Winners Of 2021 Student Academy Awards Announced

The Academy has unveiled the 17 winners of this year’s Student Academy Awards, four of which are animated shorts.

Of the four winning schools, one, Cleveland Institute of Art, is a first-time honoree. The other three — Calarts, Ringling College of Art & Design, and France’s MoPA — are regular winners. This is the sixth year running in which a Ringling student takes home an award in an animation category.

The four films are hereby able to qualify for the Oscars. For a student film, winning one of these statuettes is the only way to qualify without winning a designated festival award.

There were 1,404 submissions to this year’s awards. The winners are judged by Academy members who opt in to vote.

Here’s the list of animation winners, plus official synopses and trailers/complete films:

Domestic Film Schools

Gold: Unforgotten — Sujin Kim, California Institute of the Arts

Unforgotten conveys the lifelong after-effects and painful memories of Korean women who suffered as forced “comfort women” in “comfort stations” by Imperial Japanese military during World War II.

Silver: Barking Orders — Alexander Tullo, Ringling College of Art & Design

When the entire British royal family tragically dies, the Queen’s corgi finds himself next in line for the throne and in the seat of power.

Bronze: Slumber with Snakes — Teagan Barrone, Cleveland Institute of Art

In 1921, an eleven-year-old African American boy was separated from his best friend while chased by a fuming, racist mob. Finding a cave, he was not put in danger by the mob but by the rattlesnakes that loom inside.

International Film Schools

Gold: Les Chaussures de Louis — Théo Jamin, Kayu Leung, Marion Philippe, MoPA (France)

Louis, an eight-and-a-half year old autistic kid, arrives in his new school and he is about to introduce himself.