The 22nd annual Art Directors Guild Awards has its career honoree. Kathleen Kennedy, the eight-time Oscar nominee who heads Lucasfilm, is set to receive the group’s Cinematic Imagery Award during the ADG Awards on January 27 at Hollywood & Highland.
“We are thrilled to recognize the amazing contributions Kathleen Kennedy has made to narrative design for more than three decades, while so beautifully creating a cinematic legacy as represented by some of the most successful movies of our time,” ADG President Nelson Coates said. “Ms. Kennedy is truly a significant role model. Her creative legacy and professional journey is an inspirational example to all young artists who are in search of a meaningful career in the entertainment industry. Through her perseverance, talent and leadership, she has become an icon elevating the art of production design. She continues to raise the bar for all visual storytellers.”
The news comes days after Lucasfilm and Disney set The Last Jedi writer-director Rian Johnson to develop a new Star Wars trilogy with a completely new story and original characters.
Lucasfilm President Kennedy oversees the Disney company’s three units: Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound. She has produced more than 70 features, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), which set a record for the biggest domestic opening of all time with $248M and went on to earn over $2B worldwide. She also produced Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the next two movies in the SW universe: Star Wars: The Last Jedi, opening December 15, and 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, along with a new installment in the Indiana Jones series in 2019.
The ADG’s Cinematic Imagery Award is given to those whose body of work in the film industry has richly enhanced the visual aspects of the moviegoing experience, the guild said. Previous recipients include Brad Bird, David O. Russell, Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, John Lasseter, George Lucas and Frank Oz.
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