Update 3/1/04: Cinema alumnus Christopher Boyes and three of his Skywalker Sound colleagues won the Oscar for Sound Mixing for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." Watch video of Boyes at the Academy Awards press conference.

Boyes, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in cinema in 1985, is nominated for Best Achievement in Sound Editing for the summer blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." "Pirates" also received a nomination for Best Achievement in Sound, as did "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

A seven-time Oscar nominee, Boyes took home his first Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing for "Titanic" in 1998 and his second for "Pearl Harbor" in 2002. His other nominations were for Best Sound and Best Achievement in Sound for the first two installments of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Boyes' extensive resume includes sound work on "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Jurassic Park," "Mission: Impossible" and Disney's "Lilo & Stitch." He works for Skywalker Sound, a division of Lucas Digital Ltd., the sound effects company founded by George Lucas.

Past Academy Award nominees and winners from SFSU's Cinema Department include screenplay writer Steven Zaillian (BA '75) who won Best Adapted Screenplay for "Schindler's List" (1993); director Steve Okazaki (BA '76), who won Best Short Documentary for "Days of Waiting" (1991); and Gloria Borders (BA '78), who won Best Sound Effects Editing for "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991).

The 76th Academy Awards will air at 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 29, on the ABC network.

-- Public Affairs Student Writer Audrey Tang with Matt Itelson