NYU alumni take center stage at the 2022 Oscar awards with 'King Richard' nominations
HOLLYWOOD, California (WABC) -- The red carpet is back for a galaxy of stars and there is nothing low-key about this year's Oscar ceremony.
A select few fans will get the honor of watching this year's nominees make their way down the red carpet in person, and a couple NYU alumni will be a part of that red carpet walk this year.
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It was a night to remember for NYU when one of its graduates, Chloe Zhao, took home two Oscars for "Nomadland" in 2021.
And this year another movie made by alumni of New York University "King Richard" is up for five Oscars, including a nomination for its star Will Smith, who is favored to win.
Director Reinaldo Marcus Green recently screened his film at NYU alongside his old mentor Spike Lee.
"Spike was you know a large reason, a large part of the reason I went to film school," Green said.
Now Green joins Spike on a long list of Oscar nominees trained at NYU's film program.
"It's a special program," Green said. "NYU will always have a special place in my heart. It's not a cheap program, one I am still paying back, but it was totally worth the price tag."
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Green told me he knew very little about filmmaking before he attended the program and neither did Pamela Martin, an Oscar nominated editor.
"I literally didn't know the difference between film and video," Martin said. "I knew nothing. I just thought it'd be a fun way to go to school and it was interesting to me."
Martin cut the first two films of Ang Lee, another legendary filmmaker from NYU.
Decades later, Martin edited "King Richard" and tonight she's the favorite to win the Oscar for best editing.
"Going to NYU film school was so important for me," Martin said. "Not only the professors that teach you, but it's the experience and its the camaraderie of being in it with all the other students."
