Astoria Film Festival's Media Production Lab to Empower

Youth and Foster Inclusive Media Representation

The 2025 Lab Application will be open NOV 1-DEC 30 2024

Acceptance Notifications announced JAN 15, 2025

The 2025 Lab will run Feb 1-May 1, 2025

​

The AFF Media Production Lab aims to empower historically-ignored youth between the ages of 16 and 28 throughout NYC, providing them with essential skills, hands-on experience, and valuable connections to pursue industry careers in film/tv/digital media production.

​

Astoria Film Festival​ will be offering a series of free MASTER CLASSES between Feb 1 and May 1 2025.  25 participants per class, selected from applicants who, if accepted, commit to attending all of the Master Classes and the final Weekend Filmmaking Workshop and Premiere at the Festival.

​

In past years, funding for the Media Production Lab has come from NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Flushing Town Hall, and NY Foundation for the Arts, as well as from proceeds from Astoria Film Festival Education Programming.  This year, some of the lab classes will be open to the public as well, to help support the free lab participants.

​​​

​​

2025 LAB EVENTS WILL INCLUDE:

​​

FEBRUARY​​

SUN FEB 2 2025

LAB INTRO

at The ZUKOR THEATER, KAUFMAN ASTORIA STUDIOS

35 St between 34/35 Avenues, Astoria NY 11106

10am Lesser Known Production Jobs: Lori Greene, CEO, LPG.EDU/FMR NETFLIX GLOBAL EDUCATION MANAGER

11:30-1pm -  MOCK SET Demonstration: Watch an AD, DP, Director, Gaffer, Sound Recorder, and AC work together to film a scene

1-2 BREAK

2pm - Hair and Makeup Demonstration - Ruth Fernandez, LOCAL 798 HMU for Celebrities and TV/FILM

3:30pm - The Art of the Pitch - Bryan Korn, Executive Producer, SONY TV KIDS​

​​​

WED FEB 3, 5-7pm  at ARRI (in-person) - Virtual Production Demo - Luis Feliciano, ARRI Rental LIC

WED FEB 5 & 12, 7:30pm in ZOOM - Camera Shots, Angles, Movement & Pre Production Needs

- Nina Fiore, Founder, Astoria Film Festival

THURS FEB 27, 7:30pm in ZOOM - Development and Distribution - Yunah Chung, VP - SAMANSA

​​

MARCH

MON MARCH 3  4:30-5:30pm GOTHAM SOUND VISIT (in-person) 

WED MARCH 5 7:30pm in ZOOM - Directing Actors - Christine McBurney, Acting and Directing Coach

WED MARCH 12 7:30pm in ZOOM - Marketing - Daniela Camargo, Mercury Filmworks

WED MARCH 19 7:30pm in ZOOM - Casting - Danielle Demchick​, Casting Director

MON MARCH 24 4:30-6PM - dvDepot LIC (in person visit)

WED MARCH 26 7:30pm in ZOOM - Production Accounting - Lori Greene, LPG.edu (Former NETFLIX)

​

APRIL

Pre-Production on Wednesdays in Zoom

2-WEEKEND FILMMAKING WORKSHOP ( in person at TBD)

POST PRODUCTION Wednesdays in Zoom

​

MAY 29 5-8pm

FILM PREMIERE AT Astoria Youth Film Festival at Museum of the Moving Image