The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has honored thirteen students from nine different colleges and universities in the 33rd annual Student Academy Awards competition. Three films in each category, including Animation, will go on to compete for the gold, silver and bronze prizes at the June 10th awards presentation ceremony at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater at 6 p.m.
The animated films that are guaranteed a prize are The Dancing Thief by Meng Vue from Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida; ?The Possum, by Chris Choy from California Institute of the Arts; and?Turtles by Thomas Leavitt from Brigham Young University. The gold medalist will receive $5,000, while the silver and bronze winners get $3,000 and $2,000, respectively.
The top three toon contenders were whittled down from a field of eight finalists, which included Betty by Rie Ito from the School of Visual Arts, New York; Institute for the Digitally Challenged by Riash Shahnawaz from Pratt Institute, New York; Lolly’s Box by Valerie LaPointe from the University of Southern California; Onnazuri: Or Men, Women, and Capitalism by Yusuke Murakami from New York University; and The Shoes by Wenchung Lu from California Institute of the Arts.
A Student Academy Award win puts a film in the running for an Oscar. Last year’s top student toon, Shane Acker’s 9, went to the big show but ended up losing to John Canemaker’s The Son and the Moon: An imagined Conversation. Acker is now directing 9 as a CG feature film for producer Tim Burton. Previous student winners who have gone on to greatness include director/producer Robert Zemeckis (The Polar Express, Monster House), Pixar chreative head John Lasseter (Toy Story, Cars) and South Park co-creator Trey Parker.
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