November 13, 2009
LOS ANGELES – The Directors Guild of America today announced the winners of the 2009 DGA Student Film Awards for African American, Asian American, Latino and Women directors. The awards are designed to honor, encourage and bring attention to outstanding minority and women directors in film schools and select universities across the country.
"We are honored to recognize and call attention to talented new directors through the DGA Student Film Awards," said Taylor Hackford, president of the Guild. "The DGA is committed to encouraging diversity and highlighting emerging talents in the entertainment industry. We wish our awardees all the best and look forward to seeing more of their work in the future."
The 2009 winners, selected by blue ribbon DGA member panels, are:
BEST AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENT FILMMAKER:
- East Coast Winner: Rashaad Ernesto Green (NYU) for Premature
- West Coast Winner: Edward Osei-Gyimah (USC) for Kwame
- Jury Prize: Sharon Hill (UCLA) for Shades of Gray
BEST ASIAN AMERICAN STUDENT FILMMAKER:
- East Coast Winner: Theresa Wu (Columbia University) for Smoke and Mirrors
- West Coast Winner: Edward Kim (UCLA) for To Wander in Pandemonium
- Jury Prize: Ken Ochiai (AFI) for Half Kenneth
BEST LATINO STUDENT FILMMAKER:
- East Coast Winner: Antonio Mendez Esparza (Columbia University) for Una y Otra Vez
- West Coast Winner: David Martin-Porras (UCLA) for Ida y Vuelta
- Jury Prize: Jessica McMunn Macias (UCLA) for Soleil
BEST WOMAN STUDENT FILMMAKER:
- East Coast Winner: Eliza Subotowicz (Columbia University) for Ben
- West Coast Winner: Erika Cohn (Chapman University) for When the Voices Fade
- Jury Prize: Rebecca Cremona (Art Center College of Design) for Magdalene
The awards rules and procedures mandate that competing films must have been made in the 2008/2009 school year (September 2008 through August 2009), and must have been produced as a student project under the supervision of a faculty member. Dramas, comedies and documentaries are all eligible — animated and experimental films are not. Applicants must be enrolled in, or be a recent (one-year) graduate from, an accredited post-secondary institution in California or DGA-selected university offering a degree in film or television. Eligible films are those in which a student held every major crew position. Productions in which a non-student, professional or a faculty member served as cinematographer, camera operator, sound recordist, editor, lighting designer or screenwriter may be disqualified.
The award-winning films will be screened and the awards presented in ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York at the Directors Guild of America theaters.