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Faculty Directory

Michael Burke
Ken Friedman
David K. Irving


Michael Burke

Adjunct Professor

Biography

Michael Burke's first feature, The Mudge Boy (Showtime Independent Films/Strand Releasing), premiered in the Dramatic Competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, won the Outfest 2003 Grand Jury Award, and was released theatrically to critical acclaim in May 2004.  Michael was selected for both the Sundance Institute Writer's and Filmmaker's Lab 2000. Awards include the 2001 RICHARD VAGUE PRODUCTION GRANT, the American winner of the 2000 SUNDANCE/NHK INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKERS AWARD, SPECIAL JURY AWARD at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and the 1999 NYU FIRST PRIZE WASSERMAN AWARD. Michael is currently casting his next feature film project and developing a TV series with Sarah Jessica Parker (Pretty Matches Productions) and HBO.


Kenneth Friedman

Faculty

Phone: 212 992 8446
Email:

Biography

Professor Kenneth Friedman, born in New York, is a graduate of the NYU School of Film. As a student he wrote and directed SHOWDOWN, winner of the National Student Film Festival. Professor Friedman has written numerous movies including WHITE LINE FEVER (Jan Michael Vincent, Kay Lenz), HEART LIKE A WHEEL (Bonnie Bedelia, Beau Bridges), JOHNNY HANDSOME (Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin, Forrest Whitaker and Morgan Freeman) and CADILLAC MAN (Robin Williams, Tim Robbins). Professor Friedman often works as a rewriter, including the films THE FUGITIVE, UNLAWFUL ENTRY, BAD GIRLS and THE GETAWAY. In television, he wrote and was Co-executive Producer of the six hour limited series, THE GRID (Julianna Margulies, Dylan McDermott). Professor Friedman also directed and wrote the feature MADE IN USA (Chris Penn, Lori Singer, Adrian Pasdar), which premiered at the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes and was featured at many film festivals including Sundance and Munich.


David K. Irving

Associate Professor

Director Teaching Effectiveness UGFTV
Director Producing Minor TSOA
Winner David Payne Carter Award for Teaching Excellence 2007

Web Site: http://www.landsvideo.com/vcat.shtml
Email: david.irving@nyu.edu

Education

B.F.A., Denison University; M.F.A., California Institute of the Arts.

Biography

Director whose professional film credits include Night of the Cyclone (1990) with Kris Kristofferson and Marisa Berenson; C.H.U.D. II (1988) with Robert Vaughn and Gerrit Graham; The Emperor's New Clothes (1987) with Sid Caesar and Robert Morse; Sleeping Beauty (1987) with Morgan Fairchild, Tawnee Welch, and Sylvia Miles; Rumpelstiltskin (1987) with Amy Irving and Billy Barty; Goodbye, Cruel World (1983) with Dick Shawn and Cynthia Sikes. Documentary credits include Romare Bearden: Visual Jazz (1995); Jacob Lawrence: The Glory of Expression (1993); Faith Ringgold: The Last Story Quilt (1991); Screenplay credits include Rumpelstiltskin; The Emperor's New Clothes. Writers Guild of America Award for The Secret of the Lost Valley. Author of award winning textbook; Producing and Directing the Short Film and Video.  Focal Press.  3rd edition 2007. Click here for more info.




Workshops and Seminars


Xiaolian Peng 

is the writer/director of Shanghai Rumba, the third installment to her Shanghai trilogy, beginning with Shanghai Women and Shanghai Story, which won the Golden Rooster (China’s most prestigious film prize) for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor.  She co-directed and edited the documentary Red Persimmons, wrote and directed Magic Umbrella (the first Chinese feature film combining 3D animation with humans), and co-wrote and directed the film Once Upon a Time in Shanghai.  Her film, Kids in Shanghai, which she wrote, directed and produced, is currently in post-production. Ms. Peng is a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy and holds an MFA from New York University.

Jong Lin

is the cinematographer and co-writer for Shanghai Rumba.  He was also the co-writer and DP on Xiaolian Peng’s Shanghai Story (selected screening at the Cannes Film Festival and winner for Best Picture at the Golden Roosters).  He has been the DP for Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet and Eat Drink Man Woman (which earned him an Independent Spirit Award Nomination in 1995), Gurinder Chadha’s What’s Cooking? and Bend It Like Beckham - the BAFTA and Golden Globe nominee for Best British Film and Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, respectively, Yang Zhang’s Sunflower (which earned him a Best Cinematography Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in Spain), and Jiarui Zhang’s The Road.  He is currently shooting his next film in China.