The School of Visual Arts bestowed the top honors for traditional animation at its 25th anniversary Dusty Awards to the film Moonstruck by Luz Batista and Sarah Sloyer.
The awards — presented to students for work done in the program — also recognized Vivienne Medrano for Timber in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation; Meredith Nolan for Skeleton Key for Outstanding Achievement in Animation Production Design; and Lindsey Schneeberger for The Adventures of Moonshine and the Dirt Children for the Stop-Motion Animation Award.
The winners of the awards were announced at a ceremony at the SVA Theater in New York that included such notable presenters as Ralph Bakshi and Yvette Kaplan.
The full list of winners follows:
- Outstanding Film (Feature Film): Juan Paulo Laserna for Las Malas Lenguas
- Outstanding Film (Short Film): Will Henry for Magic for Beginners
- Outstanding Documentary: Kate Howley for River Men
- Outstanding Achievement in Directing: Juan Paulo Laserna for Las Malas Lenguas and Will Henry for Magic for Beginners
- Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting: Helen O’Reilly for Surviving the Hen
- Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Wayland Bell for Stray and for Magic for Beginners
- Outstanding Achievement in Editing: Juan Paulo Laserna for Las Malas Lenguas
- Gotham Honorary Sound Grants: Renee Heitman and Jose Ramirez
- Outstanding Animated Film (Traditional Animation): Luz Batista and Sarah Sloyer for Moonstruck
- Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation: Vivienne Medrano for Timber
- Outstanding Achievement in Animation Production Design: Meredith Nolan for Skeleton Key
- Outstanding Achievement in Stop Motion Animation: Lindsey Schneeberger for The Adventures of Moonshine and the Dirt Children
- New York Women in Film & Television Award: Helen O’Reilly
- Independent Filmmaker Project Award: Mayid Guerrero
- Human Spirit Award: Kate Howley
The awards followed the 25th annual Dusty Film & Animation Festival and Awards, which kicked off May 10 and ran through May 13. The program included screenings of more than 100 films, documentaries and animations.
This year’s headlining sponsors include: AbelCine; Act Zero Films; Adorama Rental Company; Animation Magazine; B&H Photo; Bryan Singer; Carlos Saldanha/BottleCap Productions; Channel Frederator Network; Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films; Feature Systems/Kits and Expendables; Foto Care; Gotham Sound & Communications, Inc.; Independent Filmmaker Project; New York Women in Film & Television; Nice Shoes; Rota6; SCS Agency, Inc.; Squarespace; SVA Campus Store; and Technicolor-PostWorks New York.
One hundred percent of the sponsors’ donations will benefit thesis students in the form of grants and in-kind awards.
