TV ACADEMY GIVES COLLEGE AWARDS

A 37-year-old Stanford University graduate student, who is from a family of 13 children born in Mexico and who “never dreamed” she would go to school again, received a first-place prize Sunday night from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for her science documentary on integrated circuits.

Ruth Carranza of Mill Valley was one of six first-place winners in the academy’s eighth annual College Television Awards. Five of the six were women and represented universities throughout the country. The first-place winners receive $2,000 each.

Carranza said of making her 30-minute film “Silicon Run” as a thesis project, “I knew it was the last time I could hide behind the skirts of being a student, so I decided to try everything . . . animation, computer graphics, model making, special effects.”

The film is largely aimed at college engineering students and industrial audiences and already has been bought by an educational distributor. Her goal now is to continue working in the educational-industrial film area. “Because I had a tough time in school as a child, I know I can simplify this type of information,” she said. “I learn by working with my hands.”

Carranza’s film was the most technical of the entries shown Sunday night at an academy gathering at the Sheraton Premiere honoring all the winners. The other first-place winners were:

--Ruth Anson, of the American Film Institute, the drama winner for “Rose and Katz,” which Anson described as a “love story between a grandfather and grandson, which shows that we can learn to accept children whose beliefs differ from our own.” Anson, who 20 years ago was a youth reporter for KABC-TV Channel 7 news, currently has other film projects at three studios, “nice relationship stories with humor.”

--Patrick McFadden, the comedy winner, from Emerson College, Boston, for “Equilibriumness,” about a college student (modeled on himself) with a strange idiosyncrasy. McFadden wants to “write, direct, produce and edit--but primarily be a director.” Currently working in a Boston hotel, he said the academy recognition “gives me the incentive to keep developing some ideas I have for other films.”

--Christine Mehner of UCLA, the music category winner for a seven-minute video featuring the Los Angeles A Cappella Symphony singing original words to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Her goal: “to write, produce and direct . . . with direct on top.”

--Tina DiFeliciantonio of Stanford University, the documentary winner for “Living With AIDS,” a sensitive, moving film which she said “has ruled my life for two years.” She picked the topic, she said, “because the San Francisco gay community has a lot to share on how to cope with this disease.” She plans to continue as a documentary film maker.

--Susan White and Kiku Lani Iwata of the USC School of Journalism, public affairs winners for a six-minute video titled “Fashion Underground.” The film spotlights a Los Angeles fashion designer “who has not had much exposure, and features his designs and thought,” White said.

Sunday night’s academy dinner also saluted second-prize winners, who were from UCLA, Columbia, New York University, USC and the University of Missouri. They received $1,000 each.

Regional winners (receiving $400 each) also were announced and represented such colleges as Brigham Young University, Montana State, Southern Methodist University, the University of Miami, Ithaca, Northwestern, Southwest Missouri State and the Art Center College of Design.

In all, there were 217 entries. The competition is funded by a $60,000 grant from Mobil Corp.

Actor David Selby, who emceed Sunday’s event, said “there is no other program in the academy that has a higher priority than the college awards. You are the future of the industry.”

Price Hicks, director of educational programs and services for the academy, said the awards “help find really focused, dedicated, talented students and give them exposure . . . and bring together students, teachers and industry professionals.”

The academy’s student award competition was originated during the presidency of Hank Rieger and bears the name of Frank O’Connor, the late academy member who was instrumental in getting it established.

This year’s winning films will be presented at a free public screening next Tuesday at the Directors Guild beginning at 5 p.m.