Acclaimed Actress and Filmmaker Isabella Rossellini Addresses SCAD Graduates

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Jun 01, 2010, 02:49 ET

Rossellini spoke at Savannah and Atlanta ceremonies Saturday, May 29

SAVANNAH, Ga., June 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Acclaimed actress and filmmaker Isabella Rossellini addressed the Savannah College of Art and Design graduating class of 2010 at commencement ceremonies in Savannah and Atlanta, May 29. Rossellini spoke to close to 1650 graduates at SCAD's 30th Savannah commencement ceremony at the Savannah Civic Center, 301 W. Oglethorpe Ave. She then addressed over 250 graduates at SCAD Atlanta's fourth commencement ceremony at the Georgia World Congress Center (Georgia Ballroom, building C), 285 Andrew Young International Blvd. N.W.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100601/DC13602)

"Art, inspiration, and the best ideas come from doing and not merely thinking or fearing," said Rossellini. "Don't discriminate. Just do."

SCAD president Paula S. Wallace advised the graduates to "Be intentional in your career. Make plans. Be specific. Seek your way through the jungle of indecision and claim your reward. And be open to discovery."

Rossellini is the daughter of Academy Award-winning Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman ("Casablanca," "Anastasia," "Autumn Sonata") and iconic Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, who made film history with "Rome, Open City." She lived her early years in Rome, Santa Marinella and Paris before moving to New York at the age of 19 to study English at Finch College. During this early period, she appeared intermittently on Roberto Benigni's Italian comedy show, "The Other Sunday."

The face of Lancome for 14 years, Rossellini has appeared in more than 40 films (including "Blue Velvet," "Death Becomes Her," "The Saddest Music in the World" and "Infamous") and 25 television movies/series (including "Alias," "Discovery Atlas: Italy Revealed," Iconoclasts" and "30 Rock"). Her debut as a filmmaker was "My Dad is 100 Years Old," a pretend dialogue about the essence of film. In it, Rossellini appears as herself and her filmmaker father. She also portrays Federico Fellini, David O. Selznick, Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin and her mother, to whom she bears a striking resemblance.

During her career, she has developed her own brand of cosmetics, written extensively and practiced philanthropy. In 2008, Robert Redford's Sundance Institute commissioned Rossellini to make a series of short films to address environmental issues. She chose the mating habits of bugs and called her series "Green Porno," which has been celebrated in film festivals in the United States and abroad. In preparation for her most recent series, which involves sea creatures, she took courses in marine biology at New York University. Rossellini is also a wildlife activist and dedicated trainer of Labrador puppies for the blind. She has written three books: "Some of Me," "Looking at Me," and "In the Name of the Father, the Daughter and the Holy Spirits: Remembering Roberto Rossellini." Her most recent films are "The Accidental Husband," "My Dog Tulip" and "Two Lovers."

In January 2010, Rossellini was in Italy for the film "La Solitudine dei Numeri Primi." In April, she was in London for the film "Late Bloomers," in which she co-stars with William Hurt. Her latest Sundance Channel series, "Seduce Me," is about animal courtship strategies. She is also writing a one-hour special for the Discovery Channel. Between movie roles and filmmaking projects, she lectures at performing arts centers throughout the U.S. and Canada.

For more than 30 years, SCAD has offered the finest art and design education in the world, preparing talented students for creative, professional careers. Over the past three years, an average of eight out of 10 SCAD alumni, responding to a survey, were employed in their fields or had been admitted to graduate school within six months of graduation. In addition to SCAD's unrivaled career services, the university offers internships, competitions and classroom assignments designed to connect students with businesses, design firms, media and other educational and nonprofit organizations. Visiting professionals also meet with students to critique work, offer advice and recruit for internships and full-time positions.

For more information about SCAD's 2010 commencement ceremonies, visit www.scad.edu/commencement.

SCAD: The University for Creative Careers

The Savannah College of Art and Design is the most comprehensive art and design university in the world, offering more degree programs and specializations than any other art and design university. SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution conferring bachelor's and master's degrees in distinctive locations and online to prepare talented students for professional careers. SCAD offers students a choice of degree programs in 46 majors and more than 50 minors at locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia; in Lacoste, France; online through SCAD eLearning; and in Hong Kong beginning Fall 2010 (pending approval by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools).

SCAD offers an exceptional education and unparalleled career preparation. The diverse student body of more than 9,900 comes from all 50 United States and nearly 100 countries worldwide. Each student is nurtured and motivated by a faculty of more than 650 professors with extraordinary academic credentials and valuable professional experience. These faculty emphasize learning through individual attention in an inspiring university environment. SCAD provides an innovative curriculum enhanced by advanced, professional-level technology, equipment and learning resources. SCAD has garnered acclaim from respected organizations and publications, including BusinessWeek, American Institute of Architects, DesignIntelligence, U.S. News & World Report and Los Angeles Times.

For more information, visit scad.edu.

SOURCE Savannah College of Art and Design