EDUCATION: For Future Filmmakers, A List of the Best Film Schools in the U.S. and Around the World

Where would black cinema be in the 21st century without the films of NYU’s Spike Lee (“Do The Right Thing”, “School Daze”) and Dee Rees (“Pariah”, “Bessie”), or USC’s John Singleton (“Boyz N The Hood”, “Poetic Justice”) and Rick Fukiyama (“The Wood”, “Dope”), to name a few famous African-American film school graduates?  From New York to New South Wales, the list of film schools below earn accolades for their filmmaking, television and animation programs, and may interest African-American filmmakers of the future:
U.S. PROGRAMS:
American Film Institute
Los Angeles
AFI’s Conservatory is training 260 Fellows that are all, per the school, “worthy to watch.” The school’s participants create between four and 10 movies during the two-year program, and 37 alumni have received Oscar nominations in the past decade alone. An additional 118 have participated in award-winning projects ranging from “Boyhood” to “Mad Men.”
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, Calif
The venerable private college’s film and graduate broadcast program continues to establish itself as an influential entity through its immersive curriculum and close working relationships between students and faculty. Its list of celebrated alumni includes director Zack Snyder and conceptual designers Ralph McQuarrie (“Star Wars”) and Syd Mead (“Blade Runner”).
Boston U. Department Film & Television, College of Communication
Boston
2015 saw the establishment of a one-year MFA program, as well as the Spelling Scholarship, named for producer Aaron Spelling, that will benefit up to 10 students. Nora Grossman is the latest BU alum to receive an Oscar nomination with her best picture nom for producing “The Imitation Game.”
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia
Generations of top animators and live-action filmmakers have benefited from CalArts’ diverse educational spectrum. Film/Video alum have won nine Oscars for animated film between 2003 and 2015, while domestic and international box office grosses from animated features helmed by alum directors rose to more than $31 billion.
California State U. Northridge, Department of Cinema and Television Arts
Northridge
CSUN’s Film Production alum have amassed an array of laurels from the screen industry, including awards from the Cannes Film Festival, DGA and Television Arts and Sciences Academy. The TV production program, too, has prepared students to work on series ranging from “The Amazing Race” to “Law & Order: SVU.”
Chapman U., Dodge College of Film and Media Arts
Orange, Calif.
Chapman’s Dodge College continues to provide both production and business-oriented culture to students interested in all facets of film, media and digital arts. Its production company, Chapman Filmed Entertainment, saw its first theatrical release, “The Barber,” open in theaters nationwide.
Colorado Film School
Denver
Colorado Film School hosts just 500 students, but produces more than 1,000 films yearly at its facility in Denver. It’s also one of the few institutions to offer a fully accredited university BFA professional training degree in production, and has partnered with ICM and top advertising agencies to offer internships.
Columbia U. School of the Arts
New York
An impressive array of film and television figures have received training from SoA’s MFA programs, which include visual arts, theater, film studies, writing and sound arts. Among its acclaimed alumni are directors Kathryn Bigelow, Nicole Holofcener and James Mangold, while past faculty includes producers Barbara De Fina and James Schamus.
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago
Practice and theory are emphasized at Columbia College Chicago’s Cinema Art + Science program, which offers nearly 200 specialized courses – the most comprehensive curriculum of any American film school. Students can also take advantage of its Semester in L.A., the only such program situated on a Hollywood studio lot.
DePaul U.
Chicago
The university’s School of Cinema and Interactive Media offers programs on every aspect of filmmaking, from directing to post-production. Students can take advantage of its exceptional digital media production equipment, and gain practical experience through its partnership with Cinespace Chicago, the largest film studio in the Midwest.
Emerson College Visual & Media Arts School
Boston
The Boston-based communications school further established itself as a direct conduit to the entertainment industry with its state-of-the-art Emerson Los Angeles building on Sunset Boulevard, which offers undergraduate, post-graduate and professional studies, as well as crucial internship opportunities. Alumni include Norman Lear and former MTV Networks president Doug Herzog.
Florida State U., College of Motion Picture Arts
Tallahassee
The film school’s selective admittance policy has paid off handsomely for FSU. Film school participants have won more Student Oscars and College Television awards in a single year than any other school — and the DGA recognized its “distinguished contribution to American culture through the world of film and television.”
Ithaca College, Roy H. Park School of Communications
Ithaca, N.Y.
Park School students are treated as industry professionals through close interaction with alumni and a full range of production scenarios through the student-run Studio, which allows them to develop, fund and distribute their own content. Student films have screened at or been honored by the American Society of Cinematographers, among others.
Loyola Marymount U., School of Film and Television
Los Angeles
LMU’s School of Film and Television is flush with impressive numbers, from the 400 partner companies who have hired alumni, including Disney, Sony and NBCUniversal, to the $1 million contributed to the local economy from 792 student productions — 41 of which were shot on the Red One digital camera.
New York U. Tisch School of the Arts
New York
The Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television offers training to undergraduate and graduate students in a variety of cinematic storytelling media, from dramatic writing and interactive telecommunications to photography and imaging. Its prestigious roster of alumni includes Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Joel Coen and Ang Lee.
Northwestern U., School of Communication
Evanston, Ill.
Northwestern’s multidisciplinary arts education has produced major figures in nearly every aspect of film and television production, from three-time Oscar-nominated writer John Logan and Emmy-winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus to “Arrow” and “Flash” producer Greg Berlanti and such acclaimed producers and executives as Sherry Lansing, Jason Winer and Ken Kamins.
Pratt Institute
New York
The Brooklyn-based arts college has significantly increased its presence by relocating into a 17,000-sq.ft. space in Clinton Hill that will add 150 students to its 50-person film/video department. New additions can take advantage of Pratt’s expansive media curriculum, as well as the abundant internship opportunities inherent to New York City.
Relativity School
Los Angeles
The academic training arm of Relativity Media is a throwback to the studio system’s finishing schools, but with a significant difference: it benefits from both direct funding from the studio as well as an active production facility that offers students access to soundstages and production facilities on its 20-acre campus.
Ringling College of Art and Design
Sarasota, Fla.
The private, non-profit college has become a talent pool for studios seeking up-and-coming computer animators and designers. Ringling alumni captured Oscars for both animated feature (“Big Hero 6”) and short (“Feast”) at the 2015 ceremony, while students have won 11 of the past 13 student Academy Awards.
Rhode Island School of Design
Providence, RI
A diverse array of film and television talent, from Seth MacFarlane to Gus Van Sant, has graduated from RISD’s film/video/animation program, which is the largest in the state. Students study all three departmental disciplines in their sophomore year, which alumni have credited with expanding their visual and storytelling skills.
Sarah Lawrence College
Yonkers, N.Y.
Intimate seminar and workshop environments, an expansive and comprehensive program that incorporates screenwriting and media arts, and one-on-one mentorship with faculty advisors are among the high points of Sarah Lawrence’s film program. Notable graduates include J.J. Abrams, Peter Gould (“Better Call Saul”), Joan Micklin Silver and producer Amy Robinson.
Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah, Ga.
Opportunities for prospective film and television students at SCAD are plentiful. The school features state-of-the-art technology and facilities, including a 60,000-sq.-ft. Digital Media Center and Savannah Film Studios; the annual Savannah Film Festival, which is the largest university film festival in America; and workshops and presentations with television professionals at TVfest.
Stanford U.
Palo Alto, Calif.
The lauded university’s film and media studies program is anchored in the visual arts. True to its reputation for selectivity, the MFA in documentary film and video admits only eight students per year, preaching artistic expression, aesthetics and social awareness as well as endeavors into new media.
Syracuse U., College of Visual and Performing Arts
Syracuse, N.Y.
Budding filmmakers in animation at Syracuse can look to celebrated alumni for inspiration, including directors Chris Renaud (“Despicable Me”) and Henry Selick (“Coraline”). The program’s ties with the Syracuse Intl. Film Festival open doors for student involvement.
UCLA, School of Theater, Film and Television
Los Angeles
Consistently considered one of the world’s best program’s, UCLA’s film program has hatched a platoon of filmmaking legends, from Francis Ford Coppola to documentarian Alex Gibney. Jeff Skoll’s recent gift of $10 million for the Skoll Center for Social Impact Entertainment refocuses the school on promoting social change through entertainment.
U. of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts
Los Angeles
This beacon of excellence in filmmaking education continues to grow and expand. In Aug. 2013, construction began on the IMAX lab/theater space, which features two full-size IMAX projectors. This march, USC was voted best game design school in the country.
U. of Texas at Austin, Moody College of Communication
Austin
Moody College’s prestigious department of Radio-Television-Film offers a curriculum that focuses on the intersection of production, screenwriting and media studies. Home to the country’s first comprehensive 3-D production program, nearby festivals like SXSW provide inspiration and opportunity for both students and alumni.
Vanderbilt U.
Nashville, Tenn.
Located in the country’s homegrown arts mecca, students of the Nashville school’s Cinema and Media Arts program can hone in on a smorgasbord of topics like soundtracks, digital cinematography or 16mm shooting. The Vandy Meets Hollywood spring break program transports students to L.A. for studio visits and alumni networking.
Wesleyan U.
Middletown, Conn.
A leader in undergraduate film studies since the 1970s, the recent establishment of Wesleyan’s College of Film and the Moving Image has only expanded the umbrella program, which includes Wesleyan’s department of film studies, its cinema archives and the student-run film series. In April, the College of Film and the Moving Image announced a $2 million challenge grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Yale U.
New Haven, Conn.
Offering both undergrad and graduate degrees, Ivy Leaguers at Yale are trained in film history, theory, criticism and production. Students can also take advanced screenwriting courses, use resources at the university’s Digital Media Center for the Arts and study abroad at Prague’s famed Famu.

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
Australian Film, Television and Radio School
Moore Park, NSW, Australia
Considered Oz’s top film school, AFTRS students can specialize in topics including design for the screen, editing fundamentals, directing comedy and visual effects. Australia’s biggest industry folks stop by for frequent guest lectures, including Academy Award-winning alumna Jane Campion (“The Piano”).
Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica
Mexico City, Mexico
Founded in 1975, CCC is an extension of the country’s National Council for Culture and Arts. The center generates as many as 40 short films per year and organizes the Int’l Meeting of Documentary Film Scenarios every other year.
Ecole de la Cite Cinema et Television
Saint-Denis, France
Founded by Luc Besson, the mission of this free school, based out of a facility on the outskirts of Paris, is to encourage gifted young artists who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend a formal film school program. Offering courses in screenwriting and directing, the school employs a very hands-on approach, connecting its students with industry professionals.
Korean Academy of Film Arts
Seoul, South Korea
Joon-ho Bong (“Snowpiercer”) is one notable alumnus of the prestigious Korean school, which preps its students in all aspects of film production, including directing, cinematography and animation, and has garnered worldwide acclaim for its top-notch curriculum. The school’s advanced program, started in 2007, requires students to finish a full-length feature film in order to graduate.
National Film & Television School
Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, U.K.
Founded in 1971 and considered one of the most — if not the most — prestigious and competitive film, television and new media schools in the world, NFTS stands apart as the only U.K. film school with its own studios and facilities. The school also boasts an abundance of award-winning alumni, including the Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins and screenwriter Terence Davies.
Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts
Aqaba, Jordan
Launched in 2008 through a team effort by USC, School of Cinematic Arts and Jordan’s Royal Film Commission, the Red Sea Institute is the Middle East and North Africa’s go-to film school for international students, and the only one offering an MFA program in cinematic studies in the region. The school features state-of-the-art facilities, from digital screening rooms to interactive media laboratories.
Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Learning
Ontario, Canada
Sheridan not only boasts a notable film program for undergraduates and continuing education students, but also stands out as a top institution for aspiring animators. Animation course offerings began in 1971, launching graduates to work for companies including Pixar, DreamWorks, Cookie Jar, Cuppa Coffee, DHX, Nelvana, Corus and Electronic Arts.
Super16
Copenhagen, Denmark
The Scandinavian school seeks to cultivate the future of Danish filmmaking in an unrestricted, creative environment by offering a combination of guest speakers, mentors and practical experience. With no senior management, the independent institute was founded under anarchic ideals in 1999 as an alternative to Denmark’s more established film school, and to this day receives no state subsidies.
Tel Aviv U.
Tel Aviv, Israel
Over the past several years, the university’s film and television department has developed a deserved reputation as a hotbed of bankable smallscreen ideas. To wit, Tel Aviv U. alumni include Gideon Raff, the creator of Emmy award-winning Showtime TV series “Homeland,” FX’s “Tyrant” and USA’s “Dig”; Hagai Levi, co-creator of HBO TV series “In Treatment” and Showtime’s “The Affair”; and Ari Folman, writer and director of the Oscar-nominated 2008 film, “Waltz With Bashir.”
Whistling Woods Intl.
Mumbai, India
Founded in 2006, Whistling Woods offers India’s first MBA in media and entertainment. Filmmaker Subhash Ghai founded the school with a truly international intent, with exchange deals lined up in the U.K. and Nigeria. Students can focus on film production skills, fashion design and journalism.
article via Variety.com; additions by Lori Lakin Hutcherson