Oscar-winning alumnus to teach, mentor film studies students this spring

Sean Fine '96 (far left) and Andrea Nix Fine (second from right) accept the Oscar for best documentary short for “Inocente” in 2013. They are joined on stage by Inocente Izucar, the subject of the film, and film editor Jeff Consiglio.
Sean Fine '96 (far left) and Andrea Nix Fine (second from right) accept the Oscar for best documentary short for “Inocente” in 2013. They are joined on stage by Inocente Izucar, the subject of the film, and film editor Jeff Consiglio.

Academy Award-winning documentary filmmakers Sean Fine ’96 and Andrea Nix Fine will be in residency on campus this semester, working closely with film studies students on everything from cinematography to producing and thinking about film as a medium for social change.

Fine and Nix Fine won the 2013 Oscar in the best documentary short film category for “Inocente.” The film tells the story of a 15-year-old homeless girl, Inocente Izucar, who lives in San Diego as an artist and undocumented immigrant. Through painting, she learns to overcome the bleakness of her surroundings. 

The husband and wife pair was also nominated for an Academy Award in 2008 for “War/ Dance,” a documentary about children from Uganda who aspired to win a national music competition.

As the Stark Distinguished Guest Residents in Film Studies, Fine and Nix Fine will be on campus for three one-week intervals this spring. They will host screenings of their films, meet one-on-one with students, give talks, host workshops, meet with classes and give students feedback on their work.

At Connecticut College, Fine designed his own major in zoology and filmmaking. After graduating, he directed and shot several films for National Geographic, winning an Emmy in 2000. He and Nix Fine formed the Washington D.C.-based Fine Films in 2003, the year they were married.

Film studies professor Ross Morin, a 2005 Connecticut College graduate, said Fine’s work exemplifies the social responsibility of filmmaking that students learn through the liberal arts.

“We are preparing our students to enter the world as thoughtful media makers.” Morin said. “The liberal arts infuse students with a drive to create work with inclusive humanist values.”

The Fran and Ray Stark Distinguished Guest Residency in Film Studies brings leading scholars and artistic professionals involved with the production, distribution and interpretation of cinema to campus for intensive engagement with students in the Film Studies Program. Stark Guest Residents work with film students in an intensive, comprehensive film seminar or production setting over the course of an academic semester. Previously, the residency has brought to campus groundbreaking documentarian Jennie Livingston and filmmaker and dance artist David Hinton.



February 13, 2014