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
Faculty member, Ira Deutchman was awarded the first annual Spotlight Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to the distribution and exhibition of independent films.
Columbia University continues to have strong representation at prestigious film festivals this year.
Meet the Makers is an ongoing interview series highlighting current Columbia University School of the Arts Film Program students and faculty. I recently had the chance to sit down with second-year MFA film student Nathalie Álvarez Mesén to talk about her experiences before Columbia and learn where the inspiration for her impressive body of work comes from.
Recent graduate Clara Roquet ’16 won the 2016 BAFTA US Student Film Award for her short film El Adiós, which she wrote and directed as part of her MFA coursework at the Columbia University Film Program.
Film department professor Ira Deutchman will begin adapting the classic film Hester Street into a musical.
Twenty-eight Columbia filmmakers participated at the Tribeca Film Festival this year, with several winning top honors, several won.
Numerous Columbia filmmakers will screen this year at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. The crop of films selected for this year’s Tribeca truly show the collaborative nature of the Columbia film program: Each film has multiple alumni and faculty working in all facets of production.
The play tells the story of four members of the Tuskegee Airmen, who during World War II became the first African-American military aviators in United States history.
“Meet the Makers” is a profile series highlighting the experiences of current Film students and faculty here at Columbia. I recently sat down with Erlendur Sveinsson, a second-year Directing concentrate from Iceland, to get his take on life as a Columbia Film student.
