Purchase, NY - With Gotham kudos and a nod from the late Gordon Parks, two Purchase College, SUNY students have been selected for their current and potential contributions to American cinema.

Victoria DeMartin, a junior in Purchase’s School of Film and Media Studies, working toward a BFA in film, was honored by the Gotham Film Festival for her ‘‘Express’’ (under 3 minutes-documentary) film titled, A Portrait of Diana White. Jared Ray, a sophomore in the film program, received the HBO/Gordon Parks Film Scholarship, which recognizes new talent and reinforces a mission to educate, develop and celebrate the next generation of great American filmmakers.

DeMartin’s Portrait, capturing a dancer’s lifelong passion for ballet, intersperses footage of Diana White teaching ballet to enthusiastic youngsters today, as well as footage of White dancing with the New York City Ballet company as a young featured dancer. The filmmaker also captured White’s passion for ballet in revealing interviews. The Gotham Film Festival’s second annual event was held June 6 at the Friar’s Club. This was the first year that filmmakers outside of New York City were permitted to submit their work for consideration.

The second-ever HBO/Gordon Parks Film Scholarship was presented to Jared Ray during the June 5 Gordon Parks Centennial Gala at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The event celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of the groundbreaking American photographer, musician, author, activist and film director. A seminal figure in 20th century photography, Parks died in 2006.

The Purchase College library is home to the Gordon Parks Archives— collection of 4,000 prints and 20,000 negatives, preserved and catalogued for public study.

“We are thrilled to see honors on a national scale bestowed upon rising storytellers in our film program,” says Dr. Michelle Stewart, chair, School of Film and Media Studies at Purchase College. “These awards reinforce the technical and artistic proficiency that we work to foster at the college and I hope that Victoria’s and Jared’s achievements will further inspire our students to diligently pursue their training and dreams.”

More than 85 percent of Purchase film program alumni have found work in the film and television industries. The program provides highly motivated and talented students with intensive training in all aspects of filmmaking, including directing, cinematography, editing, production, scriptwriting, and film analysis.

Film majors enjoy a high equipment-to-student ratio and have access to a fully equipped sound stage, mix studio, equipment store, screening rooms, and digital editing studios.

For more information about Purchase College, visit www.purchase.edu

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