State Education Department Approves First-Ever Film MFA For Stony Brook Southampton

The State Education Department has approved the State University of New York’s first-ever Master of Fine Arts in film—and it is for none other than Stony Brook Southampton.

Graduate Director Christine Vachon, co-founder of indie production company Killer Films, is spearheading the three-year program in narrative film, where students will get real-world experience of working in the field.

Three film students—Victoria Coram, Richard Duque-Henao and Jason Evans—were credited participants in the feature film “Still Alice,” starring Julianne Moore, who portrays a university professor who discovers she is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Last month, Ms. Moore—who splits her time between Montauk and Manhattan—won the Golden Globe Award for “Best Actress,” and she is nominated for an Academy Award.

“The coming year marks milestones for Killer Films and Stony Brook Southampton,” Ms. Vachon said in a recent statement. “We will celebrate the official launch of our MFA in film, as well as the 20th anniversary of Killer Films. These are great achievements for us as an independent film company and a graduate school. We’re excited to continue reinventing the traditional film school model and turning it on its head.”

The MFA program will focus on screenwriting, directing and production, with production cycles culminating in a feature screenplay, a portfolio of short films, including an MFA thesis film, or a final producer’s package.

“We were challenged to create an MFA program that best equipped a variety of students to stay true to their voices and their stories while keeping up with the ever-changing technological and financial landscapes of the film industry,” Associate Director Magdalene Brandeis said in a recent statement. “We’ve pioneered an MFA in film that’s as adaptive as the medium.”

Applications for fall 2015 are now being accepted on a rolling basis. The deadline to qualify for financial aid is March 15. For more information, visit stonybrook.edu/southampton/mfa/film.