’s a twist on the animal rights issue, but instead of showing how animals are treated, Thackham gives a new perspective of how humans would like it if they were treated similarly by someone else further up the food chain. “Starring Australian Comedian ‘Steve Hughes’ with ‘Odd Studio’ doing the make up (The artists behind Mad Max Fury Road), and the best production design I could muster, it’s going to be my best film yet.”
Like most filmmakers, Thackham has a couple of feature scripts she’s currently writing. Her hopes are that her shorts will bring help her the attention and contacts needed to make her features a reality.
“When you have a project, even at script stage, your perspective of the world becomes richer,” says Thackham. “Every place you visit is a potential location, every item a prop, every stranger you meet could inspire a character, every situation you’re in could be a scene. That’s what makes you want to do it forever; it’s way more fun than living in the real world!”
If you’re in the Sydney area and would like to see Ren Thackham’s films, visit sydneyindiefilmfestival.com for more information.
Last week, the New York Film Academy hosted a Producer’s Guild of America East Documentary Committee’s special Q&A event with director Alex Gibney. Moderated by TV executive producer Mark Marabella, Gibney highlighted the obstacles that he’s faced as a director and producer of some of his films. Having produced and directed dozens of acclaimed documentaries (Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Taxi to the Dark Side, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room), Gibney “is becoming the most important documentarian of our time.” The statement from Esquire is no exaggeration, as the director has won an Academy Award, an Emmy, Grammy, Peabody, the DuPont-Columbia, the Independent Spirit, and Writers Guild of America Award, to name a few.
Alex Gibney with Mark Marabella at NYFA Battery Place
As it is rare for everything to run perfectly smooth during the production of a film, Gibney shared some personal stories and anecdotes as to how he managed to address, manage and circumvent these issues, and in some cases, thrive in them. His detailed stories and anecdotes were not only fascinating from the point of a view of a film enthusiast, but inspiring in terms of knowing there are ways to escape disaster situations on set and turn them into something positive.
We’re excited to see Gibney’s upcoming producing projects, which include Return to Timbuktu and The Penny Black. NYFA would also like to thank the PGA for arranging this wonderful evening, and we look forward to more insightful events in the future!
The New York Film Academy College of Visual and Performing Arts (NYFA) was proud to be the principal partner and sponsor of this year’s TEDxFulbright 2015, presented by the Fulbright Association and the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Fulbright Association.
This year’s TEDxFulbright was held on September 26th at The Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center and featured TEDTalks from 18 original and diverse speakers with the spirit of “fighting prejudice, ignorance, and intolerance.” The overall theme of the event was “Fights Worth Fighting.”
As the main partner, one of NYFA’s essential roles in the Santa Monica event was to provide a Hollywood experience to the overall night. NYFA’s Director of Fulbright Initiatives, Miguel Cruz, directed the production of the event. As a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Fulbright Association as well as a successful TV production background in Spain, Fulbright gave Cruz the lead on all of the production aspects of the evening. With Cruz on board, NYFA was thrilled to partner as well, providing all of the state of the art technical equipment and technicians from the school. The entire day was shot and edited live, with four cameras and streamed in real-time. A large crew of NYFA filmmaking students provided support, which gave the students the wonderful opportunity to experience being part of a professional production of this magnitude.
“With the technical set up provided by NYFA, I was able to create, design and direct a nine hour professional level, live show in a packed 500 seat theatre,” said Miguel Cruz. “The show contained a flow of videos and visual designs projected onto the screen that served as the storyline of the event.”
Of the eighteen notable guest speakers, including actor and filmmaker Dolph Lundgren, was NYFA’s Chair of Contemporary Photography, Ralph Gibson. Mr. Gibson’s talk was both emotional an inspirational as he shared with the audience his incredible background, causing many of them to reflect on the existence and importance of their own “visual identity” in this digital age.
Dolph Lundgren’s open and honest personal story of his abuse as a child, his background as a Fulbright scholar at MIT, and the reality of his life as a star in Hollywood was both moving and hard-hitting. It was his self-growth that led him to his currently active commitment to prevent human trafficking around the globe.
Many Fulbright students currently studying at NYFA were in attendance—as were a cohort of exceptional NYFA MFA students—and all were very appreciative of the opportunity to be at this well organized and inspirational evening. To date, NYFA has hosted more than 30 Fulbright student-scholars from 18 countries, and has been privileged to have former Fulbrighters as faculty.
“I hope this is the first of many collaborations,” added Cruz. “There is the possibility of collaborating again in a TEDxFulbright NY next year, as well as offers to bring the program to several locations around the world.”
As one speaker, Cristina Trenas, said in her talk, “filmmakers are the best ambassadors to spread and communicate the Fulbright mission.” Given the sentiment, this initiative undoubtedly makes NYFA a natural partner.
New York Film Academy (NYFA) Musical Theatre alum Audrey-Louise Beauséjour has dubbed the singing voice for Nala in the French audio track for Disney’s live action remake of The Lion King, filling in for Beyoncé who played the role in English this summer.
The Lion King, which releases digitally on October 11 and on home video on October 22, was one of several successes for Disney in 2019, grossing over a billion dollars at the box office. Several audio tracks have been recorded in non-English languages so people around the world could enjoy the movie’s famous musical numbers, in addition to its incredible visuals.
The film, a remake of the animated 1994 classic, employed a unique, state-of-the-art virtual reality set to bring the African savannah to life—technology partially developed by NYFA Game Design alum Guillermo Quesada. Directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Jungle Book), the 2019 Lion King co-stars Donald Glover, Beyoncé, James Earl Jones, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, and John Oliver in the original English track, among several others.
NYFA alum Audrey-Louise Beauséjour was a natural choice for the role of Nala, the love interest of main character Simba. The Canadian-born musician and singer enrolled at the Professional Conservatory of Musical Theatre at New York Film Academy (PCMT at NYFA) in Fall 2018, studying at our New York campus.
New York Film Academy congratulates musical theatre alum Audrey-Louise Beauséjour on her French-language singing role for Disney’s The Lion King!
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.
This Wednesday, September 30th, Paul Sunday’s Photography class welcomed celebrity photographer and film director, Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri. Indrani’s vast experience and unique sensibility makes her one of the most sought after professional visual artists in the world. Where do we begin…
Originally from Calcutta, India, Indrani’s photography career began while working with Markus Klinko in New York City. Indrani’s work was soon discovered by David Bowie, who commissioned her for his album cover. As one can imagine, Indrani was ecstatic to work with him, even mentioning she thought it was a prank at first.
Indrani lecturing at New York Film Academy
From there, Indrani’s celebrity clients grew to the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Anne Hathaway, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige, Eva Mendes, Katie Holmes, Britney Spears, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, Keanu Reeves, Jay-Z, Usher, Kanye West, Val Kilmer, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Will Smith, Jaden and Willow Smith. She has collaborated with KAWS and Richard Phillips, among others.
Her advertising clients have included Barney’s New York, LVMH, Lancome, Elizabeth Arden, L’Oreal Paris, Shiseido, Pantene, Head & Shoulders Herbal Essences, Remy Martin, Sky Blue, Lolita Lempika, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Wolford, Girard Perregaux, Anna Sui, MAC, Baume et Mercier, De Beers, Epson, Mattel Broncolor, Hello Kitty, Jaguar, Nike, Pepsi and others.
Her work has been featured in the top tier publications such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Harper’s Bazaar, Interview, GQ, The New York Times, The London Sunday Times, In Style and Time.
From strategies for collaborating with celebrities, to practical guidance on balancing technique and creativity, she broke it all down and delivered a memorable masterclass for us. According to Indrani, a lot of her success has come from being a great diplomat as well as being original and pushing the boundaries.
Often times, a photographer only has four to five solid minutes to work with a celebrity client, which can be a challenge within itself. “So much of photography is the talent you work with,” says Indrani. “Some actors are uncomfortable being themselves, and so sometimes you need to give them a role to play.”
Unlike some of other photography guests, Indrani shoots digitally only. Though, while she feels the tools are much easier to work with, she insists photographers continually challenge themselves.
Indrani with NYFA Photography Co-Chair, Paul Sunday
“Indrani moves through the world with diplomacy and grace and it is no surprise that celebrities the world over have trusted her with their images,” said New York Film Academy Photography Co-Chair, Paul Sunday. “She is a fine role model for emerging artists, balancing the glamour and gloss of her professional life with philanthropy as a persistent advocate for young women, education and environmental sustainability.”
Moving forward in her career, Indrani has taken to her original passion of filmmaking. Indrani’s film and stills for Digital Death won two Gold Lions at Cannes Festival of Creativity for TBWA/Keep A Child Alive and raised millions to fight AIDS in India and Africa. She has also directed music videos for David Bowie and Alicia Keys.
“It has been a joy to watch Indrani’s continued success as an image-maker, and a great honor to introduce her to our students,” added Sunday. “I was deeply touched by her advice to them regarding thinking and dreaming big. She firmly believes in the power of aspiration to greatly increase our chances of success and surprising ourselves. She counseled photographers to challenge themselves. She also encouraged all of us to hone our technical skills and keep pace with the changes in this ever expanding world of photographic possibilities.”
We wish Indrani the best of luck moving forward in her already incredible career, and sincerely thank her for enlightening our young visual artists.
We’d like to congratulate New York Film Academy Acting for Film instructor, Isaac Byrne, who recently won a New York Innovative Theater Award for Directing. The award came for his work on In Vestments, which also won Outstanding Premier of a New Play.
In Vestments, written by Sara Fellini, is about four priests and a sacristan who are haunted by their pasts and their present addictions while they live and work in a crumbling church they are struggling to rebuild. This unique performance took place at the West Park Presbyterian Church, which was abandoned for a while and is now in the process of being rebuilt. The play was considered a site specific and immersive performance. Audience members were led to their pews and seated by nuns. In that sense, the play happened all around you, not just in front of you on a stage.
This isn’t Byrne’s first involvement with an award-winning play. He was also nominated for directing The Other Mozart by Sylvia Milo, which won for Outstanding Solo Performance and Original Music.
We had a chance to catch up with the award-winning director to gather some more insight on In Vestments, his career, and his teaching.
How did you get involved with the project and where did the idea come from?
The playwright and lead actor, Sara Fellini, took my private acting class for a year and then came to me with a play she had written called Hazard a Little Death— which I ended up directing. We produced that play several times, always using a number of former NYFA students as actors in each production. Kaitlan Emory, Tara Scalesi, Daniel Benhamu, Antonio Thompson, Brigita Cajauskyte, Linnea Larsdotter, and Mary-Anne Wright all performed roles in the various productions.
Sara had worked for years as a sacristan at a Catholic Church in Queens and after the success of Hazard a Little Death (that play was nominated for number of Planet Connection Awards including Antonio Thompson for Actor in a featured role) she wrote In Vestments, which was inspired by her time as a sacristan.
We developed the project over several months, with the help of some other NYFA people: faculty Rico Rosetti, John Desiderio and former students Connor Lyons and Ben Mann.
What does this most recent award mean to you as an artist?
It’s always nice to be recognized for your work, especially on artistically rewarding pieces that aren’t big financial pay days. I’m mostly just happy that the hard work that the cast and crew put in paid off. It’s very validating. Sometimes you make money and sometimes you don’t make money but they give you nice little award for your resume and mantelpiece.
It gives you a little more cache when you’re meeting people, and you always meet more industry people when you get nominated for something. I’m actually meeting this week with a film and theatre producer that was one of the judges for this award, so hopefully this will lead to some more successful projects.
How do your professional achievements and experience come into play during your teaching?
Well, it’s always helpful to have a concrete recent example to point to when you’re trying to explain something in class. It’s good to be able to say: “that project just you saw; this is what we used to accomplish this” or “what I’m trying to show you right now; this is how that actor accomplished that performance you watched last night.”
You have to stay fresh and in the game, I think. The industry is always changing and growing and if you keep working, you do too—as an artist but also as a teacher, too.
What advice do you have for students looking to break into the world of theater / directing / acting?
Just know that there’s no magic day where you suddenly transition from student to artist. Your career has already begun. Your work and your attitude in the classroom is going tell everyone around you whether you are someone they want to work with. It’s not about talent; it’s about trust.
We had a lot of people, including some very notable Broadway actors, audition for the role of Jakamo in In Vestments. But it was Pierre Marais’ incredible diligence in his time as a student at NYFA that convinced me that he could do the role. I fought for him because I knew he had the talent and the ability, but most of all that I could trust him. Pierre really was at the heart of that production in so many ways. We fell right back into the language and rhythms we had working together in the classroom and it really helped speed up and facilitate the rehearsal process.
You never know where your next job is going to come from, but it almost always comes from the relationships you’ve built. Whether it’s a teacher or fellow student or someone you meet in an audition room after you graduate, you’ve got to get good at earning people’s trust with your skill, your attitude, and your professionalism. If you’re hard working and have a good attitude in a class then you’re building a reputation and a skill set that’s going to get you work.
Saturday, September 19th was a big day for New York Film Academy Los Angeles Acting, Screenwriting, Documentary, and Producing students who received their MFA, BFA, and AFA degrees in the morning at the Harmony Gold Theater in Hollywood. The graduates processed into the commencement ceremony dressed in cap and gown as family and friends, filling the 400-seat house, proudly looked on. Speaking and presenting diplomas as they presided over the graduation were Chair of Screenwriting Nunzio DeFilippis, Chair of Acting Lynda Goodfriend, Chair of Producing Tony Schwartz, Dean of Students Eric Conner, Chair of Documentary Barbara Multer-Wellin, and Associate Chair of Screenwriting Adam Finer.
Adele Lim, Guest Speaker
Adele Lim, the ceremony’s commencement speaker, known for writing and producing TV series such as One Tree Hill, Reign, Private Practice, and Life Unexpected among many others, delivered an extremely inspirational and often humorous speech that primed graduates to get out and conquer the entertainment industry. That evening the graduates and their guests enjoyed a chic after party at the Andaz Hotel’s Riot House Restaurant on the Sunset Strip.
Filmmaking students from New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus gathered with family and friends at the Harmony Gold Theater in Hollywood on Saturday, September 19th to receive their MFA, MA, and BFA degrees. There were two commencement ceremonies that occurred at 2pm and 6pm, each completely filling the 400-seat venue. Presiding over the ceremony, speaking, and presenting degrees from the Filmmaking Department were Chair Art Helterbran, Associate Chair David Newman, and Associate Chair Ed Timpe, as well as Dean of Students Eric Conner, and Dean of Academic Advising Mike Civille.
Commencement Speakers Erik Bork and Peter Strauss gave words of inspiration and advice for the future. Erick Bork is best known for his work on the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers and From the Earth to the Moon, for which he wrote multiple episodes and won two Emmy and two Golden Globe Awards as part of the producing team, and his blog Flying Wrestler for which he was named one of the “Top 10 Most Influential Screenwriting Bloggers” in 2014.
Since 2001, Peter Strauss has served as Executive Vice President of Mandalay Pictures (Sleepy Hollow, Donnie Brasco, I Know What You Did Last Summer). Before that he presided as EVP and Director at Allied Artists Pictures Corporation (Cabaret, Papillion, and The Man Who Would Be King), EVP at Rastar Films, President of Panache Productions Inc., and President, CEO and Chairman of the Board at International Movie Group Inc.
The graduates and their guests celebrated afterwards in the stylish party atmosphere of the Andaz Hotel’s Riot House Restaurant on the Sunset Strip.
Congratulations to New York Film Academy’s MFA, MA, and BFA Filmmaking Graduates!
Abdullah Abuljadail
Amal Aljohani
Daryl Anderson
Jared Carlson
Zenana Coombs
Kraig Dane
Xiao Guo
Seung Hoon Han
Amber Darlene Hayden-Gardenhire
Luis Henriquez
Ishani Jayamaha
Xiaochen Jiang
Jalon Johnson
Jun Kuang
Chantal Le Hunte
Chenxi Li
Guo Li
Xinyi Li
Yi Li
Kah Kai Liew
Simone Loudd
Binbin Ma
Runyu Ma
Allyson Manno
Luka Mgeladze
Andrey Milyayev
Brian Nkosi
Oliver Ernesto Olivo Batista
Alvaro Ortega Sanahuja
Stjepan Ostoic Papic
Tomer Preis
Catherine Rand
Eeshaan Roy
Martin Ruiz
Javier Salvago Escalera
Juan Sebastián Sarmiento Bazzani
Ke Shi
Shrunal Tembhurne
Leila Viera
Mariana Wahrhaftig
Sheng Wang
Meghan Weinstein
Yifan Xiao
Wei Xin
Fanting Xu
Kang Xu
Yunyi Zeng
Mimi Zhang
Jinming Zhao
Lin Zhao
Daniel Brizuela
Casey Daniel
Georgy Gorshunov
Brian Hayes
Casey Hempel
Richard Jacob
Gary Kent
Timothy Kirkpatrick
Carolina Mejia Lartilleux
Brian Melo
Sean Miyakawa
Andrey Nuzhnyy
Mariana Robles Thome
Brittney Sugar
Federico Bartolucci
Jose Guilherme Correia Jr.
Kellen Gibbs
Rochel Goldsmith
Fernando de Oliveira Haddad
Brooke Marshal Hagen
Oscar Ferid Hasbun Alcala
Johannes Hochgatterer
Sergey Korchinskiy
Edward Orozco
Thomas Personeni
Hans Stjernswaerd
Robert Styles
Siyu Wang
Zhirayr Avetisyan
Pierre Beaufrand Mendoza
Grigory Borodavkin
Ecenaz Bulat
Yiqi Cao
Junnian Cheng
Kamala Khanna Chittoor
Ifeoma Chukwuogo
Shiyuan Dai
Daniel Frank Demenezes
Iaroslav Denisov
Joaquin Fernandez Martin
Shan Gao
Markel Goikoetxea Markaida
Zhuoying Han
Yuzhe Huang
Stephen Johnson
Varun Kalyanasundaram
Dhrunad Gautambhai
Lyndall Eileen Klinkert
Yan Li
Binyue Liu
Lishuo Liu
Ye Luo
Wanlin Ma
Ioannis Marinopoulos
Huan Mo
Vasha Narace
Adesola Ibrahim Omidina
Shiyao Peng
Raja Pothineni
Otbah Rayess
Kevin Robert
Carla Roda Gomez
Jainardhan Sathyan
Shobi Nadeesha Chamini Seneviratne
Leqi Tao
Sophie Ellen Taylor
Liang Xie
Yunrui Yang
Ying Ye
Qianwei Zhang
BFA in Filmmaking
Mohamed Alaali
Mohammed Alhiniah
Madina Altynbayeva
Pedro Paulo Araujo
Matthew Beilinson
Sanzhar Bekzhanov
Ahmed Bhabhrawala
Pedro Borges
Maria Gabriela Cardenas
Yu-Ning Chen
Napoleon Cheung
Adrian Cicerone
Alisson Fhal
Louisa Grams
Alejandro Ibarra
Huibing Jiang
Bud Jones Jr.
Chi Shun Lee
Linxuan Li
Kwok Yaw Loh
Teng Ma
Mzonke Maloney
Diego Mejia Lartilleux
Karolina Mikolajczak
Aditya Mohan
Noan Ribeiro
Marcelo Rodrigues Barbosa
Omar Said
Zichen Song
Brianna Flores Stanton
Kang Yang
Victoria Yang
Zhikun Yu
Yi Zhang
Yimo Zhao
Yinpeng Zheng
Veteran students attending the New York Film Academy gathered on Saturday, September 12th to attend the USC Trojans football game at the famous “Coliseum” in Los Angeles. This event was in collaboration with the Veterans Department and the Veteran Student Association at the New York Film Academy.
As a school committed to its veterans, the sporting event was part of an ongoing effort to bring veterans together and develop a peer-to-peer support network within the veteran student population.
Army veteran and acting student, Doug Prideaux, had this to say about his experience at the game: “I enjoyed meeting fellow students and appreciate the support that the New York Film Academy provides to its veterans.”
Additionally, BFA Acting veteran student Joel Wright was thrilled to attend his first major college football game.
Not only was it a good day for the Trojans, putting up a whopping 59 points, it was an all around enjoyable afternoon of football and camaraderie for our fellow veteran students.
We extend our gratitude to the USC Center for Innovation and Research (CIR) on Veterans & Military Families for providing the tickets.
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We’d like to congratulate New York Film Academy 
