The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that presents the Oscars, announced the winners of the Student Academy Awards recently.
An Israeli film, Butcher’s Stain by Meyer Levinson-Blount, who studies film at the Steve Tisch School of Film and Television at Tel Aviv University, was one of three movies to receive an Oscar in the narrative category.
Butcher’s Stain is about Samir (Omar Sameer Mahamid), an Arab Israeli working in a supermarket in Tel Aviv who is accused of tearing down hostage posters in the break room. Samir sets out to prove his innocence to keep this job that he desperately needs.
The awards are presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and 15 student films from around the world were selected as semifinalists in each of four categories: alternative/experimental, animated, narrative, and documentary.
Gold, silver, and bronze placements in the four award categories will be announced at the award ceremony on October 6 in New York.
In addition, winners will have a full weekend of education programming, networking opportunities, and access to Academy members to support their career advancement. Previous winners include well-known filmmakers Spike Lee and Robert Zemeckis.
Student films eligible to be considered for Academy Award nominations
The winning student films are eligible to be considered for an Academy Award nomination in the appropriate categories.
A second Israeli film, Omri Koren’s short documentary about Alon Shamriz, one of three hostages killed by friendly fire after months in Hamas captivity, Alon, My Brother the Hero, was a semi-finalist in the documentary category this year.