New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a private

for-profit Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." A business entity is not necessari ...

film school and acting school based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, and

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. The New York Film Academy was founded in 1992 by Jerry Sherlock, a former

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and theater producer. It was originally located at the Tribeca Film Center. In 1994, NYFA moved to 100 East 17th Street, the former

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was an American political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789, as the Tammany Society. It became the main local ...

building in the Union Square. After 23 years of occupancy, the academy relocated from Tammany Hall to 17 Battery Place. As of 2012, the school had 400+ employees and over 5,000 students per year (many of them from outside the United States). NYFA offers master, bachelor, and

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

s, as well as one- and two-year conservatory programs, short-term workshops, and youth programs and summer camps.

History

The college was founded in 1992 by Jerry Sherlock, a former

, and theatre producer. Originally located at the Tribeca Film Center, NYFA moved to 100 East 17th Street, the former

building in Union Square in 1994. After 23 years of occupancy, the college relocated from Tammany Hall to 17 Battery Place in 2015, where the school currently resides.

Academics

NYFA offers

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

and graduate degree programs, certificates, and workshops. It is accredited by the

WASC Senior College and University Commission The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC ( )) provided accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa and Northern ...

NYFA's disciplines of study include

filmmaking Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

, Producing,

Screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, dev ...

Cinematography Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...

, Digital editing, Documentary Filmmaking, Acting for Film, 3D Animation and Visual Effects, Entertainment Media,

Photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

Game Design Game design is the process of creating and shaping the mechanics, systems, rules, and gameplay of a game. Game design processes apply to board games, card games, dice games, casino games, role-playing games, sports, Wargame (video games), war ga ...

Musical Theater Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, moveme ...

and

Virtual Reality Virtual reality (VR) is a Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...

, as well as an

English as a second language English as a second or foreign language refers to the use of English by individuals whose native language is different, commonly among students learning to speak and write English. Variably known as English as a foreign language (EFL), Engli ...

program that aims to combine traditional language learning with activities related to the arts. In 2007, NYFA partnered with

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...

to start a program in

Broadcast Journalism Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are broadcast by electronic methods instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. It works on radio (via air, cable, and Internet), television (via air, cable, ...

. In 2010 the contract between NYFA and NBC expired, but the broadcast journalism programs at NYFA continue to be offered by many of the original faculty. NYFA degree programs, workshops, and short-term courses are held around the world. Summer workshops are offered at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. International locations include Australia,

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, and

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

. Other international locations are offered at various times of the year.

Partnerships

Since 2007, NYFA has collaborated with museums and major art institutions to organize cultural and filmmaking education initiatives for teens and young adults. Since 2010, the New York Film Academy has partnered with the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

. Working closely with each individual institution, the Film Academy contributes resources in curriculum development, teaching staff, and equipment to deliver programs that teach students the creative art of the moving image, as well as the importance and value of all forms of art and the institutions that preserve, protect and display them. The partnering institutions include: *

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 500,000 objects. Located near the Prospect Heig ...

, 2007 * Whitney Museum, 2009 *Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010–current * In 2014,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

and the New York Film Academy announced a new initiative that would enlist students to create original audiovisual materials to raise awareness about the development of the

James Webb Space Telescope The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope designed to conduct infrared astronomy. As the largest telescope in space, it is equipped with high-resolution and high-sensitivity instruments, allowing it to view objects too old, Lis ...

as part of the academy's STEAM initiative. * The New York Film Academy offered a series of ongoing REDucation Workshops in partnership with RED Digital Cinema Camera Company. * 10 ARTS Foundation NYFA founded 10 ARTS Foundation, a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

organization that offers scholarship and funding opportunities for storytellers. The public can volunteer with the organization, donate to a program or educational project. 10 ARTS has NYFA Alliances with

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

, TheMET,

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

, Variety,

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

, The Writers Guild Foundation, Warner Brothers,

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

, National Coalition Against Censorshop, The Hilaria & Alec Baldwin Foundation,

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

, TEDx,

MultiChoice MultiChoice is a South Africa, South African company that operates DStv, a major satellite television service in Sub-Saharan Africa. The company also operates GOtv Africa, GOtv, a minor satellite TV service operating in 9 countries, and Showmax, ...

, Alexandra Skiba Memorial Scholarship,

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

, Inter-American Development Bank, and

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

Notable faculty

NYFA draws faculty who are active, working professionals in their fields, many of whom are award winners or have formerly taught at such prestigious institutions as Tisch School of the Arts,

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, AFI Conservatory,

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

. Notable faculty members have included SAG Award-winning actor Matthew Modine,

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

-winning cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond BSC, ASC, actor

Bill Duke William Henry Duke Jr. (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor, director, and producer. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke works primarily in the action and crime drama genres often as a character related to law enforcement. As a ...

, writer Heather Hach, director Nag Ashwin, actress Brenda Vaccaro, actor

Louis Gossett Jr. Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. (May 27, 1936 – March 29, 2024) was an American actor. He made his stage debut at the age of 17. Shortly thereafter, he successfully auditioned for the Broadway theatre, Broadway play ''Take a Giant Step.'' Gossett co ...

, actress and musical theater performer Kristy Cates, director Adam Nimoy, game designer Chris Swain, screenwriter Jim Jennewein, actress Lynda Goodfriend, and actor/director Michael Zelniker.

Notable alumni

* Adinia Wirasti, actress * Adrian Voo, actor * Akkineni Naga Chaitanya, actor and producer * Alanna Masterson, actress * Alaya Furniturewala, actress * Alberto Frezza, actor * Alex Asogwa, actress, model, film director, producer and anti-bullying activist * Alfonso Perugini, actor and film director * Alfonso Ribeiro, actor * Amanda Du-Pont, actress * Andrew Bachelor, actor and internet personality * Angela Ismailos, director * Anouar H. Smaine - film director, producer, writer, and actor * Antonio Chavez Trejo, filmmaker, writer, producer and entrepreneur * Athiya Shetty, actress *

Aubrey Plaza Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She began performing Improvisational theatre, improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. After graduating from New York University ...

, actress * Avinash Tiwary, actor * Banky Wellington, rapper and actor * Bevin Prince, actor * Bill Hader, actor and screenwriter * Bita Elahian, actress and filmmaker * Brittany Andrews, actress, model, and filmmaker * Camilla Luddington, actress * Carter Smith, director and photographer * Chad Duell, actor * Chika Anadu, director and screenwriter * Chord Overstreet, actor *

Damon Wayans Damon Kyle Wayans Sr. (; born September 4, 1960) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, and writer. A member of the Wayans family of entertainers, Damon performed as a comedian and actor throughout the 1980s, including a brief stint ...

, actor and comedian * Damon Wayans, Jr., actor and comedian * D. B. Woodside, actor * Drama Del Rosario, documentarian * Eamonn Walker, actor * Elyfer Torres, actor * Emi Ikehata, actress * Eve Hewson, actress * Francesco Panzieri, visual effects artist * Gauri Shinde, Director * Gerald McMorrow, writer and director * Gino M. Santos, director and producer * Giorgio Pasotti, actor * Greg DeLiso, director * Hannah Lux Davis, director * Hannah Quinlivan, actress and model * Hayden Szeto, actor * Imran Khan, actor * Issa Rae, creator * James Friend, cinematographer * Janek Ambros, director and producer * Jason Shah, actor * Jean de Meuron, writer, director and producer * Lal Jr., director and screenwriter * Jessica Lee Rose, actress * Jonathan Morgan Heit, actor * Joshua Leonard, actor * Julie Tan, actress * Justine Wachsberger, actor * Kangana Ranaut, actress * Kemi Adesoye, screenwriter * Kendall Ciesemier, reporter and producer * Kira Hagi, actress * Kushal Tandon, model and actor * Lana Condor, actress * Lea Gabrielle, journalist * Lio Tipton, model and actress * Luv Ranjan, producer, screenwriter, and director * Mahsa Saeidi-Azcuy, participant on '' The Apprentice'' * Mainak Bhaumik, Documentary filmmaker, Film Editor, Bengali Filmmaker. * Maisa Silva, actor and TV presenter * Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, actor * Mariana Gómez, actress and singer. * Mariano Di Vaio, actor * Mariyah Moten, model and pageant queen * Masali Baduza, actress * Matty Cardarople, actor * Mike Pohjola, screenwriter, playwright, novelist * Mohamed Diab, director and screenwriter * Nag Ashwin, director * Nara Rohit, actor * Natasha Thahane, actress * Naya Rivera, actress * Neil Forsyth, screenwriter * Niharica Raizada, actress *

OC Ukeje Okechukwu Ukeje, known as OC Ukeje is Nigerian actor,Model (person), model and musician. He came into prominence after winning the Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO) reality show. He has received several awards including Africa Movie Academy Awards, ...

, actor * Omoni Oboli, actress, director, producer, and writer * Oshri Cohen, actor * Oskar Kuchera, actor, TV presenter, and radio host * Paul Dano, actor * Pevita Pearce, actress * Philip Dorling, screenwriter * Rafael de la Fuente, actor * Ragga Ragnars, actress * Rah Digga, actress and rapper * Raphaela Neihausen, producer * Rekha Rana, actress * Rob Margolies, writer and director * Rohit Gupta, director * Ronen Rubinstein, actor * Sasha Cohen, actress and figure skater * Sean Robinson, film director and editor *

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

, basketball player and actor * Sharad Malhotra, actor * Shehzad Sheikh, actor * Shirley Setia, singer and actress * Somy Ali, actress * Stephanie Cayo, actress * Stephanie Okereke Linus, actress * Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam, director * Tracy Oliver, writer, producer, and actor * Trevor Matthews, producer and actor * Tushar Tyagi, director * Vittoria Chierici, artist

References

External links

* {{coord, 40.736478, -73.988972, region:US_type:edu, display=title 1992 establishments in New York City Educational institutions established in 1992 Animation schools in the United States Design schools in the United States Graphic design schools in the United States Drama schools in Australia Film schools in California Film schools in Australia Film schools in Florida Film schools in New York (state) For-profit schools in Manhattan Performing arts education in New York City Universities and colleges in Manhattan Universities and colleges in Los Angeles County, California Universities and colleges in Los Angeles Private universities and colleges in California Art schools in New York City The Battery (Manhattan) Drama schools in the United States