The International Film Institute of New York (IFI) was founded to provide high quality, low cost education in all aspects of film-making: screenwriting, directing, producing, cinematography, and editing.Digital technology is utilized in both production and post-production disciplines, along with a thorough grounding in all applications of conventional film techniques.The all-inclusive curriculum combines classroom instruction, with industry professionals, accompanied by hands-on workshops using state-of-the-art equipment.

The program serves as a resource to both new and established filmmakers by encouraging the use the Institute’s creative resources for their own projects.By fostering talented students through the curriculum, the Institute will have immediate access to new content for potential production, development and distribution.

With a faculty composed of highly qualified film teachers, industry professionals and resources provided by the Institute, students will learn not only how to “make” a film but will be made aware through various courses of the aesthetic, social and political ramifications of film both as art and as commerce.

The IFI uses the best of the new digital technology to teach fundamental film-making skills to its students. The immediacy of new digital formats allows an accelerated educational pace to be maintained throughout all of the courses. Composition, shot development, editing, lenses, filters and a wide range of technical and artistic skills are introduced to students using state of the art digital video cameras and non-linear computer editing systems. This approach affords students the maximum amount of hands-on time in acquiring basic skill sets, allowing them to master the fundamentals easily and more quickly. Additional hands-on classes smooth the transition from digital to film providing the students with an overall understanding of the different technologies and how they both compete with and complement each other.

Our student body includes individuals from diverse backgrounds and nationalities.They are drawn to the IFI for its faculty, curriculum, and overall quality of education.

Our intensive, hands on program, takes the student from concept to final screening while working on the practical steps in between.

While technology changes every time we turn around, the rules of good Storytelling have remained the same for five thousand years. We don't choose to see a movie because of the camera it was shot with; we go because of the story, the actors, the director, or even the producer.

Sid Gannis, President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said, "State of the art technique will change, state of the heart of storytelling will not", the IFI focuses instruction on the art and craft of storytelling.

Comparable programs contain additional or hidden costs (e.g. equipment, film, processing, editing); The International Film Institute of New York has no hidden costs. Our tuition covers all equipment and materials related to the workshop, including  HD Cameras, lighting packages, and editing equipment and supplies.

The only out-of-pocket expenses you incur are the extra, optional components of your short film-- e.g. costume rental, professional actors, and scenery-- all of which The IFI helps you to find.  We recommend bringing your own external Hard Drive to take away your film files at the end of the program.

While The IFI believes that what you know is the most important aspect of your career in film-making, it's always beneficial to learn from the masters of the art, and to meet and interact with established filmmakers. The IFI's faculty is comprised of award-winning, industry professionals who teach at leading film schools, including Columbia University and New York University.