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
Independent Filmmaker Project, a non-profit based in Brooklyn that hosts the annual Gotham Awards, has named producer and alumnus Jeffrey Sharp '01 as its new executive director. An award-winning international film and TV producer and publishing entrepreneur, Sharp brings decades of experience to IFP, including his work producing films such as Boys Don’t Cry, You Can Count on Me, Evening, and The Yellow Birds, and digitally publishing authors such as William Styron, Pat Conroy, and Pearl Buck as co-founder and President of Open Road Integrated Media.
Film Program Chair Hilary Brougher was recently honored with the Maine International Film Festival’s Mid-Life Achievement Award.
Feature script project Sisyphus, by recent graduates Meng Xiong '19 and Xixi Wang '19, was officially selected by FIRST Financing Forum as one of their Projects of the Year. FIRST Financing Forum is a major component of The FIRST International Film Festival, which prides itself on being a platform for new and groundbreaking Chinese filmmakers. The forum is designed to bridge emerging filmmakers with industry professionals through script workshops, pitch presentations, and one-on-one meetings. Previously-selected projects include An Elephant…
Socrates, a film produced by Professor Ramin Bahrani, was recently acquired for North American distribution by Breaking Glass Pictures. The film was nominated for both the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead and the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award. It won awards at many festivals, including Festival Mix Brasil (Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor for lead actor Christian Mahleiros), Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Woodstock Film Festival and the Miami Film Festival.
Many Columbia students and alumni took home awards at the 2019 Palm Springs Shortfest last week, the largest short film festival in North America.
Alumna Jessica Shields ‘18 has been announced as a recipient of a 2019 HBOAccess Writing Fellowship.
The 45th Annual Seattle International Film Festival featured two films by alumni and faculty this year, Bora Kim '11 for House of Hummingbird and Sameh Zoabi '05 and Professor Dan Kleinman for Tel Aviv on Fire. The festival took place from May 16-June 9, 2019, showcasing more than 400 films from nearly 90 countries to 140,000+ attendees.
Moara Passoni, a current student, co-wrote the documentary, The Edge of Democracy, which screened in New York this month and premiere on Netflix soon thereafter. It previously screened at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Watch it firsthand at Rooftop Films in NYC on June 11th.
The Columbia University School of the Arts Film Program presented the 32nd Annual Columbia University Film Festival (CUFF), a week-long program of screenings, screenplay, and teleplay readings in New York. The celebration will continue with events in Los Angeles from June 11-13, 2019. School of the Arts' Dean Carol Becker, “Welcome to the 32nd Columbia University Film Festival—the culminating event for our MFA Film students. In 1987 when the Festival began, it consisted of only four shorts, followed by a panel discussion. Now the Festival has become a true Columbia tradition,…
Halston, a documentary by alumnus Frédéric Tcheng '07 will be released theatrically on May 24th.
The Little Goddess, written and directed by current student Gauri Adelkar, and Nice Talking to You, written and directed by current student Saim Sadiq, and co-produced by alumnus Joseph Capotorto '18 and alumna Federica Belletti '18 have been shortlisted for the 2019 BAFTA Student Film Awards in the Live Action category.
Where There’s Smoke, an immersive storytelling experience created by Faculty member Lance Weiler, received its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this month.
