PHILADELPHIA (March 3, 2009) – Media Arts students and recent alumni from The University of the Arts dominated the recently announced nominations in the fourth annual Greater Philadelphia Student Film Festival, garnering 14 of a possible 23 nods in five categories. University students and alumni claimed all five nominations in the Animation and Experimental categories. A record number of films – more than 130 – were submitted for consideration.

“This year's overall pool of submissions was the strongest ever,” said festival co-director Yanik Ruiz-Ramon. ”There were some tough choices we had to make and in some cases we expanded the categories in order to include more nominees. There is no exact science to choosing the films and many strong contenders that were not nominated could easily have qualified.”

Twice nominated, 2008 graduate Nick Murphy earned a spot in the finals in the Drama category for “The Bridge” and in the Documentary category for “Il Vino;” and senior Rusty Eveland earned nominations in the Animation category for "Wiff" and the Experimental category for "Another Bad Idea."

In the animation category, 2008 graduates Zach Decktor (“3 Minus 1 to Tango”), Sean Depew (“Action Movie Hero Boy”), Larisa Lazdins (“Kukulitis”) and Julie Pisano (“Ready or Not”) earned the balance of the category’s five nominations. In the Experimental category, 2008 graduates Jason Chen (“Subconscious”), Scott Gelber (“They Used to Have 4 Eyes but Now He Only Has One”) and Anthony Angelicola (“Cubicle”) and junior Daniel Alfaro (“Moving Reality”) earned nominations.

Caitlin Cullen, a 2008 graduate, earned a nomination in the Comedy category for her “The Dark Adventures of Captain Emo” and senior Kimberly Bunce earned a nomination in the Drama category with (“El Domingo Dorado”).

Tickets for the award ceremony, to be held at the University’s Levitt Auditorium on March 27 from 7 – 11 p.m., are available online for $10 and include three hours of film, free Qdoba Mexican food and Honest Tea, and live music by DJ Foxx Boogie.

Founded in 2006, the GPSFF unites the Philadelphia student film community in a forum to celebrate the films they have written, produced or directed. The festival fills a unique niche: while local student film festivals abound, none recognize the city of Philadelphia as the common denominator between them. GPSFF facilitates the growth of student film by promoting their work to the general public and providing tools via the Web site GPSFF Connect for filmmakers to find crew and actors. GPSFF seeks to forge lasting connections between the city and its brightest up-and-coming talent as an investment in the future of Philadelphia filmmaking.

The University of the Arts is the nation’s first and only university dedicated to the visual, performing and communication arts. Its 2,300 students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs on its campus in the heart of Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. The institution’s roots as a leader in educating creative individuals date back to 1868.

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