The Little Mermaid, one of the short films produced as part of Entertainment Business Management‘s groundbreaking Compendium series, has just earned four Leo Award nominations!

The Little Mermaid was nominated for Best Short Drama, which means nods for producers and EBM grads Samantha Jewell, Lindsey Mann, Aliya Tarmo, and Justin Simon. Film Production alum Sean Young is a nominee for Best Production Design in a Short Drama, and Makeup Design for Film & Television grads Sarah Elizabeth, Krysten Merrick, and Susan Manning are up for Best Make-Up in a Short Drama.  The Little Mermaid director and VFS instructor Nicholas Humphries is also nominated for Best Direction in a Short Drama.

The Leos, which celebrate BC-made films, TV shows, and web series, has a special student category, but The Little Mermaid is swimming in the grown-up pool with these nominations. That’s a real testament to the collaborative Compendium, its resourceful producers, and the talent found across VFS.

This follows the film’s big win at Screamfest last fall. Find out about the making of The Little Mermaid in our two-part behind-the-scenes blog feature, and then get the details on the Compendium project in EBM.

Want to get a firsthand look inside the EBM program at VFS? Join us this July in our Entertainment Business Management Summer Intensive.

Here’s the mind-blowing teaser for The Little Mermaid:

The Little Mermaid‘s talented crew aren’t the only VFS grads waking up to fresh, hot Leo nominations this morning. We’ve spotted a few others, including:

Acting for Film & Television – Emilie Ullerup
Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series - Arctic Air

Acting for Film & Television – Benjamin Arthur
Best Performance in a Music, Comedy, or Variety Program or Series - Less Than Kind

Makeup Design – Malin Sjostrom-Ewan and April Beer
Best Make-Up in a Short Drama - Dead Friends

Classical Animation and Digital Character Animation – Jon Busby, Jesse Davidge
Best Music Video – “New Sum (Nous Sommes)” by Hey Rosetta!

Classical Animation and Digital Character Animation – Jon Busby, Jesse Davidge
Best Music Video – “Rows Of Houses” by Dan Mangan

Film Production – Ryan Atimoyoo, Jay Bhatt, Ashley Mclean
Best Web Series – Chord

Film Production – Ron E. Scott (with two others)
Best Dramatic Series – Blackstone 

Classical Animation Instructor Marv Newland
Best Direction in an Animation Program or Series – CMYK

Classical Animation – Jayson Thiessen, James Wootton
Best Direction in an Animation Program or Series – My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Classical Animation – Tim Packford, Marcus Werner (with Sebastian Brodin, Steve Sacks)
Best Direction in an Animation Program or Series – Rated A For Awesome

3D Animation & Visual Effects – Mike Ritchie (with Paul DeSilva, Casey Vigushin, Johnny Ostrem, Paul Lowey)
Best Visual Effects in a Short Drama – Alchemy and Other Imperfections

3D Animation & Visual Effects – Mike Ritchie (with Paul DeSilva, Casey Vigushin, Jonny Ostrem)
Best Visual Effects in a Short Drama – The Tron Lebowski

Here’s the complete list of 2012 Leo nominees. Awards will be handed out May 25 and 26, 2012. Way to go, guys!