Film Critics Honor Columbia College, Student and Alumni Filmmakers

February 11, 2013

Columbia College Chicago took center stage as the Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) celebrated its 24th annual awards Feb. 8-9.

The CFCA honored Columbia College with this year’s Big Shoulders Award, presented annually to an institution that provides outstanding support for the arts. This is the first time the award has been presented to a college or university, according to Sharee Pemberton, executive producer of the CFCA awards show. Past recipients have included the Chicago Independent Film Festival and The Second City.

Columbia College also partnered with CFCA for the inaugural Emerging Film Makers Award presentation. From a submission of 47 student short films, with 11 finalists screened to the public on Feb. 8, Mike Wytrykus (BA ’12, Film) won for his animated film "Play Date," a short completed in 2012 as a student project at Columbia College. The student short was produced by Ray Avid Lebon (BA ’12, Film) with music by Joshua Rutkowski (BA ’12, Music). The honor also included a $5,000 prize sponsored by Perillo BMW.

Also during the awards ceremony at Muvico Theaters, filmmakers and Columbia College alumni George Tillman (BA '91) and Bob Teitel (BA '90) were lauded with the Commitment to Chicago Award for the films they made in the Windy City including the "Barbershop" and "Beauty Shop" films and "Soul Food." They also produced and directed "Men of Honor" starring Robert DeNiro and Cuba Gooding, Jr. Additionally, Columbia College alumna Nadine Velazquez (BA '01) of "Flight" was on hand to make presentations.

More details on the awards ceremony are available here. Information on the Chicago Film Critics Association can be found at www.chicagofilmcritics.org.

Photo: From left; Ron Fleischer (executive producer/course instructor), honoree Jane Lynch, Mike Wytrykus (director), Dante Tuminello (sequence director), Trevor McCandless (sequence director), Ray Avid Lebon (producer). They are flanked by the film's "stars" Jack and Jill. (Credit: Ronald Tuminello)