NYU fund honours three pic projects

Visitors in the Chris Columbus/Richard Vague film fund are Nicholas Brennan (second from left), Alexandra Gordon and Chloe Zhao. Venture capitalist Vague reaches far left Tisch alum Columbus is third within the right. The Kanbar Institute of Film, TV & New Media at NYU's Tisch School in the Arts has selected three visitors of the 2011 Chris Columbus/Richard Vague Film Production Fund. Tisch students Nicholas Brennan, Alexandra "Sasha" Gordon and Chloe Zhao can get a complete of $225,000 to produce docu "Hard Rock Havana," "It Must be You" and "Lee," correspondingly. The winning three were among a lot of students to submit scripts for your award. After passing using the first stages, runners up required to pitch and discuss their ideas -- like the feasibility and budget in the projects -- getting an organization that incorporated "The AssistanceInch producer and Tisch alum Chris Columbus and venture capitalist Richard Vague. "We required to consider whether these kids could really get these films made," Columbus told Variety. "50 % of it is the script and 50% is, 'Do you have a realistic budget?'?" Brennan's "Havana" follows Cuban heavy-metal band Zeus while Gordon's "You" centers around a NY jingle author on the path to self-discovery. Zhao's "Lee" notifies the story from the daring Lakota boy round the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Columbus/Vague honours support Kanbar's recent alumni and thesis students within the grad and undergrad programs by delivering financing for first features. Individuals who win include Andrew MacLean and Dee Rees, who used their honours to produce "Round the Ice" and "Pariah," which examined at Sundance this year. Focus will release "Pariah" in December. Contact Rachel Abrams at Rachel.Abrams@variety.com