22ND ANNUAL DUSTY FILM & ANIMATION FEST Begins May 6

The 22nd Annual Dusty Film and Animation Festival kicks-off Friday, May 6 and continues through Tuesday, May 10 highlighting over 100 films by students graduating from the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department at the School of Visual Arts (SVA). The program includes screenings of short films, videos and animations, and culminates in an awards ceremony with notables from the film and animation industries. This year's Screenwriters Night is in collaboration with Susan Batson Studio featuring SVA graduating screenwriters' selected scenes performed live by professional actors. All festival screenings, the Awards Ceremony and Screenwriters Night will take place at the SVA Theatre (333 West 23rd Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). Many events are FREE and open to the general public. For more event information, please visit: www.sva.edu/dusty.

"We are pleased to kick-off our Dusty Film and Animation FestiVal May 6," said Reeves Lehmann, chair of the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department at SVA. "We're proud to celebrate another great year for our filmmakers and animators with a festival that offers audiences the chance to see the works of remarkable new talent. And this year, our 22nd year, promises to be one filled with many colorful, dramatic, funny and remarkable stories - all through the amazing world of film, video and animation!"

The Dusty Awards are presented to the thesis students from the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department at the School of Visual Arts who are recognized for outstanding work. The 2011 Dusty Film and Animation Festival and Awards are produced by film producer and SVA faculty member Annie Flocco, with co-producer Meredith Engstrom.

Past Dusty Awards presenters have included SVA alumni, industry notables and award-winners such as Patricia Clarkson, James Gandolfini, Phil Donahue, John D. Dilworth, Chris Newman, Stephen Rotter, Nancy Schreiber, James C. Strouse, Danny Aiello, Ellen Burstyn, Sean Combs, Wes Craven, Griffin Dunne, Harvey Keitel, Kevin Kline, David Koepp, Mira Nair, Bill Plympton, John Patrick Shanley, Bryan Singer, Treat Williams and more. The 2011 presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.

Screenwriters Night, Saturday, May 7, 2011, is presented in collaboration with Susan Batson Studio. Five-minute scenes by SVA's screenwriting thesis students are set to be performed live on stage. Screenwriters Night will be directed by Susan Batson, founder of Susan Batson Studio, and produced by film producer and SVA faculty member Annie Flocco. "We're pleased to welcome Susan Batson for our Screenwriters Night this year," said Flocco. "We're excited to see Susan and her actors bring to life the words of our group of amazing screenwriters."

Susan Batson has been called a "technician of the spirit" by the New Yorker. Susan Batson has enjoyed the privilege of working with Nicole Kidman, Juliette Binoche, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Rock, Jamie Foxx, Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs, Liv Tyler, Jennifer Connelly, and countless other. Susan Batson is the author of the book "Truth: Personas, Needs, and Flaws In The Art of Building Actors and Creating Characters" and has been profiled in the New Yorker, the New York Times, Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, and Backstage.