UGA MFA Film program gains national recognition
The program, which just launched in 2020, was ranked No. 43 by The Wrap
The University of Georgia Master of Fine Arts in Film, Television and Digital Media was recently named to the list of Top 50 Film Schools across the country by The Wrap, a leading publication in the media and entertainment industry.
This is the first time the UGA MFA Film program has been named to a national list and it debuted at No. 43.
“It is very rare for such a young program to be listed as one of the nation’s best, and this demonstrates that we have an up-and-coming program,” said Marty Lang, director of the MFA Film program. “The fact that we’re in the rankings of The Wrap is a testament to the wonderful work of our faculty, staff and students, and the commitment of the university.”
The UGA MFA Film program launched in 2020 and combines the programs of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Students spend six semesters focused on classes dedicated to the above-the-line creative positions of directing, producing and writing. Education tracks include writer/director and writer/producer.
The Top 50 Film Schools were determined based on information submitted by each school, highlighting a spectrum of information including course quality, student body diversity, class size, scholarships, networking opportunities, alumni success and more. The Wrap partnered with Screen Engine/ASI, an entertainment data research company, to ensure a data driven system for the rankings.
“The explosive growth of the film industry in Georgia has created many new opportunities for our students and the innovative academic programs that bring the best and brightest to UGA,” said Anna Stenport, dean of the Franklin College. “We are delighted that the creative ambitions of our MFA program are already receiving confirmation from the industry itself.”
Students in the 2024 MFA Film program establish a scene for their thesis film, “Do Not Go Gentle.” The film was written and directed by Ashlynn Henderson and produced by Amber Combs and Chelsea Wilson. The UGA MFA Film program was listed in the Top 50 Film Schools ranking according to The Wrap. (Courtesy of MFA Film, Television and Digital Media)
Georgia is gaining a national reputation as a great place for both film production and film education. Other schools in Georgia that made the Top 50 list are Savannah College of Art and Design at number 37 and Morehouse College at number 41.
The Town of Trilith is where second-year students currently live, taking classes and developing their thesis film projects. Students also work closely with the Georgia Film Academy, taking classes and collaborating with their students on film projects.
The Trilith Institute and Georgia Film Academy also offer grants to MFA Film students, including the Georgia Film Academy-Supported Thesis project, where a full crew of GFA students is provided for a UGA thesis film, and the Trilith Institute Creative Excellence Fellowship Grant, a grant of up to $10,000 offered to one or two thesis projects each year.
“We’re thrilled to learn that we rank among the nation’s leading Film programs so soon after our launch,” said Grady College Dean Charles N. Davis. “This speaks volumes to the hard work of so many, and of our wonderful partners. We’ve only just begun.”
Strengths of the program include outstanding faculty including Neil Landau, screenwriter for “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” and “Melrose Place”; access to professional facilities including a 14,000-square-foot sound stage at Athena Studios located a few miles for the main UGA campus in Athens; and partnerships with industry professionals like the Georgia Film Academy, which collaborates with the MFA Film program to teach production classes.
Several MFA Film program alumni have gone on to jobs at studios including Trilith Studios and working on professional sets including productions like “The Woman in the Yard,” produced by Blumhouse Productions, and the upcoming “See You When I See You,” a feature film directed by Jay Duplass currently filming in Atlanta.
Lang was named director of the UGA MFA Film program in 2023. He has written and directed two feature films, “Stay with Me,” named Best Feature Film at the 2023 South Georgia Film Festival, and “Rising Star,” released worldwide by Content Film in 2013. He also published “The Self-Sustaining Filmmaker: Creating Crowdsourced, Crowdfunded and Community-Supported Independent Film,” a book on crowdsourcing for filmmakers, in 2024. Lang also teaches a class within the program on crowdfunding for film.
Students who want to be considered for the next UGA MFA Film cohort starting in summer 2025, should apply by Jan. 1, 2025.