'The Martian' Director to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

Ridley Scott, director of current box office champion “The Martian” along with cinematic classics such as “Alien” and “Blade Runner,” will receive a lifetime achievement award from the Visual Effects Society, the organization announced Tuesday.

“Ridley Scott is a defining voice of the feature, broadcast and commercial forms, and a true master of his craft,” VES board chairman Mike Chambers said. “His vision and contribution to the art is incomparable and his impact upon the visual effects and technical fields is unparalleled.

“Ridley’s iconic films have entertained and inspired millions, and his oeuvre of groundbreaking work has been immensely influential. For this, and more, we are honored to award him with the prestigious Visual Effects Society Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Scott will receive the honor during the 14th annual VES Awards on Feb. 2 at the Beverly Hilton.

Scott was nominated for best director Oscars for “Black Hawk Down,” “Gladiator” and “Thelma & Louise.” His other credits include “Legend,” “Someone to Watch Over Me,” “Hannibal,” “Kingdom of Heaven” and “Black Rain.”

He is also an executive producer of the CBS hit “The Good Wife.” He and his brother Tony created a commercial and advertising company in 1967, and later the Scott Free production company.

“The best filmmaking has always been the result of collaboration between artists, craftspeople and technicians, both in front and behind the camera,” Scott said. “Over the years I have been very fortunate to work on films that are visual at their core and thus I have always been immensely reliant on the expertise of our visual effects teams. To be honored by the Visual Effects Society with this Lifetime Achievement Award is indeed extremely gratifying.”

Previous winners of the honor include James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Ray Harryhausen, George Lucas, Robert Zemeckis, John Dykstra, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy.

City News Service