Considered to be the best hands-on film school in the world, the New York Film Academy (NYFA) is designed for the new generation of artists. Like no other film school, NYFA students write, shoot, direct, produce and edit their own short or feature length films starting from their first day of classes during intensive short-term workshops and accelerated one and two-year degree programs.

Each student receives a hands-on and comprehensive education that includes regular lectures, on-going productions, practical experiences, collaborations with other departments, mentorship with working professionals, and insight from industry guest speakers.

Unlike university and college programs where most of the time is spent in the classroom and lectures; each day at NYFA is filled with classroom instruction, hands-on workshops and film production. This is why an NYFA education is perfect for students who want to start making films before starting their careers in the entertainment industry.

Our Film School Philosophy

Learning to be a filmmaker is not done "by the numbers." It is done by immersion in the process and by knowing the "whys" that teach the "hows". You learn by hands-on experience, trial and error, feedback and correction, and questions and answers. This is how we teach.

Filmmaking demands the integration of many kinds of knowledge. It is the integration of knowledge that distinguishes the New York Film Academy from many other film schools. In our filmmaking courses, students learn not only how to operate a camera, light a scene, or edit a film, but they also learn how all the aspects of filmmaking relate to, interact with, and depend upon each other.

We believe a top quality education in filmmaking should be accessible to anyone with the drive and ambition to make movies. The student provides the talent; we provide great instruction, equipment, and structured curriculum. It is the students' drive and creative ability that carries them forward.

What Students Are Saying

"My experience at the New York Film Academy changed my life in ways that up to this day, I am still discovering." - Milovan Radovic

"It was an extraordinary learning experience and a beautiful collaboration amongst young filmmakers." - Kena Dorsey

"All my jobs in some way have stemmed from NYFA…" - Ajani Fida

"…I am the recipient of two Best New Director Awards at the national and international levels. All this happened due to the NYFA." - Leslie Carvalho

"…the best academmic experience I've a had all my life. I learned more at the New York Film Academy than any other place or school I've been to." - Rodrigo Valdes

"On the first day of class, I handled a 16mm camera for the first time in my life. In regular graduate programs, that usually doesn't happen until the second semester or sometimes the second year." - David Horowitz

"My time there was filled with learning, hard workd, and excitement...all while being surrounded by those whose love of film rivaled my own." - Neil Stephens

"…The knowledge and confidence I had gained at the NYFA undoubtedly fed into the film and helped make it the success it has become. The films, "It's Not Unusual," has won the British Academy Award (BAFTA) for Best Short Film." - Kfir Yefet

"I am a recent graduate of Westminster University in London and I felt that I learned more from Adam (NYFA film instructor) in four weeks than I did at university in three years." -
Elizabeth Charalambous

Read more student comments.