Bill Westenhofer poses with a gift after his speech at GW in April 2007.

Bill Westenhofer, SEAS MS ’95, won an Oscar® in the Visual Effects category at the 80th Annual Academy Awards ceremony for his work on The Golden Compass. Westenhofer, the visual effects supervisor for Rhythm & Hues, led a crew of 500 on two continents over a period of 18 months to produce nearly 400 shots featured in the movie, which stars Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, and Dakota Blue Richards.

In April 2007, Westenhofer returned to campus to discuss his experiences with more than 75 students, alumni, and friends during the “How Do I Become a Special Effects Expert?” program.

This is the second Academy Award nomination for Westenhofer. He was nominated in 2005 in the same category for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.