Eight SAE students from Sydney and Byron Bay campuses have been honoured at the 19th annual SAE International Awards, winning in four categories.
Noah Malin from Byron Bay won Best Film or TV Project by a student for Chasing the Breeze, his visually-arresting short documentary on kitesurfing.
Trinket by fellow Byron students Jarmila Sustrova, Crystal Wilkes and Alisha Doherty-Hough also won in two categories. The project was a conceptual game trailer following the titular character’s adventures on the back of an ancient huntsman spider. Jarmila and Crystal took out the Best Audio Project (Non-Music) category for students and Alisha won the Best VFX or 3D Production category for alumni.
Meanwhile, Sydney students Pranav Patil, Tommy Myihtoi, Albert Luong and Jesse Carturan won in the student Best VFX or 3D Project category for Project Pizzadou.
The awards recognise the best alumni and student work from SAE’s 48 campuses around the world. Winners received an SAE International Awards crystal trophy alongside the honour of being celebrated by a distinguished global network of creatives.
The official ceremony was held in Frankfurt, Germany on October 23, with the Youtube film of the night uploaded on October 30.
Watch it below:
The Sydney students and Noah watched the event from home, with the Project Pizzadou team appearing via audiovisual link to accept their award.
Jarmila, Crystal and Alisha travelled to Frankfurt, Germany for the big evening.
“It’s truly amazing and an incredible honour to be recognised for both the animation and audio aspects of Trinket in two distinct categories,” Crystal said, speaking on behalf of the Trinket team.
“Initially, we thought it might be impossible for all of us to travel over to Germany together on short notice. However, the SAE community at the Byron Bay campus were incredibly supportive and encouraging of us to attend.
“We really wanted to go together because we felt it was a great opportunity to connect with other creatives, students, and SAE staff there. Possibly providing valuable insights into the global creative media industry we aspire to join.”
Pranav, speaking on behalf of the Project Pizzadou team, said the team were thrilled to win the category for the project, which is a 3D animated LEGO-style advertisement for a ninja-themed pizza restaurant chain.
“We are extremely excited and overwhelmed that we have received such a big award,” he said.
“I am extremely proud of our team and the work we have made for this project.”
Pranav said he thought the project’s attention to detail was what made it stand out and ultimately win the award.
- Pranav Patil, SAE Sydney Student
Noah said making his documentary was challenging but rewarding.
“Winning an international award feels incredible, and I’m so grateful to everyone who helped me along the way,” he said.
“It’s projects like these where you learn the most and really grow as a filmmaker.”
SAE Acting General Manager Radovan Klusacek said it was inspiring to see Australian students so well-represented at the international awards.
“The awards recognise the best alumni and student projects from across the world, and having our students win in four categories this year is confirmation of the talent, diversity and opportunities we have at our Australian campuses,” he said.
“These awards have established themselves as a springboard to help students make it in the industry, so this is a huge achievement and opportunity for these students.”
Check out the winning entries below:
