Awards Ceremony Celebrates Outstanding Achievements for 2010  

School of Visual Arts (SVA) proudly announced the winners of its 2010 Dusty Film and Animation Festival and Awards, now in its 21st year, at an awards ceremony and gala held May 6, 2010 at New York City’s SVA Theatre (333 W. 23rd Street). Highlighting over 100 films by students graduating from the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department, the annual awards were bestowed at the invite-only event. This year’s Dusty presenters included notables from the world of film, television, and animation, including James Gandolfini, Patricia Clarkson, Phil Donahue, Chris Newman, John D. Dilworth, Howard Beckerman, Stephen Rotter, Nancy Schreiber, James C. Strouse, Laverne Berry, Roy Frumkes, Derek Curl and was hosted by Masters of Ceremonies Joan Brooker and Mary Lee Grisanti.  For more info. visit www.sva.edu/dusty. 

The 2010 DUSTY winners are:

Outstanding Film: Lexan Rosser for ”Children At Play”

Outstanding Achievement in Directing: Kyle Mumford for “His Naked Mind”

Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting: Benjamin Sweet for “Arizona Hit Man”’

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Kyle Sather for “His Naked Mind” 

Outstanding Achievement in Editing: Kyle Mumford for “His Naked Mind” 

Outstanding Achievement in Sound: Kate Driscoll and Elias Orelup

Outstanding Documentary (Film): Kylie Jeunette for “The Children of Wegbe”

Traditional Animation Awards:

Outstanding Achievement in Traditional Animation: Ross Bollinger for “Pencilmation”’

Outstanding Achievement in Traditional Character Design:  Mallory Coronado for “Friend” 

Outstanding Achievement in Traditional Production Design:  Lindsay Woods for “Phosphoro” 

Stop-Motion Animation Awards:

Outstanding Achievement in Stop-Motion Animation: Jessica Polaniecki for “To Have and To Hold”

Outstanding Achievement in Stop-Motion Character Design:  Shannon Lee for “Sweet Illusion”  

New York Women in Film and Television Award: Bennett Elliott for “Dot”

National Board of Review Human Spirit Award: Robert Kolodny for “Shelter”

National Board of Review Awards: Sachio Cook (Animation), Yohko Shiraishi (Film) and Victoria Rivera (Film)

“We are very happy to be presenting our 21st year of the Dustys, recognizing these wonderful filmmakers and animators,” said Reeves Lehmann, chair of the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department at SVA.  “We are pleased to celebrate the successes of our students with many guests from the worlds of film and animation. We also want to call attention to and express our appreciation for our generous sponsors and supporters, some who have been with us for many years, and others who have joined more recently. I also would like to credit and give a big thank you to festival producer Annie Flocco, who along with co-producer Meredith Engstrom went above and beyond this year to make this our most successful festival yet. And we want to applaud our crew at the SVA Theatre for collaborating with us on another amazing week of events.”

The 21st annual Dusty Film and Animation Festival and Awards kicked off Sunday, May 2 and ran through Friday, May 7 and highlighted over 100 films by students graduating from the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department at SVA. The program included screenings of short films, videos and animations; and an awards ceremony and gala with notable presenters from the film and animation industry. This year’s Screenwriters Night was presented in collaboration with The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre and The Real Theatre Company, and in association with Back Stage and Final Draft. Twelve 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 faculty member Annie Flocco.

Over its two-decade history, the Dustys has introduced many graduates of the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department who have gone on to earn international recognition on the film scene. This year’s Tribeca Film Festival opened at the SVA Theatre with Shrek Forever After, which features a screenwriting credit from SVA alumnus Darren Lemke (BFA 1992 Film and Video). This year’s Academy Award winners included SVA alumnus Michael Giacchino (BFA 1990 Film and Video) for Music (Original Score) for the Pixar animated film Up; Giacchino was previously nominated for his score for the animated film Ratatouille. Other SVA alumni to be recognized recently for outstanding work include Lynn Shelton (MFA 1995 Photography and Related Media), who won the John Cassavetes Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards for her film Humpday, and Brenton Cottman (BFA 2003 Illustration), who won a Visual Effects Society (VES) Award for Outstanding Matte Paintings in a Feature Motion Picture for his work as lead matte painter on the film Avatar. In addition, SVA alumnus Kevin Asch (BFA 1998 Film and Video) was represented at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival with Holy Rollers; Jake Armstrong (BFA 2009 Animation) won the Best Undergraduate Award at the Ottawa International Animation Festival for his short, The Terrible Thing of Alpha-9; and Chris Dimino (BFA 2002 Graphic Design), who creates animations for CBS's The Late Show with David Letterman, made an appearance on air this Spring with the show’s host for a graphics-driven comedy bit.

The 2010 Dusty Film and Animation Festival and Awards headlining sponsors are Eastman Kodak, CAVA - SVA Computer Store, National Board of Review, New York Women In Film and Television, Act Zero Films, AJA Video Systems, Animation Magazine, Arri/CSC, Avid, Back Stage, Foto Care, Future Media Concepts, Gotham Sound, Keslow Television, Nice Shoes, Panavision and SCS Agency, 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 thesis 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 1000 creative professionals and its participation in the larger arts community of New York City. SVA alumni have received accolades 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. Find more information at www.sva.edu/dusty

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. 

Media Contact: Patrick Paris at (212) 260-7576 and Patrick.Paris@mouthpublicrelations.