IPA's Film, TV, Noms Up & Robert M. Young, Hive Lighting, Spike Lee

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a year marked by global strife and domestic struggles, The International Press Academy (IPA) has unveiled the 20^th Anniversary Satellite Award film and television nominees that reflect a complex world. IPA President Mirjana Van Blaricom said, "We have a great mix, touching all subjects and issues that are pertinent to today's conflicts. Motion pictures, we know are important, but television is so powerful these days because it's accessible to everyone." Special Achievement Honorees were also announced, along with IPA's top 10 films: The Big Short (Paramount), Black Mass (Warner Bros.), Bridge of Spies (DreamWorks), Brooklyn (Fox Searchlight), Carol (TWC), The Martian (20^th Century Fox), The Revenant (20^th Century Fox), Room (A24), Sicario (Lionsgate), and Spotlight (Open Road).

IPA's Best Actress nominations for 2015 encompass an intergenerational perspective, from Charlotte Rampling and Blythe Danner to Cate Blanchett, Carey Mulligan, Saorise Ronan, and Brie Larson for Room. The Best Actor category names Eddie Redmayne, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Michael Fassbender, and Will Smith for Concussion. A full list is available on the website. Special Achievement recipients are Hive Lighting founders Robert Rutherford and Jon Edward Miller for the Tesla Award; director Robert M. Young for the Auteur Award, and Spike Lee for the Humanitarian Award.

The press organization's namesake Tesla Award In Recognition of Visionary Achievement in Filmmaking Technology for 2015 goes to Hive Lighting, and company co-founders Robert Rutherford and Jon Edward Miller for their energy efficient, full-spectrum, flicker-free plasma lighting systems which are now used on Hollywood film sets. IPA created the Tesla Award in 2001 to honor game-changing pioneers who are influential in the way filmed entertainment evolves. James Cameron, Jerry Lewis, Dennis Muren, Roger Deakins, Stan Winston, and George Lucas are among previous Tesla recipients.

IPA's Auteur recipient Robert M. Young is being recognized for his specific passion for filmmaking, whether it's living with traditional Eskimos, trekking 400 miles with rebels during the Angola war, or filming with 1,000 extras. He is also a long-term collaborator with Edward James Olmos, for projects such as American Me (1992). "Watching Bob work his belief in putting the camera where the story is, and allowing 'situation' to breathe life,‎ has been the most rewarding artistic experience I've been privileged enough to take part in," said Edward James Olmos. "A genius in documenting human behavior, whether it be in fact or fiction, has made his work timeless and mesmerizing. It has been a total blessing spending the last 40 years by his side." Van Blaricom's familiarity with Mr. Young dates back to the former Yugoslavia's Brave New World Film Festival. "I have always been dismayed at how the icons of the business are overlooked as they grow older and younger audiences react to the younger people. I understand this economically, but we wouldn't be here if others hadn't blazed the trail. Bob Young's film Alambrista! screened in Belgrade in 1978. Then Caught was among our first honorees in 1996 at the then-titled Golden Satellite Awards for lead actor Arie Verveen as Best Newcomer."

Speaking of film icons, when Spike Lee released his latest movie Chi-Raq through new Hollywood player Amazon Studios, heads turned in a departure from traditional avenues; then, as the recent tragedies unfolded in Paris and around the world with the gun-violence attacks, Lee's new film hit a nerve for the spotlight it shines on gun-related terrorism. Yet this is just the latest chapter in the career of the "writer-director, actor, producer, author and educator who has helped revolutionize Modern Black Cinema," known as Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee.  In recognizing Spike Lee as the 2015 Humanitarian Award honoree, IPA adds his creative talents to past recipients such as Sebastian Junger, an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. Junger co-directed Restrepo with journalist Tim Hetherington, also a previous Humanitarian Award winner. Hetherington was killed in April 2011, while covering the civil war in Libya in an international hot zone. Spike Lee's gripping epic Chi-Raq also sheds light on gun-violence as an epidemic.

The International Press Academy's 20^th Annual Satellite™ Awards Anniversary celebration will be held on February 21, 2016 in Los Angeles, Calif. Satellite Award Motion Picture Nominations are derived from advance screenings, film festivals worldwide (i.e.; BAFTA, Berlin, Cannes, Sundance, Telluride, TIFF, Tribeca), as well as consideration screeners and/or sanctioned links as available. The Mary Pickford Award and New Media Nominations will be announced on Jan. 5, 2016.  See www.pressacademy.com for more information and a complete list of the 20^th Anniversary Satellite Award nominees.

SOURCE International Press Academy

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