Page 84 – NYFA

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Faculty Spotlight on Jen Prince

Like many residents of Los Angeles, Jen Prince moved to the city from somewhere else. Hailing from Texas, she ventured to Los Angeles to attend film school and has been carving out a niche in the LA indie film scene ever since.

As an award-winning producer, director, and editor, Jen’s love of music, movies, and theatre shine throughout her various projects. Currently, she is in post-production on her feature film directorial debut, Miles Underwater, which was the recipient of the Duplass Brothers Seed & Spark Production Grant. In addition, Jen is a vocal advocate for women in film, and teaches a wide array of courses for NYFA’s Producing Department, is the mother of four, and brings her love of guacamole with her from South Texas.

New York Film Academy (NYFA): Hailing from Texas, you say that your love of music, theater, and film began there. Could you discuss some of your earliest influences?

Jen Prince (JP): There was always music in my home. My parents both play instruments and encouraged me to play from a young age. I played in the city’s youth orchestra and participated in my high school theatre program, which was top notch and a pretty singular experience. It was through that study that I became passionate about working with actors and directing, and decided to pursue it in college. With very few examples of female directors I could find in the video store, I definitely took notice and was inspired early on by Jodie Foster, particularly because of her attention to the actor’s process. As I started to explore older films, I was also taken with Mike Nichols and have continued to find inspiration from his films and approach to directing. Sandra Cisneros isn’t a filmmaker, but I learned a lot about creating a sense of place and point of view from her writing.

NYFA: Your experience in film is extensive, as a writer, producer, director, and post- production supervisor. How did you find yourself wearing so many different hats in the entertainment industry? If you could pick just one, which would it be?

JP: While I was in school I tried my hand at everything because I felt that to be the best director and producer I could be I needed facility with the language and needs of each department. After a few years of post-production gigs in reality television, I found myself itching to make films again and was inspired by my colleague’s scripts. That led to my first feature as a producer and we successfully pulled off a micro-budget road movie.

I have continued to follow a low-budget model to create work that I want to see made and I love working as a creative producer in the indie world. I have always felt most at home as a director and am currently in post on my directorial feature debut Miles Underwater. All my different jobs have allowed me to make more work in less time than if I had waited for someone’s permission (and financing) to grant me the job. My willingness to wear all the hats has helped me greenlight my projects.

NYFA: As a vocal advocate for women and mothers in film, could you discuss some of the challenges they face in this business and what can be done to overcome these obstacles?

JP: The statistics are real. Women, and particularly women of color, face well-established implicit and explicit bias when it comes to hiring women in film and, of course, in terms of equal pay.

The solution is to hire more women in EVERY position. Seek them out on your projects at every level. Look at your crew list and mandate diverse hires. If you are in the position to be a key in a department, request a new list of potential hires if what you are handed is all men or only has one person of color. The question is specifically about women in film, but of course we need better representation and intersectionality across all marginalized groups. Even on a student film—you are a gatekeeper to opportunity. I have produced four features and they have all had female DPs. Be the change you want to see.

I did not understand the challenge I faced when I graduated from film school. I was completely naive to the fact that just because I had passed the gatekeeper of acceptance to a top film school that in no way challenged the statistical almost certainty that I would not be given opportunities. We have to find our voice and press onward by demanding our successes be celebrated—by celebrating each other, by being patrons of each other’s work, by calling out bias, by HIRING OTHER WOMEN EVERY CHANCE WE GET. Stop waiting in line—this line is not for us.

NYFA: Any projects you would like to highlight?

JP: My two most recent completed indie features are available to stream online and rely almost entirely on word of mouth to be shared, so I’d love everyone to click on them. Quality Problems is a comedy I’m very proud to have made and it is the perfect antidote to cynicism. It’s a lovely film about a family (a real family) dealing with a health crisis while keeping their sense of humor and relationships intact. It was a joyful production and that shows up on screen. And Then There Was Eve is a drama featuring some incredible performances, cinematography, and music, a good example of what you can do with a little if you maximize resources in the right way.

NYFA: What are your favorite classes to teach at NYFA and why?

JP: One of my favorite classes is Directing for Producers. This subject teaches directing fundamentals through the lens of the producer—how do we support our directors, how do we ask the right questions to get their best work, how do we identify the biggest challenges and assets on each project? Most of these students have no experience working with actors and are fearful of that aspect of directing when we do our casting session, but by the end of the class they feel empowered to give direction and have a new respect for their process. I absolutely love the moment in class where they discover techniques for working with actors effectively and see it work in their films.

NYFA: What advice do you have for students looking to get into the entertainment industry?

JP: Figure out what is unique about your own worldview and find your confidence in your own voice, tastes, and personal mandates for your work. Take a look at the industry and look for the people doing work that aligns with you and these values. Try to keep getting closer to these circles. Network constantly. That means talk to people, but mostly LISTEN to people and ask thoughtful questions. Follow up on everything. Mean what you say. Support your peers work. Give more than you take. Show up as your authentic, kind self, every day everywhere (and work on being kind, we can all be kinder). Position yourself as close to the job you want to be doing as you can. Don’t stop writing, directing, producing, shooting, even if you have a day job. Don’t let anyone tell you what is impossible for you.

NYFA: Any advice on how to make killer guacamole?

JP: Yes. Diced tomatoes are key. Also, it always tastes better sharing with friends!

Another Successful Year for Nordic International Film Festival Founders & New York Film Academy (NYFA) Alumni

Last week saw another successful edition of the Nordic International Film Festival (NIFF), founded by New York Film Academy (NYFA) alumni Johan Matton and Linnea Larsdotter. This October marked the fifth year for NIFF.

This year’s fest was held at the renowned Roxy Cinema in Tribeca, and ran from October 16 – 20. The week saw a world premiere, six international premieres, two North American premieres, one US premiere, and 11 New York premieres among its multiple programs, with 79% of the official selections including at least one woman in a prominent role behind the camera. Jury members, hosts, and alumni of the festival included industry notables like Kristin Chenoweth, Bruce Greenwood, Jerome Flynn, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Veena Sud, Julian Glover, Lyndsy Fonseca, and Eric Roberts. Two special awards were given at this year’s program: the Nordic Film Grand Prize, which offers a one-week trip to the Faroe Islands, and the International Film Grand Prize, which offers a one-week trip to Finland.

Two additional awards were sponsored by New York Film Academy, and presented by NYFA President Michael J. Young. Night Cleaners by Hanna Nordenswan won Best Documentary Short, while Tia Kuovo, writer and director of We Retired People, won the Aurora Borealis Award for Best Up and Coming Filmmaker. Both award winners received scholarships for a 4-Week workshop of their choice at NYFA to advance their filmmaking studies.

“New York Film Academy is proud to support the Nordic International Film Festival,” Young expressed to the audience in a short speech, continuing, “and especially proud of our alumni Johan and Linnea, who created such an extraordinary and enduring festival.”

NIFF was founded in October 2015 by Swedish-born actors and producers Johan Matton and Linnea Larsdotter, both alumni of New York Film Academy. Matton attended the 2-Year Acting for Film conservatory in 2009 at our New York campus, as well as our 2-Day Line Producing workshop in 2018. Larsdotter attended the 2-Year Musical Theatre program at the Professional Conservatory of Musical Theatre at New York Film Academy (PCMT at NYFA) in 2010.

Matton and Larsdotter have worked hard to put NIFF together while building on each year’s success with bigger and grander goals. While speaking to the audience on closing night, Larsdotter highlighted the festival’s commitment to gender equality in filmmaking: “Here at NIFF it’s been our focus since the very beginning, me being a female producer in this industry, I know that there are obstacles we have to face, and I’m so proud to say … in this Official Selection we were 50/50 male and female directors,” stated Larsdotter to thunderous applause.

The Nordic International Film Festival is the biggest fest of its kind outside Europe, and features quality work of Scandinavian and international filmmakers in an exclusive, beautifully organized New York setting. NIFF has a mission that goes beyond the average film festival, one that seeks to build bridges between the Nordic region, encouraging and connecting filmmakers from all over the globe.

NIFF has presented diverse independent films with strong characters and storylines from artists around the world, including Oscar-nominated filmmakers, Nobel Prize winners, and star-studded casts, and aims to achieve a 50-50 male/female ratio each year, as well as creating zero non-recyclable waste during the festival while providing only environmental friendly, vegan food and snacks.

All in all, this year’s fest was a great success. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have completed our 5th annual Nordic International Film Festival,” says Matton. “With our strongest lineup of world premieres yet and the support from our incredible partners and organizations … this film festival will keep growing–and now with the support from NYFA, so will these incredible filmmakers.”

New York Film Academy congratulates NYFA alumni Johan Matton and Linnea Larsdotter on another successful edition of their Nordic International Film Festival, and looks forward to another stunning event next year!

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NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY (NYFA) WELCOMES ‘JOHN WICK’ CREATOR DEREK KOLSTAD

On Tuesday, October 15, New York Film Academy (NYFA) had the pleasure of hosting Derek Kolstad, creator and writer of the iconic John Wick franchise starring Keanu Reeves. Tova Laiter, Director of the NYFA Q&A Series, moderated the event.

Derek Kolstad penned the original screenplay for John Wick, which has become Lionsgate’s most profitable franchise with two sequels, a VR game, a mobile game, and a probable third sequel, as well as a planned scripted TV adaptation that Kolstad is executive producing and a comic book series that he is consulting on.

Additionally, Kolstad most recently wrapped as a co-executive producer on the highly-anticipated Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier for Marvel Studios.

Following a screening of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Laiter opened up the Q&A by asking Kolstad how he got his start in the business and how that led to his success as a screenwriter. “I started to write screenplays when I was 13,” Kolstad began, continuing, “when I didn’t even know the format. I wrote and filed it. I became a salesman and then one day, it was 2000, I drove out to LA and I got noticed right away.”

He added, “I wrote a script called Acolyte and I got a manager and did two direct-to-DVD movies that were an ungodly challenge. I was going to walk away and one producer on that project introduced me to managers Mike Goldberg and Josh Adler, who are still my reps, and they saved me.”

In regards to the inspiration for the John Wick franchise, Kolstad shared, “When I wrote John Wick, I was writing a love letter to the movies I loved. I wrote that initial screenplay in three days, the second draft in two weeks, sold it in February, and we went into production that November. So when you think of overnight success, I know I’m blessed, but I worked hard and long to get to that point.”

When asked by Laiter about the moment John Wick clicked for Kolstad, he stated, “John Wick was just me suddenly going, ‘I’m going to stop trying to be who I’m not and just embrace what I love.’”

The Q&A was then opened up to student filmmakers, where Kolstad was asked how the John Wick franchise stood out from other action movies in the market. Kolstad credited the success to the importance of character relationships, saying, “A good movie, regardless of genre, is a good movie. It comes down to the character and their relationships, and the audience wanting to be a part of that character’s life.”

New York Film Academy would like to thank Derek Kolstad for joining us and sharing his expertise with our students!

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.

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Welcomes Participant Media CEO David Linde

David Linde, CEO of Participant Media, the leading global media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires and compels social change, recently spent a morning in conversation with New York Film Academy (NYFA) Producing Chair Neal Weisman as the latest NYFA Producing Department Industry Speaker. Linde and Participant are coming off a hot streak having produced recent Oscar winners Green Book and Roma.

Linde spoke at NYFA’s New York campus. Attending the speaker series event were students of the NYFA Producing department, as well as students from the NYFA Documentary, Screenwriting, and Filmmaking departments.

Linde shared his biographical highlights, starting with his first job in the paralegal department of Paramount Studios in New York City. He discussed his move into film sales starting with Fox Lorber, and then Miramax, before becoming a partner of the seminal New York production outfit Good Machine.

Many of Linde’s relationships with acclaimed filmmakers were forged during this period, including directors Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Ang Lee, Todd Haynes, and Todd Solondz. Linde lavished high praise on one of his mentors, legendary producer Saul Zaentz; they worked together on The English Patient (winner of nine Academy Awards).

Linde also shared his experience as Chairman of Universal Pictures, where his lengthy—and ultimately successful—campaign brought the studio full force into animation and the family market.

Two major themes emerged from the discussion – Linde spoke extensively about melding his sales perspective with long-standing relationships with filmmakers. As Co-Head of Focus Features, he went on to distribute such notable projects like Brokeback Mountain, The Motorcycle Diaries, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 21 Grams, and Lost in Translation.

Linde also shared Participant’s philosophy of backing entertaining narrative feature films and documentaries that can serve as catalysts for social change.

He spoke extensively of the social and political action inspired by Roma. One victory cited by Linde is that domestic workers in Mexico will now be entitled to participate in their country’s social security system. Weisman mentioned that comparable efforts are underway through Participant’s work in the US in conjunction with the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Students are encouraged to check out the social action element of the Participant website here.

Linde also addressed the role of Netflix in the distribution of Roma and the industry-at-large. Both Participant and Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón are exceedingly pleased with the way Netflix rolled out the picture, as well as the large viewing figures. Weisman mentioned that Roma blazed a trail for a new kind of hybrid distribution model, about to be put to use with the release of the new Martin Scorsese film The Irishman.

Linde then inspired the students in attendance by noting that the advent of streaming services has created great opportunities as there are “so many new buyers.”

New York Film Academy thanks CEO of Participant Media, David Linde, for generously sharing his insight and wisdom with our students!

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Q&A with Veteran Game Designer and NYFA Instructor Andrew Ashcraft

On Thursday, September 26, New York Film Academy hosted veteran and award-winning game designer and NYFA instructor Andrew Ashcraft.

Ashcraft came to speak at NYFA as part of the school’s Masters of Game Design series, a speaker series in which distinguished members of the gaming industry visit for an informal chat with NYFA instructor Scott Rogers about their career in gaming. The series has included industry luminaries like Insomniac Games president Ted Price and veteran writer and game designer John Zuur Platten.

The event was attended by over 50 students and industry professionals who has been invited by the school. Ashcraft and Rogers talked about Ashcraft’s 23-year career, starting with his early years at UCLA, before moving on to his transition into the gaming industry and his vast experience creating games for Sony Santa Monica, Disney Mobile, THQ, and Activision. Ashcraft’s career as an independent designer of board games and LARPs was also discussed. Audience attendees were then invited to ask Ashcraft a series of questions.

In addition to working for major game development companies, Ashcraft teaches for the NYFA Game Design school at our Los Angeles campus, where students are given the chance to make multiple games, work with a variety of different professionals, and build their portfolio to help them find a game design career after college.

New York Film Academy thanks instructor and veteran game designer Andrew Ashcraft for taking the time to speak with our students and sharing his expertise.

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Filmmaking Alum Furaha Bayibsa Authors New Book, ‘Children’

Children, a new book written by New York Film Academy (NYFA) Filmmaking alum Furaha Bayibsa, was released last month.

Bayibsa has been very busy since graduating the Fall 2015 1-Year Filmmaking program at NYFA-Los Angeles—as a producer, screenwriter, director, and now as an author.

Originally from the Congo and born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, Bayibsa has written four short films, three of which she’s directed. She has also become a prolific and talented producer, having worked on over a dozen films to date. These include Landfill, directed by MFA Filmmaking student Yesser Laham, and Straight to Hell, a comedy short written and directed NYFA Filmmaking alum Damon J. Barnes.

Bayibsa’s book is titled Children and takes place in a San Francisco community in present day. The book is based on new legislation approved and finalized by the Supreme Court that calls for police officers to be put on immediate unpaid leave, charged, and tried as a civilian when abusing their power in service to unarmed civilians. This legislation has been praised and implemented in several nations all around the world and began with the story of two children who fell in love.

“Writing is one of the most fun things in the world; it’s something I’ve always believed,” says Bayibsa. “Attending NYFA gave me guidance on how to think when I write, not actually how to write; that’s what I liked about NYFA the most.”

Bayibsa plans to adapt Children into a feature film as buzz about the book grows, which she plans to also direct.

New York Film Academy congratulates Filmmaking alum Furaha Bayibsa on her new book Children and encourages everyone to read a copy today!

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Welcomes ‘John Wick’ Creator Derek Kolstad

Derek Kolstad, creator and writer of the iconic action franchise starring Keanu Reeves, John Wick, spoke with students at New York Film Academy (NYFA) at a special event on Tuesday, October 15, moderated by Tova Laiter, Director of the NYFA Q&A Series.

Derek Kolstad penned the original screenplay for John Wick, which has become Lionsgate’s most profitable franchise with two sequels, a VR game, a mobile game, and a probable third sequel, as well as executive producing a planned scripted TV adaptation that Kolstad is executive producing and a comic book series that he is consulting on.

Additionally, Kolstad most recently wrapped as a co-executive producer on the highly-anticipated Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier for Marvel Studios.

Following a screening of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Laiter opened up the Q&A by asking Kolstad how he got his start in the business and how that led to his success as a screenwriter. “I started to write screenplays since I was 13,” Kolstad began, continuing, “when I didn’t even know the format. I wrote and filed it. I became a salesman and then one day, it was 2000, I drove out to LA and I got noticed right away.”

Speaking of his inspiration for creating the series, Kolstad shared, “When I wrote John Wick, I was writing a love letter to the movies I loved. I wrote that initial screenplay in three days, the second draft in two weeks, sold it in February, and we went into production that November. So when you think of overnight success, I know I’m blessed, but I worked hard and long to get to that point.”

Laiter also asked Kolstad about the moment when John Wick clicked for him. Kolstad answered, “John Wick was just me suddenly going, ‘I’m going to stop trying to be who I’m not and just embrace what I love.’”

New York Film Academy would like to thank Derek Kolstad for joining us and sharing his expertise with our students!

New York Film Academy (NYFA) BFA Photography Alum Lotta Lemetti Featured in Float Magazine

New York Film Academy (NYFA) BFA Photography alum Lotta Lemetti had her series The Ordinary recently featured in popular photo magazine, Float, as their latest issue’s cover story.

The Finnish-born artist and Fulbright scholar first attended the Photo Arts Conservatory at New York Film Academy (PAC at NYFA) in 2015 at our New York City campus, before continuing her studies in Los Angeles and earning her BFA in Photography.

Lemetti has refined a unique vision embracing the beauty of the simple and mundane with a minimal aesthetic that carries through her diverse body of work, which employs alternative processes, mixed media, and graphic design. She has earned two grants from the City of Vantaa, was the winner of the 2019 CCC Ad Open Call, and was named the 2019 Latitude Life APS Photographer of the year.

Her work has already been exhibited in group shows in New York City, Los Angeles, and Finland. Additionally, Lemetti has served as art director for the latest two issues of PAC at NYFA’s photo magazine, FAYN.

The cover story for the latest issue of Float features her portfolio The Ordinary, a series of beautiful still life compositions that include various types of colorful foods on a stark white background.

“With the series The Ordinary I want the viewer to share my sense of wonder and joy in the ordinary objects of everyday life,” Lemetti tells Float. “I want to give the audience a moment to appreciate the things we so often take for granted and overlook. I wish to encourage people to slow down from the hecticness of life to a more tranquil pace in which they are able to fully observe and receive the beauty and peculiarity of this miraculous world we live in.”

Float Photo Magazine was founded in March 2014 by Dana Stirling and Yoav Friedlander with a mission of celebrating the work of contemporary photographers from around the globe, both emerging and established, with the intention to inspire and push forward the photography community.

New York Film Academy congratulates BFA Photography alum Lotta Lemetti on her cover story and encourages everyone to check out the article, which includes several of Lotta’s beautifully composed images.

Select images from The Ordinary by Lotta Lemetti:

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New York Film Academy (NYFA) Filmmaking Alum Damon J. Barnes Screens ‘Straight to Hell’

Straight to Hell, a period comedy written and directed by New York Film Academy (NYFA) Filmmaking alum Damon J. Barnes and produced by NYFA Filmmaking alum Furaha Bayibsa, screened last month in North Hollywood. Barnes attended the 1-Year Filmmaking conservatory at NYFA’s Los Angeles campus in 2016; Bayibsa attended one year earlier.

The short film is a comedy about Christian gay conversation camps, and deals with very serious LGBTQIA+ issues in a humorous yet thoughtful way. Straight to Hell stars Bendan J. Shannon, Justin Selig, Noah Der, Gracie Lacey, and Collin Lapinsky.

Straight to Hell began as Barnes’s thesis film while at NYFA. “One of the key driving forces for the film’s style, from choices in the script to choices in music, came from cinema from the 80s—more specifically, from the world of John Hughes,” says Barnes in an artist’s statement for the film. “The way Hughes’ storytelling captures the suburban teenage American experience in a fable-like, classicist body of work that stays true to the tradition of Hollywood romance and adventure was influential on the approach to make the story a comedy rather than a rough-edged, literal presentation—not to say those stories are not needed.”

Finding the right tone was important for Barnes. “At the heart of this film is a storyline that is tragic and unjust,” he continues in his statement on the film. “Comedy was used as the vehicle to tell that story. As absurd as conversion therapy is, is how absurd the comedy in the film was designed to be.”

Damon plans to donate all the proceeds the film earns that week to nonprofit organization Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which uses litigation, education, and other forms of advocacy to fight hate and bigotry in our society.

The film screened at the Laemmel NOHO Theater in North Hollywood from September 20 – 26.

New York Film Academy congratulates NYFA Filmmaking alum Damon J. Barnes on his film and encourages everyone to check out Straight to Hell when they can!

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