Access to cutting-edge technology is part of what elevated DePaul to the 15th spot on this year's Top Film Schools list from The Hollywood Reporter. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)Melding the best of Hollywood with a Chicago-grown work ethic, DePaul’s School of Cinematic Arts is rising in the rankings. The Hollywood Reporter has named DePaul among the
2022 Top 25 American Film Schools, moving it up one notch to 15th best.
“The School of Cinematic Arts being ranked by The Hollywood Reporter as a top film school for the third year in a row is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our faculty, staff and students,” says Gary Novak, filmmaker and the school’s director. “Providing the best education possible for the next generation of visual storytellers has been and will continue to be our goal.”
The ranking gives a nod to the transformative gift earlier this year from Eugene P. Jarvis and Sasha Gerritson. Thanks to their generosity, the newly renamed Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media has even deeper resources for scholarships and a new center for student innovation and collaboration. The gift supports an existing appetite for innovation in the college, which includes projects that unite filmmaking, game development and computing.
One such project was already underway this spring, as special effects faculty member Brian Andrews brought
a virtual production stage to DePaul. His course offered students hands-on experience with the same cutting-edge technology used to make “The Mandalorian” and the Marvel movies.
Alumni are making their rounds on the film circuit this year at some of the world’s most prestigious festivals. Tribeca Festival featured "Rounding," a film written and directed by DePaul MFA alumnus Alex Thompson. Award-winning filmmaker and faculty member James Choi produced the film.
The Sundance Film Festival honored DePaul alumnus Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan for the short film “The Headhunter’s Daughter.” Reflecting on his time at DePaul, Eblahan says: “I was lucky to land the right professors who I consider as my lifelong mentors.”
When people sit down to stream television and movies, DePaul faculty and alumni are also rolling through the credits. Production manager and alumnus Kevin McGrail produced
Paper Girls for Amazon, and faculty member Wendy Roderweiss debuted her TV pilot (powered by a DePaul student crew)
“Inferno” on The Roku Channel.
DePaul's programs in film, television, animation and screenwriting have roots in Chicago’s film industry and pathways into careers in L.A. and beyond. State-of-the-art facilities at DePaul Cinespace Studios give students access to professional equipment and soundstages. DePaul is also the only university offering degrees in comedy filmmaking in collaboration with The Second City. L.A. Quarter gives students the chance to work and connect with leaders in the industry. A creative producing MFA program is fully based in Los Angeles and led by producer Tim Peternel.
For more information, visit the
School of Cinematic Arts online.