About
The Sidney Poitier New American Film School empowers passionate film and media artists with the technical skills and diverse experience that will allow them to change the world with new visions, new stories and new voices.
We recognize and value creativity.
The Sidney Poitier New American Film School in ASU's Herberger Institute for Design and the Art aspires to be the most inclusive, most affordable and most impactful film program for the next generation of cinematic storytellers. The international faculty brings decades of professional experience in film, television, new media and documentary filmmaking to a rigorous and focused curriculum based in ethical and collaborative filmmaking practices, professional development and hands-on instruction. Our faculty includes feature film screenwriters, studio executives, Emmy-winning television veterans, acclaimed documentarians and highly respected craftspeople.
We recognize and value the creativity and meaning that each student brings to the program. Our students are welcomed as young professionals ready to learn their craft at the highest level; develop and project their unique creative voice; establish collaborative, organizational and leadership skills that will last a lifetime; and make media that is personal, unique and powerful.
With dozens of major student projects created every year, plus hundreds of short films, screenplays and digital stories generated in and out of our studio classrooms, our students find opportunities to develop a wide array of production experiences while specializing in producing, screenwriting, director or production technology.
One school, two states, three cities
Working across multiple cities and multiple platforms, The Sidney Poitier New American Film School opens endless pathways for students to advance their creative expression and chart successful careers. Students will also be technologically empowered to study and create anywhere, with access to online tools and collaborative platforms. The school is designed to prepare master storytellers and digital creators for a rapidly evolving industry.
Tempe, Arizona
At ASU’s campus in Tempe, Arizona, students have access to film production equipment and 24/7 computer labs.
Mesa, Arizona
The world-class Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center in Mesa, Arizona, is home to the production and post-production activities of The Sidney Poitier New American Film School. The 118,000-gross-square-foot facility features state-of-the-art sound stages, editing suites, screening theaters, public exhibition space and more. The facility will serve film majors as well as host a transdisciplinary collection of ASU master’s degrees, all of which will engage film students looking to embrace new technologies. The MIX Center is part of the ASU at Mesa City Center complex, a collaboration between ASU and Mesa. The complex also includes The Studios at Mesa City Center and a three-acre Plaza that provides a public park with an event lawn, splash pad and shade structures. Film students will have opportunities to hone their craft while working and connecting with media start-ups, schools and community groups in this dynamic and growing downtown. Be a part of this bold new initiative.
Los Angeles, California
The Sidney Poitier New American Film School has a presence in downtown Los Angeles at the ASU California Center, located in the newly renovated historical Herald Examiner Building. Here, film students can accelerate their careers, connect with alumni and industry professionals, spend a semester completing coursework toward their degree and more. The ASU California Center is also home to a graduate degree focused on narrative and emerging media, a joint MA program between the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the film school. The Sidney Poitier New American Film School also offers its BA in film with a concentration in filmmaking practices to California transfer students at the ASU California Center.
Mission
The Sidney Poitier New American Film School educates and advises students in the literatures, theories, histories and practices of contemporary filmmaking. Our teaching, research, creative activity and professional service enrich the cultural life of the University, the community, the state and the region, extending beyond our borders; and move the art of film production into the future by building on its diverse histories and cultural contexts.
History
Spurred by student demand, the Film and Media Production program was established in 2005 after ABOR approved the establishment of the School of Theatre and Film. Designed as a modest program to house 200 majors, the program grew to over 600 students in a decade, becoming one of the fastest growing majors in the University. ABOR approved the establishment of the The Sidney Poitier New American Film School in 2020. On Jan. 25, 2021, ASU's Herberger Institute announced the film school at ASU would be named after groundbreaking industry icon Sidney Poitier. In naming this school The Sidney Poitier New American Film School, we signal our commitment to excellence and inclusion and carry forward Sidney Poitier’s legacy through the lives of the thousands of students who will learn their craft and find their voice here. The school recently established the newly designed Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Film and Media Production, and the program will take up residence in the new Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center in Mesa, Arizona, in 2022.