67 years ago, it was noted off the bat by ACE President Stephen Rivkin, Ronald Reagan, then starring in “Bedtime for Bonzo,” hosted.
This year, it was “Crazy Ex-Girfriend” star Rachel Bloom who had the honors. “Welcome, fellow corrupt and lying members of the media. Today is about fun, not marinating in a collective panic about the next four years,” she said, before launching into a riff about the previous weekend’s women’s marches. (This was just before the Trump immigration ban was announced, which would have provided further fodder for her opening monologue.)
But the night wasn’t really about politics, it was about excellence in the craft of editing and the best of the bunch in 2016.
“I truly love editors. The hardest thing to find is good editors. You can find good directors or actors. But you are the unsung actors – and before the end of the night you will see yourself in paparazzi pictures of ‘who wore it better’– and one of you will develop an eating disorder,” Bloom promised the crowd of more than 1,000 attendees.
As the evening progressed, trophies were handed out in ten categories of film, television and documentaries. “Arrival” (edited by Joe Walker, ACE) and “La La Land” (edited by Tom Cross, ACE) won Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) and Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy).
Everyone who was tapped with an award received huge applause, but perhaps none so much as night’s honorees.
Janet Ashikaga, ACE and Thelma Schoonmaker, ACE were presented with Career Achievement awards by Tommy Schlamme and Martin Scorsese. Their work was highlighted with clip reels illustrating their tremendous contributions to film and television throughout their respective careers.
Schlamme talked about how Ashikaga spent hundreds of hours in dark, windowless rooms with Larry David, Aaron Sorkin and him, on shows including “Seinfeld,” “Frasier” and “Sports Night,” among many others over a landmark career.
“Janet would dig deep into her editorial toolbox. We write, shoot and cut – and we’re lucky that she is the last filmmaker to handle the work,” Schlamme said.
“Larry, Tommy and my husband are my three geniuses,” Ashikaga said in accepting her award.
Scorsese lauded his longtime editor, Schoonmaker, by saying, ”Each film is like a lifetime. We are asked about what we do—and it’s nobody else’s business,” he joked about the 23 films they’ve worked on together. “But ultimately it’s about truthfulness and her work makes it possible with the meticulous care she maintains.”
“Even back then at NYU, we knew he was a great director,” Schoonmaker said of Scorsese. “I get to help him meet the challenges on each film, each of which has its own unique style. We talk about art, history and politics. It’s a fascinating process. We always have a monitor that’s playing classic films on TCM in the background. It’s like being in the best film history class in the world.”
A bathrobe-clad Jeff Garlin, straight from his hotel room watching “Fuller House,” he said—what, they couldn’t get Chris Pine?—came out to present director-producer J.J. Abrams with the organization’s prestigious ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year honor. He joins an impressive list of filmmakers who have received the award including Norman Jewison, Nancy Meyers, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Robert Zemeckis, Alexander Payne, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Frank Marshall and Richard Donner.
“I love you for your heart, your humor – and your formality,” Abrams said, referring to Garlin’s attire. He also noted that he would need an editor for his speech, which traced his beginnings in the business from the age of 14, when his father took him to a screening of “Escape from New York” and he got to interact with director John Carpenter. “I’ll be repetitive, aimless and repetitive,” he promised. “But this is a chance to stand before the greatest artists in our business.”
BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (DRAMATIC):
Arrival
Joe Walker, ACE
BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY):
La La Land
Tom Cross, ACE
BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
Zootopia
Fabienne Rawley & Jeremy Milton
BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE):
O.J.: Made in America
Bret Granato, Maya Mumma & Ben Sozanski
BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (TELEVISION):
Everything Is Copy – Nora Ephron: Scripted & Unscripted
Bob Eisenhardt, ACE
BEST EDITED HALF-HOUR SERIES FOR TELEVISION:
Veep: “Morning After”
Steven Rasch, ACE
BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
This is Us: “Pilot”
David L. Bertman, ACE
BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR NON-COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
Game of Thrones: “Battle of the Bastards”
Tim Porter, ACE
BEST EDITED MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE FOR TELEVISION:
All the Way
Carol Littleton, ACE
BEST EDITED NON-SCRIPTED SERIES:
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown: “Senegal”
Mustafa Bhagat
STUDENT COMPETITION:
Tommy Wakefield – University of North Carolina, School of the Arts
