THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER -- Whatever your dream, there’s a film school in the United States — or abroad — that wants your tuition check. But, of course, not all film schools are created equal. That's why The Hollywood Reporter has been ranking the top 25 programs every year for half a decade.
To assemble this year's list, the magazine toured campuses, met with deans and educators, talked to academic and industry experts and observers, and interviewed scores of alums. Multiple factors were weighed during the assigning of these rankings — prestige, practical experience, inspirational teachers, potential career connections and access to cutting-edge equipment.
San Francisco State University’s School of Cinema has made the list for the second year in a row, moving up to number 19. The Hollywood Reporter ranked SF State No. 23 in 2014.
Last fall, SF State’s program graduated from being merely the department of cinema to the full-fledged School of Cinema. And it has been adding muscle to more than just its name, hiring five professors in the past three years.
“I would say our students get a smattering of everything," says Steven Kovacs, the former head of Roger Corman’s company who now is the school’s interim chair. Recent grads have landed jobs at Industrial Light & Magic and the Cinema Arts Centre in New York.