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TIP-OFF Jan. 30, 2004 NCSA HAS CONNECTIONS TO OSCAR RACE TWO SOLDIERS, SEABISCUIT, PIECES OF APRIL Nominations
WINSTON-SALEM – The North Carolina School of the Arts has connections to three of this year’s Oscar nominees, announced on Tuesday. TWO SOLDIERS, a 40-minute film shot in and around Winston-Salem in December 2001 with the assistance of NCSA School of Filmmaking faculty, students and alumni, is nominated for Best Short Film (Live Action). School of Filmmaking alumnus Kevin Hickman was on the editing team for SEABISCUIT, which was nominated for Best Film Editing (William Goldenberg). Hickman graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in film editing from NCSA. And Patricia Clarkson is nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in PIECES OF APRIL, a film written and directed by NCSA School of Drama alumnus Peter Hedges. Directed by cinematographer Aaron Schneider, TWO SOLDIERS was co-produced by former NCSA School of Filmmaking faculty member Betsy Pollock and Kate Miller, assistant to School of Filmmaking Dean Dale Pollock (no relation to Betsy Pollock). Approximately 30 NCSA film school students and alumni worked on the production, which was shot during the School’s “Intensive Arts,” a period of arts-only projects annually held between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. NCSA School of Filmmaking faculty member Burton Rencher served as the film’s art director. NCSA has one of the few undergraduate film production design programs in the country. TWO SOLDIERS premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and won Best Live Action Short over 15 minutes, qualifying it for Oscar consideration. Peter Hedges, who studied acting in the School of Drama at the North Carolina School of the Arts, was a guest artist at NCSA last fall, when he screened PIECES OF APRIL for students. PIECES OF APRIL has been hailed as “an intelligent and touching farce” by The New York Times. Hedges, who graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from NCSA in 1984, received an Academy Award nomination (Best Adapted Screenplay) last year for ABOUT A BOY. He also wrote the book and screenplay for WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE, for which Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated for an Academy Award. The Oscars will be held telecast Feb. 29 on ABC. For more information, contact Marla Carpenter at 336-770-3337 in the public relations office at NCSA. ###
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TIP-OFF Jan. 30, 2004

NCSA HAS CONNECTIONS TO OSCAR RACE
TWO SOLDIERS, SEABISCUIT, PIECES OF APRIL Nominations

WINSTON-SALEM – The North Carolina School of the Arts has connections to three of this year’s Oscar nominees, announced on Tuesday.

TWO SOLDIERS, a 40-minute film shot in and around Winston-Salem in December 2001 with the assistance of NCSA School of Filmmaking faculty, students and alumni, is nominated for Best Short Film (Live Action).

School of Filmmaking alumnus Kevin Hickman was on the editing team for SEABISCUIT, which was nominated for Best Film Editing (William Goldenberg). Hickman graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in film editing from NCSA.

And Patricia Clarkson is nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in PIECES OF APRIL, a film written and directed by NCSA School of Drama alumnus Peter Hedges.

Directed by cinematographer Aaron Schneider, TWO SOLDIERS was co-produced by former NCSA School of Filmmaking faculty member Betsy Pollock and Kate Miller, assistant to School of Filmmaking Dean Dale Pollock (no relation to Betsy Pollock). Approximately 30 NCSA film school students and alumni worked on the production, which was shot during the School’s “Intensive Arts,” a period of arts-only projects annually held between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. NCSA School of Filmmaking faculty member Burton Rencher served as the film’s art director. NCSA has one of the few undergraduate film production design programs in the country.

TWO SOLDIERS premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and won Best Live Action Short over 15 minutes, qualifying it for Oscar consideration.

Peter Hedges, who studied acting in the School of Drama at the North Carolina School of the Arts, was a guest artist at NCSA last fall, when he screened PIECES OF APRIL for students. PIECES OF APRIL has been hailed as “an intelligent and touching farce” by The New York Times. Hedges, who graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from NCSA in 1984, received an Academy Award nomination (Best Adapted Screenplay) last year for ABOUT A BOY. He also wrote the book and screenplay for WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE, for which Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated for an Academy Award.

The Oscars will be held telecast Feb. 29 on ABC.

For more information, contact Marla Carpenter at 336-770-3337 in the public relations office at NCSA.

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