School of Visual Arts Announces 24th Annual Dusty Film & Animation Festival Winners

NEW YORK, May 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- School of Visual Arts (SVA) proudly announced the winners of its 2013 Dusty Film & Animation Festival and Awards (dusty.sva.edu), at an awards ceremony May 7, 2013 from New York City's SVA Theatre (and live streamed at http://new.livestream.com/sva/dusty), highlighting  the work of more than 150 filmmakers and animators graduating from the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department. This year's Dusty all-star presenters included notables from the world of film, television, and animation, including Melissa Leo, Geoffrey Fletcher, Andrew Jarecki, Roy Frumkes, Lisa Jackson, Fred Seibert, Peter C. Frank, Frank Gresham, and Chris Newman, among others, hosted by media personality Valerie Smaldone.  

This year's Headlining Sponsors are: AbelCine; Act Zero Films; Adorama Rental Company; AJA Video Systems; Animation Magazine; Avid Technology, Inc.; B&H Photo; Bryan Singer; CAVA – SVA Computer Store; Channel Frederator; Emmett/Furla Films; Feature Systems/Kits and Expendables; Foto Care; Gotham Sound & Communications, Inc.; Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP); Machinima, Inc.; National Board of Review; New York Women in Film & Television; Nice Shoes; Offhollywood; Rota6; Scheimpflug; and SCS Agency, Inc. One hundred percent of the sponsors' donations benefit the thesis students in the form of grants and in kind awards.

The 2013 DUSTY Winners are:
Outstanding Film: Shubhashish Bhutiani for Kush
Outstanding Achievement in Directing:
Shubhashish Bhutiani for Kush and John Strong for Out of the Center
Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting: Abdool Laltaprasad for The Sum of One
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Nicholas Stango and John Strong for Out of the Center
Outstanding Achievement in Editing: Shubhashish Bhutiani for Kush
Gotham Honorary Sound Grants: Emma Huckstadt and Ankit Somani
Outstanding Documentary: Katherine Knight for Cicada Psalm

Traditional Animation Awards:
Outstanding Achievement in Traditional Animation: Sara Ho for Crabby Day
Outstanding Achievement in Traditional Character Design:  Sara Ho for Crabby Day
Outstanding Achievement in Traditional Production Design:  Michele Malecki for Catastrophe

Stop-Motion Animation Award:
Outstanding Achievement in Stop Motion Animation: Deanna DeMaglie for Bagelwolf 
New York Women in Film & Television Award: Java Jacobs
Independent Filmmaker Project Award: Colin Hingel
National Board of Review Human Spirit Award: Daniel Rodrigo Arias
National Board of Review Student Grant Recipients: Java Jacobs and Mark Floyd

"We are very happy to be celebrating our 24th year of the Dustys, recognizing these wonderful filmmakers and animators," said Reeves Lehmann, chair of the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department at SVA.  Dusty Producer and SVA faculty member Annie Flocco said, "We also would like to express our appreciation to our generous sponsors and supporters, and we applaud all for collaborating on another year of outstanding events."

The Dusty Film & Animation Festival 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. School of Visual Arts has been a leader in the education of artists, designers, and creative professionals for more than six decades.  BFA Film, Video and Animation Department alumni have received accolades from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Sundance Film Festival; International Animated Film Festival in Annecy, France; American Film Institute; Women in Film; and the National Board of Review, among many renowned institutions and organizations. For information, visit sva.edu.

Patrick Paris-Mouth Public Relations - 212-260-7576.

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SOURCE School of Visual Arts