Georgia Film Academy Partnering with Spelman College to Offer Film and Television Production and Post-Production Courses

Courses available for students interested in Georgia’s film and creative industries

ATLANTA – Nov. 24, 2025 – The Georgia Film Academy (GFA) today announced a partnership with Spelman College to offer Introduction to Film and Television Production and Introduction to Film and Television Post-Production for Spelman students. The courses, launching in the 2026 spring semester, serve as the first in GFA’s 18-credit-hour certification program in film and television production and post-production.

Through topical lectures, hands-on training and equipment demonstrations, GFA students will gain a foundational understanding of narrative film production and post-production workflows, organizational structures, job responsibilities and on-set protocols across various film crafts.

Spelman College is the first all-women’s college – and the second private Historically Black College and University (HBCU) – to join the GFA partnership, which includes more than 30 colleges and universities from the University System of Georgia (USG) and the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). Clark Atlanta University was the first private HBCU to join in 2022.

“From the moment our students begin their training, they’re working with real-world tools and equipment,” said Scott Votaw, assistant vice chancellor of the Georgia Film Academy. “On day one, they’re setting up C-stands, operating industry-standard Blackmagic cameras and using the same technology found on professional sets. Partnering with Spelman College brings an exciting new dimension to our mission. Together, we’re expanding opportunities for more students to enter Georgia’s film industry with the skills, confidence and creativity to succeed.”

Spelman College, a private, four-year liberal arts college for women in Atlanta, is one of the oldest HBCUs in the United States. Founded in 1881, Spelman is recognized globally for its commitment to academic excellence, leadership development and the education of women of African descent. The College is part of the Atlanta University Center Consortium, which allows students to cross-register for classes at other member institutions.

We are thrilled to bring Georgia Film Academy courses to our students at Spelman College,” said Dr. Mark Lee, Provost/Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Spelman College. “This partnership opens new doors for our students who aspire to careers in narrative film production, post-production and digital media, fields that are rich with opportunity for diverse voices and perspectives. By combining Spelman’s legacy of academic excellence with GFA’s industry expertise, we’re helping prepare the next generation of Black women storytellers, creators and leaders to make their mark on the entertainment industry.”

Since its founding in 2015, GFA has helped meet the educational and workforce needs of Georgia’s rapidly growing film and creative industries, providing professional training through more than 30 partner institutions statewide. In collaboration with USG and TCSG, GFA offers high schools, technical colleges and universities certification programs in film production, post-production and digital entertainment. GFA also provides students with hands-on experience through internships on active film and television sets, as well as in post-production facilities.

For more information about Georgia Film Academy, visit georgiafilmacademy.edu.

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About the Georgia Film Academy
The Georgia Film Academy (GFA) is a professional organization and unit of the University System of Georgia (USG) committed to leading and advancing the entertainment arts industry and its workforce in Georgia. GFA supports the Georgia Film Consortium (GFC), a unique-in-the-nation collaboration of the university system, the Technical College System of Georgia and independent institutions across the state. Created by state leadership to meet education and workforce needs for high-demand careers in Georgia’s film and creative industries, GFC works with more than 30 partner institutions to offer professional courses in film, television, live production, streaming and esports for college credit. Classes may also be taken through professional education programs through GFA. GFC’s higher education program includes rigorous professional training and may lead to union-covered film and television production craft internships and placement in creative industry apprenticeships and associated jobs. In addition, GFA supports a graduate consortium of USG partner institutions offering master’s degrees in creative arts geared toward content creation in film, television and digital media. GFA provides professional training in the form of post-production education and AVID editing certification. GFA also offers high school teacher training in content creation, production, post-production and esports in partnership with the Georgia Department of Education, providing professional film and television experiences and training as well as curriculum and resources to teachers across the state. Additionally, GFA hosts opportunities for high school students with summer camps in screenwriting, filmmaking and esports. For more information, visit georgiafilmacademy.edu.

 

About Spelman College
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a leading liberal arts college widely recognized as the global leader in the education of women of African descent. Located in Atlanta, the College’s picturesque campus is home to 2,300 students. Spelman is the country's leading producer of Black women who complete Ph.D.s in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The College’s status is confirmed by the U.S. News & World Report, which ranked Spelman No. 39 among all liberal arts colleges, No. 30 for undergraduate teaching, No. 1 for social mobility among liberal arts colleges, and No. 1 for the 18th year among historically Black colleges and universities. Recent initiatives include a designation by the Department of Defense as a Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM, a Gender and Sexuality Studies Institute, the first endowed queer studies chair at an HBCU and a program to increase the number of Black women Ph.D.s in economics. New majors and minors have been added, including documentary filmmaking and photography, data science, refugee studies and gaming. Collaborations have also been established with MIT’s Media Lab, the Broad Institute and the Army Research Lab for artificial intelligence and machine learning, among others.

Outstanding alumnae include Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman, former Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Rosalind Brewer, political leader Stacey Abrams, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa D. Cook, former Acting Surgeon General and Spelman’s first alumna president Audrey Forbes Manley, Harvard University professor and former Dean Evelynn Hammonds, actress and producer LaTanya Richardson Jackson, global bioinformatics geneticist Janina Jeff and authors Pearl Cleage and Tayari Jones.

To learn more, please visit spelman.edu and @spelmancollege on social media.