News and Media

Published: Dec 4, 2009

HONG KONG—SCAD, the official education partner of the 2010 Macao, China International Digital Cinema Festival & Entertainment Technology Expo, is pleased to announce digital media luminary Scott Ross as the event’s keynote speaker. In addition, SCAD will present a special screening of the “Future Filmmakers” series, a selection of the best shorts from the university’s film, television and animation students. The festival is scheduled for May 2010 in Macao, China.

Ross, who serves as the executive adviser to the SCAD School of Film, Digital Media and Performing Arts, has been recognized as a trailblazer in the entertainment and technology industries for more than 30 years, leading companies such as Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light and Magic and Digital Domain to more than 15 Academy Award nominations and seven Oscars. Ross’ keynote speech will focus on “a new world order in global entertainment.”

As an executive adviser to SCAD, Ross is assisting the university with the strategic planning and equipping of its new location in Hong Kong for excellence in digital media. SCAD’s vision is to make its Hong Kong location, scheduled to open in Fall 2010, the leading site for the study of digital media in Asia. The university recently began accepting applications for admission to this location with the registration of 14 courses of study with the Hong Kong Education Bureau.

In the “Future Filmmakers Series,” SCAD presents 40 original, creative short films by students in the university’s film and television and animation courses:

Animation films

Sara Pitz (B.F.A., 2009) hails from Omaha, Nebraska. Her four-part short A Pitiful Fate examines the fate of olives—which take seven to 10 years to grow from seed to mature fruit—at human hands.

Will Hoag (B.F.A., 2008) has screened his film A Special Gift at festivals in Portofino, Italy; Kalamazoo, Michigan; and Largo, Maryland. The film tells the story of a young man so nervous about proposing that he loses the engagement ring.

Aaron Kablack (M.F.A., 2009) received the inaugural Silver Screen Society screenwriting grant from SCAD in 2005. Batcat, which follows the adventures of a megalomaniacal, mutant cat with dreams of world domination, is Kablack’s solo directorial debut.

Becki Tower (B.F.A., computer art, 2004; M.F.A., animation, 2008) is a character animator at Pixar Studios in Emeryville, California, and her films have screened at SIGGRAPH 2008, the Nickelodeon Animation Festival and more than 35 other film festivals. Her 3-D animation Bottled Up takes a lighthearted look at a serious subject: alcohol addiction.

Don Low (M.F.A., 2008), who holds bachelor’s degrees in materials engineering and multimedia design, interned at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts after graduating from SCAD. His film Café Voyeur shows how a writer’s observation can have adverse effects on other people.

Lorena Rother (B.F.A., 2008) is a native of Montevideo, Uruguay. Her stop-motion animation, The Chained Elephant, is based on a short story by Argentinean psychologist Jorge Bucay and examines why circus elephants don’t escape captivity.

Bang-yao Liu holds an undergraduate degree in communications design and received a scholarship from the Taiwan government to study animation at SCAD. In his film Deadline, an overworked man fights with post-it notes that suddenly come to life.

Peter Wasielewski (B.F.A., 2009) graduated magna cum laude from SCAD, and his work is featured in the book The Animated Short by SCAD professor Jason Maurer. In his film The Death Merchant, a wandering merchant peddling tools of death encounters an innocent young girl in a desert oasis.

Rodgers Dameron (M.F.A., 2009) has screened films at festivals in Washington, D.C., and New Orleans, Louisiana. In his thesis film The Discovery, two Russian children come face to face with life and death at the end of a long winter.

Michael Taylor hails from Graham, N.C., and spent time in Japan before beginning his undergraduate studies at SCAD. Taylor, who graduates in Fall 2009, chronicles the daily irritations of a retired German psychologist in his film Dr. Feelnothing’s Series of Annoyance.

With an anticipated graduation date of Spring 2010, Master of Fine Arts student Tyler Kupferer operates an experimental media company, Base 14. His film Duck Heart Teslacoil shows how an inventive duck uses high-voltage weaponry to deal with a menace at the bus stop.

Selene Mendez Hunnicutt (B.F.A., 2008) is a native of Guatemala City, Guatemala. In her film Eternamente Te Amo (Forever I Will Love You), an old man struggles on the Day of the Dead to make sense of his own death and his continuing love for his wife.

Neil Helm (M.F.A., 2008) works as a character animator at Pixar Studios at Emeryville, California. Flying Lessons, inspired by his father, shows an enthusiastic airline captain describes the marvel and intricacy of modern jet aviation to an unexpected listener. 

Chou-Yu Kuo (M.F.A., 2009) came to SCAD from Taiwan. His film Flying Boy portrays a little boy who dreams of flying into the sky.

Rebecca S. Boensch anticipates graduating in Spring 2010 with a Master of Fine Arts degree. Her film Ganesha portrays an ancient Hindu deity traveling through a contemporary urban landscape, removing obstacles from those down on their luck.

John Doublestein (M.F.A., 2007) has screened his work in South Korea; France; Dallas, Texas; and San Francisco, California. His film Inside the Box tells the story of three children who find a cardboard box and take turns transforming it into imaginary worlds.

Michelle “Mooshe” Nickerson (B.F.A., 2009) hails from Livonia, Michigan. Her short documentary Jeremy! examines gender politics and the idiosyncrasies of tween girls.

Brandyn Bold (B.F.A., 1999) has interned on Mike Judge and Don Hertzelfdt’s Animation Show, and his film Power Guys was awarded Most Comical Film in the 2009 Savanijam Festival. In his animation La Vie de la Mort, an unfulfilled Grim Reaper evaluates his life and decides to make some changes.

Amy Hensey (B.F.A., 2009) originally hails from Chicago, Illinois. Her film Late Knights chronicles the misadventures of a thief and his intended victim on a late-night subway ride.

Jaime Andrews (B.F.A., animation and sequential art, 2008) is originally from Cary, N.C. Lucicity, which screened at the Monstra Animation Festival in Lisbon, follows the journey of a young girl who wakes up disoriented in the woods and searches for her lover.

Kyle Stephens (B.F.A., 2009) recruited more than 30 people to assist with his film McDonough. This steam-punk musical comedy features foam-puppet animation and an original musical score.

Shani Vargo (B.F.A., 2009) hails from Shanghai, China. In her film Melting Pot, three men from different social strata take shelter from a rainstorm in a bathhouse and find commonality in their monkey-like nakedness.

Stephen Hammond (M.F.A., 2008) has screened his thesis film, Monster Movie, at festivals in the United Kingdom, Iran, Italy, Portugal, California, New Mexico, Louisiana and Maryland, as well as online and at SIGGRAPH.

Wei-Shan Yu (M.F.A., 2008) is a concept designer and storyboard artist from Taiwan. The non-narrative film The Path examines how a citizen and witness examines Chinese history and how this history influences social development.

Ashwin Inamdar graduates from SCAD with an M.F.A. in 2010. The Same Station explores the effects of a railway bombing on a slum dweller in Mumbai, India, while The Waiting Chairs examines a series of chairs to showcase the daily cycles of modern life.

Nyssa Benthin (B.F.A., 2008) is a multimedia artist from Pennington, N.J. The title character of her film Sumi, a seven-tailed fox born from an ink splotch, finds acceptance with artistic animals.

Fay Helfer’s (M.F.A., 2009) work has been featured in Animation Magazine as well as numerous SCAD recruitment materials. Her film There Once Was… is a series of animations based on short limericks.

Joy Zhang Lisi (B.F.A., 2009) is a recipient of the Singapore Media Authority Education Scheme. In her film Wings, an unexpected encounter with a bird leaves an executive contemplating escape from the trap of his messy office.

Film and television

Diego Colombi (B.F.A., 2009) was born in Guatemala and lived in countries throughout North and South America as he was growing up. A’plas tells the story of Father Stanley Rother, who sacrificed himself to help the people of Guatemala during the country’s violent armed conflict.

Oklahoma native Jared Hogan (B.F.A., 2009) is a full-time video producer. He delved into his state’s history for The Earth in the Air, telling the story of a man who heads west from the Dustbowl in 1935 after a storm leaves his house uninhabitable.

Wyatt Garfield (B.F.A., 2007) and Ed Yonaitis (B.F.A., 2006) have screened their film The Execution of Solomon Harris at the Sundance and South by Southwest Film Festivals, as well as in Bilbao, Spain. Based on a news story, the film follows the dilemma of a prison warden when the electrocution of a condemned prisoner fails.

Evan Watkins (B.F.A., 2009) is from Ocean Pines, Maryland. His film The Fakers tells the story of a suburban couple who keep the passion in their relationship by dabbling in criminal activities…and then they encounter real criminals.

Adam Farrell is originally from Carver, Massachusetts. His film Faster Pastor documents an annual stock-car race among preachers and other religious figures in the Deep South.

Amanda Bayard (M.F.A, 2007) is the filmmaker behind Licious, which has screened at the AFI and Savannah Film Festivals.

Hanny Purnomo (M.A., 2009), recipient of the film and television department’s 2009 Outstanding Achievement Award, hails from Jakarta, Indonesia. In her film Good. And Smile., a recently divorced portrait photographer finds inspiration in his daily life.

Roni Nicole (M.F.A., 2008) draws on her family history in her film Grace, the story of a mother struggling to save her pregnant daughter from heroin addiction.

Before attending SCAD, Craig Boyer (M.F.A., 2009) spent two years in Los Angeles, California, as an intern for Lionsgate Films and a PA for Imaginary Forces. Keep the Change is the story of an elderly man who runs over his domineering wife with his car, then pretends to be senile when the police question him.

Eric Garcia (B.F.A., 2008) was born in Madrid, Spain, His noir film Kiss: Goodbye is the story of a young man who takes refuge in a diner, hoping to escape a downpour and a suspected murderer, and finds the love of his life.

Andrew Cherry (B.F.A., 2008) works as a media technician for the city of Hardeeville, South Carolina. In My Deer Friend, he explores the dilemma of a boy trapped between his affection for his best friend, a deer, and the pressure to kill a deer to earn his father’s respect.

Slated to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree in 2010, Mahmoud Salimi has worked for the BBC, the United Nations, Afghan Films Studio, the Foundation for Young Afghan Filmmakers, Kabul University and several other organizations. His film No Vacancy probes the stories of three homeless people.

Amanda Beggs (B.F.A., 2008) has worked on more than 70 student films in the capacities of director, cinematographer, producer, writer, sound mixer, boom operator and sound designer. In her black-and-white, silent film Oberschule, teenagers plot to take over their high school by kidnapping the star quarterback and replacing him with a robot.

Michael Boyle (B.F.A., 2009) is a native of Boston, Massachusetts. In his film The Observation of Johnathan Rhode, a man who returns from Vietnam seeks psychiatric help for his hallucinations.

Matt Boman (B.F.A., 2008) graduated cum laude from SCAD. His film On Homeostasis follows the awakening of a character who rejects oppressive civilization and undergoes a spiritual reawakening.

Paula Wood (B.F.A., 2008) has directed more than 15 short films and commercials and lives in Los Angeles. In her film Reverie, a little girl prays about whether life is a dream on the day of her brother’s funeral.

Ian Pilger (B.F.A., 2008) works in commercial production in New York City. In The Rising Path—a Farmers’ Almanac TV public service announcement—two farmers trapped in traffic discover that their vehicle has the power to take them to a cleaner world.

Greg LeSar (M.F.A., 2008) earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy and sculpture before attending SCAD to pursue film and television. In The Self Conspiracy, a man with amnesia wanders through a post-apocalyptic world in search of his lost love.

Producer Miriam Oxtoby (M.F.A., 2008) and director Bentley Argo (M.F.A., 2007) collaborated on the musical Shut Up and Kiss Me, in which two sweethearts discover the language of love: total silence.

Anna Vacha (B.F.A., 2009) drew on her journey from Nebraska to SCAD for her experimental film Silent Anna, which utilizes a multimedia approach including painting, music and writing.

Eliezer Katzoff (B.F.A., 2007) has studied and traveled extensively in Israel and now lives in Los Angeles. In his film A Song for Anna, two sisters in an abandoned world journey through a thunderstorm in search of civilization.

Rob Holland (B.F.A., 2009) is originally from Saratoga Springs, New York. In his documentary Surfing Sucks: Don’t Try It, he examines the culture of dedicated surfers on Tybee Island, who pursue their interest despite a lack of waves.

Robert Hess (B.F.A., 2008) founded Sprint Features Inc. in 2004 as a vehicle for charitable and nonprofit media, and he has completed four full-length documentaries. Sustaining Life examines extreme poverty that affects one-sixth of the world’s population and shows how individuals can help end the problem.

Michael Brown (B.F.A., 2009) works as a cinematographer and editor in Nashville, Tennessee. His documentary Water Over the Dam traces the story of the Jackson family, who have been instrumental in shaping the sport of freestyle kayaking.

Master of Arts student Jason Lin is a native of Taiwan and has screened his work there and in France. In his film Wind and Rock, a young woman suddenly struck blind learns to see the world through her other senses.

For additional information and image and interview requests for SCAD or Ross, contact Phoebe Ho at 852 2837 4756.  For all other media inquiries about the festival, contact Christine Purse at +818.508.0450.

The Macao, China International Digital Cinema Festival & Entertainment Technology Expo

Premiering in May 2010, The Macao, China International Digital Cinema Festival & Entertainment Technology Expo is the first exposition and festival of its kind to be presented in Macao, China. The three-day event brings together a global gathering of the entertainment content and technology communities to share ideas, explore technologies and foster thought leadership through collaboration at the dawn of high definition broadcasting in China. The Macao International Digital Cinema Festival & Entertainment Technology Expo is a collaborative presentation of U.S.- based Burma Road Productions, Randall Dark Productions and Createasphere.