16 young filmmakers named winners of student Academy Awards

Filmmaker John Mattiuzzi of the School of Visual Arts in New York, a nominee in the Alternative Category for his film "The Compositor," hoists up an Oscar statue for photographers before the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 40th Student Academy Awards at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

By Dana Ferguson

June 8, 2013 12 AM PT

Sixteen young filmmakers took home prizes Saturday night at the 2013 Student Academy Awards at a ceremony at the Motion Picture Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Comedian and former Student Academy Award winner Bob Saget served as emcee for the evening. Writer-director Kimberly Peirce and actors Clark Gregg, Jason Schwartzman and Quvenzhané Wallis presented the awards.

The academy established the awards in 1972 “to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level.” Past Student Academy Award winners include filmmakers John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Robert Zemeckis, Trey Parker and Spike Lee. Winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar nominations and have won eight awards.

Thirteen student filmmakers from the U.S. and three international student filmmakers were named winners in the alternative, animation, documentary, narrative and foreign film categories.

FULL COVERAGE: Oscars 2013

Local winners included Eusong Lee of the California Institute of Arts, whose film won the silver medal in the animation category; David Aristizabal of USC, whose film won the gold medal in the documentary category; and Jonathan Langager also of USC, whose film received the silver medal in the narrative category.

Winners were flown to Los Angeles and put up in the JW Marriott for the weekend. The academy scheduled meetings with student filmmakers and screenwriters, directors and producers during their time in the spotlight.

Full listings of the medal placements appear below.

Alternative

Gold Medal: “Bottled Up,” Rafael Cortina, Occidental College

Silver Medal: “Zug,” Perry Janes, University of Michigan

Bronze Medal: “The Compositor,” John Mattiuzzi, School of Visual Arts

Animation

Gold Medal: “Dia de los Muertos,” Lindsey St. Pierre and Ashley Graham, Ringling College of Art and Design

Silver Medal: “Will,” Eusong Lee, California Institute of the Arts

Bronze Medal: “Peck Pocketed,” Kevin Herron, Ringling College of Art and Design

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Documentary

Gold Medal: “A Second Chance,” David Aristizabal, USC