Longhorns and the 2015 Academy Awards

The 2015 Academy Award nominations are in, with an impressive number of Oscar nods going to Texas-grown filmmakers. Contributing to many of this year's nominated productions are the talents of RTF and UT alumni:

  • Austin Film Society co-founder Richard Linklater's BOYHOOD received six nominations, including Best Picture. BOYHOOD’s producer is RTF alum, Cathleen Sutherland (BS '04), and Moody College alumna Kirsten McMurray is a Co-Producer. Nominated for Best Editing is former RTF lecturer, Sandra Adair. RTF lecturer Christopher Roldan was an Assistant Editor. BOYHOOD has already won the Best Picture Award, Drama at this year’s Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards competitions.
     
  • THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL has been nominated for nine awards. Writer/director (and Best Director nominee) Wes Anderson is a UT alum, with a B.A. in philosophy. The film also picked up Best Picture for a Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes.
     
  • Sony Pictures Classics racked up 18 nominations, including Best Picture for WHIPLASH and Best Foreign Language film for LEVIATHAN (Golden Globe winner). Moody College alum Michael Barker is the co-founder of Sony Pictures Classics.
     
  • VP of National Publicity for Fox Searchlight, Barry Dale Johnson (BS '00) helped spearhead the Oscar campaign for Best Picture nominees, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL and BIRDMAN (both of which tied for the most nominations, nine) and for WILD, which picked up two nominations.
     
  • Working with the “American Experience” team, Sara Giustini (BS '03) is the project manager for LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM, nominated for Best Documentary. Giustini has been guiding the theatrical rollout, outreach, audience engagement, and Oscar campaign.
     
  • WME Global agent Deborah McIntosh (BS '07) helped broker the original sale of WHIPLASH, up for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Elana Wakeman
Communications & Programs Coordinator