IAFT steps from behind the scenes into the spotlight with its Performing Arts Programs

March 18, 2008 (Cebu, PHILIPPINES) - After two successful years of living up to its position as Asia's Premier Film School, the International Academy of Film and Television (IAFT) will step into the art of acting with the launch of its intensive and complete training for actors, the two-tiered 'Performing Arts Program.'

Staying true to IAFT's signature world-class education, the IAFT's 'Performing Arts Programs' is built on a well-rounded, hands-on curriculum that is imparted by international mentors and complemented by the use of state-of-the-art facilities. The Programs will cover such vital elements as Acting, Movement and Voice, and will incorporate different theories and methods where students study in non-traditional acting classes that emphasize discipline and work ethic.

IAFT's 'Performing Arts Programs' will introduce students to an educational system that intensifies step by step to make them complete and compelling actors. Its comprehensive approach will help students discover the different ways of using the body to communicate ideas and emotions through the development of their awareness, dexterity and flexibility.

For the students' convenience, the 'IAFT Performing Arts Programs' come in two levels, the two-term 'Certificate in the Performing Arts' and the top tier four-term ' Diploma Program in the Performing Arts.'

Composed of two nine-week terms, the holistic 'Certificate in the Performing Arts' will run through courses in Theater History, Voice, Acting, Movement, Acting for TV/Film and Modern Dance.

Taking that training to a more intense level is the four nine-week termed 'Diploma Program in the Performing Arts.' This concentrated program prepares students for a professional career in acting by putting special emphasis on individual work and audition pieces, and offering theoretical, practical and performance training. Through its main course offerings and electives, students also get additional training in Music, Improvisation and Scene Study.

As with the two-term 'Certificate in the Performing Arts Program,' the 'Diploma Program in the Performing Arts' is composed of courses in Theater History, Voice, Acting, Movement, Acting for TV/Film, and Modern Dance in its first two terms. On its third and fourth terms, the 'Diploma Program' will cover Scene Study, Musical Theater, Script Analysis, Acting (TV/Film, Rehearsal and Performing Projects), and Electives.

Both the 'Certificate Program in the Performing Arts' and the 'Diploma Program in the Performing Arts' will allow students to act in various independent films and student film projects, the latter through the program's synergy with IAFT's filmmaking programs.

IAFT Program Director for Acting Lawrence Espinosa stresses the advantage of the school's practical and hands-on Performing Arts training, "Our programs in the Performing Arts will impart acting skills in such a manner that they become second nature to the students. On stage or in a film studio, graduates of the programs will be able to instantly and unconsciously switch to 'actor mode' because the skills have become a part of them."

Enriching the Performing Arts Programs' world-class curriculum is a facet that is unique to IAFT - a rich and diverse amalgamation of cultures, with multi-national filmmakers and students hailing from countries as far-flung as Zimbabwe, India, Puerto Rico, the Netherlands, Greece and the US.  

Found at IAFT is a cultural diversity that encourages students to adapt to other customs. Subsequently, they learn to think differently, become more likely to give and accept new ways of creating and expressing and, most importantly, become better equipped to fill more diverse roles. Espinosa sums it up, "The most important thing that we offer is the international experience because being thrust into a new environment inspires new ways of putting thoughts and feelings across."

IAFT's Performing Arts Programs are offered at surprisingly competitive rates. The 'Certificate Program in the Performing Arts' goes at US$3,010 for international students and US$1,990 for local Filipino students. Similarly, the 'Diploma Program in the Performing Arts' is at US$5,760 for international students and US$3,840 for local Filipino students - versus US$25,000 to US$30,000 of similar programs in the United States.

Along with the Performing Arts Programs, IAFT will also launch the two-year International Filmmaker's Program (IFP) in June. The IFP will provide a "hands on" approach to filmmaking where students will be actively included in commercial productions under the mentorship of industry professionals. The highlight is the production of an international feature film every year (shot in 35mm) that the students will be a part of.

School founder Kacy Andrews says that the IAFT is constantly growing and expanding. "We at the IAFT are proud to offer new and exciting programs for students to enrich both their lives and careers."

IAFT began in 2004 by offering short-term yet comprehensive workshops in courses such as Directing, Cinematography, Editing and Acting. It moved to its present location in Mactan, Cebu in 2005 and, in January 2006, launched its One-Year Immersion in Filmmaking.

IAFT's roster of past and present mentors are composed of distinguished industry professionals from Hollywood and other film capitals of the world: the Academy Award winning Sound Mixer Greg Curda, the Emmy Award winning Sound Editor Les Wolf, and the Production and Production Sound Expert Malcolm Cromie, whose body of work includes The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Peter Jackson's King Kong.

Additionally, IAFT enhances the educational experience of its students by providing unique internship opportunities on actual projects by parent company Bigfoot Entertainment and its divisions.

IAFT is located within Bigfoot's 20,000 square meter facilities in the tropical Mactan Island in Cebu, whose state-of-the-art production and post-production amenities include a 75 -seat Dolby Mix Theatre, Automated Dialogue Replacement and Foley Studios, and the country's first true soundproof Sound Stage. The self-contained premises also house a hotel, the Hollywood Suites, and an onsite dormitory, the Casablanca Gardens.

IAFT employs a continuous enrollment policy and accepts new students every two months, or each term. After the commencing term in June, subsequent terms for the 'Certificate Program in the Performing Arts' and the 'Diploma Program in the Performing Arts' will be on August and October of 2008, and January 2009.