The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has voted 15 students as winners of the 51st Student Academy Awards competition. This year, the Student Academy Awards competition received 2,683 entries from 738 colleges and universities worldwide. The 2024 winners join the ranks of such past Student Academy Award winners as Patricia Cardoso, Pete Docter, Spike Lee, Patricia Riggen and Robert Zemeckis.
The Academy announced last month that the presentation ceremony for its annual international student film competition will be held in London this year, in partnership with Rolex. Traditionally held at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills since its inception, the 51st Student Academy Awards will take place at the ODEON Luxe Leicester Square in London on Monday, October 14, at 7 p.m. BST. The ceremony is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required and are available online here.
The three Animation winners, chosen from seven deserving finalists, hail from schools in three different countries, illustrating the global span of the artform and diversity of visionary talents emerging onto the scene. The winning films are (alphabetically) Au Revoir Mon Monde from MoPA (France), Origami from Digital Hollywood University (Japan) and Student Accomplice from Brigham Young University (U.S.A.) — all three films are created using 3D CG techniques, additionally showcasing a sampler of aesthetic approaches to computer animation.
Gold, silver and bronze placements in the four award categories will be announced at the ceremony. In partnership with the BFI London Film Festival, Student Academy Award winners will have access to panels and networking opportunities. In addition, winners will have exclusive access to Academy members to support their career advancement.
All Student Academy Award-winning films are eligible to compete for 2024 Oscars in the Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film or Documentary Short Film category. Past winners have gone on to receive 67 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared 15 awards.
See all seven of the SAA animation finalists in our previous post here.
Student Academy Award for Animation
Au Revoir Mon Monde (Goodbye My World) — MoPA (France)
Florian Maurice, Maxime Foltzer & Estelle Bonnardel
Synopsis: As the world nears its end, a man stuck in a fish costume races against the clock towards a mysterious tower.
Origami — Digital Hollywood University (Japan)
Kei Kanamori
Director Statement: Origami is a Japanese traditional 3D sculpture created by folding a piece of paper. It does not involve cutting or gluing; any origami can return to its original state once unfolded. This concept resembles life rising from dirt and returning to the Earth at the end of its cycle. The representation of origami in existing films and other visual media has been lacking realistic elements. Previously artists visually tricked the audience by, for example, swapping the shapes before and after folding to make it look like it was folded. In this film, I focused on accurately producing the shape of origami and animating its transformation. Everything that appears in this film is based on skills and techniques used in actual origami art. (HollyShorts Film Festival)
Student Accomplice — Brigham Young University (U.S.)
Spencer Baird
Synopsis: A driving test goes terrible wrong when a nervous teenage girl and her elderly driving examiner are hijacked by a bank robber, who compels the amateur wheeler to serve as getaway driver and outrun the police. Meanwhile, the unruffled examiner continues to assess her skills.
