35 Films Representing 61 Alumni, Students and Faculty Sets Record
Alumni of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and its Kanbar Institute of Film and Television dominated the 2004 Sundance Film Festival (January 15-25) with nine films in competition winning 10 honors in some 21 award categories. In addition, this was a record year for NYU Tisch in Park City, Utah with a total of 35 films-representing 61 alumni, students and faculty-chosen for screening by the Sundance programming team.
The 2004 Sundance Film Festival is an exhibition of work that showcases the best of independent cinema. This year the Sundance programming staff viewed nearly 5,000 submissions to select the approximately 125 feature-length documentary and dramatic films and 80 shorts for presentation at the Festival.
"We are very pleased with the outstanding showing Kanbar Institute filmmakers made at Sundance this year," said Mary Schmidt Campbell, dean of the Tisch School of the Arts. "Sundance is the preeminent showcase for independent film in our country, and its dominance by our alumni is wonderful confirmation of the success of an academic program that fosters and supports creativity."
The NYU Tisch winners were as follows:
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The Dramatic Audience Award was given to Maria Full of Grace, written and directed by graduate film alumnus Joshua Marston. It included undergraduate film alumni Paul Mezey as producer and Rodrigo Guerrero as associate producer.
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The Documentary Directing Award went to Super Size Me, directed by and starring undergraduate film alumnus Morgan Spurlock.
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Down to the Bone, directed by graduate alumna Debra Granik, was singled out twice for honors; it won the Dramatic Directing Award and a Special Jury Prize for Acting for Vera Farmiga's performance in the film.
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The Documentary Jury awarded a Special Jury Prize to Farmingville, co-directed and produced by graduate acting alumna Catherine Tambini.
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The Dramatic Jury presented the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award to We Don't Live Here Anymore featuring graduate acting alumnus Peter Krause.
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The Dramatic Jury also presented a Special Jury Prize to Brother to Brother that featured graduate acting alumni Aunjanue Ellis and Daniel Sunjata; Interactive Telecommunications alumnus Stefanie Dworkin, assistant editor; and undergraduate film alumnus Anil Baral, script supervisor.
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The Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking was given to Gowanus, Brooklyn, directed by undergraduate film alumnus Ryan Fleck.
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An Honorable Mention in Short Filmmaking was awarded to Curtis, directed by undergraduate film alumnus Akira Okada.
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The 2004 Sundance Online Film Festival Viewers Award went to Wet Dreams False Images with Alan Jacobsen as director of photography.
The Kanbar Institute of Film and Television at the Tisch School of the Arts provides an intensive and professional education in filmmaking. The program shared first place in recent U.S. News and World Report rankings of the nation's film programs; since 1992, twelve Student Academy Award gold medals have been presented to NYU student filmmakers by the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. At the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, NYU students and alumni walked away with an unprecedented seven awards in virtually every top-prize category. And at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival NYU graduates and faculty won nine out of the 19 awards. Approximately 150 graduate and 1,050 undergraduate film students pursue degrees in film and television production, photography, cinema studies, dramatic writing, and interactive telecommunications. Distinguished alumni of the Tisch School of the Arts include Alec Baldwin, Joel Coen, Chris Columbus, Billy Crystal, Martha Coolidge, Ernest Dickerson, Marcia Gay Harden, Amy Heckerling, Jim Jarmusch, Ang Lee, Spike Lee, Brett Ratner, Martin Scorsese, and Oliver Stone, among many others.
