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
Father, a short film written and directed by current student Gleb Osatinski, will have its international premiere at the 60th edition of the Krakow Film Festival in Poland in June. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the festival will take place online between May 31 and June 7. The film will show three times with the final showtimes being announced online on May 10.
Iron Hands, written and directed by alumnus Johnson Cheng ’19, was released on Vimeo Staff Picks last week. The film was produced by current student Tianqi Zhuo, co-produced by alumna Xixi Wang ’18 and associate produced by current student Yachi Yang. Current student Shipei Wen served as Director of Photography.
On A Global Scale is a bi-weekly series about international co-productions by Columbia filmmakers. Welcome to another edition of On A Global Scale. This series celebrates the international spirit of the Columbia University film program and the incredible global collaborations coming out of it.
In the modern age of streaming, the international film community has grown more global and vital than ever. This has led to an increase in foreign language films leaving their marks on mainstream movie culture, emphasized particularly with Parasite being the first non-English speaking…
Diversity in Film is a bi-weekly series covering underrepresented groups in Film.
Associate Professor and Film Chair Hilary Brougher wrote a personal essay titled “Try This at Home” for Talkhouse, about the making of her film South Mountain and its straight to digital release following the COVID-19 crisis. The film, which she wrote and directed, had previously been acquired for a traditional release with Breaking Glass Pictures. Brougher writes: "This movie we made at home will release May 5 on VOD, foregoing the impartial space of a theater, broaching the intimacy of your own home."
Homeland Elegies, a forthcoming novel by alumnus Ayad Akhtar ’02, was named one of The New York Times' "20 Books We're Watching For in 2020."
Staff member Sarah Congress will present a portion of her new musical, Lars’s Hostel, as part of the New Work Series’ Emerging Artist Theatre program this fall.
Despite the fact that the event couldn’t take place this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Aspen Shortsfest Film Festival virtually announced the winners of its 29th edition with great successes for two Columbia films.
Little Fires Everywhere, Hulu’s new hit show, was co-written and co-executive produced by film alumna Amy Talkington '99.
Tumbling Towards Home, co-written & directed by alumna Imelda O'Reilly '08, won the Bronze Remi Award at the Worldfest-Houston Film Festival.
Melina León '08, an alumna of the MFA Directing program, was chosen as the winner of the Premios Wapa, an award given by Wapa Magazine recognizing women who break stereotypes with their work.
Tangles and Knots, written & directed by alumna Renee Marie Petropoulos '17, was nominated for both Best International Short Film & Best Performance in a Drama at the NewFilmmakers Los Angeles Awards, which has been postponed currently due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
