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
Cosmic Dawn, a film starring Emmanuelle Chriqui (Entourage) and Camille Rowe (The Deep House) and co-produced by Film alumni Joseph Raso '04 and Mark Raso '12, has been acquired by levelFILM and Cranked Up (an arm of Good Deed Entertainment) for North American distribution.
Naysayer is the new web series developed and produced by a team of alumni.
Columbia University Film and Media Studies BA alumna Peier Tracy Shen ’17 (CC) and MFA Film student Olive Nwosu are both featured in Who Will Start Another Fire, a nine-part film anthology presented by the new distribution initiative, Dedza Films.
Numerous projects helmed by Columbia University faculty and alumni have been nominated for the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards. They are: Dick Johnson Is Dead, The Social Dilemma, Lovecraft Country, Indian Matchmaking, and The Handmaid's Tale.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently announced its list of 2021 invitees, and four Film alumni are among them. Ben Odell '04 (Overboard, How to Be a Latin Lover) and Adjunct Professor Shrihari Sathe '09 (The Sweet Requiem, It Felt Like Love) have both been invited to join the Producer's Branch, Cherien Dabis '04 (May in the Summer, Amreeka) has been invited to join the Director's Branch, and Angela Tucker '05 (Belly of the Beast, (A)Sexual) has been invited to join the Documentary Branch.
Alumni Nicholas Payne Santos ’19 and Maya Korn ’19 were both selected to participate in the 2021 Frontières co-production genre market.
Two Columbia films are among those selected as juried award winners of the 2021 Palms Springs International Shortfest Festival.
Whether it's AIDS or COVID or rampant injustice, political necessity brings LGBTQ people “together in an expression of community.”
Family Style, an Asian foodie series directed and produced by alumna Marie Jamora '05, is now streaming on HBO Max.
Behind the D4 is an interview series about the D4 films made by Film MFA Program students. After completing their Directing IV coursework, each student is required to direct a short final project, called the “D4 Film.” Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, films that would have been filmed during the Summer of 2020, began shooting in September 2020.
Courtroom 3H, a feature documentary directed by alumnus Antonio Méndez Esparza ‘08, will be part of the official selection at AFI Docs 2021.
Emergency Contact, a new feature film written by alumni Rory Haines '11 and Sohrab Noshirvani '12, will go into production for Warner Bros in the coming weeks.
