MEDIA RELEASE

CSUN Film Students Receive Student Emmy Nomination

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Feb. 26, 2008) — As the drum roll sounds off the announcement for winner in the category of documentary, the anticipation for Emmy nominees builds. Only a select few get the chance to experience the sensation of a nomination.

Kate Ryan and Cristina Ramirez-Mares, 2007 graduates of Cal State Northridge, will experience that and more having been selected as finalists in the documentary category of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences College Television Awards. Informally known as the "Student Emmys," the award is a national competition that recognizes excellence in college student productions.

"We are thrilled that our entry has won a College Television Award," said Ryan and Ramirez-Mares. "While we won’t know what ranking our project will place until the night of the gala, we couldn’t be happier that our film ranks among the top in the nation."

The film, "Point of View: A Dogumentary," captures the attempt of five strangers to find common ground in a seemingly universal symbol—dogs. What seems like an easy task proves to be difficult with issues of economical and cultural differences arising as the film develops.

Ryan was a film student at CSUN when she conceptualized and directed the documentary for a senior film project. Working alongside producer Ramirez-Mares, the film was debuted at the Senior Film Showcase at the Academy in May of 2007.

"While I was in high school, I met a woman who had won a Student Emmy. I remember thinking, ‘Wow! What a huge achievement,’ " said Ryan. "Here I am, years later, nominated for my own student project. To look back on that and realize how far I have come is very exciting."

Ryan’s ingenuity and unique idea for a documentary does not come as a surprise to Nate Thomas, a cinema and television arts professor at CSUN.

"Kate’s achievement is a first for our department and we are very proud," he said. "I always tell my students that a good film does not need to cost much, it just needs to be clever. That’s exactly what her film is."

Winners will be announced at the College Television Awards Gala on March 15. Tom Bergeron, from "Dancing with the Stars," will host the event.

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