Actor Edward James Olmos raised a glass high to Columbia College film student, Sean J.S. Jourdan, Thursday night when Jordan’s short, “An Open Door,” was the recipient of a CINE Golden Eagle Award of Excellence for Best Student Film in 2008.
The Oscar-nominated actor/director Olmos attended the ceremony in Washington D.C. to collect his CINE Lifetime Achievement Award.
“The award is clearly given with the intention of giving the student filmmaker the opportunity to make another film,” said Jourdan, “plus I got to meet Edward James Olmos, a fellow Hispanic filmmaker.”
“Door’s” story line, a heart-wrenching journey of a young couple coming to terms with the death of their child, came to Jourdan during an exercise in one of his first film classes at Washington University in St. Louis.
His professor had assigned each student an article to refer to for inspiration from the “National Enquirer.”
He shot the 21-minute film in Oak Park on 24p mini-DV. “But my DP, gaffer and crew did such an excellent job, everyone thinks we shot it on film,” Jourdan said.
The photography was completed in late 2004, but post wasn’t completes until June 2006. “It always takes longer than you think it’s going to.”
“Door” premiered in October 2006 at the Chicago International Film Festival and continued on to 30 other festivals, out of which it won seven awards for Best Student Short.
Perhaps the most inventive honor was a ride aboard the bus that toured the U.S. last year in the Student Films Across America film fest; it had been chosen with the distinction of representing Chicago.
“An Open Door” is one of the top 10 finalists in MTVU’s Best Filmmaker on Campus competition. Votes can be cast through April 28 at
