The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has announced that the application period for the 22nd Annual DGA Student Film Awards for Women and Ethnic Minority Directors is now open. The awards are designed to honor, encourage and bring attention to exceptional diverse directors in film schools and select universities across the country.
Over the years, the DGA Student Film Awards have highlighted dozens of African American, Asian American, Latino and Women filmmakers. Winners of the DGA Student Film Awards in each category will receive a $2,500 prize from the DGA and have their films screened in a special ceremony at the DGA Theater. Jury award winners will receive a $1,000 prize and screen clips of their films at the ceremony.
A number of past winners have gone on to enjoy successful directing careers, including:
Ryan Coogler (Creed, Fruitvale Station)
Patricia Riggen (Miracles From Heaven, The 33; Lemonade Mouth; Under the Same Moon)
Jon M. Chu (Now You See Me: The Second Act, G.I. Joe: Retaliation; Justin Bieber: Never Say Never; The LXD: The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers; Step Up 3D)
Nicole Kassell (Vinyl, Better Call Saul, The Following; The Killing; The Americans; Suits; The Closer; Cold Case; The Woodsman)
Sylvain White (Rush Hour, Empire, Sleepy Hollow, Hawaii Five-0; Person of Interest; Covert Affairs; CSI: Miami)
This year’s application period runs from April 13 – October 14, 2016, and the winners in each category will be announced in November.
Eligible films must be made in the 2015/2016 school year (September 2015 through August 2016), and produced as a student project under the supervision of a faculty member. Dramas, comedies and documentaries are all eligible. Animated and experimental films are not eligible. Applicants must be enrolled in, or be a recent (one-year) graduate from, an accredited post-secondary institution in California or a DGA-selected university offering a degree in film or television. Eligible films are those in which a student holds every major crew position.
For the first time this year, the DGA Student Film Awards application and submission process is entirely online. For more information, or to begin the application process, visit here.
Avid completes acquisition of Wolftech
Avid®, known for software solutions for professional media production, has completed the acquisition of Wolftech Broadcast Solutions, a leader in cloud-based multiplatform news planning, production and publishing solutions.
The acquisition enables Avid to combine its digital-first, end-to-end media solution with Wolftech’s expertise in story-centric workflow management. News organizations will be able to increase efficiency and accelerate story delivery through enhanced remote collaboration and multiplatform amplification.
Avid CEO Wellford Dillard stated, “Wolftech is unquestionably on the leading edge of where the industry is going, and this acquisition demonstrates Avid’s commitment to transform news, sports, and live production workflows. We are delighted to welcome Wolftech into the Avid family.”
Wolftech CEO Arne Berven added, “We were focused on finding a partner that could accelerate the adoption of our platform globally. We explored a number of possibilities, but when we talked to Avid, we knew it was the right match.”
The closing of the acquisition follows Avid’s announcement on October 7 that the company had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Wolftech.
With this acquisition, Avid deepens the integration between the two toolsets while continuing to embrace an open approach in partnering with a wide range of media production tools and newsroom systems. Existing Wolftech customers will benefit from Avid’s global scale for customer support and professional services.
Ian Axton, head of production operations for ITV News, said, “As a customer of both Avid and Wolftech we’re excited about the benefits this acquisition will bring to our users and our business. Wolftech has transformed... Read More