UCLA Announces Scholarship for Iranian Film Students

 

March 7, 2011, Washington D.C. – The University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) is establishing a new scholarship program for an aspiring Iranian student interested in earning a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) in Production/Directing.  The scholarship includes tuition, room & board, and a living stipend for the entire four-year program.

 

“Iran has a long and prestigious history of creating great cinema,” explained Peter Heller, Executive Director of Development and Industry Relations, UCLA TFT.  “We believe that helping a new generation of Iranian filmmakers learn their craft in America could foster cross-cultural understanding between our two nations.”

 

The cost of tuition, room, and board along with the costs of film production for a student’s films as required by the four year MFA program in Production/Directing is approximately $280,000.  UCLA TFT has secured half the funds through a donor pledge and is reaching out to Iranian Americans interested in film and theater for additional support needed to sustain the scholarship. 

 

“We anticipate a very bright future for our new filmmaker and look forward to achieving this very important goal,” said Heller. “We hope that more organizations and community leaders will consider making a gift and help us raise the additional funds, so together, we can create this unique and important scholarship for an Iranian student at TFT.”

 

The scholarship is part of UCLA’s mission to increase the global diversity of their student body.  “TFT is grounded in humanistic story-telling and global diversity to enlighten, engage, and inspire change for a better world,” explained Teri Schwartz, Dean of UCLA TFT.  “UCLA TFT has a growing international student body.  This scholarship brings us closer to that better world.” 

 

UCLA (TFT) is one of twelve schools within UCLA.  This unique program  combines all three aspects production and directing (theatre, film, and television) into a single school.  The Geffen Playhouse and the UCLA Film and Television Archive, the largest university-based archive of its kind in the world, are among the School’s assets. Additionally, the School’s vaults hold more than 220,000 motion picture and television titles and 27 million feet of newsreel footage.

 

If you are interested in donating to this scholarship, please contact _____.    For more information about UCLA TFT, please click here.