Honorees Named for Second Annual DGA Honors

Mike Nichols	Sydney Pollack	Sen. Edward Kennedy
Thomas C. Short	Jeff Bewkes	Frank Capra, Jr.

Filmmakers Mike Nichols and Sydney Pollack, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, labor leader Thomas C. Short, Home Box Office CEO Jeff Bewkes, and EUE Screen Gems Studios President Frank Capra, Jr., will be honored at the Second Annual Directors Guild of America Honors, a black-tie gala to be held at The Grand Hyatt New York on December 10.

"The Directors Guild of America is proud of the new DGA Honors tradition that was established by our wonderfully successful inaugural event in 1999," commented DGA President Jack Shea.

The evening will celebrate individuals and organizations that have made distinguished contributions to our nation's culture in support of filmmaking and television. The membership of the Directors Guild of America, other top entertainment industry professionals, union, government and business leadership from across the nation are expected to attend. All honorees will be present to accept their award.

"Directors Guild of America Honors recognizes outstanding contribution to American culture," said DGA National Vice President Ed Sherin. "The 2000 honorees are each superbly qualified to meet the high standard of excellence exemplified by last year's recipients and our Guild is proud to bring public focus to their respective contributions through the spotlight of DGA Honors."

Legendary filmmaker Mike Nichols, who has directed Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate (for which he won an Oscar), Carnal Knowledge, Working Girl, Silkwood and The Birdcage, among dozens of others, will be receiving the Filmmaker Award. Mr. Nichols has had an outstanding career in film, television and theater, winning six Tony Awards and one Grammy.

Sydney Pollack has directed more than 30 films and won two Academy Awards for Out of Africa - Best Director and Best Picture. He will receive the Artists Rights Foundation "John Huston Award" for outstanding commitment to artist's rights. Mr. Pollack has been a champion for the protection of the creative work of film directors and he has testified before a Subcommittee of the Unites States Senate on the subject of film colorization. The "John Huston Award" has become one of the film community's most prestigious awards. Barbra Streisand, who co-starred in Pollack's The Way We Were, said, "I can think of no one more deserving to carry on the legacy and tradition of the 'John Huston Award' than him."

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who throughout his nearly 40-year career in the U.S. Congress, has been a staunch supporter of the National Endowment for the Arts and First Amendment issues, will receive the National Honoree Award - the DGA's highest recognition extended to persons outside the filmmaking community. Sen. Kennedy is the ranking Democrat on the U.S. Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee and has fought for issues ranging from the minimum wage to quality health care, education reform, civil rights and environmental protection.

Prominent entertainment labor leader, Thomas C. Short, International President of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) will receive the Union Leadership Award. For more than 30 years since joining the Stagehands Local No. 27 in Cleveland, Ohio, Mr. Short has been an outspoken advocate for those who work in specialized crafts within the entertainment industry.

Jeff Bewkes is Chairman and CEO of Home Box Office, the world's largest cable television company, which operates multiple premium networks in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. The DGA is honoring Bewkes for his role in bringing HBO to the forefront of New York's renaissance in episodic television production. Through the company's dynamic efforts in support of cutting-edge series, such as The Sopranos, Sex and the City and OZ, Bewkes and HBO have helped renew New York's position as the "Entertainment Capital of the World."

Prior to becoming CEO in 1995, Bewkes had been president and Chief Operating Officer of Home Box Office since 1991. For the preceding five years, he had been Chief Financial Officer of the company. He joined HBO in June, 1979. Bewkes serves on the boards of Comedy Central network, The Creative Coalition, the American Museum of the Moving Image and St. Vincent's Services. He is a Trustee of the Walter Kaitz Foundation, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the Advisory Councils of the American Museum of Natural History and Stanford Graduate School of Business. Bewkes has a BA degree from Yale University and an MBA degree from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Frank Capra Jr. has been active in the film industry for over four decades. Currently President of EUE Screen Gems Studios, Wilmington, NC, he has produced dozens of films, among them, Play It Again Sam, Death Before Dishonor, Marie, Tom Sawyer, Firestarter, Escape from New York, Time Bandits and three Planet of the Apes films. Early in his career, he worked as an assistant director on such favorite series as Gunsmoke, Hazel, and Dennis The Menace. Capra is receiving a DGA award in recognition of his instrumental role in transforming Wilmington into a regional production center for both television and film, as well as for his significant contributions as a creator of original programming.

Capra is a member of numerous professional associations, including the Executive Branch Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the North Carolina Governor's Film Council and the North Carolina Southeast Film Advisory Board. He is also Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Mr. Capra graduated from Pomona College, and received a Doctor of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.

"I feel very fortunate and extremely proud to be an active participant in the extraordinary growth and quality of our Wilmington film community" says Frank Capra, Jr.

Last year's honorees included filmmaker Martin Scorsese, Congressman Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.), Thomas O'Donnell Sr. (President of Local 817 of The International Brotherhood of Teamsters), Robert Shaye, founder and CEO of New Line Cinema and the Austin Texas Film Society. A committee of DGA members appointed by Ed Sherin selects honorees.

The decision to stage the DGA Honors award ceremony in New York is intended to showcase the unique synergy between film and television makers, investment capital, organized laborers, performing talent and forward-thinking city officials which has fueled New York's record revenues and production schedules. The evening will celebrate individuals and organizations responsible for distinguished contributions to our nation's culture in support of filmmaking and television. The membership of the Directors Guild of America, other top entertainment industry professionals, union, government and business leadership from across the nation are expected to attend. All honorees will be present to accept their award.

"Last year's Directors Guild of America Honors inaugurated a vital annual tradition," said Sherin. "Naturally, our focus is on the creation of terrific film and television. But the Guild is also uniquely positioned to honor the diversity of achievement which helps drive the spectacular productions of our industry from behind the scenes. For this reason, the inclusion of a great legislator, a visionary CEO and a powerful labor leader are essential additions to our list of honorees."

For table or ticket information, please call or email Marissa Manzanares - (212) 581-0370, ext. 241

Table of Contents     Top of Page