Stanley Albin Anderson, Jr. 1939-2018

Stanley Albin Anderson, Jr., 78, passed away at his home in Santa Rosa, California on June 24, 2018, six weeks after being diagnosed with brain cancer. He was born on October 23, 1939 in Miles City, Montana to Stanley Albin Anderson, Sr. and Marie Gosselin Anderson, who predeceased him. His half-sister, Myra Jeanette Anderson Kopf Hatch, died in 2009. Most of Stanley’s childhood was spent in Billings, Montana, and1fe gradffated from Billings Senior High School. In 1957, he joined the United States Army where he served most notably as a radio announcer in Korea. He was honorably discharged in 1960. In his twenties, he put himself through college, attending San Jose City College and, later, San Jose State College, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Drama and completed his thesis and all but one class for a Master’s Degree in Drama. While at San Jose State College, he met and married his wife of 52 years, Judith Long Anderson. Stanley’s professional acting career began with Seattle Repertory Theatre, and continued with Actors Theatre of Louisville, and more than 20 years at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. His role in Arena’s “The Piggy Bank” earned him a Helen Hayes Award for Best Supporting Actor. His film career included roles as the President of the United States in two Michael Bay movies, Armageddon and “The Rock.” His television career included a recurring role as Drew Carey’s dad on The Drew Carey Show and as Judge Vandelay in the final episode of Seinfeld. Stanley was a long-time member of three labor unions for actors. Concurrent with his acting career, he was well-known behind the scenes for his three decades of voiceover work in ads for Democratic candidates and issues across the country. He was most proud, ultimately, of the part he played in politics. Besides his wife, Stanley is survived by his son, Derek Evan Anderson of Ashburn, Virginia, and his three grandchildren, Antonio Ashton Anderson of Springfield, Virginia, and Stella Donna Anderson and Roxanne Marie Anderson of Ashburn, Virginia. Stanley requested that no services be held.

RTVF GRAD SAILA KARIAT’S FEATURE FILM “THE VALLEY” TO HAVE THEATRICAL RELEASE

SJSU RTVF grad Saila Kariat’s feature-length drama “The Valley,” about an Indian high tech entrepreneur whose college freshman daughter commits suicide, is having a Bay Area Theatrical release in Pale Alto (www.bit.ly/thevalleypaloalto), San Francisco (www.bit.ly/thevalleysanfran), and other cities across the country, as well as a simultaneous VOD release. 


On the heels of a successful film festival run, the acclaimed, award-winning drama will enjoy a one-week theatrical run, opening June 8, in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Washington D.C.; as well as a special screening in Palo Alto, Calif., June 11-12. The film will also be available on VOD June 16 on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play. It was written, produced and directed by SJSU radio-television-film major Saila Kariat in her feature film debut; and stars Alyy Khan, Suchitra Pillai, Jake T. Austin, Barry Corbin, Christa B. Allen, Agneeta Thacker, Salma Khan and Hope Lauren.

In “The Valley,” ambitious and highly successful Indian-American entrepreneur Neal Kumar (Alyy Kahn) – with wife, Roopa (Suchitra Pillai), and daughters, Monica (Salma Kahn) and Maya (Agneeta Thacker) – enjoy an affluent Silicon Valley lifestyle that appears idyllic, so when Maya tragically commits suicide during her freshman year at college, no one seems to know why. With the family struggling to survive a culture in which relationships and human connection are almost impossible to maintain, Neal embarks on a frantic journey to uncover the truth about his daughter’s death. When he doesn’t find answers at home, he travels to her campus to speak with the people who surrounded Maya in her final days. As work and family unravel in the chaos, the fractured nature of his life begins to become apparent to him and everyone around him. When the elusive reasons are finally revealed – as well as the heartbreaking secrets kept by her and the rest of his family – is it too late for them all to come back together?

“The Valley” – which also had a week-long theatrical run in April in India in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Delhi and Mumbia – has been awarded Best Feature Film, Best Actress (Suchitra Pillai), Best Supporting Actress (Agneeta Thacker) and Best Original Score (Jacob Yoffee), 2017 Long Island International Film Festival; Best Feature Film and Best Director—Female (Saila Kariat), 2017 Out of the Can Film Festival; Best Original Screenplay (Saila Kariat), 2017 Madrid International Film Festival; Best Lead Actress (Suchitra Pillai), 2017 Milan International Filmmaker Festival; Best Film and Best Cinematographer (Paul Nordin), 2017 International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema Berlin; Best Feature Film Jury Award, 2017 DC South Asian Film Festival, Best Feature Film Grand Jury Award, 2017 Portland Film Festival. More information, and a trailer, can be found at www.thevalleyfilm.com.

Kudos to Professor Amy Glazer for KEPLER’S DREAM!

Catch Professor Glazer’s latest family film in theatres or on Fandango NOW!

Congratulations to the Department of Film & Theatre Faculty

The faculty listed below have been awarded grants for their research, scholarly, and creative activity:

Stipend Jan 18 Glazer, Amy Film Adaptation- The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard
Stipend Jan 18 Normington, Kathleen The Dreamer Project
Dean’s Prof Development Bechert, Andrea Attend the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Conference & Stage Expo
Dean’s Prof Development Mathias, Harry Present at the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) conference
Dean’s Prof Development McKee, Alison Deliver peer-reviewed/juried paper at the 8th International Conference on The Image
Dean’s Prof Development Sublett, Scott Invite for a staged reading of my play
and
Programming Bechert, Andrea Production – “As You Like It”
Programming Dallas, Barnaby Production – “Picasso at the Lapin Agile”
Programming Dallas, Barnaby Production – “In the Heights”