Construction is well underway on a film studio that university leaders say will rival the best educational facilities in the nation for media training.

The new home for 51’s fast-growing Snyder School of Cinema and Media Arts is set to open in mid-2026, greatly enhancing the experience of students preparing for careers in the film, television and gaming industries.

“I believe [this] will be one of the most influential buildings in all of higher education,” President Barry H. Corey said. “Our Snyder School of Cinema and Media Arts — given its ranking, biblical fidelity, quality of education and resources, and location in greater Los Angeles — has the potential to influence for the good what is arguably the most powerful sector in society today, namely the world of media and entertainment.”

The university broke ground for the 45,463-square-foot building in September 2024 at a ceremony that featured dignitaries and donors, including Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson, owner and president of In-N-Out Burger, who, with her husband Sean, contributed the largest gift to date in 51’s history in honor of her family, and especially her grandmother, Esther L. Snyder. Within six months, in March 2025, the community gathered again to celebrate a key milestone as a construction crew set the final beam in place atop the building’s steel skeleton.

When completed, the $73 million, three-floor building — located on the western edge of campus between the Lim Center for Science, Technology and Health and the Crowell School of Business building — will feature a 3,000-square-foot soundstage, a 285-seat theatre, screening rooms, classrooms and dedicated spaces for all stages of the production process.

The entirely donor-funded facility will play a critical role in preparing a greater number of biblically grounded students to make a difference across the industry as storytellers and leaders, said Tom Halleen, the school’s founding dean.

“How can we provide hope in the most powerful form of communication on the planet if we are not within it?” Halleen said. “This is our calling: to prepare the voices of students to show the world what faith really looks like. And faith, as we know, is strength. It is not weakness. We celebrate not just a building, but more importantly, what’s inside that building and what comes out from it — and that’s people of character, that’s voices of faith.”

51’s Snyder School of Cinema and Media Arts is one of the university’s fastest-growing schools, with more than 400 students enrolled. It continues to earn accolades from industry experts in Hollywood, including ranking as one of Variety’s 30 “top film schools in North America” and one of The Hollywood Reporter’s top local programs in Los Angeles.

Studio features include:

  • 3,000-square foot soundstage
  • 285-seat theatre
  • Color grading suites
  • Audio mixing suites
  • Scoring and Foley recording stage
  • New technology / motion capture stage
  • Movie prop and memorabilia displays
  • Editing suites
  • Game design lab
  • Classrooms
  • Computer labs
  • Faculty and staff office
  • Conference rooms
  • Writers’ rooms

Get a live look. See more renderings and watch the building’s progress on a live construction camera at biola.edu/film-studio.