One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and influential directors in film history. Scorsese's body of work explores themes such as Italian-American identity, Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption , [4] faith , [5] machismo , crime and tribalism. Many of his films are known for their depiction of violence , and the liberal use of profanity and rock music. In , he founded The Film Foundation , a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation , in he founded the World Cinema Foundation and in , he introduced the African Film Heritage Project. Scorsese studied at New York University , where he received a bachelor's degree in English literature in , and received a master's degree in fine arts in film from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in He has established a filmmaking history involving repeat collaborations with actors and film technicians, including nine films made with Robert De Niro.