Top Film Schools in the World

Discover a list of the best film schools across the globe.

(Please note additional insights and comprehensive data will be incorporated as they become available.)

Top Film Schools in the World Top Entries

American Film Institute (AFI)

The American Film Institute (AFI), established in 1967, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of American film and educating the next generation of filmmakers. With its renowned AFI Conservatory, the institute offers graduate-level training in various filmmaking disciplines.

USC School of Cinematic Arts

The USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA), established in 1929, is an academic unit of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. With a history dating back to the first years of talkies, it was America's first program to confer a college degree in film and remains one of the most prestigious film schools in the world.

Tisch School of the Arts (NYU)

The Tisch School of the Arts at New York University (NYU), established in 1965, is one of the nation's leading centers for professional training and scholarship in the performing and media arts. The school offers comprehensive programs in film, television, theater, dance, and other artistic disciplines.

La Fémis

La Fémis (École nationale supérieure des Métiers de l'Image et du Son), established in 1986, is France's prestigious national film school and a successor to the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC). As a grande école within the PSL Research University, it offers comprehensive training in all aspects of filmmaking.

National Film and Television School (NFTS)

The National Film and Television School (NFTS), established in 1971, is a prestigious film, television, and games school based at Beaconsfield Studios in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England. It is consistently ranked among the world's top film schools and has produced numerous award-winning filmmakers.

Beijing Film Academy

The Beijing Film Academy (BFA), established in 1950, is China's only professional film school and the largest film academy in Asia. Through its 70+ years of development, it has built a comprehensive system for film education, encompassing production, teaching, creation, and research for training advanced film talents.

Lodz Film School

The Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Łódź, commonly known as the Łódź Film School, is one of the oldest and most prestigious film schools in the world. Founded in 1948, it has educated generations of influential filmmakers and has played a crucial role in the development of Polish and international cinema.

FAMU Prague (Academy of Performing Arts’ Film and TV School)

The Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU) is one of the oldest and most prestigious film schools in the world. Founded in 1946, it is the fifth oldest film school globally and has consistently been ranked among the best film schools in Europe and worldwide.

HFF Munich (University of Television and Film Munich)

The University of Television and Film Munich (Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München, short: HFF Munich) is a publicly funded film school in Munich, Germany, established in 1966 by decree of the Bavarian government and recognized as one of Germany's most reputable film schools.

#10

CalArts (California Institute of the Arts)

CalArts’ film facilities include the John H. Whitney Digital Arts Centre and industry-grade sound stages, while the institute’s métier-spanning curriculum encourages collaboration across music, theatre, dance, design and critical studies. Selective admissions (fewer than one in five applicants accepted) ensure intense, mentor-led training under practising artists.

#11

London Film School

The London Film School (LFS) is the oldest film school in the UK, founded in 1956 as the London School of Film Technique and located in Covent Garden, London.

#12

Victoria University of Wellington

New Zealand

#13

Norwegian Film School

Established by parliamentary act in 1997 and operating under Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Den norske filmskolen is Norway’s national centre for professional film training. Initially based in Lillehammer—site of the 1994 Winter Olympics—it expanded to an Oslo campus in 2019, offering six-semester conservatoire degrees in directing, producing, cinematography, editing, sound and production design.

#14

Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia

The Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (CSC), also referred to as the Scuola Nazionale di Cinema (National Film School), is the oldest film school in Western Europe. Established in 1935 in Rome, Italy, it has been a cornerstone of Italian cinema education for nearly a century, training generations of filmmakers who have shaped the landscape of Italian and international cinema.

#15

Screen Academy Scotland

Screen Academy Scotland, established in 2005, is a prestigious collaboration between Edinburgh Napier University and Edinburgh College of Art, representing one of the UK's three centres of excellence in film practice education. Opened by then First Minister of Scotland Jack McConnell in August 2005, the academy operates under the motto "Original. Inventive. International. Film." and serves over 600 students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

#16

Film and Television Institute of India

Founded in 1960 on the historic grounds of Prabhat Studios in Pune, FTII is India’s premier government-funded film training centre. An autonomous institution under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, it offers three-year postgraduate diplomas in direction, acting, cinematography, editing, sound, animation and producing, along with short-term outreach courses nationwide.

#17

Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA)

The Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA) is the leading film school in Korea, established to foster professional filmmakers through highly selective and intensive education with field-centered training programs.

#18

National Film School of Denmark

The National Film School of Denmark (Den Danske Filmskole) is one of the most prestigious film schools in Europe, known for producing internationally acclaimed filmmakers and contributing significantly to the Danish film industry's global reputation for excellence.

#19

Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS)

The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school. Established in 1973, AFTRS has been the training ground for many of Australia's most acclaimed filmmakers and is consistently ranked among the world's top film schools.

#20

Los Angeles Film School

Opened in 1999 on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, the Los Angeles Film School is a for-profit institution specialising in accelerated, career-focused programmes in film production, animation, audio, entertainment business and game design. Its campus encompasses the former RCA Building and historic Ivar Theatre.

Top Picks

RØDE VideoMic GO II Helix | Ultra-Compact....

$109.00

Sony WH-1000XM5 Premium Noise Canceling....

$278.00

SmallRig Shoulder Rig Kit, One-Touch Quick Release....

$389.99

More Deals>>

Affiliate Disclosure:

Filmmaker Journey participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you click product links and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps fund our free rankings and resources.

Top Film Schools in the World Top Entries

#21

Toronto Film School

Toronto Film School, founded in 2001 and part of Yorkville University, delivers intensive 12- to 18-month diploma programmes in film production, acting, writing, video game design and graphic design. Its downtown Toronto campuses place students steps from Canada’s largest production hubs, including Pinewood Toronto Studios.

#22

Vancouver Film School

Vancouver Film School (VFS) is a private entertainment arts school located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1987, it has achieved international recognition as one of the leading institutions for hands-on education in the entertainment arts industry.

#23

Gobelins, l’école de l’image

Founded in 1964 by the Paris Chamber of Commerce, Gobelins is France’s elite multimedia and animation school, globally acclaimed for its 3D character-animation master’s and short-film residencies. Located in Paris’s 13th arrondissement and a satellite campus in Annecy, it educates over 1,200 students annually.

#24

National Film School, Italy

Italy’s National Film School—formally the Scuola Nazionale di Cinema within Rome’s Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia—was created by royal decree in 1935, making it Europe’s oldest film academy. Funded by the Italian Ministry of Culture, it admits approximately 80 students annually across eleven specialisations.

#25

Tel Aviv University

Established in 1972 within Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of the Arts, the Steve Tisch School is Israel’s oldest degree-granting film institution. It grants BA and MFA degrees combining theory, screenwriting and hands-on production, with teaching conducted in Hebrew and English.

#26

ESCAC (Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya)

Founded in 1993 and affiliated with the University of Barcelona, ESCAC is Catalonia’s leading film conservatoire. Its main campus occupies a converted textile mill in Terrassa, offering bachelor, master and postgraduate diplomas taught in Spanish and Catalan.

#27

ECAM (Escuela de Cinematografía y del Audiovisual de la Comunidad de Madrid)

ECAM, launched in 1994 by the regional government of Madrid, offers three-year diplomas covering eleven film crafts, supplemented by MA programmes in screenwriting and documentary. Its Ciudad de la Imagen campus houses Spain’s first academic Dolby Atmos auditorium.

#28

University of the Arts London

University of the Arts London (UAL), established in 1986 as The London Institute and achieving university status in 2003, is a public collegiate university specializing in arts, design, fashion, and performing arts.

#29

Toronto Metropolitan University

Toronto Metropolitan University, established in 1948 in Toronto, Ontario, stands as one of Canada's premier public research institutions with over 47,350 students across its urban campus in the Garden District. The university's Image Arts: Film program, housed within The Creative School, represents an internationally renowned Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program that has earned recognition among "The 15 Top Global Film Schools" by The Hollywood Reporter in 2023.

#30

University of Television and Film Munich

Germany

Top Film Schools in the World

Top Film Schools in the World Top Entries

Top Picks

More Deals>>

Affiliate Disclosure:

Top Film Schools in the World Top Entries

Join the community.

Log In

OR