AFI Conservatory Thesis Film Wins 2016 Student Academy Award

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Category: Entertainment News

Published on Tuesday, 30 August 2016 07:58

Written by AFI

ALL THESE VOICES, an AFI Conservatory thesis film directed by David Henry Gerson (AFI Class of 2015), has been selected as a winner in the Alternative category of the Student Academy Awards. Final award ceremony is slated for September 2016.

ALL THESE VOICES is one of 17 films to receive Student Academy Awards this year out of a record 1,749 submissions.

The medal placements (gold, silver and bronze) will be announced at a ceremony for the winners on September 22, 2016. Student Academy Award winners are eligible for the Best Live Action Short Oscar® in 2017.

The creative team behind ALL THESE VOICES features these AFI Class of 2015 filmmakers: director/writer David Henry Gerson; writers Martin Horvat and Brennan Elizabeth Peters; producer Beatrice von Schwerin; cinematographer Eli Arenson; editor Spencer Koobatian; and production designer Daniela Medeiros.

ALL THESE VOICES is the 13th AFI thesis film to receive a Student Academy Award, an achievement that follows last year's historic sweep of the awards' Narrative category by AFI Conservatory alumni.

Set in the days following the end of World War Two, ALL THESE VOICES centers on a former SS officer who hides his identity. He encounters a troupe of survivor artists in an abandoned theater, and they celebrate the end of the war together. When they discover the man's true identity, they must decide whether his humanity or his politics mean more. More about the film is here.

The Student Academy Awards announcement adds to a 2016 winning streak for AFI Conservatory alumni that has included: 20 Primetime Emmy® nominations, two College Television Award (Student Emmy®) wins, 12 Television Critics Association Award nominations, three Cannes Film Festival prizes, five Academy Award® nominations and a Best Picture win, the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize, three Critics' Choice Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and much more.

About the AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory offers a two-year Master of Fine Arts degree in six filmmaking disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting. Aspiring artists learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on storytelling. Within the Conservatory is also a unique training program, the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women (DWW). AFI Conservatory’s alumni have been consistently recognized with all of the major industry awards — Academy Awards®, Emmy Awards®, guild awards — as well as the Tony Awards®. Esteemed director, producer and screenwriter James L. Brooks serves as Artistic Director of the AFI Conservatory where he provides creative leadership for the elite film program. Proud supporters of the AFI Conservatory are American Airlines, the official airline of AFI and VIZIO, the official home theater sponsor of AFI.