PGA to Honor Jackson, Letteri and Weta Digital

Director Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit), vfx legend Joe Letteri (The Hobbit, Man of Steel, Star Wars) and Weta Digital (Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit) will receive the Producers Guild’s Vanguard Award at the 25th Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony on Sunday, January 19th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

The Producers Guild’s Vanguard Award recognizes achievements in new media and technology. Previous recipients include James Cameron, Stan Lee, George Lucas, John Lasseter, YouTube founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, and game designer Will Wright, as well as RealD’s Michael V. Lewis and Joshua Greer.

“We are truly honored to receive the Vanguard Award and to be recognized by the Producers Guild,” said Jackson and Letteri. Jackson continued, “Visual effects are a great tool to inspire the audience’s imagination and encourage them to take that extra step into the story.” Letteri adds, “It’s great to see the Producers Guild embrace visual effects as a core part of the modern filmmaking process.”

“Peter Jackson and Joe Letteri have created some of the most epic visionary fantasies in the history of filmmaking,” said PGA Awards Co-Chairs Lori McCreary and Michael De Luca. “Through the development of groundbreaking technology and software, Weta Digital has redefined the possibilities for producers to create living, breathing worlds to house even their most fantastic stories. We are proud to present Peter Jackson, Joe Letteri and Weta Digital with the 2014 Vanguard Award for their continued determination to break new imaginative ground for our industry.”