Akira Kurosawa School of Film, Digital Filmmaking

The Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film

Online MFA in Digital Filmmaking

The Online Master of Fine Arts in Digital Filmmaking degree is for individuals living around the world who wish to obtain a quality education from professors based in Hollywood and other leading film markets without having to relocate during their period of study. This program is for recent college graduates, as well as those who have pursued other professions but have a deep interest in filmmaking and a future filmmaking career. All MFA courses are taught 100% online, enabling you to study online while working full time and fulfilling your personal responsibilities.

Interact with your professor and fellow classmates around the world through live webcam classes
Specialize in a specific aspect of filmmaking through your selection of electives
Meet face-to-face with industry professionals and gain hands-on experience with professional equipment at a one-week residential session
Learn from professors based in Hollywood and other leading film markets without having to relocate during your period of study
Earn your Master's in approximately 3 years while working full-time

Click here to view program catalog

Click here to view the 2022 School Performance Fact Sheet

Please click here to view Student Satisfaction rates 2013 - 2019

Faculty

Overview

Objectives

Curriculum

Schedule

Tuition

Residential Requirements

Apply

Entrance Requirements

About Akira Kurosawa

Past Events

Akira Kurosawa School of Film Faculty

Vikram Channa, Master's in Film & Television Production, MBA

Vikram Channa

Associate Dean of the Akira Kurosawa School of Film
Industry Expert

Vikram Channa serves as Associate Dean of the Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film. In the professional industry, as Warner Bros. Discovery Networks Vice President and Head of Content & Products for East and South East Asia, Vikram Channa leads all Discovery content, productions, broadcasts, and curation for the region. Since joining Discovery in 1995, he has taken on various roles within the company from on-air promotions to programming and production. Together with his team, ...

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Alison Marek, MFA

Professor

ALISON MAREK (MFA, New York University) is an award-winning writer and director who's combined words and images professionally since she was in her late teens. Her short films have played in festivals around the world and aired on cable TV. Her writing and directing have won grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Showtime Networks, Inc., been nominated for a Los Angeles Emmy Award, and received a Gold Aurora, Bronze Telly, and other awards and nominations. She's produced shorts, features, and TV. She also built and ran the video department at an online magazine, where she shot and e...

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Dallas King, MFA

Dallas King

Professor

Holding an MFA in Directing / Production from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Dallas King is an award-winning director, producer and experienced film instructor. Dallas has directed, written, and produced, and completed two feature films, KISS KISS, a hyper-stylized action thriller that premiered in Los Angeles and is available on every major platform including Amazon and iTunes. Following this, INK & RAIN, a sci-fi fantasy feature premiered in Beijing, China and is exclusively available on China's largest web network, iQiYi. Dallas produced the award-winning feature fi...

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Henryk Cymerman, MFA

Henryk Cymerman

Professor

Henryk Cymerman was born in Poland and immigrated to New York in his mid-teens. He moved to Jerusalem to study sculpture at Bezalel Academy of Fine Arts and Design. Henryk discovered his interest in film through his exploration of mixed media art which prompted him to pursue his Masters in film at Tisch School of the Arts. After graduation, he made the transition into feature films as a Director of Photography and earned a spot in the International Cinematography Guild. In 1993, he moved with...

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Robert Jones, MFA

Robert Jones

Professor

Robert Jones has been teaching and making award-winning films for over 50 years. He has an MFA in Film Producing from UCLA, as well as an MS in Film Production and a BA from Boston University. He has taught film at Loyola Marymount University and California State University Northridge, in Los Angeles, and at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL. His films can be seen at vimeo.com/manage/videos/410748357

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Raphael Raphael, Ph.D.

Raphael Raphael

Professor

Raphael Raphael (Ph.D., University of Oregon; MFA, Plymouth University; Master's, Teachers College, Columbia University) is a film and media scholar who also lectures at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. His work frequently looks at making connections between genre, culture and disability. His most recent book, Transnational Horror Cinema: Bodies of Excess and the Global Grotesque (2017), with Sophia Siddique, looks at intersections of the horror genre, disability and trauma across borders. Other writing includes Transnational Stardom: International Celebrity in Film and Popular Culture ( ...

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Ryan Daniel McKinney, MFA

Ryan McKinney

Professor

Ryan Daniel McKinney is an award-winning director and producer based out of Los Angeles, CA. His narrative films have screened at festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Kansas City, Orlando and Melbourne. He has directed numerous music videos in multiple genres and languages, as well as fashion lifestyle and brand videos and product commercials. Ryan graduated with distinction from National University’s Master of Fine Arts in Digital Cinema program.

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Billy Budd Vermillion, Ph.D.

Billy BuddVermillion

Billy Budd Vermillion earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2011. His dissertation examines the influence of Marxist humanist thought and the legacy of Socialist Realism on art films produced in East-Central Europe between 1956 and 1981. He has also published articles on silent romantic comedy and on the nature documentary “Microcosmos.” He has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ripon College, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Northwestern University.

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Firdosi Wharton-Ali, MFA

Firdosi Wharton-Ali

Professor

Graduating from UCLA with a BA (Political Science with a specialization in American Politics), Firdosi Wharton-Ali followed that up by becoming a member of the inaugural class of the Certification in Screenwriting Program, UCLA. Later, she obtained her MFA (specialization in Screenwriting) from the prestigious UCLA School of Theater, Film, Television, and Digital Media where she was awarded The APA Marty Klein Comedy Writing Award for outstanding comedic writing. Upon graduation, she optioned her first script to Mark Morgan (Executive Producer of The Twilight Series). Later, she secured a p...

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Overview

The Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film offers a cutting-edge online Master of Fine Arts in Digital Filmmaking degree program. Experience the following AU advantages:

Benefits

Interact with your professor and fellow classmates around the world through live webcam classes
Specialize in a specific aspect of filmmaking through your selection of electives
Meet face-to-face with industry professionals and gain hands-on experience with professional equipment at a one-week residential session
Learn from professors based in Hollywood and other leading film markets without having to relocate during your period of study
Earn your Master's degree online in approximately 3 years while working full-time

Features:

12 x 9 week Online Courses + thesis
Weekly live webcam classes
New terms begin every 10 weeks
1 Course = 4 Credit Points
MFA in Digital Filmmaking Program = 56 Credit Points
One-week hands-on residential session held in Hollywood, California or Tokyo, Japan
Total duration = approximately 3 years

Objectives

Upon completion of the Online MFA in Digital Filmmaking program, students will be able to:

Situate film and media in a continuum of artistic endeavors drawn from a variety of national traditions.
Understand the central place that Akira Kurosawa occupies in world cinema.
Be able to produce critical works on film and media in the language of the field and with an understanding of the critical theories that are most appropriate to cinematic and media texts.
Produce creative works that reflect timeless stories of interior and exterior journeys of understanding of the self and the world around.
Summarize significant research findings in film to develop a depth of knowledge ranging from the historical to the leading edge.
Develop creative writings that reflect the professional standards demanded of the film and media industries.
Have a grasp of the techniques and technologies for the production of creative digital media.
Discern the variety of cinematic texts and the variety of ways they are produced, distributed and consumed.
Acquire the overall intellectual and professional background needed to prepare for both the applied and academic film worlds.

Curriculum

Akira Kurosawa School of Film

In the Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film online Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Digital Filmmaking degree program, you will take a total of 14 terms: 10 core courses, including a 2-term thesis, and 3 out of a choice of 8 elective courses.

Courses are taught in an accelerated semester format. Each term is 9 weeks in length, and you may enroll in new courses every 10 weeks. You have the option of enrolling in one course, several courses, or the entire MFA program. Students completing all 14 online terms and the required one-week residential session will be conferred the Master of Fine Arts in Digital Filmmaking degree by Anaheim University.

Core Courses
MFA 500	The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa in Global Context	4 units
MFA 510	Film Aesthetics	4 units
MFA 520	Intro to Digital Filmmaking	4 units
MFA 530*	Advanced Digital Filmmaking	4 units
MFA 540	Screenwriting	4 units
MFA 550	History of World Cinema	4 units
MFA 560	Film Theory	4 units
MFA 570	The International Film Business	4 units
MFA 580	Concepts of Post-Production: Sound and Editing	4 units
MFA 600**	Thesis	8 units
	Students must complete MFA 520 Intro to Digital Filmmaking in order to take this course. *Students begin their thesis project after all other course work is completed

Elective Courses - Group A (select two)
MFA 590	Documentary Film – History and Theory***	4 units
MFA 591	Documentary Film Production***	4 units
MFA 592	Animation – History, Theory, Practice	4 units
MFA 593	Producing for the Web	4 units
MFA 594	Game Design – Theory and Practice	4 units
MFA 595	Story Structure	4 units
	***Students may take either MFA 590 or MFA 591

Elective Courses - Group B (select one)
MFA 598	Transnational Film Genre	4 units
MFA 599	Major World Directors	4 units
	TOTAL UNITS	56 units

Course Schedule

Online Master of Fine Arts in Digital Filmmaking - Course Schedule 2025

Real-time online classes are 90 minutes; the first hour is led by the professor and the final half hour is for student-led discussion. All times are California/Pacific Time.

TERM	COURSE	LIVE ONLINE CLASS TIME
Term 1: January 2 - March 4, 2025	MFA 600 Thesis MFA 591 Documentary Film Production	TBA
Term 2: March 10 - May 12, 2025	MFA 600 Thesis	TBA
Term 3: May 19 - July 21, 2025	MFA 500 The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa in Global Context	TBA
Term 4: July 28 - September 28, 2025	MFA 510 Film Aesthetics	TBA
Term 5: October 6 - December 7, 2025	MFA 520 Intro to Digital Filmmaking	TBA

Tuition & Fees and Equipment Requirements

Online MFA in Digital Filmmaking Program Fees

Affordable Pay-As-You-Learn System: Pay for only one course at a time.

Application and Registration Fees
Application Fee (Non-refundable after 7 days)	$ 75
Registration Fee (Non-refundable after 7 days)	$100
STRF Fee* (non-refundable, CA residents only)	$0
Per Course Fees
Tuition Fee ($500 per credit x four credits)	$2,000 / course taken
Records Fee	$200 / term
Per Course Fee Total:	$2,200
Additional Fees
Transfer Credit Fee (optional)	$ 75 / course (Optional)
Original Transcript	No cost
Each Additional Transcript Copy (optional)	$ 25
Estimated Textbook Fees	$ 1,000
Reasearch Reserved Fund	$ 1,500
Residential Session Fee	$ 2,200
Residential Accommodation Fees (Transportation, Room & Board not included)	$ 1,200
End of Program Fees
Diploma	No cost
Replacement Diploma	$ 200 (optional)
Replacement Cover	$ 100 (optional)
Official Completion Letter	$ 35 (optional)
Each Additional Transcript	$25 (optional)

Total Fees and Charges	$35,375

* The residential fee does not include housing, meals, or transportation; costs vary depending on the originating location of the student and the chosen accommodations. Anaheim University endeavors to find housing at a reasonable cost for students. For MFA students attending the residential, it is the students’ responsibility to ensure that they have taken care of proper visa procedures if required.

Note: A student can plan on approximately $1,000 in textbook purchases during the program. A textbook list may be found in the online resources of the student website. Real-time classes do not require specific materials beyond what is already supplied for the course. Anaheim University can provide proof of enrollment upon request.

Some courses require the submission of an original film project; production expenses are also the responsibility of the student and are not included in the MFA program fees.

Note: Anaheim University makes certain provisions in order to provide access to library resources and library services for all students enrolled directly through Anaheim University. However, students enrolled in Anaheim University’s online graduate degree programs are required to have an additional reserve fund to be used for the purchase of journals and research - materials that will aid them in their studies by providing information specific to their unique areas of interest and research - and to provide access to software and other resources that may help them in the completion of their studies. The research reserve fund is $1,500 for masters students to be used over the duration of their program. Students are not required to spend the entire research fund - only that amount necessary in order to carry out their research.

*Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF): The Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF) is administered by the California BPPE and applies only to California residents. The STRF fee is currently zero ($0) per one thousand dollars ($1,000) of institutional charges The State of California established the Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF) to relieve or mitigate economic loss suffered by a student in an educational program at a qualifying institution, who is or was a California resident while enrolled or was enrolled in a residency program, if the student enrolled in the institution, prepaid tuition, and suffered an economic loss. Unless relieved of the obligation to do so, you must pay the state-imposed assessment for the STRF, or it must be paid on your behalf, if you are a student in an educational program, who is a California resident, or are enrolled in a residency program, and prepay all or part of your tuition. You are not eligible for protection from the STRF and you are not required to pay the STRF assessment, if you are not a California resident, or are not enrolled in a residency program.

The above itemizes all of the fees and charges for which the student is responsible. Our refund policy can be found in the Policies and Procedures section.

Tuition may be paid on a course-by-course basis.

Students interested in inquiring about non-interest-bearing monthly payment plan options should e-mail registrar @ anaheim.edu

Students may make payment by check, credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover), money order or bank transfer (the student is responsible for any transaction fees imposed by the institution).

Please e-mail registrar @ anaheim.edu for information on how to make payments.

An extension may be granted by the Dean to students requiring more time to complete the program.

Residential Requirements

Residential Session (Residentials)

Attendance at a one-week, in-person residential at an appropriate facility in Hollywood, California or Tokyo, Japan is a requirement for graduation from the MFA program. At the residential, students will attain hands-on experience with professional-grade motion picture and HD video equipment and learn from industry professionals. Seminars from industry experts will be complemented by classes with faculty, tours of facilities, and the opportunity for students to work together on filmmaking projects. The residential session adds a comprehensive, applied layer to the program to complete the final objective: "Acquire the overall intellectual and professional background needed to enter the cinematic marketplace." The tuition for the Residential Sessions is included in the total program price, but students must pay for their own travel, room and board. The Residential Session typically alternates between California and Asia.

How to Apply

iconhowtoapply2

The steps below are general guidelines for joining a program at Anaheim University. Just complete the following steps and, if approved, become part of Anaheim University's global community within 2 weeks.

	Read thoroughly through the pages of our website and catalog
	Click here to submit your application online Click here to fill out a pdf version of the application and submit via email.
	The following documents are required for admission: Application form One recent passport-size color photograph Official English language proficiency test score report if you are a non-native English speaker (mail original) Official transcripts.† (mail original) Official transcripts documenting at least one course in each of the following: accounting, finance and economics.†††† (mail original) documenting a minimum of 5 years of work or teaching experience in a relevant area of business†††† Resume †† Brief Statement.†† Resume documenting a minimum of 4 years experience in some aspect of TESOL (teaching, teacher education or publishing).+++ An outline (1,000 words) of the possible research that the applicant envisions undertaking for the dissertation that demonstrates his/her research experience and abilities. +++ Three reference letters (on letterhead with contact information) attesting to personal and professional qualifications. One reference must be from each of the following:+++ - A recent employer. - A TESOL professional who can attest to the applicant’s potential as a doctoral student. - A member of the academic faculty where the applicant completed his/her MA. †††† DBA Only ††† Ed.D TESOL Only †† MA TESOL or MFA Only † Not applicable to TESOL/TEYL Certificate Programs scanned copies are accepted to expedite application process while waiting for originals to arrive in the mail Documents can be uploaded as part of the online application form, emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or posted in the mail to the address in Step 5. The complete list of Entrance Requirements for each program can be found here.
	> CLICK HERE FOR THE NEXT 3 STEPS

Entrance Requirements

An application to the MFA in Digital Filmmaking program must include the following:

Application form
Application fee ($75)
One recent color photograph (digital is okay)
A scan of a current, government-issued photo ID
Official undergraduate transcripts from an accredited institution recognized by the US Department of Education and/or CHEA, or by the government of the country in which the degree was awarded, in a sealed envelope from the awarding institution with an overall GPA of no less than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent from non-USA Institutions.
( Note: (Note: If the university does not routinely issue transcripts in English, original language records must be submitted with official English translations. We will accept translations issued by the university or by the following professional translation services: Accredited Language Services; Berlitz; Liaison Linguistics; Josef Silny & Associates; American Evaluation & Translation Services (AETS); and Education Evaluators International. Translations must be exact and complete versions of the original records.)
A resume.
A brief statement (300-400 words) indicating why you have selected the Anaheim University program, what you hope to get out of it, and how this degree will help to support your future career goals.

Non-native English speakers must demonstrate college-level proficiency by providing original documentation in one of the following ways:

Degree from an accredited institution where English is the primary language of instruction.
Transcript from an accredited institution indicating completion of at least 30 semester hours of credit where the language of instruction was English (“B” average)
Transcript from an accredited institution indicating a “B” or higher in an English composition class.
A minimum TOEFL score of 530 PBT / 197 CBT/ 71 iBT.
A minimum TOEIC score of 800.
A minimum IELTS score of 6.5.
A minimum PTE (Pearson Test of English Academic Score Report) of 50.
A minimum grade of Level 3 on the ACT COMPASS’s English as a Second Language Placement Test.
A minimum grade of Pre-1 on the Eiken English Proficiency Exam.
A minimum B2 English proficiency level identified within the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) Standards and assessed through various ESOL examinations, including the University of Cambridge.

Once your application materials have been approved, you will need to submit an Enrollment Agreement and tuition payment to complete the enrollment process.

Internet Access: All students are required to have access to a computer equipped with Internet access capabilities.

Required Equipment: Students in the MFA in Digital Filmmaking program must have one from each category. Examples of each are listed.
You may wish to check with retailers to inquire about educational pricing. Anaheim University can provide proof of enrollment upon request.

Camera capable of shooting 1920x1080/24fps

DSLR: Canon 5DMII, 5DMIII, 7D, 60D, Rebel T2i, T3i, Nikon D800, D90, D3200, etc.;
Black Magic Pocket Camera;
Mirrorless: Panasonic GH2, Sony A7, etc.

Lens(es)

Focal length: 24-105mm. (Often the DSRL and mirrorless cameras listed above come with a stock lens that will cover this range).

Digital sound recorder with XLR inputs

Tascam DR-40;
Zoom H4N;
Rode shotgun microphone and XLR cable

Basic Continuous Lighting Equipment

Inexpensive brands: Impact, Manfrotto, Genaray
More expensive: Arri lighting kits, Kino-flo

Basic Non-linear editing software

Final Cut Pro (Available from Apple)
Adobe Premiere Pro (academic discount)

Entrance Examination: There is no entrance examination required for admission to Anaheim University.

Transfer Credits: Anaheim University will accept up to two graduate semester classes or 8 units awarded by another institution toward a Master of Fine Arts in Digital Filmmaking at Anaheim University. The entering student will be required to clearly demonstrate the equivalency of a transfer course through relevant documents (syllabus, catalog, course outline) and justify its acceptance through petition. No course will be considered for transfer with a grade lower than a “B” or its equivalent. Petitions are directed to the specific Dean for the affected program. There is a fee of $75 per course of credit transferred, and the overall program cost will be adjusted to reflect credit for the approved class(es). All petitions for transfer credit must be submitted as part of the student’s initial application to the University. Credits awarded as part of another degree will not be accepted for transfer.

Prior Experiential Credit: Anaheim University will not extend experiential credit to any student.

We currently do not accept students who reside in Alabama, Arkansas, Alaska, American Samoa, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Guam, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, N. Mariana Islands, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia, Virgin Islands, Wisconsin, and Wyoming due to regulatory matters. For more information, please call our Vice President of Administrative Affairs at 714-772-3330

Akira Kurosawa Biography

Akira Kurosawa was the youngest of seven children, born in Tokyo on 23 March 1910. He has said that the first important influence in his life was a teacher called Tachikawa, who was progressive in his emphasis on art education for the young. This was how the young Kurosawa was introduced to art and film. A talented painter, he enrolled in an art school that emphasized Western styles. Around this time he also joined an artists' group with a great enthusiasm for nineteenth-century Russian literature, with Dostoevsky a particular favourite. Another influence was Heigo, one of his brothers, who loved film and worked as a benshi, a film narrator/commentator for foreign silent films. His suicide deeply affected the director's sensibilities.

In 1930 he responded to a newspaper advertisement for assistant directors at a film studio and began assisting Kajiro Yamamoto, who liked the fact he knew 'a lot about things other than movies'. Within five years he was writing scripts and directing whole sequences for Yamamoto films. In 1943 he made his debut as a director with Judo Saga (Sanshiro Sugata), with a magnificent martial-arts sequence in which two masters fight to the death in a wind-swept field, their flying limbs all but obscured by the tall swaying grasses. Consider the acclaim given to the similar fight sequences in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and it's obvious why in 1943 people began to talk about a young film-maker with a brilliant future.

Past Events

2009 Cherry Blossom Gala & 2010 Green Planet Movie Awards

Akira Kurosawa Tribute and Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film Launch

Click here to see photos from the 2009 Cherry Blossom Gala and 2010 Green Planet Movie Awards

Re-imagining Kurosawa Event at Japan House Los Angeles

Nov 26, 2018: High and Low insight by Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Dean Dr. David Desser + Akira Kurosawa Panel Discussion featuring actor George Takei, Film Critics John Powers and David Ehrenstein, Dr. David Desser and Collider Network Producer John Rocha

Students First, Always

Accredited online English Language Teacher education (TESOL), International Business, Sustainable Management, Entrepreneurship and Filmmaking programs at Anaheim University.

Global Online Education

Learn from TESOL experts, and gain invaluable insight from leading-edge Sustainability, International Business, Entrepreneurship and Filmmaking Professionals.

The Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film

Online MFA in Digital Filmmaking

Vikram Channa, Master's in Film & Television Production, MBA

Alison Marek, MFA

Dallas King, MFA

Henryk Cymerman, MFA

Robert Jones, MFA

Raphael Raphael, Ph.D.

Ryan Daniel McKinney, MFA

Billy Budd Vermillion, Ph.D.

Firdosi Wharton-Ali, MFA

Benefits

Features:

Akira Kurosawa School of Film

Online Master of Fine Arts in Digital Filmmaking - Course Schedule 2025

Online MFA in Digital Filmmaking Program Fees

Residential Session (Residentials)

> CLICK HERE FOR THE NEXT 3 STEPS

2009 Cherry Blossom Gala & 2010 Green Planet Movie Awards

Click here to see photos from the 2009 Cherry Blossom Gala and 2010 Green Planet Movie Awards

Re-imagining Kurosawa Event at Japan House Los Angeles

Catalogs

Catalogs

Catalogs