Ringling College Senior Thesis 'In A Heartbeat' Wins Student Academy Award!

Sarasota, FL, Sept. 19, 2017 -- Ringling College of Art and Design is proud to announce two 2017 Computer Animation graduates, Beth David and Esteban Bravo, have won a 2017 Student Academy Award for their animated short, In A Heartbeat!

Esteban Bravo and Beth David (Computer Animation, '17) Poster for 'In A Heatbeat'

This marks the 13^th Student Academy Award won by a graduate/student of the Ringling College Computer Animation program. All winners are eligible to compete for a 2017 Oscar in the Animated Short Film category.

The four-minute animation was a senior thesis film released on July 31, 2017 to worldwide acclaim, receiving over 29 million views on YouTube, coverage by top-tier outlets such as the New York Times and CNN, and shout-outs from internationally renowned celebrities such as Ellen Degeneres and Ashton Kutcher for its poignant, timely, and compassionate story about a young middle-schooler who follows his heart to his crush, another boy in his class. The piece was praised for its message, one which resonates both within the LGBT community and universally: love is love.

Also nominated for a 2017 Student Academy Award was Extinguished, by Ringling College Computer Animation students Ashley Anderson and Jacob Mann.

This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences received 1,587 entries from 267 domestic and 89 international colleges and universities. The 44^th Student Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for October 12 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. It is free and open to the public.

According to the website, “the Academy established the Student Academy Awards in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level.”

About Ringling College of Art and Design

For 85 years, Ringling College of Art and Design has cultivated the creative spirit in students from around the globe. The private, not-for-profit fully accredited college offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in ten disciplines and the Bachelor of Arts in two. The College's rigorous curriculum employs the studio model of teaching and immediately engages students through a comprehensive, first-year program that is both specific to the major of study and focused on the liberal arts. The Ringling College teaching model ultimately shapes students into highly employable and globally aware artists and designers. www.ringling.edu

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8440454a-76ce-4411-991f-cd0a73025fb0

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/84ede2e2-f2e8-4ece-83c1-741e4cf16daf

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/171c12cc-1a3f-4b53-b9ca-f0a25a04e03d

Stephanie Lederer
Ringling College of Art and Design
941.309.4110
[email protected]