2008 Student Academy Awards winners announced

May 15, 2008 by Ian Evans

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 35th Annual Student Academy Awards competition has announced that eleven students from eight colleges and universities have been named winners. They will participate in a week of industry-related activities and social events, culminating in the awards ceremony on June 7 at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. One film student from Germany has also been selected to receive this year’s Honorary Foreign Film award.

The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title within category):

Alternative

  • Circles of Confusion, Phoebe Tooke, San Francisco State University
  • Viola: The Traveling Rooms of a Little Giant, Shih-Ting Hung, University of Southern California

Animation

  • Simulacra, Tatchapon Lertwirojkul, The School of Visual Arts
  • The Visionary, Evan Mayfield, Ringling College of Art and Design, Florida
  • Zoologic, Nicole Mitchell, California Institute of the Arts

Documentary

  • As We Forgive, Laura Waters Hinson, American University, Washington, D.C.
  • If a Body Meet a Body, Brian Davis, University of Southern California
  • Unattached, J.J. Adler, Columbia University

Narrative

  • A Day’s Work, Rajeev Dassani, University of Southern California
  • Pitstop, Melanie McGraw, University of Southern California
  • The State of Sunshine, Z. Eric Yang, Florida State University

Honorary Foreign Film

  • On the Line (Auf der Strecke), Reto Caffi, Academy of Media Arts, Cologne, Germany

While the U.S. winners know they will each receive an award, their placement — Gold, Silver or Bronze — will not be revealed until the June 7 ceremony. In addition to a trophy, Gold Medal winners receive $5,000, Silver Medal winners receive $3,000 and Bronze Medal winners receive $2,000. The Honorary Foreign Film winner receives $1,000 in addition to a trophy.

The Academy established the Student Academy Awards in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. Past Student Academy Award® winners have gone on to receive 35 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared six Academy Awards.

Tickets for the 35th Annual Student Academy Awards presentation ceremony, at which the Gold Medal-winning films and the Honorary Foreign Film will be screened in their entirety, are free and now available. Visit oscars.org for details.