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
The 39th Warsaw International Film Festival held October 6 to 15, 2023 awarded the Grand Prix to Coral, a short film written and directed by Sonia Oleniak ’21 and produced by Eda Çarikçi ’18 and Constanza Majluf ’21. With this win, Coral now qualifies for the Academy Awards.
Adjunct Assistant Professor Michael Cacioppo has participated in the launch of the Hulu/ESPN Series Algiers, America as the online editor. Assisting him in post-production was the team at Dungeon Beach run by Film alumnus Jeff Sousa ’10.
De Lo Mio, a film written and directed by Adjunct Assistant Professor Diana Peralta, has been officially added to the Criterion Channel and is now available to stream.
Film Alumni Rob Cristiano ’13 and Valeria Contreras ’23 have been selected for the 2023 Film Independent Producers Lab. Apoorva Charan ’18 will serve as one of the program's guest speakers.
Two films by Columbia filmmakers brought home awards at the 2023 New Hampshire Film Festival, which wrapped on October 15th.
Film student Nimisha Misra recently wrote two episodes of a brand new Netflix series, Kaala Paani (Dark Waters). The show, created and co-directed by Sameer Saxena, is a thriller and survival show driven by urgent ecological concerns while focusing on small human moments.
Invisible Beauty, a feature length documentary about fashion pioneer Bethann Hardison co-directed by alumnus Frédéric Tcheng ’07, has been released theatrically in the US and is now screening at Film Forum in New York City.
Film Independent recently announced that acclaimed Sundance title Radical, directed by Christopher Zalla '04 and produced by Benjamin Odell '04, received the Sloan Distribution Grant worth $50,000. The film will be released theatrically in the US on November 3, 2023 via Miercoles Entertainment on behalf of Pantelion Films.
The 31st Annual Hamptons International Film Festival is happening now through October 15, 2023, and several Columbia filmmakers are screening their work at the world renowned showcase.
The Last Out, co-directed by Sami Khan ’09, has won the Emmy for Outstanding Business and Economics Documentary.
Projects by Film alumni and students will screen at the acclaimed Nashville Film Festival at the end of this month.
Film at Lincoln Center has unveiled the film lineup for the 61st New York Film Festival, taking place from September 29 through October 15, 2023, and three Columbia filmmakers are presenting their short film at the festival this year.
