Director Christopher Nolan paid tribute to the late David Keathley, IMAX’s first chief quality officer and a pioneer of large format film, at the 8th Kodak Film Awards.
Nolan was on hand to present the inaugural Keathley Award to David Keathley’s business partner and wife, IMAX’s Patricia Keathley. Director Nolan took to the stage and said, “David Keeley has been my friend and IMAX mentor for over 20 years. He was incredibly knowledgeable and a great collaborator. He was the first person who took my crazy dream of shooting a Hollywood movie on IMAX film seriously and ultimately made it a reality.”
David Keiley passed away last year after a battle with cancer. As Imax’s first Chief Quality Officer, he oversaw post-production for more than 500 Imax films. Nolan went on to say, “The last film he completed was the aforementioned ‘Sinners.’ He’s done an incredible job with that. And we’re pleased that he was able to finish directing all the foot shots for our next version of The Odyssey before he left us last year. ”
Director Nolan went on to pay tribute to David Keighley, emphasizing how important he is to the business. He told how Kodak, under previous management, came to Hollywood and “basically approached the studios to see if they wanted to continue making movies. They met with a lot of middle management from different studios, and they were like, ‘Well, no one cares.'” They weren’t talking to any filmmakers. ”
It was David Keighley who met with Nolan and producer Emma Thomas and tasked them with bringing together filmmakers of all budget levels and disciplines to draw attention to the critical importance of shooting on film. “Ultimately, that effort was successful,” Coach Nolan said.
“Sinners” cinematographer Autumn Durard Arcapeau has been awarded the Lumière Award for her contributions to the art of cinema. Kodak has supported and collaborated with Arkapaw on recent projects such as “Sinners” and “The Last Showgirl.”
Alcapeau praised the camera team, whom she called “the unsung heroes of filmmaking.” She also praised director Ryan Coogler, saying, “Ryan is a champion for those around him. He leads with love and grace, and that’s reflected in the films we make. He sees all the people who work for him, and he sees my staff.”
Joachim Trier, director of “Sentimental Value,” won the Film Director Award, which recognizes filmmakers who have produced films that received critical acclaim and remained faithful to their artistic process. Kodak hailed him as an artist whose body of work reflects both rigor and originality, and whose influence on contemporary film continues to grow.
“I’m really grateful for that,” said Trier, who shot five of his six feature films on film. “I’m not trying to be pretentious. It’s just how I feel. I feel at home on a movie set. I feel like I’m at home on a movie set. There’s nothing I can do around the camera. Something happens when you hear a cat purr. We all feel it. It creates a different kind of focus than what happens with actors and great cinematographers. He praised the format of shooting on film, saying, “It makes the rich skin tones of the actual performances look just a little bit more magical and a little bit better.”
The night also honored Kristen Stewart, who won Best Debut Feature for her directorial debut, The Chronology of Water. Salomon Rigtherm won the award for Best Musical/Commercial Film Director, and his film film “Fallout” was named TV Series of the Year.
