Film Students Garner Regional Emmy Awards

Four films produced by SDSU undergraduate and graduate students were honored Saturday, June 18, at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Pacific Southwest Chapter Emmy Awards, which recognizes outstanding achievements in television by conferring annual awards of merit in the Pacific Southwest region.

Award-winning films

The films that received a crystal pillar for long-form student fiction and non-fiction productions are:

• “Hollywood Hell” — Episode One, "Downfall," by Brandon Stockwell, Stephen Crutchfield, Kristin Hansen, Mars Huerta, Casey Nakamura and Jonathan Knapp
• “No Way Home” by Brian Garcia and Kristin Hansen
• “The Last to Leave” by Pat Clark

About the films

“Hollywood Hell,” which is currently in the film festival circuit, is a six-episode comedy web series that centers around Vick Holloway, a ruthless but successful producer who meets an unfortunate end on Oscar night, only to be handed his next script by Satan.

“No Way Home,” which received the Jury Prize for the 2010-11 SDSU Filmmaker’s Showcase, is an 11-minute film about a young girl desperate to escape the abuse of her uncle.

Garcia, who wrote and directed “No Way Home,” is the recipient of the Kathleen Kennedy Grant Award, which helped to complete production of the film.

“As I was walking on stage, I was thinking about the past and how hard I worked to make the film,” Garcia said. “The content is dramatic and heavy, but it is important to know it is happening, and might be happening to someone you know.”

“The Last to Leave” is a 19-minute documentary that was produced and completed in spring 2010 and details the last day of the Vietnam War through the eyes of those who lived it. It features dramatic images and compelling firsthand accounts, this film captures the desperation, chaos and emotion from three unique perspectives.

More student success

SDSU student Casey Nakamura also received a Student Craft, Editor crystal pillar for his film “Pumpkin,” a four-minute film about a pumpkin that wants nothing more than to be a jack-o-lantern for Halloween.

Nakamura, who wrote, directed and edited the “Pumpkin,” also received the National Academy of Television & Arts Sciences Pacific Southwest Chapter scholarship.

Two other SDSU students, Joshua Krohn and Blasie O’Dell, were also granted scholarships.

Watch the films

To watch episode one of "Hollywood Hell," click here.

To watch the "No Way Home" trailer, click here.

To watch "The Last to Leave" trailer, click here.