NEWS

Hooray for Tallywood: FSU Film School basks in Oscar win

Mark Hinson
Democrat senior writer

Late Sunday night, Florida State School of Film student Carolina Garrigo, 23, was at an Oscars party being thrown on a sound stage at the college, when Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty made the big announcement. The musical “La La Land” had won the Oscar for Best Picture.

The foyer of FSU's College of Motion Picture Arts honors Oscar winners associated with the school.

“We had left the room,” Garrigo said early Monday afternoon. “My friends and I were in the hall saying, ‘That’s cool, go ‘La La Land.’”

Suddenly, the sound stage — filled with nearly 100 revelers — erupted into cheers and applause when it was announced that Dunaway had made what was perhaps the biggest flub in the Academy's storied history. “Moonlight,” which was directed by FSU alum Barry Jenkins and made with several of his FSU Film School colleagues, was the actual winner for Best Picture.

Faye Dunaway, left, and Warren Beatty present the award for best picture - eventually.

“It was a euphoric moment,” Garrigo said. “We had faculty standing on their chairs and screaming. It was really happening. We couldn’t believe it.”

“I was screaming, it was crazy,” FSU Film School interim dean Reb Braddock said on Monday. “For a minute there, I was thinking, ‘Well, what am I going to say nice about ‘La La Land'? And then the gaffe happened. It was amazing.”

Out in Hollywood, Jenkins was rattled, too.

“Even in my dreams this could not be true, but to hell with dreams, I’m done with it because this is true,” a slightly dazed Jenkins said when he stepped up to the microphone after the botched announcement. “Oh my goodness.”

Braddock said he was thrilled for Jenkins.

“He’s just a very humble, unassuming guy,” Braddock said. “He’s exactly the kind of student that we love. He’s from Liberty City, came here to get the opportunity to make movies and he’s just talented.”

“Barry was such a memorable student,” novelist and Florida State creative writing professor Elizabeth Stuckey-French said. “He was one of those rare undergraduates who already trusted his own vision and had dedicated himself to capturing it in his writing. He was quietly determined, noticed everything, showed me draft after draft, and worked harder than anyone else. And he's such a kind, thoughtful and humble person. He so deserves this award and I'm so thrilled for him. And I can't wait to see what he does next.”

The big Oscar win for Best Picture is also a bonus for the FSU Film School.

“It shines a light on what we do,” Braddock said. “We take smart kids from from diverse groups, put them together and learn how to work together professionally, that’s a really big thing.”

Jenkins is returning to his alma mater on March 30 and 31 to talk with students and be on hand for a screening of his Academy Award-winning film “Moonlight.”

From left, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele Romanski and Barry Jenkins pose with the Oscars for Best Picture for 'Moonlight' in the trophy room during the 89th Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre.

In a bit of coincidence, Dunaway is also a former FSU student. She was born in North Florida and grew up in Tallahassee before heading out to Hollywood and winning an Academy Award for Best Actress in “Network” (1976). That did not give her a pass in Braddock’s view.

“She made the big gaffe ... she’s got to own a little bit of that,” Braddock said and laughed.

Contact Mark Hinson at mhinson@tallahassee.com

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FSU was all over the Oscars

Despite the confusion with the announcement for Best Picture, Florida State was well represented at the Oscars ceremony late, late Sunday night.

Director Barry Jenkins, who graduated from the Florida State Film School, watched as his movie “Moonlight” won the biggie for Best Picture. Seven FSU Film School grads worked on “Moonlight,” including Seminoles alums Adele Romanski, James Laxton, Joi McMillon, Nat Sanders, Andre Holland and Andrew Hevia.

Even Faye Dunaway, who made the gaffe while initially announcing the Best Pic winner was “La La Land,” was once a student at FSU in the ‘60s.

The late Florida State Film School professor Richard Portman, who was nominated for 11 Oscars during his career in Hollywood and won one for sound mixing on “The Deer Hunter” (1978), was also featured in the tribute portion of the Oscars broadcast. Portman, 82, died at his home in Tallahassee during late January.