NYU Tisch School of the Arts has received a major gift from the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation to establish the Martin Scorsese Institute of Global Cinematic Arts, an academic and production institute which will encompass the new, state-of-the-art Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center, the Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies, and support for student scholarships. The gift from the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation is the largest in the school’s history. The Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation was founded by Mellody Hobson, co-CEO of Ariel Investments, and her husband, filmmaker George Lucas.
The gift’s dual aims of celebrating the past while creating the future will be realized through additional support for the Cinema Studies department, which encompasses the highly selective Moving Image Archiving and Preservation program. NYU’s Cinema Studies Department, one of the first university departments in the country devoted to the history, theory, criticism, aesthetics, and preservation of film and the moving image, will be renamed the Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies.
The Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies will include a new endowed Martin Scorsese Chair of Cinema Studies and expanded student support through the establishment of a new permanent, endowed scholarship fund and yearly internship stipends. The Martin Scorsese Internship Fund will provide stipends to Tisch students undertaking internships related to moving image archiving and preservation each year.
Martin Scorsese, who serves as Founder and Chair of the Film Foundation, has long extolled the importance of film preservation and the critical role of the filmmaker in shaping America’s artistic heritage. NYU’s Cinema Studies Department was one of the first university departments in the country devoted to film history, theory, and aesthetics and has since expanded to include broadcast television, video art, and digital media. The Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies will further leverage these evolving technologies to build the future of scholarship and preservation in the cinematic arts.
For more information about the Martin Scorsese Institute of Global Cinematic Arts, please visit tisch.nyu.edu/scorsese-