LOS ANGELES -- (SPW) --

Andy Serkis, the master of performance capture with unforgettable roles this past year in War for the Planet of the Apes and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, will receive the Motion Picture Showman of the Year Award at the 55th Annual International Cinematographers Guild (ICG, IATSE Local 600) Publicists Awards for his unique contribution to the art of movies. The awards will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Friday, March 2, 2018.

In announcing the award, Steven Poster, ASC, National President of the ICG, said, "Andy Serkis, with his unparalleled flexibility and understanding of movement, has made motion capture his own. We are delighted that he will be flying in from England to be with us."

Serkis has appeared in almost 100 films and TV shows. He has accumulated numerous award nominations from the Golden Globes®, Primetime Emmys®, BAFTA®, and the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films.

Serkis first made a name for himself playing Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson. He reunited with Jackson to play the title role in the 2005 version of King Kong, which was just the start of his simian simulations. His portrayal of Caesar, leader of the apes, in the Planet of the Apes trilogy has astounded audiences. These films have a combined box-office totaling more than $1.6 billion.

Serkis brought another unforgettable performance in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Next month he can be seen in the much-anticipated Black Panther.

He made his directorial debut last year with Breathe, starring Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy, and directed Mowgli, an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, set for release this year, starring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Benedict Cumberbatch with Serkis playing Baloo.

As previously announced, the Publicists Awards Luncheon will also honor Betty White, with a Lifetime Achievement Award and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Golden Globes. The ICG Publicists Directory, to be distributed at the luncheon, will be dedicated to the late journalist Liz Smith.

Henri Bollinger and Tim Menke return as chairs for this year's ICG Publicists Awards, which traditionally occur the week leading up to the Academy Awards®. Final online balloting will close on Feb. 9, and winners will be announced at the lunch ceremony on Friday, March 2, 2018. 

About THE PUBLICISTS OF THE ICG
Entertainment publicists first formed a union in 1937 as the Screen Publicists Guild, later becoming the Publicists Guild. In 2002 the Publicists Guild merged with the International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600). The first Publicists Awards Luncheon was held in 1964 and has since grown to an event attended annually by up to 900 publicists and industry leaders. The Guild also publishes the Annual ICG Publicists Membership Directory, which is given out at the Annual ICG Publicists Awards. For more information about the Publicists Awards, visit www.ICG600.com #PublicistsAwards.

About THE INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHERS GUILD (ICG)
The International Cinematographers Guild (IATSE Local 600) represents approximately 9,000 members who work in film, television and commercials as Directors of Photography, Camera Operators, Visual Effects Supervisors, Still Photographers, Camera Assistants, Film Loaders, all members of camera crews and Publicists. The first cinematographers’ union was established in New York in 1926, followed by unions in Los Angeles and Chicago, but it wasn’t until 1996 that Local 600 was born as a national guild. ICG's ongoing activities include the Emerging Cinematographer Awards and the Publicists Awards Luncheon. The Guild also publishes the award-winning ICG Magazine.

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• ICG Publicists Awards: www.icg600.com/ABOUT-US/Awards/Publicists-Awards
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