The Visual Effects Society has named multi-award winning director and producer Ridley Scott as its 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, in recognition of his enormous contributions to the film world. The award will be presented at the Society’s 13th Annual VES Awards on February 4 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The Award is bestowed by the VES Board of Directors for significant career contributions to the art and/or science of visual effects. Scott was selected for his vision and dedication to storytelling that blends iconic effects and epic narratives as seen in his groundbreaking sci fi films Blade Runner and Alien. “Ridley has given us a body of groundbreaking work to aspire to, and for this we are honored to award him with the prestigious Visual Effects Society Lifetime Achievement Award,” said VES board chair Jeffrey Okun.
From the Society’s announcement:
Scott has received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his work on Black Hawk Down, Gladiator and Thelma & Louise. All three films also earned him DGA Award nominations. His most recent directorial credits include the hit Prometheus starring Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace and Charlize Theron and the acclaimed The Counselor, starring Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz and Javier Bardem. Scott’s much-anticipated Exodus: Gods and Kings starring Christian Bale, will be released on December 12 from Fox. He is currently in production on The Martian with Matt Damon, set for 2015 release.
In addition to his Academy Award and DGA nominations, Scott also earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director and a BAFTA nomination for Best Film for American Gangster, starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Scott also received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for Best Director for Gladiator, which won the Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA awards for Best Picture.
In 1977, Scott made his feature film directorial debut with The Duellists, for which he won the Best First Film Award at the Cannes Film Festival. He followed with the blockbuster science-fiction thriller Alien, which catapulted Sigourney Weaver to stardom and launched a successful franchise. In 1982, Scott directed the landmark film Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford. Considered a science-fiction classic, the futuristic thriller was added to the U.S. Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 1993, and a director’s cut of Blade Runner was released to renewed acclaim in 1993 and again in 2007. Scott’s additional film directing credits include Legend, Someone to Watch Over Me, Black Rain, 1492: Conquest of Paradise; White Squall, G.I. Jane, Hannibal, Body of Lies, A Good Year, Kingdom of Heaven, Matchstick Men and Robin Hood.
