USC alumnus Ben Proudfoot recounts his Oscar-night experiences

In 2024, Ben Proudfoot ’12 noticed Steven Spielberg among the audience while approaching the stage to accept the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The USC School of Cinematic Arts alumnus couldn’t pass up the extraordinary chance to greet the iconic filmmaker who received an honorary degree from USC in 1994.

“He is the reason I pursued filmmaking, so I grasped his hand and expressed, ‘Thank you,’” recalls Proudfoot, who co-directed the award-winning short film The Last Repair Shop. “Many individuals view him as an inspiration.”

At 34, Proudfoot seems well on his trajectory to becoming a role model himself. He possesses the remarkable distinction of having been nominated for three Oscars in four years within the Best Documentary Short Film category, with two victories. His initial nomination occurred in 2021 for A Concerto Is a Conversation, and his first triumph came in 2022 for The Queen of Basketball. He characterizes his Oscar wins as “a complete pinnacle of my existence and career.”

As the 97th Academy Awards are presented on Sunday, three additional Trojans will be seated in the audience, eagerly awaiting the announcement of their names as Oscar victors.

Alex Coco, a 2016 graduate of the School of Cinematic Arts, is a producer for Best Picture nominee Anora, which has already secured the distinguished Producers Guild of America award — a major Oscar indicator. Another USC alumnus from the film school, Walter Salles, directed the 2025 Best Picture and Best International Feature Film nominee I’m Still Here. Doug Hemphill, a former student of the School of Cinematic Arts and already a two-time recipient for Dune: Part One and The Last of the Mohicans, is once again nominated for Best Sound for his contributions to Dune: Part Two.

“Each awards season, fresh illumination highlights our incredible Trojans,” says USC’s Vice Provost for the Arts Josh Kun. “It serves as yet another remarkable reminder of the outcomes when our students venture into the realm of entertainment. It is always gratifying to observe how the unique training our students receive here yields such impressive professional results.”

Proudfoot, the founder and chief executive officer of Breakwater Studios, collaborates with several former USC classmates at his filmmaking enterprise, which focuses on short documentaries. He established some of his most lasting collaborative partnerships while residing on the eighth floor of Marks Tower, a USC first-year residence hall.

“I have undoubtedly gained immensely from attending film school, which I couldn’t have accomplished without a scholarship from USC,” he asserts. “USC film school acts as a beacon for young individuals — a lighthouse that attracts youths aspiring to create films at the highest caliber and enthrall the world. My time at USC molded me to create films that would resonate.

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to numerous individuals.”

Oscar-night recollections

Every one of Proudfoot’s occasions as an Academy Award contender has been unforgettable for various reasons. His inaugural ceremony in 2021 took place amidst the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. A reduced, socially distanced gathering was conducted at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, deviating from the traditional Dolby Theatre setting.

“You feel incredibly anxious and taut, and it’s a privilege to be present,” he reflects on that initial Oscars event. “We were quite astonished, and I don’t recall feeling disappointed because we didn’t secure the win.”

Merely a year later, Proudfoot received another nomination — and triumphed. Although eight categories — including Proudfoot’s — were excluded from the live broadcast in 2022 and awarded prior to the ceremony, Proudfoot recalls that his address included a plea to then-President Joe Biden to bring back WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was at that time in custody in Russia.

Proudfoot was still behind the scenes conducting press interviews when Best Actor nominee (and eventual winner) Will Smith charged onto the stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock across the face.

“I made my way back to my seat, and the first thing my mom remarked was, ‘You won’t believe what just occurred,’” he states. “I was skeptical and assumed it was likely just a joke. I later encountered him at the Vanity Fair party post-show, congratulated him, and took a photo with him. I still hadn’t witnessed what transpired — I had no grasp of it.”

A rich Trojan Oscar legacy

Prominent Trojan victors at the Academy Awards in previous years include John Wayne (1970 Best Actor winner for True Grit), Forest Whitaker (2007 Best Actor winner for The Last King of Scotland), and Robert Zemeckis (1995 Best Director winner for Forrest Gump). More recently, School of Cinematic Arts alum Ke Huy Quan ’99 earned the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in the absurdist comedy-drama Everything Everywhere All at Once, which dominated the Academy Awards in 2023 with seven victories, including Best Picture.

Other Trojans who have also achieved Academy Awards include two graduates who were honored in 2013 for their contributions to the film Argo. USC School of Dramatic Arts alum Grant Heslov ’86 shared the 2013 Best Picture Oscar with fellow producers Ben Affleck and George Clooney, while film-school alumnus Chris Terrio ’02 secured the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film.

School of Cinematic Arts graduate John Knoll ’84 has received six nominations in the Best Visual Effects category and won in 2007 for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. At the same Academy Awards celebration, fellow film-school alumnus Ari Sandel ’05 took home the Oscar in the Best Short Film Live category for his 21-minute thesis film, West Bank Story.

A dozen years later, School of Cinematic Arts graduate John Ottman ‘08 claimed the Film Editing Oscar for his contributions to Bohemian Rhapsody, a biographical film about the late frontman of rock band Queen, Freddie Mercury. Also in 2019, School of Dramatic Arts alum Rayka Zehtabchi ’16 won the Best Documentary Short Subject Oscar for Period. End of Sentence., which she directed and co-produced.

“I’m not crying because I’m on my period or anything,” Zehtabchi famously stated during her acceptance speech. “I can’t believe a film about menstruation has just won an Oscar.”

The 97th Academy Awards are scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be broadcast live on ABC as well as streamed live on Hulu.