Infectiously Delightful Evening at the Epidemic Film Festival
Infecting the audience at the Historic Castro Theatre with humor, shock and delight, the Academy of
Art University recently unveiled their first-ever Epidemic Film Festival. The atmosphere was
charged with elegance and excitement as women in ball gowns handed out awards and Emmy award winner
Chad Lowe emceed the event.
Dr. Elisa Stephens Greets Chad Lowe
The venue provided a stunning backdrop for the fully-catered VIP reception and the string
quartet playing in the background. Clad in business attire, film industry attendees happily
hob-knobbed with the students. As they exchanged smiles, conversation and business cards, Academy
of Art University students had a great opportunity to mingle with some of the film industry’s most
sought after executives.
Many attendees seized the Academy’s generous offer of complimentary tickets by
arriving early. As the event started, the anxious audience migrated into the ornately
decorated theatre where not an empty seat remained. The theatre was packed to its
1,400-person capacity, so a handful of eager attendees were content viewing the films in the
standing room.
As the presentations got under way, winners express their gratitude to the
many who offered help and inspiration for their projects. Among the “thank you’s”, one
recurring mention was to the Academy of Art directors, who were acknowledged for their direct
devotion to seeing students progress and succeed.
One of the highlights of the evening was when Dr. Elisa Stephens, President of
the Academy of Art University, presented the Honorary Doctorate of Humane letter to celebrated
cinematographer William Fraker for his brilliant and inspirational contributions in film.
Fraker’s extensive film credits include masterpieces such as
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and
Rosemary’s Baby, and he won an Oscar for Best
Cinematography for his work on
Bullit.
Veerapratra Jinanavin and Yeon Ho Lee accept their Audience Choice Award
Audience members thoroughly enjoyed the line-up of film debuts and had the chance to
participate by voting for their favorite film of the evening by text message. After tallying
up the votes, the hilarious 3D comedy
Virgin Voyage, produced by students Veerapratra Jinanavin
and Yeon Ho Lee, was the decided favorite amongst the crowd.
Judged by a panel of Hollywood hotshots, several other films were also
nominated for their unique perspectives and technical precision. Below is the list of the
winners in each category:
Best Super 8 –
The French Artist – Shantre Pinkney
(Sponsored by Adolph Gassers)
Best Experimental –
The Adjuster – Adam Patch
(Sponsored by B&H Photo Video Pro Audio)
Best Experimental/Stop Motion Short Film –
Annie’s Room – Chris Turner
Best Dialogue Test –
Virgin Voyage - Veerpatra Jinanavin & Yeon Ho Lee
Best Games –
Project Octopus – Justin Hernandez & Chris Lum
Best 2D Short Film –
Popsicle – Josh Cooley
Best VFX –
Mutated Plants – Vita Hsieh
Best Production Design – Angels and Airwaves -
The War – TJ Kearney
(Sponsored by B&H Photo Video Pro Audio)
Best Editing – Angels and Airwaves -
The War – TJ Kearney & Adam Patch
(Sponsored by Spy Post)
Best Cinematography – Angels and Airwaves -
The War – Phil Briggs
(Sponsored by Mole-Richardson)
Best Commercial – Extreme Pizza -
Peace in the Middle East – David Marchetti & Pj Koll
(Sponsored by Kodak)
Best Actress –
Landscape of the Body – Carla Punch
Best Actor –
Eddie – Donald Lett
(Sponsored by Diane Baker)
Best 3D Short Film –
Mutant Z - Taehyun Park & Daeyong Oh
Best Documentary –
For the Price of a Cup of Coffee – Hypatia Porter
(Sponsored by Current TV)
Best Music Video –
Islamabad – Bilal Lashari
(Sponsored by B&H Photo Video Pro Audio)
Best Directing –
Islamabad – Bilal Lashari
(Sponsored by Film Arts Foundation)
Best Screenplay –
Step to Hell – Alexandra Overton
(Sponsored by B&H Photo Video Pro Audio)
Best Picture –
Step to Hell – Alexandra Overton
(Sponsored by FotoKem)
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