Film of Schreiber Alum Wins Academy Award

Long Island netted two Oscar wins Sunday night. One for Syosset native Natalie Portman, who won Best Actress for her role in "Black Swan." The other, Ryan Silbert, a  alum, who co-produced "God of Love," which won Best Live Short Action Film Sunday evening at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

"God of Love" is  directed and written by Luke Matheny, who also stars in the film. It is billed as a the story of "a lovestruck, lounge-singing darts champion who finds his prayers are answered – literally – when he mysteriously receives a box of love-inducing darts."   

“As producers, we couldn’t be more grateful for this award,” said Silbert, owner of Toy Closet Films, via a press release issued just after receiving the award. “This film and the Academy Award show a triumph of the collaborative process – working with close friends and colleagues – those people whom you trust and who in turn can be honest and up-front with you. With "God of Love," we got to see this formula work perfectly.” 

“When I made the film, I really just had my fingers crossed for winning the screenwriting prize at NYU’s First Run [Film] Festival,” Matheny stated, “so the film’s success, culminating with an actual Oscar, feels just too good to be true.”

Silbert and the "God of Love" team walked the red carpet Sunday evening, along with other Hollywood luminaries. 

As for Silbert's parents Peggy and Marc Silbert, "we watched with enormous anticipation by ourselves – and dogs – here at home," Marc Silbert said.

Aside from the Academy Award, the film also won recognition from the National Board of Review, the Telluride Film Festival, the Angelus Student Film Festival and the Student Academy Awards.

Since word of the Oscar win, Peggy and Marc Silbert have been busy with phone calls and texts, tweets, and Facebook congratulations.

We have the feeling the well-wishing is just getting started.