Columbia University in the City of New York

The MFA in Film Directing and Screenwriting at Columbia University is, for me, the most complete and competitive program in the world. It treats film holistically so students can have a broad spectrum of the industry but has a main concentration on "The story". Different from other programs that concentrate on technique, production or cinematography all students in this program concentrate in the creation of the story as their starting point. I think that this is the reason why Columbia films are... Read More so successful around the world and are the most recognized in international festivals, Columbia films are mainly good stories and that is what film is all about, you can't have a good film if the story is empty. The professors we have at Columbia are people who are currently in the industry so that makes their classes even more fulfilling and practical. We are always on top of what is happening in the film industry and we have the best people to confront the changes that are coming for film. This is a hands on program where students film exercises constantly to explore different aspects of film but always concentrating on its narrative structure and logic. We have production workshops that enlighten us with the marvels of special effects, sound design, weapon use, music for film, logistics and planning and practical production. I can say this is a program that immerses their students in all aspects of film making them , breathe, live and dream film!

I am a current graduate MFA Creative Film Producing student at Columbia University, which continues to be truly the best experience I have ever had in my life. The value that this education offers is incredible, for of course it is ivy league, but it goes beyond that. The quality of the curriculum and professors is exactly what I was looking for in a graduate school, the incredible Columbia name to support me through my career search, as well as the fellow students in my program make my school the... Read More perfect place for me. I'd say the cons of my graduate Creative Producing film program is that it is a newer program. The Screenwriting/Directing film program at Columbia is much more established (Katheryn Bigelow, director of "Zero Dark Thirty" & Academy Award Best Picture winner "The Hurt Locker" is an alum). Since my Producing program is a lot newer, there are still issues that need to be smoothed out, such as kinds of classes that are offered. Overall, I HIGHLY recommend Columbia University for a graduate degree in Creative Film Producing, Screenwriting or Directing!

Columbia is an Ivy League school for a reason! You will be drowning in student debt and mountains of stress ... in the hopes that it will all be worth it in the end. It's in New York, meaning that there are all the opportunities that the city itself affords, as well as the high costs and safety issues of a large metropolitan city. Overall, I love it here. Graduate students are usually here to work while undergrads tend to be rich white kids who aren't necessarily the brightest. I have established... Read More good relationships with my professors and peers, and just by having Columbia by your name really helps open doors.