|
Philip Seymour Hoffman wins best actor award.
|
Top honors at the 78 th annual Academy Awards went to three films with close ties to the Film Division of Columbia University's School of the Arts (SoA) on Sunday, March 5: " Brokeback Mountain," "Capote" and "Walk the Line."
SoA adjunct film professor Philip Seymour Hoffman won the Academy Award for best actor in a motion picture for his indelible portrayal of Truman Capote in the film "Capote." Hoffman dominated the best actor category in all of the major awards ceremonies of 2006. The film's Oscar-nominated screenplay was written by alumnus Dan Futterman (CC '89).
"Brokeback Mountain" won three Academy Awards, for best original score, best adapted screenplay and best director (Ang Lee). The film was produced by James Schamus, associate professor of film at SoA, with Michael Hausman, adjunct professor of film at SoA, sharing an associate producer credit.
Reese Witherspoon won the best actress award for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in "Walk the Line," which was co-written and directed by Film Division alumnus James Mangold (SoA '99).
In addition to collecting Oscars and other major awards this season, faculty, alumni or current students of Columbia's Film Division wrote, directed, or produced eleven films at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, won numerous honors from the Golden Globes, the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the New York Film Critics Circle, and walked away with major prizes from the Independent Spirit Awards -- including the prestigious "Truer Than Fiction" award of $25,000 for an emerging nonfiction director, won this year by Film Division student Ian Olds.
Dan Kleinman , acting dean of the School of the Arts, credits the synergy between teachers and students at SoA for much of the Film Division's success. "For the past fifteen years, Columbia's filmmaking program has been in 'positive feedback' mode: talented students attract remarkable faculty, and vice versa," he said. "The many prizes that our students and faculty have been winning are a good indication of what an exciting place the Film Division is right now for filmmakers, whether they are students or accomplished professionals."
About Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman has been an actor for stage and screen for 20 years, as well as a stage director. His notable film credits include "Boogie Nights," "Happiness," "The Talented Mr. Ripley," "Magnolia," "Almost Famous" and " Cold Mountain." He has earned two Tony nominations on Broadway for his performances in "True West" and "Long Day's Journey Into Night," and is a co-founder of LAByrinth Theatre Company, for whom he directed "Our Lady of 121st Street" and "Jesus Hopped the A Train" by Stephan Adley Gurgis. Hoffman, an adjunct professor with the Film Division for two years, taught a workshop on directing actors last year and plans to lead a master class for advanced students later this spring.
About James Schamus
James Schamus, an associate professor at Columbia, is also co-president of Focus Features, where he oversees the finance, production and distribution of numerous films, including the 2002 Oscar winner "The Pianist." Schamus has a long history of collaboration as writer and producer with Ang Lee. This partnership has resulted in eight major feature films, including "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"; "The Ice Storm"; and "The Wedding Banquet." His awards include four Grand Prize winners at the Sundance Film Festival.
About James Mangold
James Mangold's first major film, "Heavy," won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Director at the Sundance Film Festival in 1995. Other Mangold films include "Cop Land," featuring Sylvester Stallone and Robert DeNiro (screened at the Cannes Film Festival), and "Girl, Interrupted," for which Angelina Jolie won an Oscar for best supporting actress, as well as Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards.
|
