Students from USC, NYU, Griffith Film School in Australia and Munich University of Television and Film in Germany won gold medals at the 2022 Student Academy Awards, which took place Thursday night at the David Geffen Theater in the Academy Museum of Motion. Photos.
The in-person ceremony was the first since 2019, and the last two student Oscars have been held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was also the first under new rules, revealed exclusively by TheWrap in April, which found American and international film schools competing head-to-head in every category. Previously, film schools outside the United States competed in separate international categories.
“We are a global organization and we are reflecting a global film industry,” Kendra Carter, AMPAS vice president of talent development and inclusion programs, told TheWrap. “We wanted to reflect that with the Student Academy Awards so that there is no distinction or divide between international and national when it comes to great storytelling. Cinema is global and our competition reflects the cinema of the future”.
International schools won top prizes in the animation category for Lachlan Pendragon’s “An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It” from Griffith Film School in Australia and in the narrative category for “Almost Home” from Nils Keller of the Munich University of Television and Film. The American winners were USC’s Olivia Peace with “Against Reality” in the alternative/experimental category and NYU’s Shuhao Tse’s “Found” in the documentary category.
Silver medals went to “Laika & Nemo” by Jane Gadermann and Sebastian Gadow from the Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg, Germany (animation), “Here to Stay” by Jared Peraglia from NYU (documentary) and “Rooms” by Welf Reinhart of the University of Television and Film in Munich, Germany (narrative).
The bronze medalists were Yanis Belaid, Eliott Benard and Nicolas Mayeur from France’s Pôle 3D Digital & Creative School for “The Seine’s Tears” (animation), Gabriella Canal and Michael Fearon from Columbia University for “Seasons” (documentary). and AFI’s Freddy Macdonald for “Spilling Angels” (narrative). It was the first Academy Award for Students of the Pôle 3D Digital & Creative School.
The 10 winners had previously been announced, but the location of the medals was not revealed until a ceremony hosted by Terrence Jenkins. All winners are now eligible for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Live Action Short Film, Best Animated Short Film and Best Documentary Short Film.
Past winners of the Student Academy Award include Spike Lee, Robert Zemeckis, Pete Docter and Trey Parker.
Winners:
Alternative/Experimental
Prayed: “Against Reality”, Olivia Peace, University of Southern California
Animation
Prayed: “An ostrich told me the world is fake and I think I believe it”, Lachlan Pendragon, Griffith Film School, Australia
Silver: “Laika & Nemo”, Jan Gadermann and Sebastian Gadow, Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg, Germany
Bronze: “The Tears of the Seine”, Yanis Belaid, Eliott Benard and Nicolas Mayeur, Pôle 3D Digital & Creative School, France
Documentary film
Prayed: “Found”, Shuhao Tse, New York University
Silver: “Here to Stay”, Jared Peraglia, New York University
Bronze: “Seasons”, Gabriella Canal and Michael Fearon, Columbia University
Narrative
Prayed: “Almost Home”, Nils Keller, University of Film and Television Munich, Germany
Silver: “Rooms”, Welf Reinhart, Munich University of Television and Film, Germany
Bronze: “Angels Thrown”, Freddy Macdonald, American Film Institute
