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    Film academy honors 19 student filmmakers

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments2574 Views
    Animated film winner Hanna Kim prior to the 45th Annual Student Academy Awards® on Thursday, October 11, in Beverly Hills (photo by Richard Harbaugh/courtesy of AMPAS)

    By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer

    BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) --

    Nineteen student filmmakers got the opportunity to "thank the academy" at the actual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday night.

    The winners of the 45th Student Academy Awards are eligible to compete for a 2018 Academy Award in the animated short, live action short and documentary short categories. They join an esteemed list of Student Academy Award alumni like Pete Docter, Cary Fukunaga, Spike Lee, Trey Parker, Patricia Riggen and Robert Zemeckis.

    During the presentation in the storied Samuel L. Goldwyn theater, presenters like "The Big Sick" star and co-writer Kumail Nanjiani and "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke introduced a fascinating array of short films ranging in subject from an animated raccoon trying to handle a flashlight somewhat clumsily to a teenage girl who showcases a suicide confessional in her high school film class and a documentary about dust.

    Seven hundred film academy members sifted through 1,582 entries from 400 schools (278 domestic and 122 international) to arrive at the final winners, who hail from locations including China, India, Switzerland, Mongolia and France. Categories recognized include narrative, documentary, animated and alternative productions by American and international college students.

    Winners were given a few minutes onstage at the storied Samuel Goldwyn Theater, flanked by two larger-than-life Oscar statuettes to accept the award and give a speech, thanking the film academy, partners, and moms and dads.

    "My mom gave me so many children's books for me to read," said Hanna Kim, who won the gold medal for animation for her short "Raccoon and the Light." ''Those books ended up being my main inspiration and reason for making this film."

    Not all the winners were young adults. Mart Bira, who won the gold award for international documentary, noted that at 45, she is "the same age as the Student Academy Awards." Bira, who directed the short "Nomadic Doctor," said she was the first Mongolian filmmaker to receive the award, for which she was "truly honored."

    The Student Academy Awards is a tradition dating back to 1972 to help spotlight emerging global talent in the entertainment industry. This past year, two winners went on to get Oscar nominations — Kevin Wilson Jr. for his live action short "My Nephew Emmett" and Katja Benrath for "Watu Wote/All of Us."

    The 2018 Student Academy Award winners:

    • "Reanimated," Shae Demandt, Florida State University
    • "Daisy," Yu Yu, University of Southern California
    • "Raccoon and the Light," Hanna Kim, California Institute of the Arts
    • "Re-Gifted," Eaza Shukla, Ringling College of Art and Design
    • "The Green Bird," Pierre Perveyrie, Maximilien Bougeois, Marine Goalard, Irina Nguyen-Duc and Quentin Dubois, MOPA
    • "An Edited Life," Mathieu Faure, New York University
    • "Dust Rising," Lauren Schwartzman, University of California, Berkeley
    • "Love & Loss," Yiying Li, University of Southern California
    • "Nomadic Doctor," Mart Bira, University of Hertfordshire
    • "Esta Es Tu Cuba"/ "This Is Your Cuba," Brian Robau, Chapman University
    • "Lalo's House," Kelley Kali, University of Southern California
    • "Spring Flower," Hua Tong, University of Southern California
    • "A Siege," Istvan Kovacs, University of Theatre and Film Arts, Budapest
    • "Almost Everything," Lisa Gertsch, Zurich University of the Arts
    • "Get Ready with Me," Jonatan Etzler, Stockholm Academy of the Arts
    Tags:Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesStudent Academy Awards



    DirecTV calls off acquisition of rival Dish, possibly ending a yearslong pursuit

    Friday, November 22, 2024
    Dish Network satellite dishes are shown at an apartment complex in Palo Alto, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

    DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.

    The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them about $1.6 billion, collectively.

    The retreat by DirecTV this week may end a years-long effort by the company to acquire both Dish and Sling after it announced the bid in September.

    DirecTV was looking to acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that included a payment of $1, plus the assumption of approximately $9.8 billion in debt. The deal was contingent on several factors, including regulatory approvals and bondholders writing off debt related to Dish.

    "While we believed a combination of DirecTV and Dish would have benefited all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DirecTV's balance sheet and our operational flexibility," DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement.

    The prospect of a DirecTV-Dish combo has long been rumored, and reported talks resurfaced over the years. And the two almost merged more than two decades ago — but the Federal Communications Commission blocked the deal valued at the time at $18.5 billion deal, citing antitrust concerns.

    The pay-for-TV market has shifted significantly since. As more and more consumers tune into online streaming platforms, demand for more traditional satellite entertainment continues to shrink.

    DirecTV says that it will continue to invest in next-generation streaming platforms and offer new packaging options while integrating content from live TV alongside direct-to-consumer... Read More

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