Photo: Dan Doperalski
Citing his work as director of The Jungle Book, which won five awards from the group last year including Best Photoreal Feature, the Visual Effects Society (VES) said director-producer-actor Jon Favreau will receive the VES Lifetime Achievement Award next year.
Selected by the VES board of directors, the group’s Lifetime Achievement Award “recognizes an outstanding body of work that has significantly contributed to the art and/or science of the visual effects industry.” In addition to The Jungle Book, which was widely acknowledged to have broken new ground in the melding of live-action (human) footage with CG environments and animated (animal) performances, Favreau directed Iron Man and Iron Man 2 as well as Gnomes & Goblins, a VR experience from Wevr and Reality One. He is currently directing a live-action version of The Lion King, and is slated to take directorial duties on The Second Jungle Book as well as to produce Avengers: Infinity War.
Past winners of the VES Lifetime Achievement Award include James Cameron, John Dykstra, Ray Harryhausen, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg.
“I’m so honored to join such an esteemed list of past recipients,” said Jon Favreau. “The Visual Effects Society represents the wizards of our industry. I am extremely pleased and moved by their recognition.”
The 16th Annual VES Awards presentations are scheduled to take place February 13, 2018, at the Beverly Hilton hotel.
