BARD SENIOR JESSE D. CAIN WINS PRESTIGIOUS 2005 PRINCESS GRACE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FILM

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—Bard College senior Jesse D. Cain has won a 2005 Princess Grace Award for excellence in film. The Board of Trustees of the Princess Grace Foundation USA and its chairman Hon. John F. Lehman recently announced this year’s award winners in theater, dance, playwriting, and film. Established in 1984, the awards recognize and nurture a new generation of young artists studying at institutions nationwide. The winners will be celebrated at an annual awards gala, hosted this year by CNN’s Larry King, presided over by HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, and attended by Mikhail Baryshnikov, the inaugural Prince Rainier III Award recipient, on October 26 at Manhattan’s Cipriani. Cain’s Senior Project is based on footage of his journeys across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railway—the longest continuous rail line on earth. “I’m fascinated by travel,” says Cain, originally from St. Paul, Minnesota. “Ever since I heard about the Trans-Siberian—a rail line that travels almost halfway around the world—I’ve wanted to go.” The scripted scenes from Cain’s film, which he describes as a mix of documentary, essay, and narrative, will be shot on a train set built at Bard with rear projection of fast moving landscape images from his Trans-Siberian footage. “I’m interested in doing work that is concerned with narrative informed by real experience,” says Cain, whose script is derived from his travels on the epic train ride. This January, Cain returns to Russia to shoot more footage. His work will culminate in May 2006 with a film screening and installation viewing of his set. Cain has worked on several feature films including Todd Solondz’s Palindromes (2004) and Phil Morrison’s Junebug (2005), for which he served as leadman; and Perfect Partner, a collaborative work by Morrison, Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, and video artist Tony Oursler. “He is ambitious, very talented, and isn’t shy about working a lot,” says Peter Hutton, professor of film and director of the Film and Electronic Arts Program at Bard. The Princess Grace Awards in film are scholarships—ranging from $3,000–$25,000—granted in support of undergraduate and graduate thesis film productions. Candidates must have already completed at least one film and be nominated by the dean/director of their academic program in an eligible institution. Award money goes to the production cost of the film and may not be used to allay tuition or living expenses. Seven film awards were granted this year. HSH Prince Rainier of Monaco and his family founded the Princess Grace Foundation USA in 1982, after the death of Princess Grace of Monaco, as a way to carry out her legacy of helping young and aspiring artists realize their dreams of pursuing performing arts careers. Deeply committed to the performing arts, Princess Grace believed the right training and encouragement of young talent was essential to sustaining excellence in the arts. The Princess Grace Foundation USA has awarded more than $4 million to approximately 400 artists. Bard College’s Film and Electronic Arts Program integrates various creative practices with the study of theory and criticism. The program encourages interest in a wide range of expressive modes in film, video, and the expanding field of computer-based art. Emphasis in the program is given neither to fixed professional formulas nor mere technical expertise, but to imaginative engagement and the cultivation of an individual artistic voice that has command over the entire creative process. ###

This event was last updated on 12-07-2005

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