FELLOWSHIP AWARDED TO LINDSAY UTZ

                                                                                                                                   photo ©Tanya Braganti

We're delighted to announce that Lindsay Utz (pronounced “yootz”) is the recipient of our second annual Fellowship! Lindsay will receive the Fellowship on Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at the SXSW Film Festival Award Ceremony in Austin, Texas.

Lindsay impressed us with her keen intelligence, passion for storytelling, creative vision and her astute handling of sensitive material in her first documentary feature, “Bully” (releasing in theaters nationally on March 30). In addition to her raw talent, she’s articulate, perceptive, and committed to her craft. We can’t wait to help create opportunities for her to grow creatively and expand her professional community.

She started her career in Portland, Oregon—coincidentally Karen's hometown. In Portland, India, LA and New York, she worked as an editor, producer, and director on a variety of short-form projects. During her time as GOOD Magazine’s Director of Online Video, where she produced and/or edited over one hundred short documentaries and online episodes, Lindsay began to set her sights on cutting her first long-form project.

In 2010, she volunteered to edit an early trailer for a feature documentary work-in-progress. Her remarkable dedication and skill led to her being hired as the editor on the feature film itself. The film, “Bully” (formerly known as “The Bully Project”), went on to win several festival awards and was picked up for a national release by The Weinstein Company. The film is a character-driven documentary that takes an unflinching look at how bullying has touched five kids and their families. Since completing “Bully,” Lindsay has worked as consulting editor on the documentary "First Position;" edited “Buoy;” an experimental narrative feature; and cut two episodes of “The Fashion Fund,” a six-part documentary series for Hulu.

"I’m simply thrilled to be this year's Karen Schmeer Fellow,” Lindsay said. “Karen was a truly groundbreaking editor, and I’m humbled to be chosen for a Fellowship in her honor and memory. My work can only begin to live up to the exacting standards in craft, vision and creativity she left behind. I feel especially honored to be chosen for this award by my peers in the filmmaking world." Read more from Lindsay in her first blog entry here.

The year-long Fellowship is designed to foster the development of an emerging film editor by creating opportunities for him or her to grow creatively and expand his or her professional community. The experience includes mentorship opportunities, passes to film festivals and screening series, a $1000 cash award, and a $500 gift certificate to Portland’s Powell’s Books (Karen’s favorite bookstore).

“Karen always made time to help other filmmakers and editors, especially those just starting out, even when she was deep in her own edit,” notes Garret Savage, KSFEF Board Member. “In her characteristically humble way, she often downplayed how effective her advice would be, but those of us who received her perceptive insight valued it immensely. A group of us—some of Karen’s friends and colleagues—started this Fellowship as a way to honor her and carry on her generous spirit. And we’re very excited to be presenting this year to Lindsay, a talented emerging editor with so much potential.”

The KSFEF Board of Directors would like to thank all of the individuals and companies who have generously contributed funds and institutional support to make the Fellowship possible.