New York, NY - Filmmaker Spike Lee, television executive Don Hewitt and the trio heading Sony Pictures Classics, Michael Barker, Marcie Bloom and Tom Bernard, will be among those honored at the Third Annual Directors Guild of America Honors, a black-tie gala to be held at The Waldorf-Astoria in November.
"Since its inauguration in 1999, the DGA Honors has built a place for itself in the television and film community as one of the most exciting events in the performing arts calendar," 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 is proud to acknowledge remarkable contributions to American culture," said DGA National Vice President Ed Sherin. "The 2001 honorees are each highly accomplished individuals distinguished in their respective fields of endeavor and we are proud to recognize their outstanding talents through DGA Honors."
Filmmaker Spike Lee has directed and produced more than 25 films, including Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads, She's Gotta Have It (which won the Prix de Jeunesse Award at Cannes), School Daze, Do the Right Thing (which won him a Best Screenplay Oscar nomination), Mo' Better Blues, Jungle Fever, and Malcolm X, a three-hour-plus biopic, Crooklyn, Girl 6, Get on the Bus, 4 Little Girls (which was nominated for a Best Documentary Feature Oscar), He Got Game, Summer of Sam, and Bamboozled. Considered one of the most influential filmmakers in contemporary cinema, he played a role in ushering in a climate of newfound respect for African-American filmmakers and actors in a business that has historically marginalized their contributions to film.
During his career at CBS News, which has spanned more than a half century, Don Hewitt was the first executive producer of the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite, produced and directed the coverage of the flights of the seven Mercury Astronauts, produced the first television debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy, directed the CBS coverage of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and Pope John XXIII, as well as the funeral of Winston Churchill.
Despite Hewitt having had a hand in all those news-making events, as well as several others, his principal claim to fame is his pioneering role in bringing to television the American institution known as 60 MINUTES. He kept the broadcast in the top ten for a record-breaking 22 consecutive years, during which 60 MINUTES became America's most watched broadcast once in the 1970s, once in the 1980s and twice in the 1990s.
Michael Barker, Tom Bernard, and Marcie Bloom are the Co-Presidents of Sony Pictures Classics - a company founded in January 1992 that distributes, finances and produces independent films from America and around the world.
As Co-Presidents, Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom have distinguished themselves as champions of the world's finest independent filmmakers including Akira Kurosawa, John Boorman, Louis Malle, David Mamet, James Ivory, Zhang Yimou, Wim Wenders, Jim Jarmusch, Allison Anders, Agniezska Holland, John Sayles, Errol Morris, Alan Rudolph, Hal Hartley, Pedro Almodovar, Mike Figgis, Woody Allen, and Ang Lee. They have released some of the best and most successful independent films over the past decade including Howards End, Crumb, Safe, Vanya on 42nd Street, Persuasion, Orlando, Welcome to the Dollhouse, Lone Star, Waiting for Guffman, In The Company of Men, The Spanish Prisoner, The Opposite of Sex, Central Station, Run Lola Run, The Winslow Boy (which they produced and fully financed), The Tao of Steve, and the multiple Academy Award-winner Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Additional honorees for this year’s event will be announced shortly.
Last year’s honorees included filmmakers Mike Nichols, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, labor leader Thomas C. Short, Screen Gems Studios/North Carolina president Frank Capra, Jr. and filmmaker Sydney Pollack. Presenters included Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ron Howard and Shirley Maclaine, with Ellen Degeneres as host. A committee of DGA members appointed by DGA National Vice President Ed Sherin selects honorees.
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. The Directors Guild of America represents more than 12,000 members who work in feature film, filmed, taped and live television, commercials, and documentaries, including Directors, Unit Production Managers, Assistant Directors, Associate Directors, Technical Coordinators, Stage Managers and Production Associates.
The Third Annual Directors Guild of America Honors on Saturday, November 17th, will begin with a cocktail reception at 6:00PM, dinner at 7:00 PM, followed by the awards presentation at 8:00 PM at the Waldorf-Astoria (301 Park Avenue, between 49th and 50th Streets in Manhattan). For table or ticket information, please see listing below.
