Student Achievements
Celebrating student achievements within the DDM community.
Design + Dynamic Media students and alumni have consistently achieved diverse recognitions. These acknowledgements include festival awards and exhibitions, competitive funding, career development opportunities, fellowships, and high profile positions.
Cheryl Wong Curates Across Creative Worlds with VAG’s Stephanie Rebick for ‘Fashion Fictions’
The pair were brought together through the Shumka for Creative Entrepreneurship’s Art Apprenticeship Network program.
Frankie McDonald Explores Environmental Crisis Through Indigenous Storytelling
An animated film by artist Frankie McDonald invites audiences to explore the relationship between colonialism and the urgent environmental issues of our time.
Francine Fang’s ‘Genderloop’ Wins Pair of IDA Awards
The freelance product designer and ECU alum was recognized for her game encouraging conversation about gender discrimination.
‘The Flying Sailor’ Wins Festival Acclaim
Awards at CIFF and OIAF come amid a series of festival appearances for the film by renowned animators Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis.
Edward Madojemu’s ‘Mescaform Hill’ to Premiere at Tribeca Festival
Calling it his “most ambitious project yet,” Edward created the immersive graphic novel in collaboration with numerous other ECU alums and artists.
Alexander Farah Wins SXSW Best Music Video
In his breathtaking video for Desiree Dawson’s Meet You At the Light, Alexander draws viewers into a harrowing account of family loss and intergenerational care.
Customizable Font for People with Low Vision Launches
A new customizable font for people with low vision, created by Tyler Hawkins (BDes 2020), is now available for public use.
Film by Kenny Welsh, PoChun Chen Selected for Crazy8s
The Faraway Place will begin its whirlwind eight-day production schedule on Feb. 25.
Two Films Shot by Benjamin Loeb Appearing at Sundance
Despite Sundance going all-online due to COVID, Benjamin says it “feels great” to have his films included in the lineup of the legendary festival.
Karla Monterrosa Selected for Hothouse 13
The ECU alum's latest short film is being produced by The National Film Board of Canada as part of the Hothouse 13 Apprenticeship.
ECU Grad a Creative BC Grant Recipient
Caroline So Jung Lee (IMED 2015) is the one of the recipients of a Creative BC Equity and Emerging Development Fund grant for 2021.
ECI Alum Wins Director's Prize at SPARK Animation Festival
Desirae Witte (BMA 2012) wrote and directed ‘The Fall’ (2021), which won the Director’s Prize at SPARK Animation 2021.
ECU Grads Interviewed for Adobe Max 2021
ECU Grads Kunal Sen (ANIM 2006) and Tisha Deb Pillai (ANIM 2014) are the founders of Good Bad Habits, an animation and motion design studio.
Short Film by Ashley Yuqian Zhang wins Special Mention at NCF
The short film ‘Project Human Revival’ won Special Mention at the Nouveau Cinema Festival in Montreal in 2021.
Caroline So Jung Lee Wins Best Canadian Short Film
Caroline So Jung Lee (IMED 2015) wins Best Canadian Short Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival 2019 for ‘At the Bottom of the Sea’.
Vanessa Montoya Fendt Wins Praise for ‘Tunefull’ Live Music App
Genki Ferguson Featured at Kingston Writer’s Festival
Genki Ferguson is featured at the Kingston Writer’s Festival 2021. Ferguson graduated from the FMSA program at ECU in 2017.
ECU Student Film Official Selection at Panamanian International Film Festival
The film, a bittersweet meditation on mortality, was produced by Nastenka during her final year of study at ECU.
Three Films by ECU Students to Show at 2021 Ottawa Int’l Animation Festival
‘My Mom is an Alien’ by Yejin Kim (BMA 2021) and Yeji Kang (BMA 2021), ‘Lightcatchers’ by Edward Madojemu (BMA 2021) and ‘Fish Head’ by Jocelyn Geo Tang (BMA 2021) will all screen as part of the 2021 OIAF Canadian Student Competition.
Roving Designers take the work of design into the streets
The collective of designers and recent ECU grads formed over a shared desire to foster empathy and community by slowing down and learning about the world.
Vanessa Montoya Fendt wins the 2021 Salazar Award — Interactive
The Salazar Award, is presented annually by GDC/BC and founding sponsor Metropolitan Fine Printers to talented and inspiring students currently enrolled in design programs in BC.
Artist and ECU Student Lia Fabre-Dimsdale Lands Atomic Internship
Indigenous student animator obtains valuable internship with animated TV production "Molly of Denali". The production tells the stories of a young Indigenous girl in Alaska.
Heidi Rey’s grad project featured in Globe and Mail’s ‘Designing Canada’
The recent ECU grad’s aspen wood dining set promotes togetherness and mutual presence.
Tyler Hawkins customizable font for people with low vision lands government funding
The ‘Access Font’ is a first-of-its-kind font platform designed to make on-screen reading more accessible by meeting the individual needs of people with low vision.
Zoë Boudreau Announced as Finalist for 2021 ULTRABOLD Award
Communication Design alumni, Zoe Boudreau has been selected in the top 7 designers under 30 by RGD
Celina de Leon Student Film Awarded at PRFF Youth Festival
Alisha Steinberger and Goody Chao Wu’s ‘Across the Bridge’ Shows at 2020 OIAF
The pair of artists and recent ECU grads collaborated on the high-fantasy epic, which combines both 2D and 3D animation.