Seventeen Sheridan alumni take Canadian Screen Awards

An impressive 17 Sheridan alumni were recognized at the Canadian Screen Awards last week.

Grads won across 11 categories, with Michael Fukushima (Animation ’85) winning in two categories: Best Animated Short for Animal Behaviour, and Best Virtual Reality Game for Museum of Symmetry.

The CSAs celebrate Canadian productions and talent in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes in film, television and digital media. Since the CSAs were first introduced in 2013, more than 160 alumni have been nominated.

This year’s winners are:

• Leisha-Marie Riddell (Bachelor of Animation ’10), Nathan Langdan (Illustration ’12) and Alex Gordon (Animation ’00) for Best Cross-Platform Project — Children’s and Youth for Dino Dana Digital.
• Toni Stevens (Media Arts ’85) for Best Animated Program or Series for her work on PAW Patrol.
• Michael Fukushima (Animation ’85) took home the award for Best Animated Short for Animal Behaviour.
• Connor Illsley (Media Arts ’14) and Jon Riera (Media Arts ’13) won Best Direction, Web Program or Series for their work on Deerbrook.
• In the category of Best Original Interactive Production, Pablo Vio (Interactive Multimedia ’03) won for Nuclear Dissent.
• David Yenovkian (Media Arts ’03) and Gloria S. Tong (Media Arts ’04), Best Picture Editing, Reality/Competition for The Amazing Race Canada – Just a Beaver Hero.
• Best Sound, Animation, went to Media Arts alumni Tim Muirhead (’98), Kyle Peters (’08), Patton Rodrigues (’12) and Ryan Ongaro (’12) for PAW Patrol.
• Ian Rankin (Media Arts '92) won in the Best Sound, Fiction category for Vikings – Moments of Vision.
• Roy Janke (Media Arts ’91), Best Sports Program or Series, Reborn – Basketball & Reconciliation in Rwanda.
• In the category of Best Virtual Reality Game, Paloma Dawkins (Art Fundamentals ’10) and Michael Fukushima (Animation ’85) won for Museum of Symmetry.

“The contributions Sheridan’s grads are making to Canadian media are indelible,” says Ronni Rosenberg, Dean of Sheridan’s Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design. “We’re incredibly proud of all of our alumni who won Canadian Screen Awards this year. Their accomplishments help showcase the same breadth of talent and potential we see in our students every day.”

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television presented the CSAs last week during a series of events that culminated in a gala held on March 31 in Toronto. Sheridan alumni were nominated for their work in television, film and digital media.