Some of the students behind the Sixth Borough Film Festival.
MANHATTAN UNIVERSITY PHOTOSHELTER / COURTESY
Joshua Reichard Assistant A&E Editor
Manhattan University’s (MU) film program is making a comeback both on and off campus.
After the film minor was cut due to past financial constraints, it has now been reinstated, signaling support from the university’s administration. The program, approved in December, is now accepting new students.
Michael Grabowski, Ph.D, a professor in the Communication, Sound and Media Arts department, spoke to The Quadrangle about film on campus.
“A lot of people were scratching their heads because a lot of students wanted the [film] minor,” Grabowski said. “The students made their voices heard, and the new administration said, ‘Yeah, students are interested in this and we have the courses to do this, let’s do it’!”
One of the most visible signs of growing interest in film on campus was the debut of the inaugural Sixth Borough Film Festival (SBFF) held from April 10 to 12. It was organized largely by students and screened more than 100 films. Grabowski was surprised at the traction it has received.
“It was an amazing first year,” Grabowski said. “At first we thought ‘maybe we’ll get like 20 entries and we’ll have an afternoon of screenings’… We ended up attracting over 180 submissions from around 30 countries.”
Grabowski emphasized student involvement as an important part of the success of the festival.
“One of my favorite moments was the award ceremony on Sunday, when one of the students said ‘thank you to the university for trusting us to do this’ and that meant a lot to me,” Grabowski said. “That was probably the thing that I was most proud of, that the students took on that leadership role and did such an amazing job for something that we really didn’t know how it was going to turn out.”
Professional productions have also changed the film scene by utilizing the campus as a filming location, letting students see firsthand how the industry operates.
“It’s good to see professional productions work on campus,” Grabowski said. “We get a sense of what’s involved in it. “I think a combination of having outside productions on campus, having students learn production here and then going out and learning where actual shows are being produced gets people in an environment where they’re thinking about how [film] gets made and it allows [students] to pick up skills.”
Off campus, students are gaining real-world film experience through the “Tools of the Trade” course, which uses professional sound stages at Lionsgate Studios in Yonkers and lets students learn how to use industry equipment.
Jason Silva, a senior communication major with a media production concentration, is involved with the program.
“We’re working with all this professional equipment that we don’t have on campus,” Silva said. “You’re really getting the full experience of what it would be like to actually work in the film industry … You’re getting that glimpse into Hollywood.”
Grabowski added that the partnership gives students access to more opportunities in the industry.
“The goal here is to have some production classes taught on the sound stages in the same complex that professional film and television shows are being shot and to bring in guest speakers from those shows,” Grabowski said. “We’re also working on placements of students in internships as studio assistants where those shows are shooting.”
Some film students have already begun that experience. According to Grabowski, students have gained career experience working with real film and television companies.
“We had a student working in the costume shop for a new NBC show… Another student got to help out on an Apple TV+ show and another student was working on a Netflix show,” Grabowski said. “We’re really excited about that.”
JOSHUA REICHARD / THE QUADRANGLE
The growth of film on campus has also increased visibility for the communication department.
“It feels great,” Silva said. “For so long I felt that the school was overshadowed by engineering and the business programs … But I feel like this year was really the [Communication] department’s year to shine.”
Silva, who worked as director of post-production for SBFF, also got the opportunity to edit the promotional trailer for the SBFF, which has now received over 11 million views across social media platforms.
“Dr. Grabowski really wanted it [the SBFF] to be a student-led thing, and because of that, he asked me to be the director of post production,” Silva said. “I edited the trailer for him, he loved it, it got posted on social media and has accumulated over 11 million views.”
Producing and editing film on a smaller scale is also strong on campus, with many students involved with Manhattan Media Network (MMN), a student-run television and social media production group.
Aureliano Morales, a senior communication major with a focus in media production and the vice president of the Film Society, is involved and elaborates on his role in the group.
“I spearhead ideas, work with students, make and edit projects and next semester I’ll also be helping other students learn how to edit,” Morales said. “We want to have a space for students to learn how to edit and make their own videos at some point.”
Morales, one of the last students to declare the film minor before it was cut, is glad to see that it was reinstated and that the film scene on campus is growing.
“It’s fun to see that a lot of people love film and appreciate the art of making films,” Morales said. “We’ve made a bunch of [them] on campus, and it’s fun to highlight that with the film festival. Seeing it all come to fruition at the end, it was kind of beautiful … We hope that next year will be even bigger.”
With the interest in film and support from the school growing, Grabowski is optimistic about the future of the film scene on campus, having high hopes for the future of the SBFF.
“Well, we own the popcorn machines now, so we’re going to have to do it again,” Grabowski said.