The American Cinematheque’s 4th Annual Tribute to the Crafts was the entertainment industry’s first awards show since the January 7 wildfires swept through Los Angeles, and the ceremonies set the perfect tone in the wake of the disasters.
No tuxedos or gallons for this gig held at Hollywood’s historic Egyptian Theater, just casual clothing for the show, which had originally been scheduled for January 9 – and had been postponed, like every other January awards event on the calendar.
With many of the honorees and guests having lost their homes or been forced to evacuate for days, the ceremonies honored them and the firefighters and first responders who fought so hard to bring the wildfires under control.
American Cinematheque chair Rick Nicita announced plans to raise money for the recovery by donating a portion of all online tickets sold at the organization’s three theaters for the rest of the year to The California Fire Foundation and the Motion Picture Television Fund, with those donations matched by the Annenberg Foundation.
The ceremony was hosted by Paula Wagoner and Stephanie Allain. They paid tribute to all of the honorees in 12 categories– chosen by a jury – with clips from their films, which included Emilia Pérez, Dune: Part Two, Wicked, Saturday Night, The Substance, Will & Harper, Challengers and The Fall Guy.
Cinematographer Ed Lachlan, whos stellar credits include Far From Heaven, Carol, Desperately Seeking Susan and The Lords of Flatbush, received the Career Achievement Award, on the heels of receiving an Oscar nomination for Maria.
Lachlan, along with a number of the awards winners including Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who won for their score for Challengers, were unable to attend in person and gave pre-taped speeches for the enthusiastic audience which filled the theater.
Although it had been announced that Watch Duty fire app CEO John Mills was to receive the Unsung Hero Award, the crowd went nuts when actor Steve Guttenberg came out to present it to him. Guttenberg had been active in helping first responders in the Palisades fire and received national attention for helping move vehicles that clogged the roadways and prevented fire trucks from getting through.
Mills had created the fire app after a series of devastating wildfires tour through the Sonoma, California about seven years ago and Watch Duty became indispensable for countless thousands of Angelenos tracking the progress of the infernos that broke out beginning January 7.
He received a rousing standing ovation. In his acceptance speech, Mills refused to consider himself a hero and instead lauded some of the fire captains and firefighters he brought along with him to the ceremonies.
Here is a list of all the honorees of the 4th Annual American Cinematheque Tribute to The Crafts Awards:
Career Achievement Award Ed Lachman*
Unsung Hero Award Recipient Co-Founder & CEO of Watch Duty John Mills and Presenter Steve Guttenberg
Chris O’Hara – Stunts (The Fall Guy)
Damien Jalet* – Choreography (Emilia Pérez)
Gareth John*, Richard King*, Ron Bartlett & Doug Hemphill* – Sound (Dune: Part Two)
John Papsidera – Casting (Saturday Night)
Jomo Fray – Cinematography (Nickel Boys)
Juliette Welfling* – Editing (Emilia Pérez)
Nathan Crowley*, Lee Sandales* & Jamie Wilkinson* – Production Design/Set Decoration/Prop Master (Wicked)
Paul Lambert, Stephen James*, Rhys Salcombe* & Gerd Nefzer* – Visual Effects (Dune: Part Two)
Paul Tazewell – Costume Design (Wicked)
Pierre-Olivier Persin*, Stéphanie Guillon*, Frédérique Arguello* & Marilyne Scarselli* – Hair & Makeup (The Substance)
Sean Douglas, Kristen Wiig* & Josh Greenbaum* – Song (Will & Harper – “Harper and Will Go West”)
Trent Reznor* & Atticus Ross* – Score (Challengers)
*denotes those who were honored virtually.
