Initial honorees for the 6th Annual Location Managers Guild International Awards (LMGI) were announced today by LMGI President Mike Fantasia. Acclaimed Oscar®-nominated director Peter Weir (Witness, Dead Poets Society,The Truman Show, Master and Commander) will receive the Eva Monley Award, which recognizes and honors industry members who support the work of location professionals. Location Manager Michael J. Meehan (Dead Poets Society, The Perfect Storm, Pirates of the Caribbean, Master and Commander) will receive the 2019 LMGI Lifetime Achievement Award. The LMGI Awards spotlight international features, television and commercials in which the creative use of filming locations sets the tone, enrich the character and enhance the narrative. Winners of additional awards will be revealed during the formal ceremony on Saturday evening, September 21, 2019 at the Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica. *Nominations will be announced on July 18, 2019 (Please note date change).
The 2019 Eva Monley Award honoree is Oscar-nominated director, producer, screenwriter Peter Weir, best known for his work on Witness (1985), The Truman Show (1998), Dead Poets Society (1989) and Master and Commander (2003); the movies all earned Weir Oscar nominations for best director. He has been involved in an incredible 86 films and videos. He directed Linda Hunt, Harrison Ford, Robin Williams and Jim Carrey in Oscar-nominated performances. He has received a total of 36 awards and 59 nominations including five Oscar nominations, four Golden Globes, has won three BAFTA Awards and been nominated for four more.
Weir led the Australian New Wave cinema movement with his hypnotic Picnic at Hanging Rock, the lyrically surreal Last Wave, brutally realistic Gallipoli and the sultry Year of Living Dangerously. From a precarious geological outcropping to the aboriginal outback to steamy Indonesia, his earliest films exemplify the value of evocative locations in the crafting of intelligent, moody dramas exploring the balance between characters and their environment. He directed a diverse group of international films, many with Location Manager Mike Meehan who is set to receive the LMGI Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Lifetime Achievement Award honoree is Michael J. Meehan, a Location Manager who has traveled the world for 30 years scouting for major studios everywhere from Canada to Venezuela, with countries such as Mongolia, China, Russia, Bulgaria, Morocco, India and the Galapagos in between. Meehan has worked on over 38 movies and scouted more than 40 countries. His credits include Witness, Dead Poets Society, Arachnophobia, Toys,Pirates of the Caribbean 2/3, Master and Commander, among others. His illustrious career also included working with directors Sam Fuller, Mel Brooks, Barry Levinson, among others. His additional credits include Ben-Hur, Poseidon, Spaceballs, Syriana, Patch Adams, Grease 2 and Star Trek IV. His resumé trends with water movies (The Perfect Storm, Pirates, Sphere, Deep Blue Sea, Battleship, Poseidon…), on which he has become a specialist, helping to design tanks in the United States and Spain.
Committee Co-chairs of this year’s LMGI Awards are Lori Balton, Mike Fantasia and John Rakich. For information about the LMGI Awards, please visit www.locationmanagers.org or contact awards@locationmanagers.org.
The LMGI Awards are proudly sponsored by: GOLD LEVEL: NBC Universal Operations;SILVER LEVEL: Central Oregon Film Office, Film Fiji, Film Shasta/Redding Convention & Visitors Bureau, Hollywood Locations, Los Angeles Center Studios, Pacific Production Services, Pacific Traffic Control, Reel Waste & Recycling, LLC; BRONZE LEVEL: Classic Tents & Events, Fairplex, Spacefy, Inc.; MEDIA SPONSORS: The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Location Guide, and SHOOT.
About THE LMGI
The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) is an organization of experienced career professionals in the Motion Picture, Television, Commercial and Print production industries. LMGI members are dedicated to the establishment of professional standards of personal conduct, safety on the set and business ethics. They support the formation of strong links with business members, governmental agencies and local communities. The Guild promotes awareness of the goals and achievements of members to the general public and within the industry through creative, educational and philanthropic programs. The LMGI was founded in 2003 as a 501(c)(6), non-profit corporation as the LMGA and rebranded in 2016 to reflect its growing International membership. The LMGI is not a labor union, it does not represent Location Managers/Scouts in wage or working condition negotiations. For more information about the #LMGIawards, visit locationmanagers.org or follow the LMGI on Facebook , Instagram, and Twitter @The_LMGI.
