From TribecaFilm.com:

Meet Melanie Schiele, director of the mesmerizing short, Delilah, Before, screening both at TFF in NYC and on TFF Virtual Premium

TribecaFilm.com: Tell us a little about your film.

Melanie Schiele: Delilah, Before is a film about the complexity of familial love. It’s also about the hope for another chance in mending a broken relationship. As Melodie Lee, who plays Delilah, puts it, “Sometimes, it’s not too late.”

TribecaFilm.com: What inspired you to tell this story?

MS: I was inspired by a personal experience at a women’s mentoring facility in Singapore, which aims to facilitate the difficult transition from prison to an often unforgiving society. I met with several young women whose families shunned them upon their homecoming.

TribecaFilm.com: What makes a great short film?

MS: One strong and simple concept executed by way of well-defined characters.

Read More >>

Congratulations to Tisch Asia Melanie Schiele for winning the Virtual Best Short Film at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival for her film Delilah, Before!  She’ll receive a $5,000 cash prize sponsored by American Express.

Still from Melanie Schiele’s Delilah, Before.

Mark Osborne is a director and Guggenheim Fellow (2004). He got his start by studying Foundation Art at Pratt Institute in New York before receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts in June 1992. His most well-known work to date, More, a stop motion short film, has screened in over 150 film festivals worldwide. It was the first IMAX animation film to ever be nominated for an Academy Award (1999). Best Short Film at the Sundance Film Festival (1999), The SXSW Best Animated Short (1999), the ResFest Grand Prize (1999), the Critics Week selection for CANNES (1999) and others.

Osborne co-directed Kung Fu Panda aka Kung Fu Panda: The IMAX Experience (USA: IMAX version). He is currently working as director of the comedy segment in the upcoming film Heavy Metal.

Wednesday the 28th at 11:30 in the Black Box Theatre

Tisch Asia Animation and Digital Arts MFA program presents

May 5th 2010
ANDA Spring Show: Fourth Floor 6 – 9PM
Join ANDA for an evening of Animation, Installations, and multi-media productions from students working within a range of techniques, from traditional to advanced digital technologies.

Thesis Screening: Black Box Theater 6:30PM
World Premiere Screening of the MFA Thesis Productions from:
Colleen Cox, Jordan Mann, Kaizin Pooniwala, Aylina Juanda, Ayse Suter, Yiran Xu, Ilmo Chung

The Department of Film held the 1st symposium on film in Singapore on Thursday (22 April) at Tisch Asia. The symposium focused on “Film and Television: Singapore as a Media Hub” with guest speakers such as Roger Spottiswoode (writer/director of “Tomorrow Never Dies”), Daniel Yun (Founder of Homerun Singapore), Isaac Kerlow (Director/Visual Creator), Chang Yee Yeo (Hyde Park Imagenation Singapore), Freddie Yeo (General Manager of Infinite Frameworks), Kathleen McInnis (Publicist) and other distinguished guests. The full-day event was attended by the Tisch Asia community and also friends of the university.

On Wednesday (21 April),  literary agent Morgan Jenness spoke to Tisch Asia Dramatic Writing students about her experiences that have shaped her into a unique theater professional and her contribution to contemporary American theater. Dramatic Writing faculty, Bill Kovacksik led the discussion during this two-hour session at the Black Box Theater.

From left, Morgan Jenness and Bill Kovacsik.

Dramatic Writing students listen intently to the discussion.

For the first time, Tisch Asia and NYU Law School organized a joint event, an exclusive screening of “Scandal” by Akira Kurosawa at Tisch School of the Arts Asia yesterday. After the screening, the students had a discourse on celebrity, privacy and freedom over light refreshments at the Student Lounge.

Tisch Asia film students with NYU law school students.

Discussion over food and drinks.

The premiere reading of “K-9″ by Jill Karkosak, final year Dramatic Writing student marked the first ever thesis reading for the department. The reading featured Bill Kovascik as Dr. Ben Stark, Mary Beth Dickerson as Christine McIntyre, Kyle Haskett as Ricky Baxter and Josh Billig on stage directions. VIP guests include famed literary agent Morgan Jenness, Mark Dickerman and Wendy Hammond. It was definitely an eventful Monday night for Tisch Asia‘s Department of Dramatic Writing.

The writer of “K-9″, Jill Karkosak was full of excitement.

From left: Wendy Hammond, Morgan Jenness and Mark Dickerman.

The cast for the night. From left: Mary Beth, Bill, Kyle and Josh.

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For more Thesis Readings at Tisch Asia:

Tuesday, 20 April 2010, 8:00pm
“Running Back” by Garrett Lander

Wednesday, 21 April 2010, 7:30pm
“Grace” by Ken Kwek

Venue: Black Box Theatre, Level 2 @ Tisch School of the Arts Asia

Pupi Avati speaking to the Tisch Asia community.

Tisch Asia invited Italian director, producer and screenwriter, Pupi Avati, who is in Singapore for the Fellini! A Complete Retrospective event, to conduct a surprise masterclass with the Tisch community. Avati is one of the most atypical and accomplished Italian contemporary directors. After seeing 8 1/2, he switched from a career in jazz to cinema. He makes one film a year and hasn’t stopped since 1968. He is also the Chairman of the Fellini Foundation.

Avati will be showing his 2009 film, The Friends at the Margherita Cafe as part of the event at the National Museum of Singapore.

Tisch Asia Film Professor Gillian Gordan with Pupi Avati.

All guests are welcome to attend Tisch School of the Arts Asia‘s 1st Film Symposium “Film and Television:  Singapore as a Media Hub”. No registration required. Please see below for the updated list of panelists for the symposium.

Date: 22 April 2010, Thursday

Time: 9am – 8pm

Venue: Sound Stage II, Level 1

Address: NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia, 3 Kay Siang Road, Singapore 248923