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UF GRADUATES NOMINATED IN THE 2009 ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS AND SCIENCES COLLEGE TELEVISION AWARDS

2/13/2009

Standard Deviation, directed by Chris Brannan and Dave Randag, is one of three finalists in the 2009 Academy of Television Arts and Sciences College Television Awards in the documentary division. It was filmed on location in Florida, California and Illinois.

Standard Deviation tells the extraordinary story of Billy Cottrell, a brilliant but troubled young physicist whose world collapses when the FBI arrests him as an eco-terrorist. To the shock of his family and colleagues, Billy was caught sending anonymous e-mails to the Los Angeles Times claiming involvement in a series of arsons and the vandalism of over 130 SUVs in the Los Angeles area. Billy’s family and colleagues examine Billy’s past to try to understand how such a promising young genius could end up behind bars.

Brannan and Randag spent a year and a half researching and filming the story while enrolled in The University of Florida’s Documentary Institute. “Anytime you can be acknowledged for doing something you love it is extremely gratifying,” says Brannan. “The fact that our filmmaking skills are being recognized is a thrill, but this is more than just a line for our resume or a quote to put on a DVD case – this is increased exposure for the story we wanted to tell, for ourselves and for the Cottrell’s.”

Randag is equally thrilled to be a nominee and adds, “It's a very prestigious honor and I'm proud to know that the people who make television think our film is one of the best three in the country. I'd probably feel a lot better if my friends from UF hadn't won the year before and came in second the year before that!”
This marks the third consecutive year that a Documentary Institute student film has been nominated for a student Emmy.

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences College Television Awards is a national competition conducted by the Academy Foundation. Each year, several hundred college and university film and video students from all over the United States compete for awards and cash prizes totaling nearly $50,000.

The winner will be announced in a televised ceremony in Los Angeles on March 21.

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