Of the nine films selected as finalists for competition in the Student Academy Awards, all three from the Eastern Region were made by Columbia School of the Arts students or recent alumni:
Hatch - written and directed by Christoph Kuschnig ('12 SOA)
The Recorder Exam - written and directed by Bora Kim ('11 SOA), co-produced by Gerry Kim ('11 SOA)
Under - directed by Mark Raso ('12 SOA), written by Jake Crane (4th year Screenwriting) and Raso, produced by Jean-Marceau Sécheret ('11)
Last year, all three films were featured among the Faculty Selects or Faculty Honors at the 24th Annual Columbia University Film Festival.
The Runner, written and directed by Ana Lazarevic ('12), was also in competition in the semi-finals of the Eastern Region. The film was co-produced by Olivia Newman (5th year Screenwriting), Gregg Conde (5th year Directing) was Director of Photography and David Gutnik (5th year Screenwriting) was Editor.
The final round of competition will take place in Los Angeles, where Hatch, The Recorder Exam and Under will compete against films from two other regions for Gold, Silver and Bronze medals and cash prizes. Awards are voted on by any Academy member who sees all nine films in competition.
