School of Visual Arts Launches '23 on 23' Today, 5/6

Department at the School of Visual Arts (SVA), announce the 23^rd Annual Dusty Film and Animation Festival, or "23 on 23," will be held in New York City today, May 6 through Wednesday, May 9, 2012. The four-day event will showcase more than 100 films and animations from students graduating this spring, as well as celebrate 23^rd Street as a home for the college and the theater. 

Annie Flocco, producer/filmmaker and SVA faculty member, will produce the event; Meredith Engstrom will co-produce. This year's headlining sponsors are: AbelCine; Act Zero Films; Adorama Rental Company; AJA Video Systems;  Animation Magazine; Avid Technology, Inc.; Blue Sky Studios; Bryan Singer; CAVA – SVA Computer Store; Eastman Kodak Company; Emmett/Furla Films; Feature Systems/Kits and Expendables; Foto Care; Future Media Concepts; Gotham Sound & Communications, Inc.; Machinima, Inc.; National Board of Review; New York Women in Film & Television; Nice Shoes; Rota6; Scheimpflug; and SCS Agency, Inc. One hundred percent of the sponsors' donations will benefit thesis students in the form of grants and in-kind gifts.

The festival kicks off with three days of film and animation screenings, and concludes with an awards ceremony on May 9. Thirteen awards-including Outstanding Film and Achievement in Directing, Outstanding Documentary, Outstanding Traditional and Stop Motion Animation, and the New York Women in Film and Television Award-are given to students in recognition for outstanding thesis work. All festival screenings and the awards ceremony are free to the general public and will take place at SVA's state-of-the-art theater, located at 333 West 23^rd Street, NYC. The final list of presenters and special guests will be made public at a later date, and an outdoor screening in June, which will highlight many of the winning films, is in the works.