Inaugural Visionary Vanguard Award to be accepted by ILM Senior Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll at the 27th Annual Producers Guild Awards on Saturday, January 23.
LOS ANGELES -- The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced that Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) will be the recipient of the inaugural Visionary Vanguard Award. President Lynwen Brennan and Chief Creative Officer and Senior Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll will accept the award at the 27th Annual Producers Guild Awards on Saturday, January 23, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
In prior years, the Guild presented its Visionary Award and Vanguard Award to separate recipients. This year, in light of the unique nature of ILM’s contributions to technology and entertainment, the Guild has combined the two awards into a single and distinctive honor. The Producers Guild 2016 Visionary Vanguard Award is sponsored by Delta Air Lines.
The Visionary Vanguard Award recognizes ILM’s groundbreaking work in visual effects and innovations that have revolutionized storytelling. For nearly 40 years, ILM has played a key role in numerous worldwide box-office hits, including Star Wars Episodes I – VII, the Harry Potter franchise, the Transformers franchise, the Marvel Universe, the Pirates Of The Caribbean films, The Revenant and countless others.
“The decision to combine these two awards is a testament to the incredible achievements of ILM over the past 40 years,” said Producers Guild Awards Co-Chairs Michael DeLuca (SOCIAL NETWORK, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS) and Jennifer Todd (ALICE IN WONDERLAND, CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER). “ILM’s dedication to advancing the creative possibilities of film has inspired the imaginations of storytellers worldwide and provided the tools to transport audiences to richly immersive new worlds.”
“On behalf of all of us at Industrial Light & Magic I’d like to thank the Producer’s Guild for recognizing the company’s contribution to the film industry throughout the past 40 years,” stated Lynwen Brennan. “It’s been an incredible adventure since the day George Lucas first assembled his team of dreamers to create the special effects for Star Wars. Now, some 300 films later we’ve had the privilege of helping some of the most visionary filmmakers in the industry create iconic moments that are forever part of our collective memory.”
“I have been with ILM since 1986 and have been fortunate to have worked with some of the finest producers in the business,” added John Knoll. “The collaboration between filmmakers and the visual effects industry has never been closer, and it is great to be honored by our allies and friends that help us create the images that were dared to dream.”
Source: The Producers Guild of America
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
