The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced that Megan Ellison will receive the 2017 Visionary Award. Ellison will accept the award at the 28th Annual Producers Guild Awards on Saturday, January 28, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles.
The Producers Guild Visionary Award recognizes television, film, or new media producers for their unique or uplifting contributions to our culture through inspiring storytelling or performance. The Producers Guild 2017 Visionary Award is sponsored by Delta Air Lines.
Ellison is being recognized with the Visionary Award for her work as a fierce supporter of distinctive and creative voices in contemporary filmmaking, bringing to life a collection of stories that have broadened audience perspectives on our world and challenged our industry’s assumptions about the kinds of stories motion pictures can tell. Ellison receives this award on the heels of the upcoming film, 20th Century Women, adding to her already impressive roster of critically acclaimed films such as American Hustle, Her, The Master, Zero Dark Thirty and Foxcatcher, among many others.
Producers Guild Awards chairs Donald De Line and Amy Pascal stated, “Megan Ellison joined our industry when she founded Annapurna Pictures just over six years ago, and she got here just in time. Megan and her team’s passion for great stories and uncompromising storytellers has been an inspiration to independent filmmakers and their audiences alike. We’re proud to call Megan our colleague, and just as proud to honor her with the PGA’s Visionary Award.”
Added Ellison, “I am thankful and humbled to receive the PGA Visionary Award from my peers at the PGA, particularly from Amy and Donald, who I admire greatly. I share this honor with my team at Annapurna, who has never failed to inspire me with their creativity and love for the arts. I am incredibly proud of them and the work we have done together. We are truly grateful for this recognition.”
Expanding outside the realm of film, Annapurna has recently launched the Annapurna Television and Annapurna Interactive divisions to further the company’s commitment to premier, engaging storytelling across mediums.
Previous Visionary Award honorees include Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner’s Plan B Entertainment; producer and founder of Illumination Entertainment Chis Meledandri, for his prolific work in animation; producer, entrepreneur, and humanitarian Russell Simmons, for his dedication to philanthropy and work as a film and television producer; producer Laura Ziskin, for her commitment to storytelling and her efforts organizing the 2008 and 2009 Stand Up To Cancer campaign and television specials; Jeff Skoll, for his work with Participant Media in creating films that inspire social action; and Joel Gallen, who produced the landmark post-9/11 telethon “America: A Tribute to Heroes.”
