Overview

Why Choose the MFA in Digital Filmmaking

Four reasons filmmakers choose the Akira Kurosawa School of Film.

Learn From Industry Professionals

Study with professors based in Hollywood and other leading film markets without relocating.

Hands-On Residential

Spend one week in Hollywood or Tokyo working with professional equipment and industry professionals.

Choose Your Specialty

Select electives in documentary, animation, producing for the web, game design or story structure.

Live Webcam Classes

Weekly live classes with your professor and classmates around the world.

Program Learning Outcomes

What you will be able to do by the time you complete the program.

Film & Media Studies

  • Situate film and media within artistic traditions from many countries
  • Understand the central place of Akira Kurosawa in world cinema
  • Review how cinematic media are produced, distributed and consumed

Critical Writing & Research

  • Produce critical work on film and media using appropriate critical theories
  • Summarize significant research findings in the field

Creative Practice

  • Produce creative work that explores interior and exterior journeys of understanding
  • Develop creative writing to the professional standards of the film and media industries

Production & Industry

  • Use cutting-edge techniques and technologies to produce digital media
  • Gain the intellectual and professional background to enter the cinematic marketplace

How You'll Learn

Each nine-week course combines a weekly live webcam class, an ongoing discussion forum, weekly readings or film critiques, and a course film project, screenplay or research paper.

Online discussion forum Ongoing, all 9 weeks
Break WeekNew term every 10 weeks
Assignment 1 · Weeks 1–5
Assignment 2 · Weeks 6–9
Week 6Live class
Week 7Live class
Week 8Live class
Week 9Final assignment
See 2026 term dates →

Your Path to the MFA

Coursework, a hands-on residential and a thesis project.

01

STEP 1

Core Courses

Film aesthetics, digital filmmaking, screenwriting, world cinema, film theory, the film business and post-production.

02

STEP 2

Electives & Residential

Three electives in your area of interest, plus a one-week residential in Hollywood or Tokyo.

03

STEP 3

Thesis Project

Begin your thesis after all other coursework; it takes about two terms to complete.

Career Paths

Build a career in film, media and digital content.

DIRECTING & PRODUCING

Make Films

Develop, direct and produce your own work.

  • Director
  • Producer
  • Independent filmmaker

WRITING

Tell the Story

Write for film, television and digital media.

  • Screenwriter
  • Story developer
  • Script consultant

POST-PRODUCTION & CAMERA

Craft the Image and Sound

Specialize in the technical side of filmmaking.

  • Editor
  • Sound designer
  • Cinematographer

DIGITAL MEDIA & TEACHING

Create and Teach

Work across web, documentary and games, or teach film.

  • Web or documentary producer
  • Animation or game content creator
  • Film and media educator

Meet Our Faculty

Learn from experienced academics and professionals who bring subject expertise, research, and real-world perspective into the classroom.

David Desser, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus and Founding Dean of the Akira Kurosawa School of Film. Has taught at the University of Southern California and UCLA.

Vikram Channa

Associate Dean of the Akira Kurosawa School of Film, and a Vice President at Warner Bros. Discovery.

Henryk Cymerman, MFA

Cinematographer. His credits include Star Trek: First Contact.

Alison Marek, MFA

Award-winning writer and director. MFA, New York University.

See all film faculty

Ready to Start Your MFA in Digital Filmmaking?

Speak with an advisor about your creative goals and experience, or start your application today.

Apply Now
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