Director’s Cut: Documentary Filmmaking Fellowship – Spring 2025
In collaboration with NYU Tisch School of the Arts and Imagine Entertainment, the Jacob Burns Film Center offered its first annual documentary filmmaking intensive for 10th and 11th grade high school students in Spring 2025. Taking place over ten weeks and led by NYU Tisch adjunct instructors, Director’s Cut: Documentary Filmmaking provided an immersive, hands-on learning experience at the JBFC’s Media Arts Lab campus.
Through this pre-collegiate program, students explored every stage of the documentary process—pre-production, production, post-production, and presentation—while collaborating to create two original short documentary films. The fellowship culminated in a celebratory screening at the Jacob Burns Film Center Theater, where students premiered their completed films before family, friends, and special guests. Ron Howard, academy-award winning director and co-founder of Imagine Entertainment, attended the event, watched both documentaries, and spoke individually with each student about their work and creative vision.
Below, please find the two documentaries created during this fellowship.
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Jacob Burns Film Center – Short Doc |
Westchester Table Tennis Center – Short Doc |
In-Class Photos - March 22nd - June 14th, 2025
Above is a gallery of working photos taken over the duration of the fellowship.
Culminating Event
On the evening of June 17th, family, friends, and peers gathered at the Jacob Burns Film Center Theater to celebrate the hard work and artistic achievement of the Documentary Filmmaking fellows with a special screening. Audiences watched both short documentaries created as part of the course, and, directly following the screening, the fellows were brought on stage for a deep audience-led question and answer session.
Finally, the night was capped off with a reception at the Take 3 Wine Bar and Cafe on the theater's 3rd floor, where fellows took pictures, enjoyed dessert, and decompressed after a magical and whirlwind night. They were also surprised by legendary director and JBFC board member Ron Howard, who had watched both of their films and spent time talking with each fellow individually. Please find pictures of the culminating event and a recording of the Q and A below.
Culminating Event Photos - June 17th, 2025
Above is a gallery of images from the culminating event.
Culminating Event Q & A, June 17th, 2025
Above is an embedded recording of the Q & A that took place directly following the screening of student work during the culminating event.
