NOVA Cinema Students Study Abroad in the Czech Republic

There are twenty-three students representing Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) in the Czech Republic this summer. Representing all NOVA campuses, these students are the fourth cohort participating in a very intensive study abroad experience where they are gaining practical skills and experience that continues to show benefits in transfer placement, lucrative academic scholarships, and the employment post-NOVA.   

The study abroad program was launched in 2018 led by Dr. Bryan Brown, Professor Chris Stallings, and NOVA adjunct Dr. Josef “Pepi” Lustig and supported by the Office of International Education & Sponsored Programs and Academic Affairs. The program was created through a partnership with the Film Academy of Miroslav Ondříček (FAMO) located in Pisek, Czech Republic.  The elite film school has an impressive roster of faculty and alumni with many Academy Award winners and nominees among them.  The NOVA faculty worked with FAMO administration to create a program that offers students practical experience, networking opportunities, and an immersive cultural experience.  Mr. Daniel Weller, Head of International Studies at FAMO notes, “At a time when many countries are becoming increasingly inward oriented, our program and partnership with NOVA and the cross-cultural sharing, empathy, and respect it promotes amongst our respective students has never been more relevant.” 

These twenty-three students have enrolled in two NOVA courses required for the Cinema Associate of Fine Arts for the first six-week summer session.  The students spent a week and a half at NOVA.  In addition to classwork for the two courses, students learned practical skills and sage career advice from NOVA’s Gene Ertel, Lance Graham, and Robert Brown.  Ertel was able to offer a masterclass session on lighting and the differences between lighting on location and on a soundstage.    

Students work alongside award-winning filmmakers who have worked on such films as Mission Impossible: Fallout, Extraction 2, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Even Mice Go to Heaven, and the Star Wars franchise.  Other filmmakers working with the students have worked on television series such as “The Wheel of Time” and “Dr. Who”, among many others.  Through intensive masterclass workshops, students gain practical skills in lighting, cinematography, sound design, directing, producing, production design, art direction, editing, color grading, animation, and more.  Students have also worked with the top cinematographer in the Czech Republic to shoot on 35 mm, an experience that most graduates of four-year universities cannot claim. 

NOVA students have designed film projects where they work as a part of international film crews.  These crews are comprised of NOVA and FAMO students representing both institutions and many nations throughout Europe.  For summer 2023, a new partnership has been formed with Cirkevne Konzervatorium Bratislava in Bratislava, Slovokia.  Students from this prestigious conservatory are further developing their professional acting skills for the productions completed by the NOVA and FAMO students.  

The cultural exchange has already been deeply impactful for NOVA students.  Through historical tours of Prague, led by Pepi Lustig, these students have learned about the rich history of the central European nation and its people.  NOVA students have become immersed in the culture and history of the town of Pisek.  When not in classes, they can be seen walking through the cobblestone streets of the town square or over the oldest stone bridge in the Czech Republic (built in the 13th century) with Czech and Slovak students.  These students can also often be seen sharing coffee or a meal with Czechs and Slovaks in restaurants in the courtyard of the castle or along the historic riverbanks. 

This program is one of four annual programs administered by NOVA. Over the next few weeks, students will depart to Cyprus to study International Business and Blockchain technologies and to Scotland where they will continue their hybrid study abroad bootcamp learning about Ethical Hacking, Cybersecurity and Criminology. In Fall 2023, students will have an opportunity to immerse themselves in a cultural exchange while fulfilling their SDV requirement in the Amazon region of Acre, Brazil.

Study abroad is learning centered and promotes student success by providing accelerated academic, professional, and cultural exchange opportunities – in line with NOVA’s vision. Less than 2% of community college students get to study abroad – at NOVA that percentage falls far below .05%. Our grassroots programs provide affordable opportunities for NOVA students to study abroad – ensuring equitable access to international opportunities that help them compete amongst their university counterparts and advancing opportunities for employability as “85% of employers seek leadership candidates with international competence.” Study abroad is transformative, allowing our students to become citizen diplomats while abroad as well as advocates for NOVA and the community college model.

For more information on the Czech Republic Cinema Study Abroad program and how it benefits students, please contact Dr Bryan Brown at babrown@nvcc.edu and Chris Stallings at cstallings@nvcc.edu.  For more information on the Study Abroad programs offered at NOVA, please contact Leeza Fernand at lfernand@nvcc.edu. 

Submitted by:
Dr. Bryan Brown, WO-Professor of Cinema, BABrown@nvcc.edu
Leeza Fernand, OIESP-Assoc. Director, LFernand@nvcc.edu