On Campus News

(Sarasota, FL) -- Ringling College of Art and Design today announced that acclaimed writer and director Whit Stillman will conduct the Ringling College Digital Filmmaking Studio Lab on February 21st and 22nd.

Whit Stillman has written, directed, and produced four films. His first, Metropolitan, received an Oscar nomination for Best Writing. It was well-received at the Cannes film festival and at Sundance where it was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize. The film won several awards including the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best New Director.

He followed with the award-winning films, Barcelona and The Last Days of Disco, which he later turned into a novel, The Last Days of Disco, with Cocktails at Petrossian Afterward. Stillman graduated from Harvard where he was an editor of the Harvard Crimson. After stints in book publishing and journalism, he worked in the Spanish film industry, appearing in Fernando Colomo’s Skyline and Fernando Trueba’s Sal Gorda. He has two university age daughters and for the past decade has lived in Paris and Madrid.

His newest film is ‘Damsels in Distress’, distributed by Sony Picture Classics. The Ringling College Digital Filmmaking Studio Lab will be holding an advanced screening with Q & A following of ‘Damsels in Distress’ for Ringling College Digital Filmmaking Studio Lab students, supporters and the media at the Sarasota Film Society’s Burns Court Cinema on February 21st from 3:30 PM to 6:45 PM. Media interested in attending the screening must complete and submit the editorial embargo form following the end of this release in advance of the event.

“Mr. Stillman's films have captured the rise and fall of societal trends and captured eloquently the culture and characters existing within,” said Ringling College president Dr. Larry R. Thompson. “His facility with story and ability to develop the depth of his characters is integral to the foundation of exceptional filmmaking, and our students will benefit greatly from having an opportunity to learn from him.”

Mr. Stillman will be working with, and conducting a master class for, Ringling College Digital Film students on Tuesday, February 22nd.

“We are privileged and honored that Whit has elected to preview ‘Damsels in Distress‘ for us, and we look forward to his insight into the creative process – from original idea to writing and character development to casting and directing the film – to fulfill his creative vision,” said Sam Logan, cofounder of Future of Films LLC. “From Elijah Wood to Eddie Burns to Anna Paquin to Whit Stillman, we are bringing in top-tier talent to build the creative base of our community and elevate Ringling College and Sarasota to the brightest new filmmaking nexus in North America.”

“Accompanying Whit will be Tom Paul, Whit’s re-recording sound mixer on ‘Damsels in Distress’, who is also designing Ringling’s professional film and television post-production facility,” said David Shapiro, co-founder of Future of Films LLC. “Tom’s expertise, professional credits and contacts are integral to building out a facility that appeals to the pros and attracts the talent and film and television post-production work that will provide viable economic benefit and invaluable film student real-world work experience.”

The Ringling College film program – now in its fifth year – is ranked as one of the top 25 film schools in the world by The Hollywood Reporter. Since its inception in 2010, the Digital Filmmaking Studio Lab has hosted film and media luminaries including Elijah Wood, James Woods, Edward Burns, Werner Herzog, Bill Paxton, Martha Stewart, Andy Garcia, Paul Schiff, Oren Moverman, Ben Foster and Ed Carroll.





Resources:

www.Ringling.edu