The Cinema School

The Cinema School in the Bronx is for students who want to explore their creative vision through film. In addition to the typical array of high school classes, children explore filmmaking challenges each year, such as animation, music video production and screenwriting. Seniors produce original films.

During a six-week period in the winter, students develop film projects, shoot on location, work with resident and guest artists in the film industry, and visit arts colleges and professional studios, according to the school website. The school’s lead partner is the Ghetto Film School, a non-profit organization.

The theme of cinema is woven into academic classes too. In a humanities class, for example, students may create a storyboard to identify plot elements in the novel Lord of the Flies. They study media criticism and the history of visual arts.

Most children graduate on time and more than half are ready for college-level work. Students who fall behind must attend Saturday school six months prior to the Regents exam. They also receive extra math and reading help during school hours. High-achievers may attend classes at Lehman College.

Parents say Principal Keisha Warner, a Bronx native and Bank Street College graduate, who took the helm in 2013, “is available night and day, knows every student and is a presence in their lives,” and that filmmaking “has changed their child’s educational life into an avid interest in learning,” according to the Quality Review. Students say they feel safe and there is little bullying, according to school surveys. 

However, there appears to be friction between the administration and staff. Fewer than half the teachers say the principal is an effective manager and fewer than one-third say discipline and order are maintained, according to surveys.

The Cinema School shares the Monroe annex with Mott Hall V, a 6−12 school, and a District 75 program for students with severe disabilities. The modern facility has its own gymnasium, auditorium and cafeteria. There are no metal detectors. Sports are campus-wide.

The school has a full-time college counselor.

ADMISSIONS: Open citywide, with preference to students with good attendance, grades and test scores. Admitted students span a wide range of scores and grades. (Lydie Raschka, web reports, May 2018)