Film Students Receive Eastman Scholarships

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Bruna DeAraujo, (School of Visual Arts), RenaFerrick (University of California, Los Angeles), Joon Kwon Kim(California Institute of the Arts), and Neil Moore (North CarolinaSchool of the Arts) have been awarded Eastman Scholarships for the2001-2002 school year.

"These talented students have been chosen out of a very competitivefield of more than 60 candidates by a jury of highly qualifiedfilmmakers," says John Mason, manager of Kodak's Student FilmmakerProgram. "This is another way we have of providing the next generationof filmmakers with tangible support at a critical stage in theirdevelopment."

Each student winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship applicable totuition and fees. Candidates for the scholarship are nominated by thefilm school's faculty and administration. Scholarships are providedthrough an endowment fund created by Kodak. The University Film andVideo Foundation (UFVF)administers the competition. Applicants wereevaluated by a jury of cinematographers, film professionals andacademics based on 10-minute samples of their work and writtenapplications.

Kodak added a new dimension to the scholarship program this year byawarding Arledge Armenaki (North Carolina School of the Arts) the firstgrant to a faculty member. The $5,000 cash prize is reserved forproduction expenses on a proposed project. The same jury selectedArmenaki's proposal from an array of faculty entries.

"We believe it is important for faculty members to keep activeproducing personal projects," Mason explains.

The jury also presented honorable mentions in the studentscholarship competition to Joel Allen Schroeder (University of SouthernCalifornia) and Benjamine J. Zelkowicz (California Institute of theArts).

Winners and honorable mention recipients are invited to participatein a week-long mentorship program sponsored by the InternationalCinematographers Guild. The Guild arranges for the recipients to visitsets, meet cinematographers and other industry professionals while inHollywood.

"Since we established this program, approximately 45 young peoplehave received scholarships and participated in the mentorship program,"says Mason. "Many former recipients have told us that the mentorshipprogram has been invaluable. It gives them a close-up look atfilmmaking in the real world, and it enables them to network with topprofessionals."

Kodak inaugurated the Eastman Scholarship Program in 1991 forundergraduate and graduate students at universities offering degrees infilm in the United States and Canada. The scholarships augment filmgrants and discount programs provided to qualified film schools. Kodakalso sponsors guest lecturers in addition to providing educationalprograms and materials.

For more information on the Kodak Student Filmmaker Program, visitthe Kodak website at www.kodak.com/go/student.