For 35 years the Academy has recognized and introduced to the world some of the finest young filmmakers of their generation. On Saturday, June 7, the Academy will present the latest class of talent at the 2008 Student Academy Awards ceremony.
This year’s student winners will follow in some formidable footsteps. Filmmakers who have preceded them include:
Robert Zemeckis (USC, Dramatic Special Jury award, 1975). Zemeckis received an Oscar® nomination for the original screenplay for Back to the Future (1985) and earned a Directing Oscar for Forrest Gump (1994). He is the producer-director of such films as Death Becomes Her, Cast Away, The Polar Express and Beowulf.
Bob Saget (Temple University, Documentary Merit award, 1978). In the midst of his stand-up and television comedy careers, Saget wrote, directed and produced the 2006 satirical film Farce of the Penguins. He can currently be heard as the voice of the narrator on the TV series “How I Met Your Mother.”
John Lasseter (California Institute of the Arts, Animation Achievement award, 1979, 1980). A five-time Oscar nominee, Lasseter took home an Academy Award® for the 1988 animated short film Tin Toy and received a Special Achievement Award in 1995 for “his inspired leadership of the Pixar Toy Story team.” His story and directing credits include both Toy Story films, A Bug’s Life and Cars.
Spike Lee (NYU, Dramatic Merit award, 1983). Lee received his first Academy Award nomination for his original screenplay for Do the Right Thing, and his second for the documentary feature 4 Little Girls (a collaboration with Sam Pollard). Lee’s other directing credits include He Got Game, Summer of Sam, 25th Hour and Inside Man.
Lauren Lazin (Stanford University, Documentary Merit award, 1986). At the 2004 Academy Awards, Lazin was nominated, with Karolyn Ali, for the documentary feature Tupac: Resurrection. She is currently the vice president of news and specials and an executive producer-director of documentaries for MTV.
Pete Docter (California Institute of the Arts, Animation Gold Medal award, 1992). In the years since his Student Academy Award win, Docter has earned an Original Screenplay nomination for Toy Story, an Animated Feature Film nomination for Monsters, Inc. and an Animated Short Film nomination for Mike’s New Car.
 |
Trey Parker, along with co-winner Chris Graves, accepting their Student Academy Award for AMERICAN HISTORY in 1993. |
Trey Parker (University of Colorado at Boulder, Animation Silver Medal award, 1993). Best known for his work with Matt Stone on the animated television series “South Park,” Parker earned an Oscar nomination for the original song “Blame Canada” from the 1999 feature film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. He also earned writing, producing and directing credits for Team America: World Police.
James Longley (Wesleyan University, Documentary Silver Medal award, 1994). At the 2006 Academy Awards, Longley was nominated, with John Sinno, for the documentary feature Iraq in Fragments. The following year he received his second Oscar nomination for his documentary short subject Sari’s Mother.
Amanda Micheli (Harvard University, Documentary Silver Medal award, 1996). At the 2007 Academy Awards, Micheli, with Isabel Vega, was nominated for the documentary short subject La Corona (The Crown).
The 35th Annual Student Academy Awards ceremony will honor outstanding student films with Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards in four categories: Alternative, Animation, Documentary and Narrative. In addition, an Honorary Foreign Film award will be presented to a student filmmaker from outside the United States.
As part of the evening’s festivities, the Gold Medal-winning films as well as the Honorary Foreign Film will be screened in their entirety.
|
