CalArts animation alum David Wolter was among 10 students and/or alumni from nine U.S. colleges and universities selected as winners of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 39th Annual Student Academy Awards. The winners receive trophies, cash prizes and join international Foreign Film category winners for a week of industry activities in Los Angeles.
The students were chosen from a pool of more than 500 U.S. students, who competed in one of three regional competitions. Each region is permitted to send to the Academy up to three finalists in each of the four categories (see the categories below).
David Wolter | Photo courtesy Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Wolter’s film, Eyrie, was featured in the 2011 Producer’s Show and has been blogged about by Cartoon Brew. The short, posted above, demonstrates Wolter’s talent for storytelling.
The full list of winners are below (listed alphabetically by film title in each category):
Alternative
- The Reality Clock, Amanda Tasse, University of Southern California
Animation
- Eyrie, David Wolter, California Institute of the Arts
- The Jockstrap Raiders, Mark Nelson, University of California, Los Angeles
- My Little Friend, Eric Prah, Ringling College of Art and Design
Documentary
- Dying Green, Ellen Tripler, American University
- Hiro: A Story of Japanese Internment, Keiko Wright, New York University
- Lost Country, Heather Burky, Art Institute of Jacksonville
Narrative
- Nani, Justin Tipping, American Film Institute
- Narcocorrido, Ryan Prows, American Film Institute
- Under, Mark Raso, Columbia University
Among the past Student Academy Award winners is CalArts alumnus and Disney/Pixar chief John Lasseter (Film/Video BFA 79), who went on to make Toy Story and Cars, among numerous other films (5-22-12 UPDATE: In addition to Lasseter, we have 23 other Student Academy Award winners).
On June 9, the annual awards ceremony will be held at Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, which is free and open to the public. To keep up with the Student Academy Award winners, visit the Student Academy Awards tumblr.