Oscar's Farm System for Future Stars
It’s the nation’s fertile league of university film programs, and to these the call has gone out for entries into the 37th Student Academy Awards competition. Applications are open through April 1 for budding young directors to submit short films of 40 minutes or less for prize consideration. Deadline for foreign entries is March 25.
Since the Student Oscars’ inception in 1972, as a way for the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level, an impressive roster of future filmmaking stars has garnered trophies (though not actual Oscar statuettes) and cash prizes.
Notable student Oscar winners who have gone on to successful film careers (and even big-league Oscars) include:
John Lasseter (California Institute of the Arts), a two-time student winner who went on to become a creative force at Pixar, earn five Oscar nominations for his animation work and take home two statuettes (for the short film “Tin Toy” and for special achievement for “Toy Story”).
Robert Zemeckis (University of Southern California), who went on to earn an original screenplay Oscar nomination for “Back to the Future” and an Academy Award for directing “Forrest Gump.”
Spike Lee (New York University), who would go on to earn two Academy Award nominations (for the original screenplay of “Do the Right Thing” and in documentary feature for “4 Little Girls”).
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