TSOA Alums Win 2 Oscars
By Richard Pierce
Charles Kaufman and Jim Taylor, alumni of the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, walked away with Oscars at the 77th annual Academy Award presentation. Kaufman (80) won for Original Screenplay for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which included Kate Winslet who was nominated for a Best Actress award. Taylor (96), along with co-writer Alexander Payne, earned the Oscar for Adapted Screenplay for Sideways, which was up for Oscars for Best Picture, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, and Best Director.
In addition, there are nine other TSOA alumni who are attached to films receiving Oscar nominations and awards: director Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, nominated for 11 awards, received five for Supporting Actress, Cinematography, Film Editing, Art Direction, and Costume Design; director Marc Forster’s Finding Neverland, nominated for seven Oscars, received one for Orginal Score; producer Chris Columbus’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban was nominated for two awards; producer Laurence Mark’s I, Robot was nominated for Visual Effects; director Joshua Marston’s Maria Full of Grace was singled out for a Best Actress nomination; screenwriter Keir Pierson’s Hotel Rwanda was nominated for three Oscars, including Original Screenplay; executive producer Jack Rapke’s The Polar Express received three nominations; director M Night Shyamalan’s The Village was nominated for Original Score; and director Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me was up for the Documentary Feature award.