As a student in UVM's Film Studies Program, Jon Kilik '78 was determined to become part of the industry he loved. Today he is widely acknowledged as a major influence on the history and culture of American film.

The latest affirmation of that fact came with the announcement on January 24 that Kilik's latest film, "Babel," has been nominated for Best Picture by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

This is Kilik's first nomination in the Best Picture category, though he is no stranger at the Academy Awards. Other Kilik productions to receive Oscar nominations include "Pleasantville," "Before Night Falls," "Do the Right Thing," and "Malcolm X." Actress Susan Sarandon received the Oscar for Best Actress in Kilik's "Dead Man Walking," and Marcia Gay Harden won for Best Supporting Actress in "Pollock."

Accustomed by now to the rarefied air of Hollywood film production, Kilik tends to take his success in stride. “You’ve just got to do it and trust that it will work out,” Kilik told a group of UVM students on a recent visit to campus. Success, he said, is all about “being stubborn mixed with passion and a little bit of talent.”