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March 21, 2009

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation's 30th College Television Awards Tackle Provocative Topics

UC Berkeley Captures Four Awards, UCLA Three and Brigham Young, Northwestern and AFI Two Each at Culver Studios Gala

North Hollywood, CA, March 21, 2009 - Stories about a physicist-turned-terrorist, a young boy confronting the death of his grandfather, a musician who performs with Coca-Cola bottles and a 16-year-old, shapeless girl desperate to reach puberty were among the top winners tonight at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation's 30th College Television Awards.

The University of California, Berkeley, snagged four College Television Awards at the Culver Studios ceremony, hosted by Dancing with the Stars' Tom Bergeron. Students from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) grabbed three awards, with Brigham Young University, Northwestern University and the American Film Institute (AFI) taking two each.

Other schools honored included the University of Southern California (USC); Montana State University; University of Florida, Gainesville; Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Art Center of College and Design; and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Among the celebrity award presenters were such notables as Masi Oka (Heroes), Carlos Bernard (24), Chris O'Donnell (Grey's Anatomy, The Company, Legend), Tony Potts and Shaun Robinson (Access Hollywood), Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua (El Tigre), Tichina Arnold (Everybody Hates Chris), Christine Devine (Fox 11 News), Amber Stevens (Greek), Jennette McCurdy (iCarly), Christian Kane (Leverage), Snuffy Walden (Lipstick Jungle), Jason Gray-Stanford (Monk), Pauley Perrett (NCIS), Timothy Omundson (Psych), Shailene Woodley (Secret Life of an American Teenager), Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory), Elodie Keen (The Closer, Saving Grace, Life), Ricardo Chavira (Desperate Housewives) Jordana Spiro (My Boys), Navi Rawat (Numb3rs)and Corey Reynolds (The Closer).

The recipient of the prestigious $4,000 Bricker Humanitarian Award went to the Ugandan war drama Acholiland. The director, Dean Israelite, also walked away with the $1,000 Directing Award.

[Editors: Complete list of first-place winners and descriptions of their work listed below]

The Foundation will showcase the winning works and other entries free to the public at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the 30th College Television Awards Screening, held at the Television Academy's Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood. The event will be hosted by George Pennacchio, entertainment reporter for ABC7 Eyewitness News.

In addition, the winners' works and behind-the-scene coverage of The College Television Awards will be featured on mtvU, MTV Networks' Peabody- and Primetime Emmy® Award-
winning 24-hour college network. It is the largest and most comprehensive media network for college students, reaching 750 campuses and more than 7.5 million college students nationwide.

This year, the Television Academy Foundation received a record number of submissions -- 712 student videos and films from 214 schools in 42 states. That represents almost twice the number of entries received the previous year.

The Foundation awarded $2,000 for first-place recipients, $1,000 for second and $500 for third. Several also received film stock grants from Kodak and product from Final Draft Scriptwriting Software.

The College Television Awards recognize excellence in undergraduate and graduate student video, digital and film production in 12 categories: Animation, Children's, Comedy, Commercial, Documentary, Drama, Interactive Media, Magazine, Music Composition and Music Best Use, Newscasts and Series.

 

FIRST-PLACE ENTRIES AT 30TH COLLEGE TELEVISION AWARDS

(Entire list of first-, second- and third-place winners found at Television Academy website, www.emmysfoundation.org)

ANIMATION

Kites Jordan Pack, James L. Jackson, Brigham Young University (Provo, UT)

Synopsis: A young boy attempts to confront the passing of his grandfather, with whom he was very close.

CHILDREN'S (ONE winner only)
Outstanding Children's Program

Frog, Chemical, Water, You Jennifer Grace, Montana State University (Bozeman, MT)

Synopsis: At a level both appropriate for 'tweens and adults, this short, quirky movie examines the relationship between chemical contaminants and the decline of the worldwide amphibian population, as well as simple measures to take to reduce chemical footprints.

COMEDY

Lucy: A Period Piece Julie Sagalowsky, Josh C. Feldman, University of California (Los Angeles, CA)

Synopsis: A comedy about Lucy, a tiny and shapeless 16-year-old girl desperate to finally enter puberty.

COMMERCIALS (ONE winner only)
Outstanding Commercial

Sounds Refreshing! Gabriel Taraboulsy, Edward Blythe, Columbia University (New York City, NY)

Synopsis: A musician performs the music and sound effects for a film noir using Coca-Cola bottles.

DOCUMENTARY

Standard Deviation David Randag, Christopher Brannan, University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)

Synopsis: Billy Cottrell is a brilliant but troubled young physicist. He is caught sending anonymous emails to the Los Angeles Times, claiming involvement in arson and the vandalism of over 130 SUVs in the Los Angeles area, and is consequently arrested as an eco-terrorist by the FBI.

DRAMA

Acholiland Daniel M. Harrich, American Film Institute (Los Angeles, CA)

Synopsis: When a food delivery into a war torn village in Northern Uganda goes horribly wrong, the leader of a small UN contingent is faced with a terrible decision - play by the rules and watch children die or risk the lives of an entire refugee camp in order to save them.

MAGAZINE SHOWS

Alt.news 26:46, Episode #1003 Jay Carey, Tom Lareau, Southern Illinois University (Carbondale, IL)

Synopsis: A series presenting the most innovative, off-the-wall content imaginable with short-form documentary segments from across the country. This episode takes the viewer from New York to Venice Beach in Los Angeles, to the Mississippi River and finally ending up at The Museum of Sex in New York City.

MUSIC (One winner in each category)

Best Use

Mechanical Hands Electric Heart-Emergency Broadcast

Chris Buongiorno, Derek Villarreal, Art Center College of Design (Pasadena, CA)
Nicole Taubman, California State University (Northridge, CA)

Synopsis: Two mad scientists dream up their perfect woman and embark on an electrifying journey to bring her to life. (All three students collaborated on this piece).

Composition-Hangar No.5 Philip Klein, Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)

Synopsis: Two treasure hunters fight for survival after they accidentally activate a top-secret relic of the Cold War -- a huge mobile weapons system -- in an abandoned military base deep below the ground.

NEWSCASTS

Carolina Week - March 6, 2008 Catherine S. Cannon, Carly J. Swain, University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC)

Synopsis: This episode recounts the events surrounding last year's tragic and senseless death of University of North Carolina's Student Body President, Eve Carson.

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation
Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation preserves and celebrates the history of the medium while educating and guiding those who will shape its future. Prominent among its many initiatives are the Archive of American Television, education programs such as the College Television Awards and its renowned student internship program, all of which utilize the resources of the Television Academy. For more information about the Foundation, its many programs and services, please visit www.emmysfoundation.org.

 

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Contact: Robin Mesger/Pam Golum/Michael Samonte, The Lippin Group (323-965-1990)