AFTRS gets a prestigious listing - but is the story a bit slipshod

The Hollywood Reporter has just nominated AFTRS as one of the top fifteen film schools in the world. Click on the link to get the full list. The Reporter says “From Beijing to Berlin, here's a look at 15 film schools from around the globe that might just produce the next generation of international film talent. 

Australian Film, Television and Radio School

Benefiting from its location within Sydney's Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park, AFTRS boasts a number of leading Aussie filmmaking alums, including Jane Campion (The Piano) and Phillip Noyce (Salt).

Which is interesting in two respects. Noyce was in the first intake back in the 70s and Campion graduated sometime in the 80s. Designating them rather ignores what’s been happening more recently. The wonderful generation of black film-makers (Ivan Sen, Warwick Thornton, Rachel Perkins, Catriona McKenzie, Beck Cole, Steve McGregor, Darlene Johnson and Adrian Wills) who graduated between 1995 and 2002 are overlooked. They have directed 11 feature films between them. Nine non-Indigenous directors who graduated during the same years (including Cate Shortland, Kim Farrant and Claire McCathy) have since directed 11 features.

Also overlooked is the fact that from  2007 to 2015, during Sandra Levy’s term as CEO, no feature film directors that I’m aware of emerged.

Still, the Reporter gives as a reason to study at the Centro Sperimentale in Rome is that Michelangelo Antonioni studied there and the reason to study at France’s La Femis is that Louis Malle, Alain Resnais and Francois Ozon studied there and the reason to study at FAMU in the Czech Republic is that Milos Forman studied there.

Now I’m not saying that the team at the Hollywood Reporter didn’t put much effort into this piece...well actually I am saying that.....