FILM/VIDEO ARTS

Founded in 1968, Film/Video Arts is the largest nonprofit media arts center in the New York region. Film/Video Arts provides a fertile environment where emerging and established film, video and digital media producers of diverse backgrounds can take courses, receive fiscal sponsorship for their projects and edit their projects affordably. Over 2,500 individuals and organizations participate in Film/Video Arts programs every year. Film/Video Arts' mission is to make the tools and skills of the media arts available to those who might otherwise not have access to them.

HISTORY

Film/Video Arts has come a long way since its founding in 1968 when educators Rodger Larson and Lynne Hofer in collaboration with filmmaker Jaime Barrios introduced 16mm motion picture equipment to Latino youth on the Lower East Side. Operating out of a storefront just off the Bowery, the teenagers were soon making highly personal films, mostly concerned with growing up in the neighborhood.

In 1968, the organization was officially incorporated as the Young Filmmakers Foundation, to encourage filmmaking as an artistic, educational and vocational experience for young people. A major grant in 1970 made it possible for Young Filmmakers to stabilize and expand its programs citywide.

In 1971, in collaboration with the New York State Council on the Arts, Young Filmmakers established the first public media equipment access center in a basement on West 53rd Street. Known as Media Equipment Resource Center (MERC), this program served film and video makers of all ages with production and postproduction services free of charge. In 1973, the activities of the organization were consolidated in a loft building at 4 Irvington Street. By 1978, Young Filmmakers had introduced modest fees and redirected its focus to adults.

In 1985, Young Filmmakers changed its name to Film/Video Arts and relocated to 817 Broadway. The new location and major equipment upgrades enabled the organization to evolve from a set of experimental programs to an established service institution.

In 1997, Film/Video Arts built the Digital Studio and initiated the Digital Arts Certificate Program. Consequently, a new generation of digital media producers was emerging from Film/Video Arts with the benefit of having equal access to necessary resources.

In 2001, Film/Video Arts relocated to its present address at 462 Broadway (corner of Grand Street). The future of the Film/Video Arts at its new location holds forth many possibilities as the organization continues to grow with the emergence of newer technologies.

Drawing from its rich history Film/Video Arts has steadily evolved, all the time maintaining its staunch commitment to supporting the needs of independent film, video and digital media producers. The founder's mission, to make the tools and skills of the media arts available to those who might otherwise not have access to them, remains the guiding force behind all Film/Video Arts' activities and programs.

 

FILM/VIDEO ARTS ALUMNI

Film/Video Arts has nurtured some of the independent film community's greatest talents. Many distinguished filmmakers have passed through the doors of Film/Video Arts and gone on to lead notable careers. The following is a selection of alumni who found support at F/VA in the earliest stages of their careers.

 

"Film/Video Arts puts this art form in the hands of people who really aren't supposed to be doing it because it is really such an expensive process. What Film/Video Arts has done is to say 'Money should not be in the way of getting these resources in the hands of people whose stories we should hear' ".

~ Michael Moore, Producer/Director
"Roger & Me," Bravo's "The Awful Truth"

"Its very rare when an organization has the capacity to affect [so] many lives and I think its really quite wonderful that [F/VA has] really changed the course of filmmaking in NYC."

~ Tom Fontana, Producer
"Homicide," "Oz"
1999 Film/Video Arts 30th Anniversary Honoree

 

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