DGA Past President Michael Apted was presented with a Lifetime Honorary Membership of the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland (SDGI) for his outstanding leadership, inspiration and encouragement to directors worldwide and particularly to Irish directors during his career and his tenure as president of the DGA.
Apted was also recognized for his participation in the creation of the Affiliation of English Speaking Directors Organisations (IAESDO) of which both the SDGI and the DGA are founding members. The presentation - part of the SDGI's tenth anniversary celebrations - was made by SDGI Board Chairman Ciaran Donnelly (The Tudors) on September 22 at the Morrison Hotel in Dublin.
During the day, Apted met with Irish directors and participated in a special dialogue where he discussed his creative vision on projects that include the feature films Coal Miner's Daughter, The World is Not Enough, Amazing Grace, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. He also discussed the role of directors during a conversation moderated by director Shimmy Marcus (SoulBoy).
Established in 2000, the SDGI is the representative body for directors involved in the Irish and international audiovisual industry. As part of their joint membership in the IAESDO, on October 1 the SDGI participated in the DGA's Director's Finder Screening series with a Los Angeles screening of the Irish film The Runway directed by Ian Power.
(Photos by Mathew Thompson and Conor Healy Photography, courtesy SDGI)
