The 82nd Annual Academy Awards were held on March 7, and we were pleased to see that 20 Full Sail graduates had worked on seven of this year’s Oscar®-winning films, including Best Picture winner, The Hurt Locker.

2006 Recording Arts graduate Judah Getz was an ADR Mixer in the war drama’s sound department, work that was recognized when the film also won the evening’s two major audio awards – Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. The Hurt Locker received a total of nine nominations, and walked away with six wins, which also included statues for Directing, Film Editing, and Writing (Original Screenplay).

Other award-winning films featuring the work of Full Sail graduates included The Blind Side (Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role), Inglorious Basterds (Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role), Up (Best Animated Feature Film), and Avatar, which was the evening’s second biggest winner, taking home honors for Art Direction, Cinematography, and Visual Effects.

James Cameron’s sci-fi blockbuster featured nine Full Sail alumni working in different capacities, including seven from our Computer Animation program who contributed to the film’s award-winning effects. These grads include Devin Fairbairn, Malcolm Thomas Gustave, Joe Harkins, Ronnie Menahem, Phil Rosado, Jason Stellwag, and Jeff Unay.

In addition to the 20 grads who worked on this year’s winners, there were a total of 53 Full Sail alumni credited on 22 Oscar-nominated films, and our staff would like to congratulate each of the artists who contributed their talent to the industry’s most recognized projects of the past year.

“It is with great pride that we continue to offer our students a curriculum based on real-world experiences while providing them with the foundation to succeed in the industry,” said Rick Ramsey, Full Sail University Program Director of Film. “Each year, the Full Sail family is honored to celebrate the passion, talent, and success of our graduates during the Academy Awards, as we look forward to their continued achievements in the future.”