SARASOTA, FLA., Sept. 24, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Last night, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences held its 43rd Student Academy Award Ceremony honoring Computer Animation students Kal Athannassov, John McDonald, and Echo Wu with the Silver Medal in the Animation category for their work, The Wishgranter. 17 students were announced as winners this year in the categories of Alternative, Animation, Documentary, Narrative, Foreign Narrative, Foreign Animation, and Foreign Documentary.
"This whole experience has been incredible," remarks student winner Echo Wu. "We did not expect to come so far with the film. But it is moments like this we are extremely glad we worked as hard as we did on the film to make it the best we possibly could."
According to Animation World Network, the "Academy received a record number of entries this year—1,749 films from 286 domestic and 95 international colleges and universities—which were voted by a record number of Academy members." Of this year's seven projects competing in the final round, three were the work of Ringling College students.
The Student Academy Awards took place September 22 at 7:30 pm in Beverly Hills. The medal placements – gold, silver and bronze – in the seven award categories were announced at the ceremony.
This makes the 12th Student Academy Award won by students of the Ringling College Computer Animation program.
Ringling College Computer Animation Department Head Jim McCampbell says, "Congratulations to all three students who made The Wishgranter! It is truly a charming film, and the Academy has certainly granted the filmmaker's wishes by recognizing the amazing amount of talent and effort that went into producing their work."
Image credit:
Still from student film by Kal Athannassov, John McDonald, Echo Wu
Produced at Ringling College of Art + Design
Department of Computer Animation
Class of 2016
About Ringling College of Art and Design
For 85 years, Ringling College of Art and Design has cultivated the creative spirit in students from around the globe. The private, not-for-profit fully accredited college offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in eleven disciplines and the Bachelor of Arts in two. The College's rigorous curriculum employs the studio model of teaching and immediately engages students through a comprehensive, first-year program that is both specific to the major of study and focused on the liberal arts. The Ringling College teaching model ultimately shapes students into highly employable and globally aware artists and designers.
www.ringling.edu
About the Student Academy Awards
The Academy established the Student Academy Awards in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. The Student Academy Awards is a national student film competition conducted by the Academy and the Academy Foundation. Each year over 500 college and university film students from all over the United States compete for awards and cash grants, with films being judged in four categories: Animation, Documentary, Narrative and Alternative. Film students from outside the U.S. are honored each year as well. The presentation ceremony is a popular event that is annually attended by a capacity audience in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
www.oscars.org/saa
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http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=41496
