November 2, 2010
Los Angeles, CA – The Directors Guild of America today announced the winners of the 2010 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.
"Congratulations to all of the awardees for this year's DGA Student Film Awards," said DGA President Taylor Hackford. "As part of the DGA's commitment to encouraging diversity in the entertainment industry, we're pleased to recognize these promising young filmmakers as examples of the vital and diverse talent coming from film schools and universities across the country."
The 2010 winners, selected by blue ribbon DGA member panels, are:
BEST AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENT FILMMAKER:
- Eastern Region Winner: Lauren Selmon Roberts of Southwestern Illinois University-Carbondale for Rainbow Town
- Jury Award: Nikyatu Jusu of NYU for Say Grace Before Drowning
- Western Region Winner: Ryan Coogler of USC for Fig
- Jury Award: Karamuu Kush of AFI for Salvation Road
BEST ASIAN AMERICAN STUDENT FILMMAKER:
- Eastern Region Winner: Ting Liu of Wesleyan University for Passion, Fruit
- Jury Award: Janice Ahn of NYU for Triangle
- Western Region Winner: James Nguyen of Chapman University for Beard the Lion
- Jury Award: Dipesh Jain of USC for 11 Weeks
BEST LATINO STUDENT FILMMAKER:
- Eastern Region Winner: Andres Rosende Novo of Columbia University for Escape
- Jury Award: Alex Moratto of University of North Carolina School of the Arts for The Other Side
- Western Region Winner: David Martin-Porras of UCLA for La Viuda (The Widow)
- Jury Award: Julio O. Ramos of UCLA for El Bolerito (The Shoe Shiner)
BEST WOMAN STUDENT FILMMAKER:
- Eastern Region Winner: Wonjung Bae of Columbia College - Chicago for Vera Klement: Blunt Edge
- Jury Award: Marie Dvorakova of NYU for Steenbeckstory
- Western Region Winner: Ashley Maria of USC for Friday Night Fright
- Jury Award: Amy Adrion of UCLA for Shoegazer
The awards rules and procedures mandate that competing films must have been made in the 2009/2010 school year (September 2009 through August 2010), 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 at the Directors Guild of America theaters in Los Angeles (Wednesday, November 10) and New York (Tuesday, November 30).