The University Film and Video Foundation and Eastman Kodak Company announced the winners of its 27th annual UFVF/KODAK Student Scholarship Program at the 72nd annual University Film & Video Association (UFVA) Conference, hosted by New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. This international competition is part of Kodak’s long-held commitment to encourage and foster the next generation of filmmakers and honors students who demonstrate exemplary skills and creativity in the art of motion pictures.

“There is hardly a bigger priority at Kodak than helping up and coming motion picture artists tell stories, create art and work with real film,” said Steve Bellamy, President of Motion Picture and Entertainment at Kodak. “While high def and 4K video cameras have come a long way, there is absolutely nothing like shooting film! “The magic of film” is real, with its infinite colors, infinite resolution, infinite possibilities, happy accidents and a focus from actors and crew that is unparalleled. Much like other analog mediums artists are flocking to, the organic and emotive nature of film is a gift we want to expose as many young motion picture artists to as possible. And there is not a better place to work with up and coming artists than the UFVA.”

Added Simon Tarr, President of the University Film and Video Foundation, “Congratulations to all of the finalists of the UFVA/Kodak Scholarship program. The UFVF’s mission is the advancement of the teaching of the art and craft of the cinematic arts. The high quality of these works shows just how valuable the mentorship provided in film schools continues to be, even in this DIY world. I am proud that Kodak has been our long-time partner in this mission and am thrilled to work with them to award these scholarships. Kodak’s dedication to the art of motion pictures is well known. It is also important to acknowledge the company’s commitment to the scholarship and teaching of the art.”

Selected from entries from across the country and around the world, the 2018 winners are:

KODAK Student Cinematography Scholarship Awards:

• KODAK Vision Award — $3,000 Tuition Scholarship Award & $5,000 KODAK Motion Picture Product Grant. To qualify for this award, a minimum of 50 percent of the submission was required to be shot on film. Alfonso Herrera Salcedo, a student at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, was selected for his film Lefty/Righty, shot on 16mm film, about a divorced cowboy who tries to connect with his six-year-old daughter at the sickbed of the family patriarch.

• First Place — $3,000 Tuition Scholarship Award & $5,000 KODAK Motion Picture Product Grant. Lucus Williams, a student at San Diego State University, was chosen for his picture, Sense of an Ending, a story about Thomas, an elderly man who, in an effort to understand his wife’s decisions, moves through the events of their life together.

• KODAK Vision Award, Honorable Mention — $1,000 Tuition Scholarship Award & $500 KODAK Motion Picture Product Grant. Alejandro Chavez Perez, from Centro de Capacitacion Cinematograficia, A.C., received an honorable mention for the film Encarnación (Incarnation), shot on 35mm film. After massacring the people of the town of Encarnación, a group of undercover soldiers return to destroy the evidence. Soldier Ezequiel Gallardo drifts away from his platoon and ends up in the town alone, face to face with his own demons.

KODAK Student Scholarship Awards:

• Gold Award — $5,000 Tuition Scholarship Award & $5,000 KODAK Motion Picture Product Grant. Saim Sadiq from Columbia University received this award for the picture, Nice Talking to You, which tells the story of how two strangers form a silent bond in the world's loudest city. At an American Sign Language party, a Lebanese girl on her last day in the city, meets a NYC photographer. What sparks is an unlikely romance until the spell is broken by words.

• Silver Award — $3,000 Tuition Scholarship Award & $3,000 KODAK Motion Picture Product Grant. Federico Spiazzi from Columbia University received this award for the picture Refuge, a story about a crossroads in Athens, where people of different nationalities, including locals, refugees and tourists come together. Only for a moment.

• Bronze Award — $2,000 Tuition Scholarship Award & $3,000 KODAK Motion Picture Product Grant. Benjamin Buxton from Northwestern University received this award for the picture, “on the rink”. The Rink in Southside Chicago has been the home to a vibrant community of roller skating enthusiasts for over 40 years. This portrait of the skaters who make up a unique Chicago staple exhibits the energy of a day on the rink