The Legacy of Milos Forman
In 1978, esteemed director Milos Forman and his Screenwriting mentor Frank Daniel were appointed co-chairs of the Film Program. Under their leadership, the program flourished and became the world-renowned institution of film education that it is today. In many ways, Forman was the "creative founder" of Columbia Film, having shaped and refined its commitment to narrative filmmaking anchored in strong screenplays. He gave it a character as distinct as his own—original, passionate, intelligent, and international.
News
Executive produced by Film alum Simon Kinberg '03, Apple TV's latest dark comedy Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed has received positive reviews from The Hollywood Reporter, Collider, and Vulture.
Smriti Mundhra '09—the DGA-winning, two-time Oscar-nominated, and Emmy-nominated filmmaker who created Netflix's hit Indian Matchmaking—is among the group of 12 renowned screenwriters selected for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, set to take place June 29–July 2, 2026.
Film alum Jeremy Robbins '13 wrote Apex—a lean action film starring Charlize Theron as a wilderness climber and kayaker hunted by a single-minded killer (Taron Egerton) in the Australian outback—because he wanted to watch it.
La Mar, a stunningly intimate account of community resilience by Mexican filmmaker, journalist, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies, Jean Chapiro '25, has been longlisted for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Student Awards.
This Is Who We Are is a series featuring Columbia University School of the Arts' professors, covering careers, pedagogy, and art-making. Here, we talk with Directing Concentration Head and Professor of Professional Practice Bette Gordon about artistic freedom, learning through experimentation, and why curiosity and play remain the guiding pillars of her filmmaking practice and her pedagogy as a teacher.
An interview with producer and Undergraduate Film alum Gabriel Mayers (CC '17).
The Son-in-Law (El yerno), produced and co-written by Professor of Professional Practice in Film and Media Studies James Schamus, hit Netflix on May 1, 2026.
A slate of Columbia Film alums and faculty are screening their feature and short films at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival, which will take place in theaters across lower Manhattan from June 3-14, 2026.
May 12 through 23 is an exciting time for the Film Program. It might mark the last weeks of spring before summer unofficially takes hold, but for a few lucky filmmakers, it means the 2026 Cannes Film Festival is underway.
Is God Is, a Southern Gothic Western produced by Undergraduate Film and Media Studies alum Kishori Rajan (CC '08), is set for theatrical release on May 15, 2026 from distributor Orion Pictures.
Swapped, a new animated feature written by Christian Magalhaes '10, Robert Snow '10 and Johan Whittington, enjoyed its Netflix premiere on May 1, 2026.
Silent Voices, a short film directed and produced by Film students Nadine Jin and Yuwen Zhang respectively, has been accepted into the prestigious La Cinef short film competition at the 79th Festival de Cannes.
