Concordia University to triple capacity of Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema’s film production program

Concordia will triple the capacity of its film production programs at the ‘Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema’ by 2024, announced the school on Monday.

The Montreal university said in a press release that the expansion means they’ll be able to accommodate over 220 students from a field of close to 800 annual applicants.

“It also aims to ensure Quebec’s thriving cinema and television industry benefits from the creative and highly trained graduates that have made the School’s reputation over its nearly half-century of existence.”

“I believe the creativity of our artists expresses our cultural identity as Quebecers and communicates our distinctiveness around the world,” explained Annie Gérin, dean of Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts. “We’re pleased to be able to innovate within our School of Cinema to ensure we support the vision and talent of our filmmakers as they enrich Quebec’s cultural industries.”

The University said that expanding its capacity will allow the ‘Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema’ to launch new short-term microprograms, undergraduate certificates and graduate diplomas in film production as a response to industry calls for upgrading the professional training of its highly skilled workers. It will also open up more highly sought-after spaces in their internationally respected BFA and MFA film production programs.

In 2021, the School developed a Microprogram in Screenwriting and Film Producing, with courses offered in French and English, and given online to increase access to professional training regardless of geography or educational background.

In the spring of 2023, a new Microprogram in digital cinema production will be launched. A Master Class for industry professionals will also be introduced in the summer of 2023. In addition, the Faculty of Fine Arts is currently developing a graduate diploma in the Arts, Media and Cultural Industries, in conjunction with Concordia’s John Molson School of Business.

“We’re already proud to be Canada’s largest and most comprehensive university centre for film animation, film production and film studies,” said Martin Lefebvre, chair of the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. “This expansion will allow us to further solidify our reputation as a film school where imagination joins artistic and technical skill to propel our most talented creators to the highest levels of the cinematic arts.”  

The success of Mel Hoppenheim alumni as award-winning film professionals in Québec and Canada but also in the U.S., Europe and Asia is a mark of its excellence as a School of Cinema.