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City's First Public Graduate-Level Film School Opens at Steiner Studios

By Alexandra Leon | December 11, 2015 8:52am
 The Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema is the first public graduate film school in New York and the only one that's located on a working film lot.
The Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema is the first public graduate film school in New York and the only one that's located on a working film lot.
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Courtesy Tricia Cramer

BROOKLYN NAVY YARD — When 30-year-old Tricia Cramer saw an ad on the subway announcing the opening of the first school on a working film lot, she assumed it had to be in Los Angeles or Burbank.

A Bushwick resident, Cramer had been freelancing as a production assistant while working odd jobs as a waitress and an account executive when she decided it was time to go back to school.

“I wanted an education, but I wanted the right education,” Cramer said.

With the high cost of tuition at established film programs like those at Columbia or New York University, though, going back to school wasn’t an option.

That is, until she started seeing the ads for the Barry R. Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, which welcomed its inaugural class this fall.

Brooklyn College’s graduate film program, located on the Steiner Studios lot at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, is the first public graduate film school in New York. At $9,205 per semester for New York residents and $13,500 for non residents, the M.F.A. program is one-third of the price of similar programs at private universities in the state.

Each of the school’s 69 students has also received a scholarship and a grant from the mayor’s office.

Aside from the attractive price tag, Cramer said that being part of the first class at a new school held its own appeal.

“Instead of me trying to fit in with something that was already established, I could be myself,” she said. “The halls aren’t hallowed yet. If we have ideas they hear us out.”

Khaula Malik, a 28-year-old Manhattan resident who also worked in other fields while freelancing in film and TV, said she felt she could get the same education, or better, at Feirstein than at the other schools.

“The professors are amazing,” she said. “A lot have already taught at Columbia and NYU, so I really don’t think I’m missing out by going to a different school.”

Add the new state-of-the-art facilities and star-studded advisory council, which includes producer Steven Soderbergh, director Darren Aronofsky and actor Ethan Hawke, and the choice is even more appealing.

“It’s crazy who’s in the elevator alone,” Cramer said.

Feirstein offers students two degree programs: an M.A. in cinema studies and an M.F.A. in cinema arts.

The two-year M.A. program covers film history, theory and criticism while the three-year M.F.A. offers six tracks: cinematography, directing, post-production, producing, screenwriting and digital animation.

The student population is also 50 percent female and 45 percent from minority groups, making it one of the most diverse in the country and marking a departure from the predominantly male film industry.

“If you have a story and you feel like you don’t fit into the established mold, this is the place to be,” Cramer said.

Feirstein is now accepting applications for the fall 2016 semester. The deadline to apply for priority consideration is Jan 15. 

The school is also hosting a number of information sessions for prospective students. For a full list, click here.