New York Film Academy (NYFA) was honored to be involved with EducationUSA, the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP), and the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, to celebrate International Education Week (IEW) with film as a vehicle to bridge mutual understanding between the United States and Pakistan.
For the third year in a row, Professor Piero Basso, NYFA’s New York Campus Chair of Cinematography, led a team of NYFA faculty judges for the filmmaking competition ‘Filminute‘, which was created to help Pakistani students improve their communication skills and unleash their creative potential. Budding filmmakers between the ages of 15 to 18 submitted one-minute films with their unique interpretation on the theme: ‘if these walls could talk.’
On November 18th, EducationUSA Pakistan held a virtual event to celebrate each film and the award-winning filmmakers. At the event, NYFA Professor Piero Basso provided remarks to the online attendees. He began, “As an educator, it’s always a reason of joy to see the young, new generation creatives expressing themselves in films and willing to take risks, explore creative storytelling, and to not be shy of talking about challenging topics. The theme ‘If These Walls Could Talk’ inspired some filmmakers to confront extremely serious and difficult subjects with a remarkable maturity”.
Further encouraging young Pakistani filmmakers, Professor Basso stated, “One of the greatest qualities of these movies is the willingness of the filmmakers to find ways to express themselves without the fear of judgment, especially on the technical elements. As the Chair of the Cinematography Department at NYFA’s New York campus, I watched several portfolios and you can often notice in older applicants the fear of submitting work less than technically perfect. Personally, I admire the freshness of younger filmmakers less bothered by the fear of judgment on how they set the camera and more focused in sharing their stories. They produce movies that are imperfect and raw, but intense, true to themselves and a pure expression of their creativity.”
About EducationUSA:
EducationUSA is the official U.S. government source of information on U.S. higher education. It offers accurate, comprehensive, and current information on accredited postsecondary institutions in the United States, and free guidance and assistance to students interested in applying to U.S. colleges and universities. In Pakistan, EducationUSA is hosted at USEFP, a bi-national commission established in 1950 by the Governments of Pakistan and the United States. USEFP also administers the prestigious Fulbright Student Program and several other scholarships and fellowships for Pakistani students interested in studying in the United States.
About United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP):
USEFP is guided by a binational commission composed of an equal number of Pakistanis and Americans, with the Chair alternating each year between a Pakistani and an American. USEFP is one of 49 “Fulbright Commissions” located throughout the world. Since 1951 when the first group of Pakistani grantees traveled to America and in 1952 when the first American grantees visited Pakistan, the USEFP has fostered mutual understanding between the people of Pakistan and the people of the United States through educational and cultural exchange. More than 8,000 Pakistanis and around 935 Americans have participated in USEFP administered exchange programs.
The Foundation receives support and counsel from both the Pakistan and U.S. governments, but it is not an agency of either. The Foundation supervises a variety of programs that send Pakistani students and scholars to American campuses while bringing American scholars to universities in Pakistan. The goal of all USEFP programs is to help Pakistanis learn more about the U.S. and to help Americans learn more about Pakistan and its people.
About New York Film Academy:
New York Film Academy (NYFA) is a leading film, media, and performing arts college that offers hands-on intensive undergraduate and graduate degree programs, certificates, and workshops across a multitude of areas of study in New York City, Los Angeles, South Beach/Miami, Gold Coast (Australia), Florence (Italy), Beijing and Shanghai (China), and more. Its programs are accelerated and NYFA students can complete a four-year BFA degree in three years. NYFA’s online program offerings allow students the opportunity to advance their creative and technical skills in NYFA’s “Hands-Online Workshops,” available across NYFA’s film, media, and performing arts disciplines.
NYFA is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). This accreditation extends to all NYFA campuses in the United States and overseas.