Matthew Peterson wins new Carl Foreman Award at Ringling College

Matthew Peterson's "Swan Song," about a film student and a father living with Alzheimer's, won the first Ringling College Film Carl Foreman Award. 

“Swan Song" was selected from among 30 entries by a panel of seven jurors.

The Carl Foreman Award, to be given annually, recognizes a graduating Ringling College of Art and Design senior majoring in film or creative writing for outstanding achievement in screenwriting, directing or producing. 

The winner receives $5,000 as well as a Will Kane bronze statuette, inspired by the lead character in Foreman’s 1952 western “High Noon.” 

Foreman’s widow, Evelyn “Eve” Williams-Jones, originally created the Carl Foreman Award in 1983 in memory of her late husband, a prolific screenwriter, director and producer who was blacklisted by Hollywood. He left the United States in 1951 for the United Kingdom. The original Carl Foreman Award was created in conjunction with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, known as BAFTA for short.

“Having Ringling College of Art and Design chosen as the new home of the Carl Foreman Award, out of all of the other film schools in the country, is a testament to the exceptional talent of our students, the dedication of our instructors and their collaborative vision towards creative excellence,” said Dr. Larry R. Thompson, president of Ringling College of Art and Design. 

When Eve and her husband Michael Williams-Jones decided to bring the Carl Foreman Award back to the United States, they considered several film schools before bringing it to Sarasota.

“Initially we considered the fabulous film schools of Los Angeles, a natural choice,” said Michael Williams-Jones. “But as great and as legendary as they are, none of them felt quite right because Hollywood had once turned its back on Carl. Then, we met the truly remarkable and inspirational Dr. Larry R. Thompson and discovered Ringling College with its world-class film program.”