ELTE-BFA Cooperation

ELTE-BFA joint filmmaking courses

A new chapter has begun in the Film Studies program of Eötvös Loránd University’s (ELTE), when the Faculty of Humanities made an agreement to cooperate with Budapest Film Academy (BFA). Since the fall of 2011, ELTE and Budapest Film Academy (BFA) have jointly offered cutting-edge, practical filmmaking courses which are delivered both in English and Hungarian. Lectures are given by internationally successful professionals, including several well-known and accomplished filmmakers. In addition to classroom learning, BFA students will gain hands-on experience under professional conditions at the most up-to-date production studios in Hungary. This comprehensive approach to learning covers the entire process of filmmaking over one or two years.

The founder-director of the BFA, Jenő Hódi, received his Masters degree in film at Columbia University, New York, under the guidance of Milos Forman and Brian De Palma. After graduation, he worked for many years in the US and Western Europe as a writer, director and producer. His aim is to produce a new generation of broad-minded filmmakers who are adept in every aspect of the movie business, equipped with both American “know-how” and European ingenuity, and ready to succeed anywhere.

ELTE’s and BFA’s joint practical filmmaking curriculum is as diverse as it is hands-on. The Department of Film Studies supervises the BFA courses, while ELTE provides European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits for them. This cooperation enables not only ELTE students to attend BFA courses, but students from other universities as well. Student can transfer the credits gained here if their studies are similar and if they meet the prescribed institutional conditions. The transfer of credits is possible thanks to the ECTS. This new system was introduced to the members of the European Union, with the aim of improving transferability between different programs and institutions within the EU.

BFA supports ELTE’s Faculty of Film Studies by granting a number of scholarships every semester to ELTE’s BA and MA students. In addition, students from other institutions or with different specializations are eligible for their own scholarship opportunities.

ELTE-BFA have forged effective partnerships with foreign higher education institutions, film- and post-production studios, production equipment rental companies, and both Hungarian and international distributors. Our faculty consists of academically trained teachers and successful, award-winning filmmakers who are leading representatives of the international film community. They serve as a great source of learning and networking for our students and alumni. Our mentors have immense professional experience and give extensive support to our most driven and talented students.

To supplement their world-class practical skills, students receive complex theoretical training in film history, film aesthetics, and genre studies, and are taught the tenets of film financing and co-productions. The principle of BFA – its “brand” – is to teach filmmaking not only as an art form, but as a business.

The world of filmmaking is getting more and more global, and the best film schools adapt accordingly. The instruction, experience, and connections gained at ELTE-BFA ensures that graduates of Budapest Film Academy will begin their careers as competitive creators, ready to succeed in both their own profession and other fields of filmmaking anywhere in the world.

The list of announced courses, application instructions, and information about tuition fees can be viewed in the Admissions section of the BFA website: http://budapestfilmacademy.com/en