This isn’t a boring Grand Rapids film school classroom. This isn’t an overcrowded college laboratory. This is life. Real Life. YOUR LIFE.

Way back when you had to go to L.A. or New York to get a good film education. Not anymore. We’ve brought the filmmaking experience to you. We’re Film Connection film school in Grand Rapids, MI and we’ve partnered up with local filmmakers to offer you what those other schools just can’t: industry exposure and a chance to interface with top Hollywood decision-makers. Our behind-the-scenes track is a thorough 6-month program that hooks you up with working professionals in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, or Battle Creek. At the completion of your studies, you will not only have the real-world exposure that almost all film school grads don’t, but your very own industry contacts for future projects. If you’re brave enough to try our 8-month directors track, you’ll find yourself during your last week on a flight out to Los Angeles to meet with your dream mentor, someone who will prepare you for your own pitch meeting with an industry executive. Get connected today!

Get Real World Film Production Experience in Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Battle Creek are the three largest cities in southwestern Michigan, hosting a combined population area of over 300,000 people. With plenty of countrysides and lakeside scenery, plus major cities like Detroit and Chicago within driving distance, this area is prime for location filming. Add to that the generous tax incentive programs offered by the state of Michigan to attract filmmakers, and you have an area that is very favorable to the film industry. If you are considering a career in filmmaking as a film director, film producer, film editor, or cameraman, the Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek area is a surprising alternative to relocating to more typical filmmaking hubs like New York and L.A.

Meet Our Mentors

Adam Weber

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Daniel Lir

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Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs

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Alejandra Huerta

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Daniela Larsen

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Our Grand Rapids Film Industry Mentors Help you Build Real World Connections

This area has seen a good amount of film productions in recent years. Some of the movies that have done location filming in the Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek area include Flirting With Disaster, Road to Perdition, Gran Torino, Into the Woods, Blue Collar, and The Lake Effect, just to name a few.

Don’t Spend More on your Film Education if You Don’t Have to

FILM CONNECTION Film School offers an inexpensive, six-month course that will hook you up with a working film or television professional in Battle Creek, Kalamazoo or Grand Rapids. This person will serve as your personal instructor-mentor, giving you valuable hands-on training while helping you make industry connections that can lead to permanent employment. In fact, many FILM CONNECTION graduates get hired before or shortly after graduation. Check out our film school alternative, and see what we can do for you!

Learn the skills you need to take your idea from paper to the big screen.

Real world film education by filmmakers for filmmakers, optimized for today!

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Success stories

Since he started his extern program with Uptone Pictures in Raleigh, NC, Grant Gilbert has been taking…

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Please take the time to read the experiences of one of our own, Korey Hehn of Pineville, OR…

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The Film Connection program provided me with an opportunity to "see it and believe it"!…

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