Christopher McQuarrie, acclaimed producer, director and Academy Award®-winning writer, will receive this year’s Eva Monley Award from the Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) at the 7th Annual LMGI Awards celebrating “2020 Vision: We See It First.” The Eva Monley Award recognizes and honors industry members who support the vision of location professionals. Hosted by Isaiah Mustafa, the Awards will be held on Saturday, October 24, at 2:00 p.m. PST during a virtual ceremony. The announcement was made today by LMGI President Mike Fantasia and Awards Co-chairs Lori Balton and John Rakich.
Awards Co-chair and former LMGI President Lori Balton said, “McQ ‘gets’ the importance of location pros and the legacy of Eva Monley who worked with some of his influencers (David Lean and John Huston). Having Edgar Wright present the award spotlights our craft, with two consummate professionals championing location managers and scouts.”
McQuarrie received his Oscar® for his screenplay of The Usual Suspects (1995) directed by his childhood friend Bryan Singer. The film also garnered him BAFTA’s Best Original Screenplay Award. He also went on to win the Edgar Allen Poe Award and the Independent Spirit Award. The Writers Guild of America recognized The Usual Suspects as one of the greatest screenplays of all time.
In the years following, McQuarrie directed The Way of the Gun, starring Ryan Phillippe, Benicio Del Toro and James Caan. In 2008, he collaborated with Singer once again to produce and co-write Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise. This film would lead to many more McQuarrie-Cruise collaborations. McQuarrie re-teamed with Cruise in 2012 for his sophomore directorial outing, Jack Reacher. Within hours of completing the film, he was at work with Cruise again, this time re-writing the script for Doug Liman's Edge of Tomorrow. It was while working together on the sci-fi action film that Cruise suggested McQuarrie direct what would become Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. The highly anticipated fifth installment of the Ethan Hunt saga, also written by McQuarrie, garnered the biggest opening in the history of the Mission: Impossible franchise, was the highest-grossing 2D Hollywood film ever at the Chinese box office, earning $124 million, and garnered over $680 million worldwide. McQuarrie is confirmed to write and direct the sixth chapter in the franchise, making him the first repeat director in the film's two-decade history.
Last year’s Eva Monley Award recipient was Oscar® nominated director, producer, screenwriter Peter Weir. As previously announced, Oscar-winning director Spike Lee, whose films have reflected significant cultural and historical content with the highest quality, will receive the acclaimed LMGI Trailblazer Award honoring the groundbreaking spectrum of Lee’s extraordinary award-winning work over the past three decades. Emmy®-winning and Oscar-nominated actor Gary Sinise will receive the esteemed Humanitarian Award for establishing the Gary Sinise Foundation with the mission to serve and honor America’s defenders, veterans, first responders, Gold Star families and those in need.
The LMGI Awards honor the outstanding and creative visual contributions by location professionals in film, television and commercials from around the globe. The LMGI Awards also recognize outstanding service by film commissions for their support “above and beyond” during the production process.
This year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 7th Annual LMGI Awards breaks with tradition and will be presented on a digital platform, streaming to a worldwide and more inclusive audience. LMGI Award winners will be announced at the virtual awards ceremony on Saturday, October 24, at 2:00 p.m. PST. For a list of 2020 LMGI Awards nominees, visit: www.LocationManagers.org.
Committee Co-chairs of this year’s LMGI Awards (#LMGIawards) are Lori Balton and John Rakich. For further inquiries about the LMGI Awards, visit www.LocationManagers.org.
About THE LOCATION MANAGERS GUILD INTERNATIONAL (LMGI)
The Location Managers Guild International / LMGI is a global organization of career location professionals in the motion picture, television, commercial and print production industries dedicated to upholding the highest ethical standards. The LMGI is proud to be the only worldwide location resource for Location Professionals, combining regional commitment with international strength and community. We support strong relationships between production and government agencies, businesses and communities. We promote awareness of our place in the entertainment industry as indispensable creative collaborators through a variety of innovative programs. The LMGI was founded in 2003 as a 501(c)(6) nonprofit corporation. For more information about the LMGI, visit LocationManagers.org or follow us on Facebook; Twitter @The_LMGI; #LMGIawards, Instagram and YouTube.
