Student filmmakers’ documentary garners national acclaim

A team of Tufts student filmmakers has won a College Television Emmy, given by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation. “From the Fryer to the Freeway: Alternative Energy Today,” produced by Phil Martin, A06; Sean Malahy, A09; Emi Norris, A06; and Assaf Pines, A06, placed third in the documentary category.

In the film, Tufts freshman Alexandra McGourty shows how she converted her diesel car to run on fryer grease from McDonald’s. The film also examines American dependence on foreign oil and the debate over alternative energy.

The academy will fly one of the Tufts students to Los Angeles to participate in the College TV awards gala, to accept a $500 prize on behalf of the team and to attend the College Emmy Awards ceremony on March 19 and the public screening film festival on March 20.

The students produced “From the Fryer to the Freeway” last fall in the course “Producing Films for Social Change,” which was taught by Roberta Oster Sachs, a lecturer in the University College of Citizenship and Public Service.

The College Emmy Awards are a division of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation that recognizes excellence in college student film/television productions. This year, the academy received more than 450 submissions from 39 universities in the country.