The Hollywood Reporter redeemed itself this year, after last year’s painful sin of omission, by naming Columbia College one of its top 25 film schools in the world in its July 25 issue.
In 2011, the publication had egregiously snubbed the Chicago school in its first annual school rundown.
USC and American Film Institute were nose-to-nose in the top five schools that included the Beijing Film Academy, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and UCLA.
Columbia College was ranked 21st out of the 25, which is a good beginning, considering the vast number of film schools in the US and around the world.
THR said about Columbia: When Oscar-winning cinematographer Mauro Fiore was asked how to get a foot in the door in the movie industry, he said, “You can start by going to Columbia College.” His alma mater in Chicago doesn’t have the Ivy League prestige of New York’s Columbia University, but in the movie business, it gets respect.
Almost 2,000 students strong, CCC has begun a new MFA in creative producing (half its students are returning professionals) and graduated its first class in the $21 million Media Production Center. Seventy-five percent of Semester in L.A. students get internships or jobs.”
The article listed notable alumni “HBO Films president Len Amato, Janusz Kaminski (Schindler’s List), Steve Pink (Hot Tub Time Machine), Andy Richter (Conan),” although THR could have chose from hundreds others, including a number with Academy Award after their names.
