American Society Of Cinematographers Awards Students
Jonah Torreano and Lisa Wiegand are the recipients of the first American Society of Cinematographers/Karl Struss Heritage Award for outstanding achievement by a film school student or recent graduate in filmmaking. The Heritage Award was inaugurated in commemoration of the ASCís 80th anniversary in 1999. The recipients will be introduced at the 13th Annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards gala at the Century Plaza Hotel on February 21. ""One of the goals of ASC is to inspire and support young people who have the talent and ability to pursue careers as cinematographers,"" says Laszlo Kovacs, ASC, and Chairman of the ASC Education Committee. ""These young people represent our hope for the future."" Torreano earned a Bachelorís in film from the Art Center College of Design in April 1998. Wiegand earned her Masterís of Fine Arts at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in June 1998. ASC also presented honorable mentions to Rogelio Gonzalez-Abraldes who received a Masterís from the University of Southern California; Martin Ahlgren, a student at the School of Visual Arts in New York; and Michael Culyba, a Masterís graduate of Florida State University School of Motion Pictures, TV and Recreation Arts. The heads of cinematography departments nominated candidates and a blue ribbon panel of ASC members chose the winners based solely on merit. The Heritage Award will be dedicated to the memory of a different cinematographer each year. Struss shared the first OscarÆ for cinematography in 1927/28 with Charles Rosher for Sunset. For additional information about the ASCís Outstanding Achievement Awards, contact Patty Armacost at 323 969 4333.