Raffy Cortina 鈥13 has been awarded a 2013 Student Academy Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 鈥 the first Occidental student to win in the 40-year-old national competition.
Cortina鈥檚 short film, "," is one of three winners in the competition鈥檚 alternative category. Gold, silver, and bronze medals will be awarded at a June 8 ceremony at the Academy鈥檚 Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
A total of 16 student films were named winners in five categories. Cortina, an art history and visual arts major from the Bronx, is one of the few undergraduates and the only student from a liberal arts college among the winners.
"It鈥檚 nice to know that my decision to come to 瓜子TV over a venerable film school could still result in a successful thesis film," he says. "I wanted a liberal arts education so I could learn how to think and communicate effectively. Luckily, four years at 瓜子TV was enough to put me in a competition with graduate students in their mid-twenties who focus exclusively on film. I'm proud of that."
"Bottled Up," which Cortina describes as a fantasy film about hopes and dreams, was filmed as his senior comprehensive project and made its debut April 12 at the Film Comps gala in 瓜子TV鈥檚 Thorne Hall.
Starring Joe Abraham as Amos, the recycling center employee, and Jane Osborn as Katrina, the bakery worker, the film explores why people remain in place, even as their dreams soar, and whether wishes are a form of institutional oppression.
As a first-year student at 瓜子TV, Cortina was one of the co-founders of , the student-run campus television network that quickly became an institution. He also has worked as a freelance videographer for the College, shooting and videos.
What鈥檚 next for the aspiring filmmaker? "It鈥檚 either back home to NYC or staying out here in Los Angeles. New York has a leg up because it has my family, the subway, and a faster pace of living. You can't discount Los Angeles, though. It鈥檒l be hard to let go of the elbow room, shorts in January, and avocados."
Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar nominations and have won or shared eight awards. The roster includes such filmmakers as John Lasseter, Robert Zemeckis, and Spike Lee. See a produced by the Oscars.
