Eight-time Academy Award®- Nominee Kathleen Kennedy Set to Receive Cinematic Imagery Award at the Art Directors Guild Awards

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Nov. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Eight-time Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Kathleen Kennedy, whose films have consistently reflected the highest quality of production design, will receive the prestigious Cinematic Imagery Award from the Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE, Local 800) at its 22^nd Annual Art Directors Guild's Excellence in Production Design Awards, it was announced today by ADG Council Chairman Marcia Hinds ADG and Awards Producers Thomas A. Walsh ADG and Thomas Wilkins ADG. The 2018 Awards, themed "Production Design: Celebrating 100 Years of Imagination," will be held Saturday, January 27, 2018 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland and will honor the prestigious spectrum of Kennedy's extraordinary award-winning work.

Said ADG President Nelson Coates, "We are thrilled to recognize the amazing contributions Kathleen Kennedy has made to narrative design for more than three decades, while so beautifully creating a cinematic legacy as represented by some of the most successful movies of our time. Ms. Kennedy is truly a significant role model. Her creative legacy and professional journey is an inspirational example to all young artists who are in search of a meaningful career in the entertainment industry. Through her perseverance, talent and leadership, she has become an icon elevating the art of production design. She continues to raise the bar for all visual storytellers."

Considered one of the most successful and respected producers and executives in the film industry today, Kathleen Kennedy is President of Lucasfilm and she oversees the company's three divisions: Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound. Kennedy is also the producer of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), which set a record for the biggest domestic opening of all time with $248M and went on to earn over $2B worldwide, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (12/16/16), as well as the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi (12/15/17), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) and a new installment in the Indiana Jones series (2019).

Kennedy has produced or executive produced over 70 feature films, which have collectively garnered 120 Academy Award nominations and 25 wins. Among her credits: Jurassic Park, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, The Sixth Sense, the Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Gremlins, The Goonies, Poltergeist, Empire of the Sun, Lincoln (nominated for 12 Oscars and won 2), War Horse, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Schindler's List, The Color Purple, and The Adventures of Tintin.

Kennedy has produced the films of such directors as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, JJ Abrams, Rian Johnson, Ron Howard, David Fincher, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Robert Zemeckis, Julian Schnabel, Marjane Satrapi, M. Night Shyamalan, Frank Oz, Peter Bogdanovich and Richard Donner. 

Prior to joining Lucasfilm in 2012, Kennedy headed The Kennedy/Marshall Company, which she founded in 1992 with director/producer Frank Marshall, and in 1982 she co-founded the successful Amblin Entertainment with Marshall and Steven Spielberg.

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 Brad Bird, David O. Russell, Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, John Lasseter, George Lucas, Frank Oz, 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, Robert S. Wise and Zhang Yimou.

Producers of this year's ADG Awards (#ADGawards) are Production Designers Thomas A. Walsh ADG and Thomas Wilkins ADG. Award submissions are open online now through November 9, 2017. Online nomination voting will be held December 6, 2017– January 3, 2018 and nominees announced on January 4, 2018. Final online balloting will be held January 8 –25, and winners will be announced at the dinner ceremony on Saturday, January 27, 2018.  ADG Awards are open only to productions when made within the U.S. by producer's signatory to the IATSE agreement. Foreign entries are acceptable without restrictions.

Further inquiries regarding the ADG Awards may be directed to Debbie Patton, ADG Awards & Events Director, at 818.762.9995 or Email: [email protected]

NOTE TO MEDIA: Media credentials required. To apply, visit http://bit.ly/2gU8rwC

ABOUT THE ART DIRECTORS GUILD:
The Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) represents 2,500 members who work throughout the United States, Canada and the rest of the world in film, television and theater as Production Designers, Art Directors, Assistant Art Directors; Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists; Illustrators and Matte Artists; Set Designers and Model Makers; and Previs Artists. Established in 1937, the ADG's ongoing activities include a Film Society, an annual Awards Banquet, a creative/technology community (the World Building Institute), a bimonthly craft magazine (Perspective); and extensive technology-training programs, figure drawing and other creative workshops and year-round Gallery 800 art exhibitions. The Guild's Online Directory/Website Resource is at www.adg.org. Connect with the Art Directors Guild and #ADGawards on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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SOURCE Art Directors Guild (IATSE, Local 800)