April 14, 2018
Los Angeles – Directors Guild of America President Thomas Schlamme made the following statement upon learning of the passing of Miloš Forman:
“Miloš was truly one of ours. A filmmaker, artist, and champion of artists’ rights. His contribution to the craft of directing has been an undeniable source of inspiration for generations of filmmakers. His directorial vision deftly brought together provocative subject matter, stellar performances and haunting images to tell the stories of the universal struggle for free expression and self-determination that informed so much of his work and his life.
“A member of the DGA’s National Board and a recipient of the DGA’s highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, Miloš actively championed artist’s rights throughout his career, speaking multiple times before Congress and world audiences about the importance of creative rights and artists’ protections against the violation of those rights. He stood up on behalf of his beloved fellow filmmakers time and again, and he believed with all his heart that creativity and artistic freedom could make a difference in the world. Now it’s up to us to prove him right. We will miss him.”
DGA Service and Awards:
In 2013, Forman became the 34th recipient of the Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction. Forman was also recognized with the DGA Honor in 2008 and the John Huston Award for Artists Rights in 1997. He twice won the DGA Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film Awards: for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975; and for Amadeus in 1984.
Miloš Forman joined the DGA in 1970 and served two terms on the National Board. A longtime champion of artist’s rights, Forman was a Charter Benefactor of the Artists Rights Foundation, a Governor of the Artists Rights Education and Legal Defense Fund Council at The Film Foundation and a member of the DGA President’s Committee on Film Preservation. In 2009, Forman gave the keynote address at the CISAC World Copyright Summit in Washington, D.C. on behalf of the DGA expressing concern about how rampant digital theft would impact the ability of artists to be compensated for their work.