PLAY DATE wins $5000

From left; Ron Fleischer (Executive Producer/F&V faculty), honoree Jane Lynch, Mike Wytyrkus (Director), Dante Tuminello (Sequence Director), Trevor McCandless (Sequence Director), Ray Avid Lebon (Producer) and flanked by the film's "stars" Jack and Jill

The animated film, Play Date, produced by Ray Avid Lebon (BA ’12), directed by Mike Wytrykus (BA ’12), with music by Joshua Rutkowski (BA ’12) was created and completed in Ron Fleischer’s Animation Production Studio class during the 2011/2012 academic year. The short won the grand prize of $5000 at the inaugural Emerging Filmmakers Award presented by the Chicago Film Critics Association on Saturday, February 9, 2013 at the CFCA Awards Show.

Columbia College partnered with the Chicago Film Critics Association for the inaugural Emerging Filmmakers Award sponsored by Perillo BMW. There were 47 Film & Video department student short films submitted. The critics picked 11 finalist films that screened to the public on Friday, February 8 at Muvico in Rosemont, IL.