M.S. Documentary Alums Gabriella Canal and Michael Fearon Win 2022 Student Academy Award for "Seasons"

Congratulations to Gabriella Canal and Michael Fearon, 2021 graduates of Columbia Journalism School's Master of Science Program, Documentary Specialization, who have been awarded a 2022 Student Academy Award for their master's project documentary Seasons, which was published by The New Yorker.  Canal and Fearon will be honored at the 49th Student Academy Awards presentation on Thursday, October 20, at the David Geffen Theater in Los Angeles.  This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Student Academy Awards competition received a total of 1,796 entries from 614 colleges and universities around the world.  

Seasons tells the story of Nevia No, a classically trained performer who runs Bodhitree Farm in Pemberton, New Jersey. Nevia struggles to maintain equilibrium on the farm and provide for her farmhands, mother and adult daughter, Euni. Euni is ambivalent about farming, but during the pandemic, she returns back home to help her mother. Nevia dreams that a season of farming will persuade her daughter to take over the family business, but Euni may have dreams of her own.

You can watch Seasons on The New Yorker website by clicking the image below:

The students selected for Columbia Journalism School's Master of Science Documentary Specialization are trained to be independent film producers and directors. Under the direction of Professor June Cross and a distinguished group of long form storytellers, they undertake courses in journalism production, visual storytelling, camerawork, editing; and receive one-on-one coaching from a faculty advisor. Students also learn the business side of documentaries - negotiating partnerships, rights and clearances, and how to develop a winning production trailer. Their master's project, the capstone of their studies at Columbia, is a short documentary expected to be of professional quality. The completed films are shown at Columbia Journalism School's annual Doc Fest, which is open to the public.

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