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THE
NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW
OF
MOTION PICTURES
HONORS STUDENT FILMS WITH
$25,000
WORTH OF GRANTS
New
York, NY -- May 12, 2005 -- The National
Board of Review of Motion Pictures honored
six student films from Columbia University
and The School of Visual Arts this month
with grants totaling $12,000. An additional
$13,000 will be donated to The City College
of New York and Wesleyan University in
June, doubling the organization's student-grant
contributions from 2004.
On Sunday, May 8th, the NBR bestowed grants
to three student filmmakers at the Annual
Columbia University Film Festival. The
National Board presented $2,000 to Cady
Arabaca for The Trip, an emotional
tale of two young boys in Lima, Peru,
whose friendship is tested during a journey
to a brothel. Gary Graham also received
$2,000 for Godless, a film that
follows the intersecting lives of four
strangers during one night in Las Vegas. A third grant of $2,000 went
to Sameh Zoabi for Be Quiet,
the story of a father and his young son
facing the everyday tensions of living
amidst the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
At the School of Visual Arts' 16th Annual
Dusty Film Festival and Awards on Monday,
May 9th, the NBR also awarded three students
$2,000 each. Recipients included: Yaniv
Dabach for With You, a documentary
about New York's first gay rugby team
and its journey to gain respect in the
sport; Onn Nir for The Blind Girl,
about a woman struggling with false perceptions
about her German boyfriend; and Michael
Supey for Mercy, the story of
a dying man's final hours at a hospital
on Christmas Eve.
The
National Board will continue its endowments
by honoring Kellen Rory Quinn from Wesleyan
University later in the month with the
first annual Charlie Andrews Award, named
for veteran TV writer Charlie Andrews,
a member of the National Board until his
passing in June 2004. In addition, the
NBR will contribute $5,000 to Wesleyan
University's film department for equipment,
and also award Ray Tintori $1000 for his
work-study program. A second $1000
work-study grant will be awarded in the
fall of 2005. The NBR will also recognize
two student filmmakers on June 2nd at
The City College of New York's annual
City Visions Awards, where each will receive
a grant of $2,000.
Along
with the monetary prize, all student-grant
winners receive a membership in the National
Board of Review screening group for the
2005-2006 year.
The National Board of Review, with no
commercial ties to the industry, was founded
in 1909 to support excellence and free
expression in film. The group works to
endow scholarships and grants for film
students and to underwrite educational
film programs and seminars. In addition,
the NBR screens over 300 films per year
and honors the very best in a variety
of categories of film, direction and performance
at the awards gala each winter. For more
information about the NBR, log onto www.nbrmp.org.
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