The School of Cinema is housed in the College of Liberal & Creative Arts at

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...

. It is located in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, USA and offers a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Arts, and Master of Fine Arts in cinema. The program has been frequently included in the annual "Top 25 American Film Schools" rankings published by ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

''. The curriculum combines

film production Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...

screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, devel ...

animation Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

and

critical theory A critical theory is any approach to social philosophy that focuses on society and culture to reveal, critique and challenge power structures. With roots in sociology and literary criticism, it argues that social problems stem more from soci ...

in both its undergraduate and graduate programs. A wide range of courses in digital, interactive, and experimental production are offered at the school, as well as cinema history, theory, and criticism. Currently there are approximately 950 students enrolled, the majority in the undergraduate program.

Facilities

The department's production and research facilities include: *Animation lab *Coppola Theater *Critical studies center *Digital cinema lab *

DOC Film Institute The Documentary Film Institute (or DOCFilm), is an independent organization within San Francisco State University that is dedicated to support non-fiction cinema by promoting documentary films and filmmakers and producing films on socially and cu ...

*Post-production studio * Foley studio *Optical printing studio *Queer Cinema Project *

Post-production Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments. The ...

studios *

Sound stage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a soundproof, large structure, building, or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or ...

*Veteran Documentary Corps

History

The School of Cinema was founded amid the political activism and artistic experimentation of the 1960s. Originally part of the Broadcast and Electronic Arts Department, cinema faculty such as Jim Goldner successfully made the case to the university that filmmaking was both an art and industry, and that it needed to be housed in a separate department. In the 1990s, a new facility was constructed, featuring a 2500-square-foot shooting stage, greatly enlarging the department's post-production studios and labs, and beginning the transition from analogue to digital processes. A new screening room, the Coppola Theater (FA 101), equipped for both 16mm and 35mm projection and featuring a Dolby sound system, was named for former Dean of Creative Arts, August Coppola, whose efforts were primarily responsible for funding the new building. Digital upgrades to sound and editing labs have further modernized the department's production facilities. In more recent times, filmmakers as diverse as

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...

and

Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary film, documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle United States, American History of the United States, history and Culture of the ...

have given talks, master classes and screenings of their work. Alumni have also returned to the department to critique student work, to provide internships, and to continue the tradition of giving back to their community. Faculty in the department have long-standing relationships with the

San Francisco Film Society SFFILM, formerly known as The San Francisco Film Society, is a nonprofit arts organization located in San Francisco, California, that presents year-round programs and events in film exhibition, media education, and filmmaker services. The Execut ...

and

Bay Area Video Coalition BAVC Media, previously known as the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), is a nonprofit organization that works to connect independent producers and underrepresented communities to emerging media technologies. It was founded in 1976 in San Francisc ...

, among many other San Francisco-based film production and cultural institutions. Today, students take classes from a diverse group of over 20

tenure-track Tenure is a category of academic appointment existing in some countries. A tenured post is an indefinite academic appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances, such as financial exigency or program disco ...

and tenured faculty committed to exploring all dimensions of film and media production and studies - from independent filmmaking to experimental animation to critical and cultural theory. Faculty continue to make films, write books on film and media culture, and give talks around the world on such diverse topics as Chinese cinema, digital culture, television aesthetics, experimental narrative, screenwriting and the politics of documentary film.

Faculty

*Daniel Bernardi: professor (media and culture) *Scott Boswell: associate professor (fiction filmmaking) *Steve Choe: associate professor (media and culture) *Rafael Flores: assistant professor (filmmaking) *Martha Gorzycki: professor (animation) *Artel Great: assistant professor (George and Judy Marcus Endowed Chair in African American Cinema Studies) *Laura Green: assistant professor (filmmaking) *Julian Hoxter: professor (screenwriting) *Pat Jackson: professor (filmmaking) *Aaron Kerner: professor (media and culture) *Steve Kovacs: professor (media and culture; screenwriting) *Jenny Lau: professor (media and culture) *Joseph McBride: professor (media and culture; screenwriting) *Mihaela Mihailova: assistant professor (animation) *Rosa Sungjoo Park: assistant professor (sound) *Elizabeth Ramirez-Soto: assistant professor (documentary) *Ben Ridgway: professor (animation) *R.L. Rutsky: professor (media and culture) *Rae Shaw: assistant professor (filmmaking) *Britta Sjogren: professor (filmmaking; media and culture) *Greta Snider: professor (filmmaking) *Bethany Sparks: assistant professor (sound) * Johnny Symons: associate professor (documentary filmmaking) *Mayuran Tiruchelvam: assistant professor (George and Judy Marcus Endowed Chair in Social Justice Filmmaking) *Weimin Zhang: professor (cinematography, documentary filmmaking)

Distinguished alumni

*Sean Afshar, special effects *

Tory Belleci Salvatore "Tory" Paul Belleci (born October 30, 1970) is an American television personality and model maker, best known for his work on the Discovery Channel television program ''MythBusters''. He has also worked with Industrial Light and Magic on ...

, filmmaker, special effects department *

Gloria Borders Gloria Borders is a sound effects editor, best known for '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' for which she won an Oscar as well for Best Sound Editing. She was also the General Manager for Skywalker Sound. Borders attended Moorestown Friends School. ...

, sound engineer ( Academy Award winner) *

Christopher Boyes Christopher Boyes is an American sound engineer. He has won four Academy Awards and has been nominated for another ten. He has worked on more than 100 films since 1991. Academy Awards Boyes has won four Academy Awards and has been nominated for ...

, sound designer,

Skywalker Sound Skywalker Sound is the sound effects, sound editing, sound design, sound mixing and music recording division of Lucasfilm. Founded in 1975, the company's main facilities are located at George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch in Lucas Valley, near Nicasio, ...

( Academy Award winner) *Curtis Choy, sound engineer *George Csicsery, documentary filmmaker *

Arthur Dong Arthur Dong is an American filmmaker and author whose work centers on Asia America and anti-gay prejudice. He was raised in San Francisco, California, graduating from Galileo High School in June 1971. He received his BA in film from San Franci ...

, documentary director, screenwriter, producer ( Academy Award nominee) * Anthony C. Ferrante, director, producer, writer *Weston Green, digital filmmaker (Emmy Award winner, Webby honoree ) * Barbara Hammer, filmmaker (

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted i ...

) *Sarah K. Hellström, visual effects *

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, director, screenwriter, producer * Justin Kelly, director *Lexi Leban, executive director,

San Francisco Jewish Film Festival San Francisco Jewish Film Festival is the oldest Jewish film festival in the world, and currently the largest with a 2016 attendance figure of 40,000 at screenings in San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, San Rafael, and Palo Alto. The three-week summe ...

* Delroy Lindo, actor, theater director * Steven Okazaki, documentary filmmaker * Marcy Page, producer, director *

Anthony Peckham Anthony Peckham is a South African-born American screenwriter and producer. Career Peckham's first screenplay to reach production was 1990's ''The Assassin''. Eleven years later, in 2001, the Michael Douglas thriller ''Don't Say a Word'', Peck ...

, screenwriter, producer * Jonas Rivera, producer,

Pixar Animation Studios Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...

( Academy Award winner) *Jay Rosenblatt, filmmaker *Corey Sienega, producer *Lisanne Skyler, screenwriter, director *

Ethan Van der Ryn Ethan Van der Ryn (born October 21, 1962) is an American sound editor. He won 2 Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing for '' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' and ''King Kong''. He earned further Academy Awards nominations for ''Transfo ...

, sound editor ( Academy Award winner) * Steve Zaillian, screenwriter ( Academy Award winner for ''

Schindler's List ''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the 1982 novel ''Schindler's Ark'' by Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. The film fo ...

'')

Former faculty

*Jameson Goldner *Patricia Amlin: emeritus *Jason Jakaitis: full-time lecturer (documentary, new Media, experimental) *Scott Barlett *Tim Blaskovich *Robert Bell: emeritus *Mel Carlsen * Larry Clark (filmmaker) *Angela Davis *

Cheryl Dunye Cheryl Dunye (; born May 13, 1966) is a Liberian-American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and actress. Dunye's work often concerns themes of race, sexuality, and gender, particularly issues relating to black lesbians. She is known ...

*Tarek Elhaik *John Fell: emeritus *Pat Ferrero: emeritus *Douglas Gallez *Jennifer Hammett *Dave Hilberman *Karen Holmes: emeritus *Margo Kasdan *Jim Kitses: emeritus *Ron Levaco: emeritus *Time Lewis *Robert Lewis: emeritus *Allie Light *Akira Lippit *Fred Padula * Jan Millsapps: emerita *Katie Morrissey * Jesse Moss *Alexander Nevill * Bill Nichols: emeritus *Joan Reynertson *Irving Saraf *Chris Saxton *Celine Shimizu * Trinh T. Minh-ha *Stephen Ujlaki

References

Martinez Mayra, ''40 years of Cinema at SF State''. Golden Gate Xpress. 04/22/07

External links: SFSU

{{Commons category, San Francisco State University School of Cinema}
School of Cinema - San Francisco State University
Film schools in California San Francisco State University University subdivisions in California Educational institutions established in 1967 1967 establishments in California