New York (November 4) – New Line Cinema Chairman and CEO Robert Shaye has been chosen by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) to join other recipients of the first annual Directors Guild of America Honors, it was announced today by DGA National Vice President and Executive Producer of Law and Order, Ed Sherin. The gala celebration of the Eastern Region’s film and television production community will be held at the Hilton Hotel in New York on November 21st.
"Robert Shaye is being recognized by the DGA Honors as a pioneer of the independent film movement and for his enormous contribution to the Eastern Region’s production community. Furthermore, Robert Shaye has served as a mentor and a nurturer of many independent directors and filmmakers throughout their careers," said Sherin. "We at the DGA are honored that a man of such stature in the industry will be sharing this special evening with us."
Robert Shaye began his career making homegrown award-winning shorts. At the young age of 15, he shared first prize with Martin Scorsese, another DGA Honors award recipient, in the Society of Cinematologists’ prestigious Rosenthal competition for best films made by American directors under the age of 25.
Hailed as the "quintessential independent," Robert Shaye founded New Line Cinema in 1967 and has guided the company's growth from a privately held distributor of art films, into the entertainment industry’s leading independent motion picture production and distribution company.
Over the years, Robert Shaye and New Line Cinema have been instrumental in launching or developing the careers of renowned filmmakers including Boogie Nights director Paul Thomas Anderson, Rush Hour director Brett Ratner, John Waters, who directed Hairspray and Polyester; Allen and Albert Hughes, who helmed Menace II Society; Reginald and Warren Hudlin, who wrote, produced and directed House Party; and directors Renny Harlin, Stephen Hopkins, Charles Russell and Wes Craven, all of whom helmed A Nightmare on Elm Street productions.
The New Line Cinema library includes an eclectic mix of motion pictures, ranging from the box-office blockbusters Seven, Mortal Kombat, Dumb and Dumber, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and The Mask, to the Academy Award-winning Best Foreign Film Get Out Your Handkerchiefs. Most recently, the company released such hit films as Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Rush Hour, Blade, Pleasantville, Lost in Space, The Wedding Singer, Wag The Dog, and Boogie Nights. The company was also responsible for marketing and distributing the hit romantic-comedy Michael, starring John Travolta, and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
In 1990, New Line formed its Fine Line Features specialty film division, which has released such acclaimed films as Woody Allen’s Deconstructing Harry; Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter; Shine; Robert Altman’s films The Player and Short Cuts; Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho; Whit Stillman’s Barcelona; the documentary Hoop Dreams; David Cronenberg’s Crash; and Love! Valour! Compassion!, a film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway play. Upcoming releases include Guisieppe Tornatore’s Legend of the Pianist on the Ocean, starring Tim Roth, Trick, and Tumbleweeds.
The Directors Guild of America has long been a champion of national and regional filmmaking in the United States. "Directors Guild of America Honors..." is a new awards program that celebrates individuals and organizations that have contributed to those efforts.
The annual Gala in New York, will celebrate the achievements of filmmakers as well as leaders from politics, labor and business who have invigorated American film and television production, particularly in the Eastern region of the United States.
On October 6, 1999 at a press conference at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York City, the names were revealed of the other honorees receiving special Directors Guild of America Honors... awards. They include: legendary New York City-based filmmaker Martin Scorsese; Congressman Richard A. Gephardt, (D, MO) who has supported the arts and assisted in passing creative rights legislation, strongly allied with organized labor; Thomas O’Donnell Sr., President, Local 817, The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union whose efforts have upheld labor’s rights while encouraging production in New York; and The Austin Texas Film Society, a nationally recognized film exhibition and artists support center, founded in 1985 by Director Richard Linklater (Slacker, Dazed and Confused, The Newton Boys), which provides a haven for artists and serves as an example to the entertainment industry.
Founded in 1936 by 13 of Hollywood’s leading filmmakers, including the legendary John Ford and King Vidor, the Directors Guild of America is the nation’s pre-eminent organization representing directors and members of the directorial team.
