Brooklyn College’s Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema was recently named to two “best-of” lists after being highlighted by both The Hollywood Reporter and MovieMaker magazines.

“We are extremely excited that Feirstein continues to be recognized as one of the best film schools,” Executive Director Richard N. Gladstein said. “The combination of being the only film school operating on a working film lot at Steiner Studios, our accomplished and experienced faculty, and mentoring programs with industry leaders, coupled with our affordable tuition allows our incredibly diverse student body to succeed and stand out as the new voices in film today.”

It was the third straight year that Feirstein made The Hollywood Reporter’s exclusive list, which was published on August 11. The leading film magazine pointed to the support the school has received for incoming student scholarships and thesis film projects. The school was also singled out for its affordable tuition, which is one-third of most leading film schools.

The Hollywood Reporter wrote: “The CUNY graduate program, which boasts a 500,000-square-foot production hub, has not raised tuition in three years, with a focus on affordability for local talent, with the majority of students Brooklyn residents. … The program, which has seen enrollment increase year-over-year since its 2015 inception, has an impressive board of advisors, including Steven Soderbergh and Ethan Hawke, and just added Participant CEO, David Linde.”

One of Feirstein’s biggest strengths is its ability to connect the film industry to students and its students to the industry. Most recently, students were treated to a masterclass seminar with Franklin Leonard. Leonard—also a Feirstein Advisory Council member—is the founder and CEO of The Black List, which supports screenwriters through film production, an annual survey of best-unproduced screenplays, its online marketplace, as well as screenwriter labs. More than 400 scripts from the annual Black List survey have been produced as feature films earning 250 Academy Award nominations and 50 wins including four Best Pictures—including Spotlight, Slumdog Millionaire, The King’s Speech, and Argo—and nearly half of the last 15 years’ screenwriting Academy Awards. Franklin has worked in feature film development at Universal Pictures and the production companies of Will Smith, Sydney Pollack, Anthony Minghella, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

On August 21, students will hear from another filmmaker and Feirstein Advisory Council member Steven Soderbergh, who won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film Traffic.  Soderbergh’s other notable films include Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Out of Sight, and Erin Brockovich, among others. He has served an important role on the Advisory Council, and his continuing mentorship will include a master class seminar moderated by Gladstein to welcome the new class of students on their first day of orientation. Students have also enjoyed past seminars with Advisory Council members actor/director John Turturro, cinematographer, director Rachel Morrison, and others.

As for MovieMaker magazine’s “Best 25 Film Schools in the U.S. and Canada” issue that Feirstein made for the fourth straight year, it praised for its outstanding film production offerings.

“[Feirstein] has really hit the ground running under the guidance of two-time Oscar-nominated producer Richard Gladstein, The Hateful Eight, who serves as executive director, using his and the faculty’s other connections to bring in industry guests to speak to students about their work and journeys.  … The cutting-edge facilities provide access to premium equipment, four soundstages, seven Avid Everywhere post-production suites, four DaVinci Resolve color grading suites, ADR studios, mixing rooms, a construction shop and a prop room. Feirstein covers the gamut for those interested in learning directing, cinematography, postproduction, digital animation and VFX, producing, screenwriting, sonic arts, and media scoring. It’s a great low-tuition option for students from New York who want to live and learn in the Big Apple, a glorious nexus of cultures, people, and ideas. … Another attractive perk of the school is its location at Steiner Studios, so students are immersed in the hustle and bustle of a working production lot.”

About Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema

The Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema educates a diverse student body in the art and craft of filmmaking, music-making, and storytelling in a hands-on, collaborative environment that mirrors the professional world. The extraordinary faculty and staff made up largely of working members of the film, media, and music industries, encourage students to discover their authentic voices and guide them toward a wide variety of careers.

The only film school located on a working film lot (within Steiner Studios), Feirstein School opened in 2015, the result of a $30 million public-private partnership. With tuition costing one-third of other major film schools, we offer M.F.A. degrees in cinema arts—with specializations in cinematography, digital animation and visual effects (DAVE), directing, post-production, producing, and screenwriting—as well as in sonic arts, media scoring, and an M.A. in screen studies.

The Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema is based in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and is part of Brooklyn College and The City University of New York (CUNY).