Dave Filoni To Receive George Pal Memorial Award at 51st Saturn Awards
Lucasfilm’s Chief Creative Officer and George Lucas’ heir at the company, Dave Filoni, will be honored at the 51st Saturn Awards this year with the George Pal Memorial Award, StarWars.com announced on Tuesday. The ceremony will take place on Feb. 4.
The George Pal Memorial Award, named after legendary filmmaker and animator George Pal, is handed out on rare occasions to celebrate a filmmaker “who embodies a sense of wonder, imagination, and mastery of the fantastic in cinematic storytelling.” Kathleen Kennedy was awarded it in 1997 as well; Simon Kinberg was the last recipient in 2015.
Robert Holguin, President of the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films, said in a joint statement with Saturn Awards producers Bradley and Kevin Marcus:
“Dave’s work has had a profound impact on the Star Wars franchise, breathing new life into beloved characters and expanding the universe in exciting and unexpected ways. He is a true visionary in the world of animation and storytelling, and we are truly honored to bestow this very special award to him.”
Dave Filoni is currently hard at work developing Ahsoka season 2. He’s also reportedly the co-writer of The Mandalorian & Grogu, which is set to start shooting later this year and is set to direct a yet-untitled Star Wars film that will culminate the storylines of all New Republic-era Disney Plus shows (and now, The Mandalorian & Grogu too). After years of lording over the Lucasfilm animated division, he made the jump to live-action with The Mandalorian and later as the showrunner, writer, and executive producer of Ahsoka. Shortly after that show wrapped, Filoni was promoted to CCO.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as movies from Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
