SCAD student-created 'Odyssey: A Star Wars Story' rockets to best long-form fiction, best sound design awards at Southeast Student EMMYs
A Star Wars fan film created, acted, and shot by SCAD students won two major honors at the 2019 Student Production Awards. Influenced by the iconic D-Day scenes in World War II film Saving Private Ryan, Odyssey: A Star Wars Story features a six-man Rebel reconnaissance squad thrust into all-out battle against Imperial Stormtroopers. SCAD students and alumni won 11 awards at the 2019 ceremony for projects that included documentaries, music videos, commercials, and more.
SCAD students Shayain Lakhani (B.F.A. film and television), Ben Schexnaydre (B.F.A. film and television), and Mark Alex Vogt (B.F.A. film and television) won the best long-form fiction award, while Corbin Bumeter (B.F.A. sound design), Ashton Faydenko (B.F.A. sound design), and Ryan Sullivan (B.F.A. sound design) earned the best sound design award. Odyssey: 2 Years in the Making, a companion making-of documentary by Lakhani, Vogt, and Devon Solwold (B.F.A. film and television) also earned the best short-form non-fiction award.
Kalos, a short film by McKinley Benson (B.F.A. film and television) and Enzo Hui (B.F.A. film and television), also won two awards for best short-form fiction and best director. The film features a young boy attempting to help his grandfather cope with the loss of his wife through old memories.
Six other SCAD student projects won awards in 2019. Graduate students Awais Bashir (M.A. film and television), Mijin Han (M.F.A. film and television), and Thang Ho (M.F.A. film and television) earned best music video honors for Noah, shot for internationally touring jazz singer Halie Loren. Dramatic writing students Erin Bowles (B.F.A, dramatic writing, 2019), Brandon Ginchereau (B.F.A. dramatic writing), and Christian Montalvo (B.F.A., dramatic writing, 2018) won the best writing award for student crime drama Hot Case. SCAD students also won the best animation, graphics, or special effects, best commercial, best long-form non-fiction, and best photographer categories.
The Southeast EMMY Chapter presents the Student Production Awards for college students in more than 20 categories across news, sports, film, and more. Judging panels are made up of professional peer judges from the five markets in the region.
2019 Student Production Awards winners
- Awais Bashir (M.A. film and television)
- McKinley Benson (B.F.A. film and television)
- Erin Bowles (B.F.A, dramatic writing, 2019)
- Corbin Bumeter (B.F.A. sound design)
- Kai Dickson (B.F.A. film and television)
- Ashton Faydenko (B.F.A. sound design)
- Brandon Ginchereau (B.F.A. dramatic writing)
- Mijin Han (M.F.A. film and television)
- Thang Ho (M.F.A. film and television)
- Enzo Hui (B.F.A. film and television)
- Shayain Lakhani (B.F.A. film and television)
- Christian Montalvo (B.F.A., dramatic writing, 2018)
- Yu Kwok Oey (M.F.A. motion media design)
- Ben Schexnaydre (B.F.A. film and television)
- Devon Solwold (B.F.A. film and television)
- Ryan Sullivan (B.F.A. sound design)
- Mark Alex Vogt (B.F.A. film and television)
- Heather Waldron (B.F.A, film and television, 2018)
- Haley Zutty (B.F.A., animation, 2018)