NYU MFA Film Fall 2025

[squashluvr]

Had my interview today. I was told today was the first day of interviews for this program, if anyone's curious. They were mostly pretty friendly, but honestly I didn't love the way the questions were phrased. They really put you on the spot re: telling stories, and while I think I'm a solid story teller on the page, riffing in person is tough for me. Otherwise, I thought it went ok. The only other thing was that they sort of have an agenda for the convo, and they will ask you new things before you're finished speaking. Overall pretty frustrating, but so it goes. Good luck to anyone else with an upcoming interview!

 

[AdamBrown]

Had my grad film interview yesterday as well. It was ok. Be prepared to have some stories! They asked me to pitch a story you’d like to make at NYU and to speak about my favorite films. Wishing you all the best!

 

[Chris W]

Had my grad film interview yesterday as well. It was ok. Be prepared to have some stories! They asked me to pitch a story you’d like to make at NYU and to speak about my favorite films. Wishing you all the best!

Congrats! Please don't forget to log your application with our site with all the important dates and info to help others.

Application Database

A database of thousands of film school applications to calculate acceptance rates to film programs and the minimum GPAs, minimum SAT and GRE scores, experience of accepted applicants, and much more....

www.filmschool.org

 

[ma98]

ugh i'm really hoping they are still sending out interview requests even though i know it's pretty late at this point. i wonder if they're doing it different this year than previous ones, idk i'm still holding out hope

 

[mattyDraps]

Had my interview yesterday and it went almost how I expected, and was about as intense as people have mentioned earlier in this thread. I've been reading a lot of the interview questions people have mentioned on here, and some of them were what I was asked, while others were a bit different (they didn't ask me to pitch a film I'd like to make in school, as I see they asked some other interviewees). I'll share my interview questions to help anyone who has an upcoming interview:

-First, they said they had not read all of my materials, had not read my statement of purpose, my story, or my film treatment. They were only familiar with my visual materials and resume.
-Tell us one thing you're proud of and one thing you wish you could improve on with your visual sample
-They followed that up by asking me some logistical questions about the visual sample (wanted to know how we got our location, what our funding model was, and whether it was completed in school)
-What is one movie that you've seen recently that you wish you had made?
-Because I'd mentioned that I have a background in film festival programming on my resume, they asked whether my experience as a curator has impacted my approach to filmmaking and how I give and receive feedback.
-Then, they wanted to slow things down and get vulnerable. They asked me to recount one story from my life in which I feel as though I did not do the right thing, or wish I could have acted differently. She asked if I could tell the story as though it was a scene in a movie. After I told the story, she asked me to retell it from the point of view of the other person, asking what they would have seen when looking at me. Finally, she asked me to describe a scene before and a scene after this moment.
-The final question they asked was: "you've already gone through 4 years of undergrad film, and here you'll be going back to making 4 minute films with no dialogue. Why do you think going back to film school will help you now?"
-With one minute left, they opened up the floor to any questions: I asked them "what qualities are needed in students to thrive in this program?". Their answer was "curiosity, vulnerability, emotional awareness, the ability to be self-critical, being unafraid of failure, and having a lot of energy".

Best of luck to everyone else interviewing, and I hope to see you in the fall.

 

[antlady]

Had my interview yesterday and it went almost how I expected, and was about as intense as people have mentioned earlier in this thread. I've been reading a lot of the interview questions people have mentioned on here, and some of them were what I was asked, while others were a bit different (they didn't ask me to pitch a film I'd like to make in school, as I see they asked some other interviewees). I'll share my interview questions to help anyone who has an upcoming interview:

-First, they said they had not read all of my materials, had not read my statement of purpose, my story, or my film treatment. They were only familiar with my visual materials and resume.
-Tell us one thing you're proud of and one thing you wish you could improve on with your visual sample
-They followed that up by asking me some logistical questions about the visual sample (wanted to know how we got our location, what our funding model was, and whether it was completed in school)
-What is one movie that you've seen recently that you wish you had made?
-Because I'd mentioned that I have a background in film festival programming on my resume, they asked whether my experience as a curator has impacted my approach to filmmaking and how I give and receive feedback.
-Then, they wanted to slow things down and get vulnerable. They asked me to recount one story from my life in which I feel as though I did not do the right thing, or wish I could have acted differently. She asked if I could tell the story as though it was a scene in a movie. After I told the story, she asked me to retell it from the point of view of the other person, asking what they would have seen when looking at me. Finally, she asked me to describe a scene before and a scene after this moment.
-The final question they asked was: "you've already gone through 4 years of undergrad film, and here you'll be going back to making 4 minute films with no dialogue. Why do you think going back to film school will help you now?"
-With one minute left, they opened up the floor to any questions: I asked them "what qualities are needed in students to thrive in this program?". Their answer was "curiosity, vulnerability, emotional awareness, the ability to be self-critical, being unafraid of failure, and having a lot of energy".

Best of luck to everyone else interviewing, and I hope to see you in the fall.

wow bying watching this I already can feel how intense the interview was…it’s really different compared to other film school’s interviews, but I feel it helps in selecting the most appropriate candidates. Good luck! Hope you get in!

 

[midnightcowboy]

Had my interview yesterday and it went almost how I expected, and was about as intense as people have mentioned earlier in this thread. I've been reading a lot of the interview questions people have mentioned on here, and some of them were what I was asked, while others were a bit different (they didn't ask me to pitch a film I'd like to make in school, as I see they asked some other interviewees). I'll share my interview questions to help anyone who has an upcoming interview:

-First, they said they had not read all of my materials, had not read my statement of purpose, my story, or my film treatment. They were only familiar with my visual materials and resume.
-Tell us one thing you're proud of and one thing you wish you could improve on with your visual sample
-They followed that up by asking me some logistical questions about the visual sample (wanted to know how we got our location, what our funding model was, and whether it was completed in school)
-What is one movie that you've seen recently that you wish you had made?
-Because I'd mentioned that I have a background in film festival programming on my resume, they asked whether my experience as a curator has impacted my approach to filmmaking and how I give and receive feedback.
-Then, they wanted to slow things down and get vulnerable. They asked me to recount one story from my life in which I feel as though I did not do the right thing, or wish I could have acted differently. She asked if I could tell the story as though it was a scene in a movie. After I told the story, she asked me to retell it from the point of view of the other person, asking what they would have seen when looking at me. Finally, she asked me to describe a scene before and a scene after this moment.
-The final question they asked was: "you've already gone through 4 years of undergrad film, and here you'll be going back to making 4 minute films with no dialogue. Why do you think going back to film school will help you now?"
-With one minute left, they opened up the floor to any questions: I asked them "what qualities are needed in students to thrive in this program?". Their answer was "curiosity, vulnerability, emotional awareness, the ability to be self-critical, being unafraid of failure, and having a lot of energy".

Best of luck to everyone else interviewing, and I hope to see you in the fall.

I don't know why, but don't like the idea of materials of not being read. Did they tell you why?

 

[mattyDraps]

I don't know why, but don't like the idea of materials of not being read. Did they tell you why?

They mentioned that the interview is the final round of 3 rounds. I assume that all of the materials were thoroughly reviewed in the first two rounds by the admissions team. It seems like the 3 interviewers just quickly went through whatever they had time for (I don't fault them for being short on time, being full-time faculty members). It didn't bother me at all because the visual materials feel much more important to what this program is. I definitely would have been weirded out if they came in and said they hadn't watched my movie but had read my essay and wanted to talk all about that. But I'm definitely curious if others have had the same experience.

 

[Nicolas Hosea]

Guys, what do you think?

 

[CallaMM]

I admire that some people here manage to hold up their hopes, but I have come to terms with being rejected. I think the response you got is only what they are generally communicating to the outside. Nothing yet has been any different than the past couple of years and like it’s being said above, they already had their final round of interviews. Of course I would be so, so happy to be incorrect about this.

 

[Nicolas Hosea]

Yeah, I took it with a grain of salt

 

[midnightcowboy]

They mentioned that the interview is the final round of 3 rounds. I assume that all of the materials were thoroughly reviewed in the first two rounds by the admissions team. It seems like the 3 interviewers just quickly went through whatever they had time for (I don't fault them for being short on time, being full-time faculty members). It didn't bother me at all because the visual materials feel much more important to what this program is. I definitely would have been weirded out if they came in and said they hadn't watched my movie but had read my essay and wanted to talk all about that. But I'm definitely curious if others have had the same experience.

Oh, I see then. I thought, I would be interviewing with people who has actually reviewed my materials. That's the case with other schools I've applied. Thank you for your reply.

 

[CallaMM]

What are your guys plans now? Have you gotten into other schools, are you thinking of applying again next year? Are you gonna do something totally different?

 

[screenwritingstudent]

What are your guys plans now? Have you gotten into other schools, are you thinking of applying again next year? Are you gonna do something totally different?

I'm hoping for a spot at FSU.

 

[NH_0714]

Have people received interview invites on a rolling basis in the previous years though? Early March-ish? I just can't seem to accept it as a rejection just yet.

 

[Nicolas Hosea]

Have people received interview invites on a rolling basis in the previous years though? Early March-ish? I just can't seem to accept it as a rejection just yet.

I too still in denial

 

[CallaMM]

Have people received interview invites on a rolling basis in the previous years though? Early March-ish? I just can't seem to accept it as a rejection just yet.

Sadly in the last years, the invitations that are known of on this platform have only come in during February.

 

[Chris W]

Sadly in the last years, the invitations that are known of on this platform have only come in during February.

This page has all the reported date info:

Admission statistics for NYU Tisch Kanbar Institute of Film & Television ()

Acceptance rate, minimum GPA, SAT, GRE, and demographics of admitted applicants for NYU Tisch Kanbar Institute of Film & Television calculated from our database of thousands of film school applications.

www.filmschool.org

March 10 is the latest reported interview notification date.

Remember to log your application if you haven't yet everyone.

 

[darvadan]

I interviewed with Julia, Mia, and Yemane--it was as intense as has been described in previous years, but it was also rewarding!
I got to go in person which I wish everyone could do. I think seeing everyone else's body language and general demeanor made me more relaxed. Like they're just people who also had to start somewhere, and not floating heads of authority on a screen.
They seemed very knowledgeable about all my written materials and my film. We talked about what I was proud of with my film and what I would improve on and we went on to have a great critique about it. They asked why specifically NYU, what themes do I gravitate toward in my practice, what existing movie I like that contains that theme, what movies i've seen lately that impressed me and disappointed me--then specifically what would i do as a director to improve on the deficit in the movie that disappointed me. I have a production design interest, so they asked me to come up with a prop that might communicate a certain idea i have. They also talked about my current job, what I love about it and how it relates back to filmmaking despite it being different, and then they asked me how i would take a scenario in that job and turn it into a scene, where I would put the camera, etc. It was SUPER challenging but I had fun with it. I think it's important to trust your instinct. First thought, best thought in these scenarios. I got the impression that they wanted to gauge how I handle stress and critique more than they expected me to come up with a perfect answer to their questions. I liked the experience tbh. But yes, it's very intense!! They grilled me.

 

[CallaMM]

I interviewed with Julia, Mia, and Yemane--it was as intense as has been described in previous years, but it was also rewarding!
I got to go in person which I wish everyone could do. I think seeing everyone else's body language and general demeanor made me more relaxed. Like they're just people who also had to start somewhere, and not floating heads of authority on a screen.
They seemed very knowledgeable about all my written materials and my film. We talked about what I was proud of with my film and what I would improve on and we went on to have a great critique about it. They asked why specifically NYU, what themes do I gravitate toward in my practice, what existing movie I like that contains that theme, what movies i've seen lately that impressed me and disappointed me--then specifically what would i do as a director to improve on the deficit in the movie that disappointed me. I have a production design interest, so they asked me to come up with a prop that might communicate a certain idea i have. They also talked about my current job, what I love about it and how it relates back to filmmaking despite it being different, and then they asked me how i would take a scenario in that job and turn it into a scene, where I would put the camera, etc. It was SUPER challenging but I had fun with it. I think it's important to trust your instinct. First thought, best thought in these scenarios. I got the impression that they wanted to gauge how I handle stress and critique more than they expected me to come up with a perfect answer to their questions. I liked the experience tbh. But yes, it's very intense!! They grilled me.

Did you interview today?