Student Filmmaker Wins Prized Kodak Award

“The SDSU film program puts an emphasis on making us good storytellers. As a cinematographer, I can use images to tell a good story and that makes me a better filmmaker.”

San Diego State University's Television, Film and New Media program continues to produce award-winning filmmakers by emphasizing the art of storytelling.

Senior film student Ben Brahem Ziryab received the prestigious 2015 Kodak Student Cinematography Scholarship Award of Merit for his film "Wake." The prize netted Brahem a $1,000 scholarship, a $3,000 Kodak Motion Picture product grant and the satisfaction of beating out students from 54 other film schools throughout the world.

Brahem joins the long list of award-winning SDSU filmmakers, including Kathleen Kennedy, '79, co-founder of Amblin Entertainment with Stephen Spielberg and Frank Marshall and currently president of Lucasfilm; and Destin Cretton, '11, winner of the Sundance Film Festival's top prize for short film in 2009. 

“I was really happy to win this award for myself and our film program here at SDSU,” Brahem said. “Even though we are not a huge film school, we have an emphasis on storytelling, and that’s what made my film stand out.”

No easy task

Brahem, who has been making movies since the age of nine, began filming "Wake" in August 2014. It's a romantic, science-fiction short film that takes place in a dream-like state and includes no dialogue.

“It was challenging because I had to make the film seem fluid as if it were a dream,” Brahem said. “Also without dialogue, I had to communicate all emotions through images, sound and music.”

While this was no easy task, Brahem wanted to create a story that would appeal to a larger audience — a film that everyone could relate to.

“I wanted 'Wake' to be a short film that anyone in the world could watch and understand,” Brahem said. “Everyone has dreams and the way we experience dreams is universal, regardless of language.”

Brahem believes his success with this film is due in large part to his storytelling ability.

“The SDSU film program puts an emphasis on making us good storytellers,” Brahem said. “As a cinematographer, I can use images to tell a good story and that makes me a better filmmaker.”

After graduating from SDSU this spring, Brahem plans to apply to graduate school to further his education in filmmaking. He is very thankful for his start at SDSU and the mentors that have helped him along the way.

“I want to thank all the faculty and students for their support,” Brahem said, “especially Greg Durbin, who has been an amazing professor, mentor and has helped me develop and grow as a filmmaker.”