The International Cinematographers Guild
(ICG) will commemorate its 75th anniversary during the opening of its new national headquarters here on November 8, 2003. ICG will mark the occasion with a festive gala where ICG Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to Oscar®-winning filmmaker Ron Howard, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IASTSE) International President Thomas C. Short, and National Guild President George Spiro Dibie, ASC.
"Ron Howard is being recognized for his lifetime commitment to excellence," said Stephen Lighthill, ASC, chairman of the event. "He is a complete filmmaker who has excelled as an actor, writer, producer and director. This is an appropriate occasion for us to recognize and thank those remarkable individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to advancing the art of filmmaking.
"The opening of our new headquarters in Hollywood marks our continuing commitment to the future of this great industry in our community and in the United States," Lighthill continues, "and to our members who are often unsung heroes in this uniquely collaborative art of filmmaking."
"We want to recognize Tom Short for being a tireless and amazingly effective advocate for the rights of our members," said Bruce Doering, national executive director of ICG. "He understands and appreciates what they bring to this art form, and in just a few years has transformed the IATSE into an international economic and political force."
Dibie is being honored for both his achievements as a cinematographer who has earned six Emmy® awards and a total of 11 nominations, as well as for his leadership and dedication to the Guild and its members. He will mark his 20th anniversary as ICG president in 2004. He came to the United States as a student pursuing a dream of becoming a filmmaker at a time when virtually all of the Guilds were essentially closed to outsiders. He persisted and subsequently compiled a notable body of work, including such memorable television series as Barney Miller, Buffalo Bill, Night Court, Growing Pains, Just the 10 of Us and Mr. Belvedere. Dibie also photographed the pilots and established the "looks" for such television series as Murphy Brown, My Sister Sam, Driving Miss Daisy and Head of the Class.
During his tenure, the Guild has considerably expanded its membership, partially by pioneering diversity outreach programs for women and ethnic minorities that have become a model for the rest of the industry. Dibie also launched countless mentoring and training programs designed to keep members on the cutting edge of evolving technologies. He also led a successful effort to forge a merger of three regional camera guilds into one national organization that speaks with a single voice representing cinematographers and camera crews in every part of the United States.
The new ICG national headquarters is located at 7755 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. In addition to housing the national and western regional Guild staffs, the refurbished building will provide facilities for conferences and training.
There are some 6,000 ICG members, including cinematographers and camera crews, still photographers and publicists, who work on studio and independent films, television, commercials, documentaries, music videos and broadcast news. For additional information about the 75th anniversary celebration, visit the International Cinematographers Guild website at www.cameraguild.com