NYC's SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS Announces Big Winners!

Reeves Lehmann, chair of the BFA Film and BFA Animation programs at the School of Visual Arts (SVA), and Annie Flocco, producer and director of the 27th Dusty Film & Animation Festival, were among the many industry notables to proudly announce the festival's winning student films and animations last night at the SVA Theatre in New York City.

Highlighting the work of more than 100 filmmakers and animators graduating from the BFA Film and BFA Animation departments in 2016, the awards were:

For Film:

Outstanding Film: Winner: Aurora Alange, Syskon
Outstanding Achievement in Directing: Winner: Kishan Savjani, Rubaroo
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Winner: Anthony Carella, Syskon
Outstanding Achievement in Editing: Winners: Erin DeWitt and Tobias Belliard, Apocalypse Mambo
Outstanding Documentary: Winner: Juana Hodari, Tomasa
Gotham Sound Grant: Recipient: Ashley Avila
New York Women in Film & Television Award: Maya Cozier
IFP Award: Recipients: Enrico Granato and Luigi Rossi,
Human Spirit Award: Recipient: Philippa Fort, Pippa
For Animation:

Outstanding Animated Film: Winners: Hsuan Ho and Silver Paul, Mausie and The Order of the Golden Sun
?Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation: Winner: Montana Hall, Monster
Outstanding Achievement in Animation Production Design: Winner: Ivan Viaranchyk, Night Shadows
Special Jury Award for Comedy in Animation: Winner:Kristina Martin, Sprigs and Parsley in: Coffee Table
For Screenwriting:

Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting: Winner: Evan DeCarlo, MARRY ME on Mulberry Mountain
"We are excited to celebrate the successes of our students with many guests from the worlds of film and animation," said Reeves Lehmann. Annie Flocco added, "We'd also like to extend a big thank you to our many generous sponsors and supporters, some of whom have been with us for many years, and to the spectacular SVA Theatre crew for collaborating on another year of stellar events."

Hosted by media personality Valerie Smaldone, the 27th Dusty presenters included notables from the world of film, television and animation, including Josh Singer, Trudie Styler, Mark Osborne, Chris Newman, Laurens Grant, Ti West, Michael Simmonds, Howard Beckerman, Tom Sito, Mark Ulano, Aaron Yanes and Neil Burger.

Headlining sponsors include AbelCine, Adorama Rental Co, Animation Magazine, B&H Photo, BryanSinger - Bad Hat Harry, Carlos Saldanha - BottleCap Productions, Dig It Audio, Randall Emmett - Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films, Foto Care, Gotham Sound, IFP, New York Women in Film & Television, Nice Shoes Creative Studio, Nickelodeon, Rota6, SCS Agency, the SVA Campus Store, Technicolor PostWorks New York and Toon Boom Animation. One hundred percent of the sponsors' donations will benefit thesis film and animation students in the form of grants and in-kind awards.

School of Visual Arts has been a leader in the education of artists, designers and creative professionals for more than six decades. With a faculty of distinguished working professionals, dynamic curriculum and an emphasis on critical thinking, SVA is a catalyst for innovation and social responsibility. Comprised of more than 6,000 students at its Manhattan campus and 35,000 alumni in 100 countries, SVA also represents one of the most influential artistic communities in the world. For information about the College's 32 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, visit sva.edu.

Dusty Film & Animation Festival website: http://dusty.sva.edu
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