Sachem is one step closer to having an alumnus win an Academy Award.
For just the second time – to our knowledge – a Sachem alum has been nominated for an Oscar. Jeff Wallner, who executive produced the film “Songs of Solomon,” was informed this week that the film has been nominated for the international film category.
Joe Rivera, a playwright who graduated in 1973, was nominated in 2005 for best screenwriter for “Che Guevara’s The Motorcycle Diaries.”
Wallner’s film depicts the life and music of Komitas Vardabet, who was an Armenian composer, ethnomusicologist and priest, and lived during the Armenian Genocide.
No stranger to the sports and entertainment business, Wallner’s rise in the film industry has been steady the last few years. He began working with Cloudburst Entertainment to distribute a number of high profile films, and rebranded his Wallner Media brand as an anchor for creative services and production.
The Oscars will take place on April 25.
Sachem has produced Grammy, Tony and Emmy award winners.