Six students from the Animation program in the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television at the Tisch School of the Arts have been awarded National Board of Review (NBR) Student Grants.

Six Animation Students Win Student Awards from the National Board of Review
Student winners of the NBR Award: (Back Row, L-R) Bernardo Britto; John Canemaker, professor and Head of the Animation Program; Seiju M Einarsen; Mary Schmidt Campbell, dean of the Tisch School of the Arts; Matt Christensen; (Front Row, L-R) John W Xiao; Jacob Kafka; and Jennifer R Paehr.

Six students from the Animation program in the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television at the Tisch School of the Arts have been awarded National Board of Review (NBR) Student Grants. Each student received $2,000 and a complimentary one-year National Board of Review membership.

The student winners and their films are: Jacob Kafka for Giraffe-stronaut; Matthew Christensen for A Rant; John Xiao for EJennifer Paehr for Grandpa; Seiju M. Einarsen for The Octopus and the Crab; and Bernardo Britto for Time Machines. 

NBR’s mission is to promote excellence in film through the public recognition of exceptional filmmaking achievements.  NBR asked eight film schools this year to send its best five student films.  An optional sixth film can be submitted if it is a musical or has musical elements.  John Canemaker, professor and director of the Animation Program, submitted the six animated films that earned grants this year. 

“We have been giving grants to Kanbar filmmakers since 2007,” said James R. Janowsky, creative director for NBR.  “This is the first time, however, the Student Grant Committee has awarded a grant to every film that was submitted by a school, and we are thrilled with the outcome.  The quality of the NYU films is a testament to the Tisch School’s film program under the leadership of the Kanbar Institute faculty.”

Janowsky surprised the students with the news of their awards when he personally presented them with checks at the screening for the annual Spring Animation Showcase on May 12.

Earlier this year, two Undergraduate Film and Television students and four students from the Graduate Film division won NBR Student Grants for their narrative films, which were announced April 1 at the First Run Film Festival.  The undergraduates students are Alex Smolowe for Borderland, and Benjamin Halstead for Picture Perfect.  The graduate students are Levi Abrino for Little Horses, Prithi Gowda for Televisnu, Zelmira Grainza for La Pileta (The Pool), and Pamela Romanowsky for Gravity.



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