One of the greatest joys at Vancouver Film School is to witness the incredible things our alumni accomplish throughout their careers. When we recently discovered that 6 VFS alumni were credited on the highest grossing film of 2023, Barbie, it was – to quote Barbie directly: “the best day ever!”
On January 10, the 81st Golden Globe Awards aired worldwide, a celebration of creative excellence across American film and television. Previously adjudicated by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association until their disbandment just last year, the Globes are now presided over by experienced entertainment journalists working for recognized media organizations in the U.S. and abroad in newspaper, magazine, radio, broadcast, photojournalism, and online.
Barbie scooped up a total of 9 nominations and took home two trophies for ‘Cinematic and Box Office Achievement’ (a newly added honour) and ‘Best Original Song’ (“What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell). Just last week, the film was also nominated for 8 Academy Awards, with the live ceremony airing March 10.
Barbie has good reason to celebrate after winning 2 Golden Globes and receiving 8 Academy Award nominations! The six alumni credited on Barbie come from our 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Game Design, Acting for Film & Television, and Sound Design for Visual Media programs:
- Robert Maisonet (3D Animation & Visual Effects)
- Yi-Kai Shieh (3D Animation & Visual Effects)
- Tami Wijoyo (3D Animation & Visual Effects)
- Mike Tucker (Game Design)
- Ben Arthur (Acting for Film & Television)
- Nia Hansen (Sound Design for Visual Media)
As we dug deeper into their careers, we were truly gobsmacked by what our alumni has accomplished. A successful Nuke Compositor, Robert has worked on American Horror Story, Dexter: New Blood, and Pose, while Yi-Kai has worked in lighting and compositing on The Addams Family animated franchise, Pacific Rim: Uprising, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. While Tami has found success as a Lighting Artist on The Little Mermaid (2023) and a Compositor on Wonka and Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire, Mike now performs under the stage name BloodPop, a Grammy Award-winning Producer who we previously covered on THE BLOG. Last but not least, aside from playing one of the construction workers in Barbie, Ben has also appeared in Superstore, The Mick, and Less Than Kind, while Nia has worked in the Sound Department for many noteworthy films, including Encanto, Black Widow, and Avengers: Endgame.
We can only imagine this was Barbie’s reaction upon learning she headlined the highest grossing film of 2023! A huge congratulations and an even huger THANK YOU to these alumni. Award-winning films like Barbie wouldn’t be possible without the talented artists that work hard on set and behind the scenes to make the magic happen. We can’t wait to see what else you’ll achieve!