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 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the recipients of its 2020/21 scholarships program with three Columbia students included.
The documentary, Totally Under Control, chronicling the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, co-directed and produced by alumna Ophelia Harutyunyan ’15, with Alex Gibney and Suzanne Hillinger also directing, will be released by NEON this month.
The Catch, a short film directed by alumna Thais Drassinower '18 and written by alumna Camila Zavala '19, screened virtually at NewFilmmakers Los Angeles's (NFMLA) Latinx & Hispanic Cinema Festival. NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences teamed up for the annual NFMLA Film Festival InFocus: Latinx & Hispanic Cinema Festival, presented virtually, in collaboration with the streaming platform Seed&Spark.
I’m No Longer Here (Ya No Estoy Aquí), a film written and directed by alumnus Fernando Frías de la Parra '15 and produced by alumnus Gerry Kim '11 won big at the Ariel Awards for Mexican Cinema, sweeping the trophies in 10 categories including the Best Film and Best Director sections.
Beginning, a feature film written and directed by alumna Déa Kulumbegashvili '18 and produced by alumnus Ilan Amouyal '17, was the big winner at the 68th edition of the San Sebastián International Film Festival, winning the Golden Shell, the festival’s top prize. Kulumbegashvili’s debut film also secured the awards in the Best Director, Best Actress (Ia Sukhitashvili) and Best Screenplay (for Kulumbegashvili and Rati Oneli) categories.
Paint, co-produced by film alumnus Gabriel Wilson ’19, won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature at Dances with Films this past August. Must Love Pie, written and directed by film alumnus Patrick Clement ’20, and Diabla, produced by film alumna Maya Korn ’19, were also featured at the festival.
Four Columbia alumni had their films screened at the Short Shorts Film Festival (SSFF & ASIA) in Tokyo. Greenhouse, a short film written & directed by Xixi Wang '19 and produced by Haichao Fang '19, screened on Monday.
Welcome to the second first edition of On A Global Scale! This bi-weekly series is a continuation of last year’s series that celebrates the international spirit of the Columbia University film program and the incredible global collaborations coming out of it.
True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality, the new documentary by Professor Trey Ellis won an Emmy at the 41st News & Documentary Emmy Awards last night.
Feature Documentary, Dick Johnson is Dead, co-produced by Associate Professor and Chair of the Creative Producing Concentration, Maureen A. Ryan, and Adjunct Assistant Professor Marilyn Ness, assistant directed by alumnus Michael Toscano ’12, and with alumnus John Wakayama Carey ’14, as Director of Photography, and production managed by Adjunct Assistant Professor Sarah Seulki Oh, will have its premiere on Netflix on October 2, 2020.
Fidelio Films, a production company co-founded by alumni David Figueroa García '13, Mauricio Leiva Cock '13 and Mauro Mueller '13, has signed a development and co-production deal with Stories, the film and TV subsidiary of Spain-based publishing giant Editorial Planeta.
