March 2009
Anaheim University, pioneer of online education in the mid-90s, celebrated the launch of its Akira Kurosawa School of Film at the Cherry Blossom Gala recently at the Beverly Hills Hotel with accolades from Hollywood’s famous, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Martin Scorsese, all partaking in the tribute to the late, Academy-Award winning filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998).
From George Lucas: "It's no secret that I'm a fan of Kurosawa's work, and that his films were a source of inspiration for my own Star Wars Saga ... I have no doubt his work will continue to inspire for generations to come."
Lucas told the students of Anaheim University that they are following in the footsteps of one of the great filmmakers of the 20th century, explaining how he learned a great deal from Kurosawa and it was from Film School that he was first introduced to Kurosawa.
"He had a tremendous influence on my life and on my work, and on my sensitivity to visual story telling," said Lucas.
Steven Spielberg congratulating the Anaheim University for launching the Akira Kurosawa School of Film, expressed his hope that students would go on to be inspired and influenced as he was by Akira Kurosawa, saying, "The time I spent with Kurosawa has been reflected in my own work as all of the time I spent with Kurosawa's films have done so much to inspire me to be a better filmmaker."
Martin Scorsese, whose work has earned more than a dozen Oscars, congratulated Anaheim University and the Kurosawa Family on the launch of the film school saying, "Let me say it simply–Akira Kurosawa was my master."
Scorsese included an emotional recollection of how he worked as an actor on Kurosawa's classic ‘Dreams.
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The School of Film is slated to launch online Certificate and Master Degree Programs in Digital Filmmaking in September. Anaheim University will endeavor to extend its expertise in online education to filmmaking giving students an intuitive grasp of the art of film while using unique approaches and innovative hands-on teaching tools such as the Cell Phone Camera.
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