Orange, CA (February 7, 2012) – Academy Award® nominated producer JoAnne Sellar (There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights, Magnolia) has been named Spring 2012 Filmmaker-in-Residence at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, recognized as one of the premier film schools in the United States. The announcement was made today by Dodge College Dean Bob Bassett.

 

Every semester, Dodge College hosts an expert filmmaker to meet with and counsel 10 selected scholars , as part of its Filmmaker-in-Residence program. The popular program includes regular, bi-weekly meetings with the filmmaker in a one-on-one setting where the student and mentor have the opportunity to creatively develop a specific project throughout the semester. In addition, the filmmaker interacts with the larger Dodge College community at weekly dinners with the filmmaker open to students and screenings of the filmmaker’s films followed by an in-class Q & A.

 

Sellar is currently working on her sixth collaboration with writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson on his latest film The Master starring Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. Her previous collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson include Boogie Nights (nominated for three Oscars®), Magnolia (nominated for three Oscars®), Punch-Drunk Love, and There Will Be Blood, which was nominated for eight Oscars® including Best Film and won for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Best Cinematography (Robert Elswit).

 

Sellar’s repertoire of feature film producing credits began with the sci-fi thriller Hardware. She went on to produce such notable films as Richard Stanley’s Dust Devil, George Sluizer’s Dark Blood, Clive Barker’s Lord of Illusions and the critically acclaimed The Anniversary Party starring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming.

 

Prior to working in the film industry, Sellar had a successful career producing music videos for the likes of U2, Elvis Costello and Iggy Pop. Her diverse experience also extends into television, where she co-produced “Red, Hot, & Blue,” a worldwide tribute to Cole Porter benefiting AIDS research.

 

Her career began in the early 80’s, programming a repertory cinema in London called The Scala, which won acclaim for its diverse, original and alternative film selections.

 

“Dodge College is delighted to host an accomplished producer such as JoAnne Sellar, whose ongoing partnership with Paul Thomas Anderson has helped bring into existence some of the edgier, more interesting fare of recent years,” says Dean Bob Bassett. “I’m sure she will contribute a great deal to our students’ understanding of how that critical director/producer partnership works.”

 

 "I'm excited to be sharing my experiences of making movies with students who have a genuine passion for filmmaking,” says Sellar.”

 

 

About Chapman University:

 

Chapman University, founded in 1861, is one of the oldest, most prestigious private universities in California.  Chapman’s picturesque campus is located in the heart of Orange County – one of the nation’s most exciting centers of arts, business, science and technology – and draws outstanding students from across the United States and around the world.  Known for its blend of liberal arts and professional programs, Chapman University encompasses seven schools and colleges: Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences, George L. Argyros School of Business and Economics, Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Schmid College of Science, College of Performing Arts, School of Law and College of Educational Studies.   Named to the list of top universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review, Chapman University enrolls more than 6,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students.

 

Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts:

 

One of the premier film schools in the country, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts offers students the unique opportunity to learn filmmaking in a hands-on environment modeled on a working studio.  The college is comprised of the Sodaro-Pankey Undergraduate School of Film and Media Arts, offering degrees in film production, film studies, screenwriting, creative producing, television and broadcast journalism, public relations and advertising, screen acting and digital arts; and the graduate Conservatory of Motion Pictures, offering M.F.A. degrees in film production, film and television producing, production design, and screenwriting, and an M.A. in film studies. Two joint M.F.A. degrees in producing are also offered in conjunction with the business (M.F.A./M.B.A.) and law (M.F.A./J.D.) schools. Dodge College is housed in Marion Knott Studios, a state-of-the-art, 76,000-square-foot studio and classroom building that provides students with 24-hour access to sound stages, edit bays, Dolby surround mixing, a motion capture stage and more.  With an Oscar and Emmy-award winning full-time faculty that boasts more feature film credits than any other film school, Dodge College is where students learn the entertainment business from the inside out.