Sheridan Research Centre Director lands Oscar nomination

David Oppenheim, Director of Sheridan’s Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT), is in the race for an Oscar at this year’s 96th Academy Awards.

To Kill a Tiger, directed by Nisha Pahuja and produced by Pahuja, Cornelia Principe and David Oppenheim, is among the five nominees for Best Documentary Feature. The nomination is the latest honour for To Kill a Tiger, which to date has received over 20 Canadian and international awards including three Canadian Screen Awards as well as the Amplify Voices Award for Best Canadian Feature Film and Canada’s Top Ten at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

“It is a privilege to be part of the To Kill a Tiger creative team recognized with an Academy Award nomination,” said David Oppenheim, currently on leave from his role as Director at SIRT. “I am honoured that our film is resonating with people across Canada and the world, as it is our hope and intent that this film will generate conversations and advance the fight for gender equality.”

To Kill A Tiger was produced by Oppenheim while serving as producer and creative producer with the National Film Board of Canada. His nomination speaks to the quality of Sheridan’s internationally recognized faculty and staff, who bring a breadth of experience and deep industry connections to the table. They continue to equip students for current and future workforce needs while providing innovation supports to partners. In Oppenheim’s case, he brings more than 20 years of leadership, creative and production experience in film, television and interactive media to SIRT, an integral part of Generator at Sheridan and one of Canada’s leading applied research and innovation centres located at Pinewood Toronto Studios.

“We’re thrilled that David is receiving this global recognition,” said Andrea England, Vice Provost of Research at Sheridan. “His nomination is a testament to the expertise and excellence of the staff and faculty that Sheridan is able to attract based on our reputation as global leaders in both curriculum and innovation in film, television, animation, gaming and interactive media.”

Oppenheim’s nomination builds on Sheridan’s long legacy of training artists and innovators in the arts. Seven Sheridan-trained animators have won Oscars, including Turning Red Director Domee Shi (Bachelor of Animation ’11), and former Pixar animator Alan Barillaro (Animation ’96). This year, Sheridan graduates worked on three of the five films nominated for Best Animated Feature: Nimona, Elemental, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse.

The Academy Awards winners will be announced on March 10 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

About Generator at Sheridan

Generator at Sheridan is where purpose and passion unite the extraordinary research, innovation and entrepreneurship undertaken by Sheridan’s faculty, staff and students, working across disciplines and sectors, to drive meaningful impact for an everchanging world. For more information, visit sheridancollege.ca/generator.