Community College of Aurora Program Cited as One of the Top 25 Film Schools in the U.S.
Denver, CO (PRWEB) August 28, 2013 -- The Colorado Film School at CCA, an Aurora and Denver community college, once again has been recognized on the Hollywood Reporter’s annual list of top 25 film schools in the nation.
The results appear in the Reporter’s August 9 issue and marks the third straight time CFS has received plaudits, after earning top-25 recognition in 2011 and honorable-mention status in 2012.
The Film School this year was recognized alongside such prestigious institutions as University of Southern California, the American Film Institute, New York University, Columbia, Boston University and others.
The Reporter’s recognition of schools was based upon 600 ballots, cast by members of the Writers Guild of America West, America Cinema Editors, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and potential nominees.
Programs nationwide were rated on their service to undergraduates, graduate students, and in some cases, both. CCA was the only community college recognized on the national rankings and adds the most recent honor to its identification by International Cinematographers Guild (ICG) Magazine as one of the “superlative” film programs nationally.
Frederic Lahey, director of Colorado Film School, said that the Reporter once again recognized “our global legitimacy” and reinforced the notion that “what we do here at least equals, if not surpasses, the work that’s done in the best institutions in the world.”
He labeled two of the film school’s foundational principles as “ambition and teamwork,” which coalesce to pull out the best work from students and faculty alike.
“When I started thinking about putting this school together and focusing my energies on it, I stopped for a minute and said, ‘Why do this?’ ” Lahey noted. “Democratic access to means of expression has always been the governing force.
“Film, as I’ve said many times, is the language of the global economy, and there have been so many walls put up and impediments put up against people who are not born into it or have not had big budgets to access the means of expression.
“I think it’s wonderful that a community college can break those barriers.”
As a taxpayer-funded state institution, Community College of Aurora has access to tremendous resources such as a state-of-the-art physical plant, as well as federal Perkins grants that provide new equipment funding annually. CFS students are exposed to rigorous coverage of skills and content within that technologically advanced environment. The host site is comprised of a 3,000-foot production studio in building 905 on CCA’s Lowry campus.
At the same time, outstanding storytelling remains a pillar of the school’s filmmaking mission.
“Our student work is superior to a great number of graduate film programs because we’re all in it together here,” Lahey maintained.
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About CCA
Community College of Aurora has campuses at CentreTech and Lowry in the greater Denver area. Equipped with the latest technologies, CCA allows students to study new and traditional programs, while also offering Colorado online classes and degrees. CCA’s service community spans 325,000 people in a 350-square-mile area and CCA’s student population reflects that diversity. The college provides lifelong educational opportunities, prepares the current and future workforce, and promotes excellence in teaching, learning and service.
Lee Rasizer, Community College of Aurora, (303) 360-4728, [email protected]
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