Vancouver Film School has announced that 82 Oscar winners out of 130 total nominees were VFS alumni who graduated from there and worked on Oscar winning projects. Winning projects for Best Visual Effects included 31 alumni for Avatar: The Way of Water and six alumni for Best Animated Film for Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio.
Additional Academy Award winning projects featuring VFS graduates include: The Whale, Black Panther, Top Gun: Maverick, Women Talking, and The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse.
“We are so proud of our alumni who have contributed, in so many ways, to the most exciting, groundbreaking, and emotional cinematic achievements this past year,” said Colin Giles, VFS head of the school for animation and VFX. “Stories that have reached a global audience as we return to theaters, stories that pushed technical innovations to new heights, and stories that allowed us to marvel at the artistic beauty of stop-motion animation. The legacy of the VFS 3D Animation & Visual Effects program continues, and we celebrate those alumni that have been honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.”
VFS talent has seen a remarkable award season with projects winning some of the highest honors at The Oscars, The Golden Globes, The Emmys, and The BAFTAs. A total of 239 VFS Alumni have worked on winning projects and received more than 375 nominations.