Peter Jackson to Receive Visual Effects Accolade

New Zealand film director Sir Peter Jackson will receive the Visual Effects Society Lifetime Achievement Award at the 19th annual VES Awards, which will be presented during a virtual ceremony on 6 April.

“Sir Peter Jackson is one of the most innovative filmmakers of our generation,” VES board chair Lisa Cooke said in a released statement. “Peter pushes the known boundaries of filmmaking and his vision and contributions to the art are legendary. He has redefined the relationship between the viewer and the story – you can easily see this from the epic cult followings of his highly engaging work, a testament to his expert blending of visual effects, evocative characters and a remarkable imagination.”

“I’m thrilled and gratified to receive the VES Lifetime Achievement Award,” Jackson said in a released statement. “If I was ever going to be honoured for my lifetime of work, I would have chosen the VES award, because I started my career as a 7-year-old making models and shooting them with a Super 8 camera. The dream of making visual effects was the seed of my whole world as a filmmaker.”

Jackson, 59, is currently directing and producing the documentary The Beatles: Get Back, due for release in August.

Original article by Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter, March 22, 2021.