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Film und Medien Stiftung NRWNewsPressFilmstiftung-backed graduation film „Ayny“ wins Student Academy Award for Best Foreign Animation

Filmstiftung-backed graduation film „Ayny“ wins Student Academy Award for Best Foreign Animation

The German-Jordanian co-production „Ayny – My Second Eye“ by Ahmad Saleh is to receive the Student Oscar’s Gold Medal in the newly created „Best Foreign Animation“ category. Winning the Student Oscar means that „Ayny“ is also now in the selection process for the regular animation Oscar for 2017.

„Congratulations to Ahmad Saleh, his whole team and, above all, to Cologne’s Academy of Media Arts (KHM) on the international distinction for this committed and highly topical project“, says Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. „The Student Oscar shows that NRW has an immensely exciting scene of young film and media makers who are convincing through creativity as well as excellent craftsmanship.“

„Ayny“ is Saleh’s graduation film at the KHM. It was supported with 18,000 Euros by the graduation film funding programme of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. Saleh uses puppet stop animation to process his experiences in Askar, one of the oldest refugee camps in the Palestinian autonomous region. Whilst he was there, he joined with others to save two little boys who had been seriously injured as they gathered scrap metal.

About the film: Two eight-year-old boys move to a new town to fulfil their dream of playing music. They fall in love with a wonderful musical instrument and try everything they can to earn enough money to be able to buy it. The boys soon understand that their new town lives from music. It protects them and helps them get ever nearer to their dream. Yet, when they eventually make their dream come true, they are faced with an even greater task which will determine the rest of their lives.

The Student Oscar has already been awarded on two previous occasions to works by students from the KHM. Raymond Boy received the Student Oscar in 1997 for „An Ordinary Mission“ („Ein einfacher Auftrag“) and was followed by Reto Caffi in 2008 with „On The Line“ („Auf der Strecke“). In 2012, Elmar Imanov, a graduation of Cologne’s ifs international filmschule, won the Student Oscar for „The Swing of the Coffin Maker“ („Die Schaukel des Sargmachers“).

Another two Student Oscars are going to graduates of German film schools this year. Awards will be presented to Axel Schaad (University of Television & Film Munich) for „Invention of Trust“ and Felix Ahrens (Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf) for „Where The Woods End“ („Am Ende der Wald“). The awards ceremony is being held in Los Angeles on 22 September.

For further information: Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Erna Kiefer, Tel.: 0211-93050-22, ernakiefer@filmstiftung.de