BEVERLY HILLS – Thirteen students from colleges and universities around the world were honored recently as winners at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 39th Annual Student Academy Awards. In the Animation category, David Wolter from the California Institute of the Arts was awarded the Gold Medal for his short film “Eyrie.”
The medal placements were announced at the awards ceremony, which featured as presenters actors Laura Dern, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Greg Kinnear and Mena Suvari, alongside Academy President Tom Sherak at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
The winners are:
David Wolter, winner of the Gold Medal in the animated film category for "Eyrie."
Animation
- Gold Medal: “Eyrie,” David Wolter, California Institute of the Arts
- Silver Medal: “The Jockstrap Raiders,” Mark Nelson, University of California, Los Angeles
- Bronze Medal: “My Little Friend,” Eric Prah, Ringling College of Art and Design
Actress Mena Suvari (left) and Ringling student Eric Prah, winner of the Bronze Medal in the animated film category for "My Little Friend," during the 39th Annual Student Academy Awards.
Documentary
- Gold Medal: Hiro: A Story of Japanese Internment,” Keiko Wright, New York University
- Silver Medal: “Dying Green,” Ellen Tripler, American University
- Bronze Medal: “Lost Country,” Heather Burky, Art Institute of Jacksonville
Alternative
- Gold Medal*: “The Reality Clock,” Amanda Tasse, University of Southern California
*Only one winner was selected in this category.
Narrative
- Gold Medal: “Under,” Mark Raso, Columbia University
- Silver Medal: “Narcocorrido,” Ryan Prows, American Film Institute
- Bronze Medal: “Nani,” Justin Tipping, American Film Institute
Foreign Film
- Gold Medal: “For Elsie,” David Winstone, University of Westminster, United Kingdom
- Silver Medal: “Of Dogs and Horses,” Thomas Stuber, Film Academy Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Bronze Medal: “The Swing of the Coffin Maker,” Elmar Imanov, The International Film School Cologne, Germany
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 46 Oscar nominations and have won or shared eight awards. At the 84th Academy Awards earlier this year, 2011 Student Academy Award winners Hallvar Witzø and Max Zähle were nominated in the Live Action Short Film category for “Tuba Atlantic” and “Raju,” respectively. James Spione, a Student Academy Award winner in 1987, earned a nomination in the Documentary Short Subject category for “Incident in New Baghdad.”