The American Film Academy announced the finalists for the annual Student Academy Awards. Among them was the animated work “In a Heartbeat”, created by two student animators – Beth David (21 years old) and Esteban Bravo (24 years old) using crowdfunding on Kickstarter.
This is a four-minute story about a red-haired boy who doesn’t know what to do with his feelings for the most popular guy in school. Because of what the main character’s heart comes to life.
The cartoon was published on YouTube on July 31 and quickly gained popularity – more than 20 million people watched it in the first week. If selected as a final winner, the entry will automatically qualify for consideration in the main Oscar competition.
Among the finalists of the international competition are works by film school students from Germany, China, Great Britain, Mexico, Italy, Hungary, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The award ceremony will take place on October 12.
The Student Oscar was created by the Academy in 1972 to support filmmakers from special colleges and universities with little experience. The winners receive a cash grant and a special reward – a medal of one of three ranks: gold, silver and bronze.
To date, the award is given in seven categories – 4 among national film schools in the sections of animation, documentary, feature and alternative films and 3 international categories – animation, documentary and feature film.
Participation in the international competition can be taken by a student from one of the educational institutions recognized by the CILECT association (The International Association of Film and Television Schools) or a student competitor of at least three qualifying film festivals.
At various times, student award winners included one of the founders of the Pixar studio, John Lasseter, and one of its key figures, Pete Docter, the creator of the South Park series, Trey Parker, the director of a number of iconic films, Robert Zemeckis, as well as Spike Lee and Cary Fukunaga.