The Sidney Poitier New American Film School in Los Angeles
Learn filmmaking from award-winning faculty who know your name
One school in three cities, The Sidney Poitier New American Film School is making its mark on LA, where students study at ASU California Center in the heart of downtown. At The Poitier Film School, a school in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, you'll be part of the creative heart of ASU — a closely connected community with all the resources and expertise found at a 21st-century research university across multiple locations. Our Los Angeles location is the proud home of distinguished faculty including multiple Emmy Award-winning deputy director Peter Murrieta, MacArthur “genius grant” Fellows and Borderlands Studios founders Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, and Nonny de la Peña, Peabody Award-winning XR pioneer. Here, you will benefit from small class sizes and personalized mentorship, gain access to cutting-edge equipment and facilities, have opportunities to attend special screenings and exclusive events, and jumpstart your career with networking opportunities and industry internships.
"It wasn't until I got to ASU and started meeting people that I was able to find my voice, find the career I wanted to pursue and just become who I am now."
– Jayla Johnson, alum and assistant at 3 Arts Entertainment
100% internship placement success rate for Semester in LA
Opportunities for real-world, hands-on experiences and internships are available to all Poitier Film School students.
One-on-one learning from award-winning, expert faculty
We have a 6:1 student to faculty ratio in LA, better than the national average at 4-year public institutes.
Access to cutting-edge technology in state-of-the-art studios
The ASU California Center features Planar LCD studio systems, large green screens and more.
Undergraduate programs
Earn your undergraduate film degree in LA
The Poitier Film School offers its BA in Film with a concentration in filmmaking practices and its BFA in Film and Media Production in Los Angeles.
We invite first year students and qualified transfer students to earn their film degree in LA.
See how you can transfer to the filmmaking practices program in LA from a community college:
Arizona-based students have the chance to spend a semester in LA
Lay the foundation for a long-lasting career in the entertainment industry by participating in The Poitier Film School’s Semester in LA program, which gives Arizona-based students the opportunity to take exclusive in-person courses at the ASU California Center while staying on path to graduation. Network with industry professionals, attend blockbuster events and participate in exciting site visits to places like Panavision, Universal Studios and the Academy Museum. Our Semester in LA program has a 100% internship placement success rate.
Graduate programs
Explore new frontiers in emerging storytelling
The ASU California Center Broadway in LA is home to the MA in Narrative and Emerging Media, a joint graduate degree between The Poitier Film School in the Herberger Institute and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Industry relations and internships
The Poitier Film School has established relationships with Los Angeles-based companies that are eager for ASU students to fill their internship positions. Our students have worked with companies such as 3 Arts, Josephson Entertainment, Resonate Entertainment, Mar Vista Entertainment, NALIP, Amasia Entertainment, Rain Management, Roddenberry Entertainment, Painless Productions, The Hideaway Ent. and Avenida Studios.
Hispanic-serving institution
Arizona State University was named a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) by the U.S. Department of Education in 2022. The Poitier Film School fosters inclusive excellence, in our students, staff and faculty. Our LA-based faculty include renowned Latino faculty Peter Murrieta, who was named to 2024’s Influential Latinos in Media; Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, who co-founded Borderlands Studios at the ASU California Center Broadway; and Nonny de la Peña, who was previously listed on CNET en Español’s 20 most influential Latinos in tech.
Cutting-edge facilities
ASU California Center
Study and create at ASU California Center in the heart of downtown LA, where creativity flourishes in state-of the-art facilities. Students have access to high-tech Planar LCD studio systems, a studio with a large green screen and more.
Learn more and schedule a tour
Los Angeles Center Studios
Now available to Poitier Film School students are the facilities at Los Angeles Center Studios, a 20-acre film production campus located 10 minutes from the ASU California Center. Students can access equipment and soundstages at this working studio lot, which has been used in over 4,000 productions, including “Mad Men,” “Dark Knight Rises,” “CSI” and “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Expert Faculty
Director
Deputy director
Expert faculty
Contact us
Contact the Poitier Film School
If you are interested in our California-based degrees, please email: