SF State News {University Communications}

Image: Photos of SF State students and scenes from around campus

University unveils Web redesign

February 8, 2008 -- SF State today rolled out a new Web design template that will provide a visually appealing and unifying design for the University's colleges and departments.

Two alumni earn Oscar nods

January 31, 2008 -- For the ninth consecutive year, SF State alumni have been nominated for Hollywood's biggest award.

The Oscar statuette.

The 80th annual Academy Awards will be held Feb. 24. Image © A.M.P.A.S. ®

Ethan Van Der Ryn (B.A., '85) was nominated for an Academy Award for Achievement in Sound Editing on the movie "Transformers." It is the third nomination for Van Der Ryn, who took home an Oscar in 2005 for "King Kong" and another in 2003 for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" -- an award he shared with alumnus Christopher Boyes (B.A.,'85).

Van Der Ryn's competition this year includes Christopher Scarabosio (B.A., '90), who earned his first Oscar nomination for Achievement in Sound Editing for "There Will Be Blood."

Other alumni can be found behind the scenes of movies that received Oscar nods. "Madame Tulti-Pulti," produced by alumna Marcy Page (M.A., '84), earned a nomination for Best Animated Short. Last year, "The Danish Poet," a movie she co-produced, won an Oscar for Best Animated Short. "Ryan," which she also co-produced, won an Oscar in 2005 in the same category. Page first saw the nomination online, before calling directors Chris Lavis and Maciek Szcerbowski to share ecstatic screams.

"I love that the Oscars still have that mythic glittery quality," Page said. "Maybe it’s like meeting the wizard of Oz and I really don’t want to look behind the curtain. I want to believe that it means something. And maybe I just like the way that it makes filmmakers feel who have worked long years on a project to have this larger-than-life validation. Animation is an insane amount of work so it needs such transcendent honors."

SF State alumni have long been a fixture at the Oscars, garnering numerous nominations and several wins. Van Der Ryn's nomination follows the 2007 nomination of Boyes, a four-time Oscar winner and nine-time nominee, for his work on "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."

Other Academy Award nominees and winners include Cinema Department alumni Steven Zaillian (B.A.,'75), who won Best Adapted Screenplay for "Schindler's List" (1993) and Gloria Borders (B.A., '78), who won Best Sound Effects Editing for "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991). Shawn Murphy (B.A. '68), who graduated with a degree in history, won the Oscar for Best Sound for "Jurassic Park" in 1993. Theatre Arts alumna Annette Bening (B.A., '85) has earned three nominations, most recently in 2005 for best actress in a leading role for "Being Julia."

The 80th annual Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements will be televised Sunday, February 24 on ABC.

-- Michael Bruntz

-- Michael Bruntz

 

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