PGA Honors Industrial Light & Magic with Visionary Vanguard Award

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced today 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."

About ILM
Since 1975, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) has set the standard for visual effects, creating some of the most stunning images in the history of film. At the forefront of the digital revolution, ILM continues to break new ground in visual effects.

Founded by George Lucas, ILM is the leading effects facility in the world, with studios located in San Francisco, Singapore, Vancouver and London. The company serves the motion picture, commercial production and attraction industries. ILM has created visual effects for 320 feature films

With its many technical and creative innovations, ILM has helped drive the evolution of visual effects. Beginning with a mastery of the traditional arts of blue-screen photography, matte painting and model and miniature construction, ILM pioneered the development of motion control cameras, optical compositing, digital compositing, along with numerous other advances in effects technology. Since the 1980s, ILM has led the way in the use of computer graphics and digital imaging in feature films, developing BREAKTHROUGH software techniques such as morphing, enveloping and film input scanning.

Today ILM features one the largest and most advanced digital effects pipeline in the entertainment industry, from the earliest creation of wholly computer-generated characters in THE ABYSS, TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY and JURASSIC PARK to the startling digital breakthroughs in films such as TWISTER, STAR WARS: EPISODE I THE PHANTOM MENACE and THE PERFECT STORM. ILM's ability to merge photo-realistic digital images with live-action footage is unmatched in the film industry.

ILM has been awarded 15 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and received 28 Academy Awards for Scientific and Technical Achievement.

About the Producers Guild of America (PGA)
The Producers Guild of America is the non-profit trade group that represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team in film, television and new media. The Producers Guild has more than 7,000 members who work together to protect and improve their careers, the industry and community by providing members with employment opportunities, seeking to expand health benefits, promoting fair and impartial standards for the awarding of producing credits, as well as other education and advocacy efforts such as encouraging sustainable production practices. For more information and the latest updates, please visit Producers Guild of America websites and follow on social media:

Websites: www.producersguild.org, www.pgagreen.org, www.pgadiversity.org

Twitter: @ProducersGuild

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pga

YouTube: www.youtube.com/producersguild

Instagram: www.instagram.com/producersguild

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