SVA Dusty Film & Animation Fest 2009 Award Winners Ceremony

School of Visual Arts (SVA) 20th annual Dusty Film and Animation Festival and Awards for 2009 - which highlighted over 100 films by students graduating from the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department, proudly bestowed the following individuals awards for their work in film and animation on Saturday, May 9, at an invite-only gala awards ceremony at the all-new SVA Theatre (333 W. 23rd Street). The presenters included notables from the world of film, television, video and theater, including Academy-award winners Kevin Kline, John Patrick Shanley, Robert Elswit, as well as Barbara Tulliver, Cheryl Daly, Roy Frumkes, Tom Sito (SVA alumnus, BFA 1977 Animation), and Randall Emmett (SVA alumnus, BFA 1994 Film and Video).

The 2009 DUSTY winners include:
For Outstanding Achievement in Film: ANA MARIA HERMIDA for "El Elefante Rojo - The Red Elephant."

For Outstanding Achievement in Directing: ANA MARIA HERMIDA for "El Elefante Rojo - The Red Elephant."

For Outstanding Achievement in Traditional Animation: JAKE ARMSTRONG for "The Terrible Thing of Alpha-9!."

For Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting: JUSTIN RICE for "Quince."

For Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: STEVEN GATTI for "The Wounded and the Slain" and BRIAN GONZALEZ for "Wishing, Well."

For Outstanding Achievement in Editing: ARYS SUBIADUR and NICHOLAS CHAKWIN for "Lion Bold."

For Outstanding Achievement in Animation Design: ALEXANDER WAGER for "Juxtaposed."

For Outstanding Achievement in Documentary (Film): IAN PHILLIPS and VICTORIA RONDON for "Tumi - The Life and Death of Boitumelo McCallum."

The Human Spirit Award (Film): IAN PHILLPS for "Tumi - The Life and Death of Boitumelo McCallum."

The Human Spirit Award (Animation): ELYSSA DIGIOVANNI for "Trade Winds."

The Women in Film Award: KATIE-MADONNA LEE for "Women's Prison."

The National Board of Review Scholarship Awards: ROSS BOLLINGER for "Reward" and LINDSAY WOODS for "Pencilmation" - both for Animation.

"We are very happy to have presented Outstanding Achievement Awards this year, marking the 20th year of the Dustys - recognizing the achievement of these many and varied emerging filmmakers, and letting members of the industry get the chance to see the work of the next generation of some very remarkable film and animation talent," said Reeves Lehmann, chair of the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department at SVA. "We are pleased of the success of our many illustrious SVA students, and the many others in the film & stage industry as they come together with us at our all-new state-of-the art SVA Theatre. We also want to call attention to our many great sponsors and supporters, some have been with us a number of years, while others have joined more recently, and we toast and celebrate each and everyone one of them for making this such a note-worthy and important year. I would also like to thank this year's festival producers Annie Flocco and Heidi Hamelin, plus the incomparable Gene Stavis, SVA Theatre director and faculty member, who together with their teams did a truly amazing job."

This year's top industry presenters joined previous ones that have included Harvey Keitel, Danny Aiello, Sean Combs, Bryan Singer, Treat Williams, David Koepp, Wes Craven, Griffin Dunne, Bill Plympton, and Ellen Burstyn.

The 2009 Dusty Film and Animation Festival and Awards sponsors included: Nice Shoes, National Board of Review, New York Women in Film and Television, CAVA - SVA Computer Store, Avid, Colliers ABR, Eastman Kodak, Future Media Concepts, SCS Agency, Inc, and Animation Magazine.
Screenwriters Night took place May 5, 2009, in collaboration with The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre and the Real Theatre Company. Eleven five-minute scenes by SVA's screenwriting thesis students were performed live on stage, featuring alumni from The Neighborhood Playhouse, the internationally regarded acting conservatory. Screenwriters Night was directed by award-winning filmmaker John Gallagher, a faculty member at both SVA and The Neighborhood Playhouse, and produced by film producer and SVA instructor Annie Flocco.

Screenwriters Night was sponsored in association with CAVA - SVA Computer Store and Final Draft, Inc.
The Dusty Film and Animation Festival and Awards began in 1990 when the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department sought to bring its year-end screenings of student films to a
wider audience. With sponsorship, a venue, and the support from the film industry, the event came to life. To pay tribute to School of Visual Arts founder Silas H. Rhodes, the event was named "Dusty" - after the nickname Mr. Rhodes had as a soldier in World War II.

School of Visual Arts is widely regarded as one of the finest art schools in the United States for its innovative curriculum, unparalleled faculty of more than 900 creative professionals and its participation in the larger arts community of New York City. Film and animation students at SVA have received accolades and honors from such renowned institutions and organizations such as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Sundance Film Festival; International Animated Film Festival in Annecy, France; American Film Institute; Women in Film; National Board of Review and many others.

School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City is an established leader and innovator in the education of artists. From its inception in 1947, the faculty has been comprised of professionals working in the arts and art-related fields. SVA provides an environment that nurtures creativity, inventiveness and experimentation, enabling students to develop a strong sense of identity and a clear direction of purpose.

Find more information at www.sva.edu/dusty.

PHOTO CREDIT: Michelle Labriola.