ABU DHABI // There will be no shortage of jobs for graduates of the New York Film Academy (NYFA) in Abu Dhabi, says the director of the new centre.
John Sammon said NYFA Abu Dhabi was “perfectly poised” to exploit the likely growth in the filmmaking industry that would accompany the emirate’s development as a cultural hub.
“In three to five years, there will be a number of graduates,” he said. “There will be more jobs available than people capable of filling them.”
The number of production companies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai had grown ten-fold in recent years, he said. “The more people making films, the more of an industry there will be.
“There will be many productions coming through NYFA.”
But if studying at the centre guarantees a career boost, it is one that comes at a price. Courses cost up to US$17,000 (Dh62,442) per term, with two terms per year.
The original academy was founded in 1992 in New York and has since opened branches in Los Angeles and London.
The Abu Dhabi branch, its latest venture, has already sparked interest from across the GCC, north Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Students are taught how to direct, film, edit and act for the screen.
While the UAE’s film industry may still be in its infancy, it is growing fast thanks to support from events such as the Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi and the Dubai International Film Festival.
The academy believes the film industry is set for considerable growth locally and that having a branch here will fuel this expansion as well as create employment opportunities.
Mr Sammon, the former director of education at the NYFA’s branch at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, said the film school was an integral part of efforts by the authorities to upgrade Abu Dhabi’s education system. Film, he said, was not just an entertaining sideline, but a key industry. “Abu Dhabi is trying to build a proper educational platform,” he said.
“They don’t treat it as a hobby. It’s a very serious business, an industry in itself. It is key to developing Abu Dhabi from an educational perspective.”
Students can follow a variety of programmes, lasting from four weeks to two years, with much of the teaching conducted by instructors from the New York facility, which has about 2,000 students.
Eventually, 400 people are likely to be enrolled at the NYFA in Abu Dhabi, and those in full-time work will have the chance to attend evening classes.
Currently, courses are for filmmakers, but in October acting classes will be added.
Courses involve more than merely sitting in a lecture room and learning about filmmaking theory – most of the time will be spent making films.
Students on a four-week programme, for instance, work on as many as 16 films, directing some and taking on roles such as director of photography or assistant cameraman on others.
While the curriculum of the courses is the same as at the other NYFA centres, David Klein, a senior director who recently visited the Abu Dhabi centre, said the films produced here were likely to be different.
“Location inspires the students’ work and the students themselves bring their cultural background,” Mr Klein said. “The curriculum is the same, the culture is the same, but what the students bring is what creates the difference.”
So what does it take to make it in movies? Mr Klein said only the very determined were in with a chance of becoming successful.
“It’s a very difficult industry and it’s hard work,” he said. “You have to have a passion for the work to be a success.
“That’s the most important thing for any student. You have to want to do this more than anything else.”