News Release

Local angles: Enfield, Conn.; Hartford, Conn.

UNC communication studies graduate
wins a student Oscar for narrative film

CHAPEL HILL – Sean Overbeeke, who graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005, now shares something in common with Hollywood filmmakers Spike Lee and Robert Zemeckis: a student Oscar.

Overbeeke won a first-place gold medal in the 33rd annual Student Academy Awards, which recognize the country’s most promising young filmmakers and are sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Thirteen students were recognized for their short films at an awards ceremony Saturday (June 10) at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Beverly Hills. Lee and Zemeckis are among the previous student award winners who went on to noteworthy careers in the movie industry.

Overbeeke, who grew up in Enfield, Conn., and now lives in Chapel Hill, was one of the first graduates of the writing for the screen and stage program offered through the communication studies, dramatic art and English departments in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences. His film, “Christmas Wish List,” competed in the narrative category. Gold, silver and bronze winners received cash prizes of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000, respectively.

“Christmas Wish List” revolves around a fast-talking New York lawyer who finds himself alone on Christmas Eve in a small college town. After the lawyer refuses to help a homeless man, a young resident doctor decides to show him the true meaning of the Christmas spirit.

This student Oscar continues Overbeeke’s winning streak. The film took second place last October in the Angelus Student Film Festival, one of the top student film festivals in the country. It was also shown at the Sundance Film Festival.

Overbeeke was the first winner of UNC's Saint-Hayden Media Award, established last summer by actress Eva Marie Saint and her husband, 1946 UNC alumnus Jeffrey Hayden with Interactive Media Producer Sandy Wetmore, a 1967 Carolina graduate, and Fox Senior Vice President Evans Wetmore. The award is given to a student filmmaker whose work exemplifies positive aspects of the human spirit.

For more information on the Student Academy Awards, visit http://www.oscars.org/saa.

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Note: Overbeeke can be reached at (919) 619-6658.

UNC College of Arts and Sciences contact: Dee Reid (919) 843-6339, deereid@unc.edu
News Services contact: Karen Moon, (919) 962-8595, karen_moon@unc.edu