Lord of the Rings auteur Sir Peter Jackson has been named as the next recipient of the VES Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award is given by the Visual Effects Society board of directors to recognise a body of work which has significantly contributed to the art and/or science of the visual effects industry.
The VES is bestowing Sir Peter with this honour for “his consummate artistry, expansive storytelling and profound gift for blending iconic imagery and unforgettable narrative on an epic scale”.
In addition to his work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Kiwi director’s most recent film, the World War I documentary They Shall Not Grow Old, utilised a variety of visual effects techniques to modernise and colourise the decades-old footage.
Sir Peter is to use similar techniques in his next documentary feature, The Beatles: Get Back.
VES board chair Lisa Cooke stated: “Peter pushes the known boundaries of filmmaking and his vision and contributions to the art are legendary. He has redefined the relationship between the viewer and the story. You can easily see this from the epic cult followings of his highly engaging work, a testament to his expert blending of visual effects, evocative characters and a remarkable imagination.”
Jackson said he was thrilled to receive the award.
“If I was ever going to be honoured for my lifetime of work, I would have chosen the VES award, because I started my career as a seven-year-old making models and shooting them with a Super 8 camera. The dream of making visual effects was the seed of my whole world as a filmmaker. But just because it’s called lifetime, don’t think I’ve peaked; there’s a lot more to come.”
Previous recipients of the award include Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Jon Favreau. The award will be presented in a live streamed ceremony on April 7.
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