By Phillip D. Johnson
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese will receive the prestigious Cinematic Imagery Award from the Art Directors Guild (ADG) at its 18th Annual Art Directors Guild’s Excellence in Production Design Awards, it was announced today by ADG Council Chairman John Shaffner and Awards Producers Raf Lydon and Dave Blass. Set for February 8, 2014, the black-tie ceremony at The Beverly Hilton Hotel will be hosted by Owen Benjamin and will honor more than 40 years of Scorsese’s extraordinary award-winning work.
The ADG’s Cinematic Imagery Award is given to those whose body of work in the film industry has richly enhanced the visual aspects of the movie-going experience. Previous recipients have been the Production Designers behind the James Bond franchise, the principal team behind the Harry Potter films, Bill Taylor, Syd Dutton, Warren Beatty, Allen Daviau, Clint Eastwood, Blake Edwards, Terry Gilliam, Ray Harryhausen, Norman Jewison, John Lasseter, George Lucas, Frank Oz, Steven Spielberg, Robert S. Wise and Zhang Yimou.
Said Shaffner, “The ADG has wanted Scorsese to accept this deserving honor since the earliest days of its inception. We are beyond delighted that his schedule finally now allows him time to receive it! The ADG has always considered his hands-on pursuit of excellence of production design to equal all of the fine craftsmanship that goes into every aspect of all Martin Scorsese films.”
Martin Scorsese is one of the most prominent and influential filmmakers working today. His latest film, Paramount Pictures The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey, Margot Robbie and Jonah Hill, will be released on December 25. He directed the critically acclaimed, award-winning films Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed and the 2010 box office hit Shutter Island. Scorsese has also directed numerous documentaries including No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, Elia Kazan: A Letter to Elia (both films garnering Peabody Awards), A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese through American Movies, Il Mio Viaggio in Italia, Public Speaking starring writer Fran Lebowitz and the documentary for HBO: George Harrison: Living in the Material World. Most recently he directed the Academy Award® nominated and Golden Globe®-winning film Hugo, a 3D adaptation of Brian Selznick’s children’s book. Scorsese currently serves as Executive Producer on HBO’s hit series Boardwalk Empire for which he directed the pilot episode. He is the founder and chair of The Film Foundation and the World Cinema Project, both non-profit organizations dedicated to the preservation, restoration and protection of film.
Nominations for this year’s ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards will be announced on January 9. The ADG will present winners in 10 competitive categories for theatrical films, television productions, commercials and music videos on February 8. As previously announced, Rick Carter will receive the Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award; and Robert Clatworthy, Harper Goff, and J. Michael Riva will be inducted into the ADG’s Hall of Fame.