Headline, Industry News

Canadian film student winner in Kodak Film Competition

TORONTO, December 1, 2008  Four students — one from each major region of the world — have been named first-place winners in the 2008 edition of the annual Kodak Filmschool Competition. The winners include: Aonan Yang from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, Concordia University, Canada; Devendra Golatkar, from the Film and Television Institute of India; Mateo Soler, from the Universidad ORT Uruguay; and Amparo de Miguel Viguer of the Escuela de Cinematografia y del Audiovisual de la Comunidad de Madrid (ECAM), Spain.

Each winning filmmaker will receive a trip to the 2009 Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in France where their films will be presented in the Kodak Short Film Showcase and they have the opportunity of participating in networking sessions and other activities as part of the festival.

Now in its ninth year, the annual Kodak Filmschool Competition recognizes outstanding achievements in cinematography by student filmmakers. This year, the student filmmakers tackled a diverse range of subject matter. ‘Singularity’, from Canada’s Yang, focuses on what happens when computers become superior to human intelligence; while ‘Maneki Neko’ from Spanish filmmaker de Miguel Viguer, is the story of a man who encounters conflict as his life is changed by a woman. Golatkar’s ‘Who Thought About Little Boy’ tackles the subject of children’s rights; while Soler’s ‘Fine’ is the story of a man trying to escape the congestion of the universe.

“The quality of the entries increases every year and that’s gratifying for us to see,” says Wendy Elms, worldwide Education Segment manager, Entertainment Imaging Division, Eastman Kodak Company. “By providing recognition of their work, we hope to encourage the next generation of cinematographers to pursue their passion to tell stories on film. This is one of many ways that Kodak supports students and film schools around the world.”

The Kodak Filmschool Competition is open to students and recent graduates in Asia, Latin America, Canada and the U.S. — and, for the first time this year — those from Europe and the Middle East. All entries must be produced on film by a student crew. Participants must first compete at a national level. Those who move on to the finalist pool are then judged for the top four spots in this annual competition.

“This is the first time that a Canadian student has won the Kodak Filmschool Competition,” notes Gaston Bernier, Sales Manager, Production for Kodak Canada Entertainment Imaging. “We’ve always known that Canada produces some of the best filmmakers in the world, and this competition shows just how strong our film schools and students are on the international stage.”

“Kodak gains as much from the competition as the students do,” says Kodak’s Elms. ”While we devote great resources in our laboratories to developing the next generation of films, this next generation of filmmakers shows us how they want to use that film. The more they challenge it, the more we challenge ourselves. And, through the process, we all get better at what we do.”

Kodak is the world-class leader in providing film, digital and hybrid motion imaging products, services, and technology for the television, feature film, commercial, music video, documentary and exhibition industries. The company’s educational programs have been supporting students and their mentors for over 16 years with educational materials, product grants, seminars/workshops, and initiatives such as the Kodak Filmschool Competition and emerging talent showcases. 

For more information on the Kodak Filmschool Competition, visit the web site. For more information on Kodak motion picture film products and services, click here.