If you think you have to wait until February to experience the magic that often stems from the teary eyes, red carpets and formal wear of the Oscars, think again.
This year, the Student Academy Awards, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is celebrating its 36th year of operation. UCLA had three finalists, two of whom won, however, the actual awards ceremony will take place June 13 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
The two winning films from UCLA are Joaquin Baldwin’s “Sebastian’s Voodoo” and Robyn Yannoukos’ “Alice’s Attic.” David Martin-Porras’ “Ida y Vuelta (Round Trip)” made it to the finals.
“Sebastian’s Voodoo” already won the short-film online competition at the Cannes Film Festival and would have been able to compete in the regular Oscars, Baldwin said. However, he created his own Web site to make “Sebastian’s Voodoo,” as well as other works, available to the public, which disqualifies him from the Oscars.
The film glorifies a voodoo doll that takes his life in order to spare the lives of his comrades. Though not religious himself, Baldwin explains how he draws inspiration largely from religion, as well as from myths and fairy tales. “Every major religion will have a sacrifice scene in it; someone giving their life for everyone else,” he said.
From a visual standpoint, Baldwin has been largely influenced by Tim Burton. His animations in “Sebastian’s Voodoo” often draw comparison to the puppet-like characters in UCLA film school graduate Shane Acker’s “9,” which is produced by Burton and will be released in September.
Baldwin became interested in animation starting in his high-school days in Paraguay and became hooked on filmmaking because of his desire to have total creative freedom.
“If I make a film, I like to have control of every single thing,” he said.
Yannoukos’ “Alice’s Attic” won in the alternative category, and the movie represents a change in subject matter for the young filmmaker.
Her last film, “Africa Parting,” is a sociopolitical commentary on apartheid and the current state of South Africa, where Yannoukos grew up. The film was nominated for the Student Academy Awards but did not make the finals.
“(The film) is about a fragile and lonely creature who is consumed with fear,” Yannoukos said. “The story is about how she allows her fears to empower her and control her,” she added.
In this dark film, Yannoukos used stop-motion animation, the same technique employed by films such as “Coraline” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” which was also produced by Burton.
One might notice a trend here: Burton-reminiscent equals a win?
“The competition isn’t over yet,” Yannoukos said. “We still have to find out if it wins gold, silver or bronze. … I’m rooting for gold, but it’s great that I got this far!”
She is anything but shy about her ambition.
As winning filmmakers, Baldwin and Yannoukos will receive cash prizes and have the opportunity to network with important people in the movie industry. They will also make speeches at the ceremony.
“I hope they don’t cut me off with cheesy music though,” Yannoukos said.
UCLA’s third finalist, Martin-Porras, competed in the narrative category.
“This nomination has been very important to me, because after making six short films and spending so much time, energy and money, I needed someone to say, “˜Hey, good job! Keep working hard,'” he said.
With “Ida y Vuelta,” Martin-Porras wanted to cover the topic of rejection.
“We are all afraid of being rejected,” he said. “That’s why we hide our darkest secrets and show only what people want to see.”
The Spanish filmmaker was inspired by a newspaper article he read about an American professor who was deported from China because he tested positive for AIDS.
Martin-Porras decided to write a story in which a mother and a son who visit the United States are rejected because, previously unknown to the mother, the son has HIV.
While excited about the progress the film made, Martin-Porras was not as enthused about the competition itself.
“I actually hate that part. … It’s really boring to make a press kit and submit any film to festivals. The fun part is when you get to see it on-screen with a big audience.”
Still, he hopes to be nominated again in the future.
Though the “student” tack-on to the title of the awards may seem to marginalize the significance of the competition, in the Student Academy Awards’ history, winners have gone on to receive 37 Oscar nominations.
With demonstrated talent and many years ahead of them, these three up-and-coming artists may have a good chance of hitting the big time soon.