International Cinematographers Guild Celebrates 75 Years

LOS ANGELES--The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG) willcommemorate its 75th anniversary during the opening of its new nationalheadquarters here on November 8. ICG will mark the occasion with afestive gala where ICG Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented toOscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard, International Alliance ofTheatrical Stage Employees (IASTSE) International President Thomas C.Short and National Guild President George Spiro Dibie, ASC.

"Ron Howard is being recognized for his lifetime commitment toexcellence," said Stephen Lighthill, ASC, chairman of the event. "He isa complete filmmaker who has excelled as an actor, writer, producer anddirector. This is an appropriate occasion for us to recognize and thankthose remarkable individuals who have made extraordinary contributionsto advancing the art of filmmaking.

"The opening of our new headquarters in Hollywood marks ourcontinuing commitment to the future of this great industry in ourcommunity and in the United States," Lighthill continues, "and to ourmembers who are often unsung heroes in this uniquely collaborative artof filmmaking."

"We want to recognize Tom Short for being a tireless and amazinglyeffective advocate for the rights of our members," said Bruce Doering,national executive director of ICG. "He understands and appreciateswhat they bring to this art form, and in just a few years hastransformed the IATSE into an international economic and politicalforce."

Dibie is being honored for both his achievements as acinematographer who has earned six Emmy awards and a total of 11nominations, as well as for his leadership and dedication to the Guildand its members. He will mark his 20th anniversary as ICG president in2004. He came to the United States as a student pursuing a dream ofbecoming a filmmaker at a time when virtually all of the Guilds wereessentially closed to outsiders. He persisted and subsequently compileda notable body of work, including such memorable television series asBarney Miller, Buffalo Bill, Night Court, Growing Pains, Just the 10of Us and Mr. Belvedere. Dibie also photographed the pilotsand established the "looks" for such television series as MurphyBrown, My Sister Sam, Driving Miss Daisy and Head of the Class.

During his tenure, the Guild has considerably expanded itsmembership, partially by pioneering diversity outreach programs forwomen and ethnic minorities that have become a model for the rest ofthe industry. Dibie also launched countless mentoring and trainingprograms designed to keep members on the cutting edge of evolvingtechnologies. He also led a successful effort to forge a merger ofthree regional camera guilds into one national organization that speakswith a single voice representing cinematographers and camera crews inevery part of the United States.

The new ICG national headquarters is located at 7755 SunsetBoulevard in Hollywood. In addition to housing the national and westernregional Guild staffs, the refurbished building will provide facilitiesfor conferences and training.

There are some 6,000 ICG members, including cinematographers andcamera crews, still photographers and publicists, who work on studioand independent films, television, commercials, documentaries, musicvideos and broadcast news. For additional information about the 75thanniversary celebration, visit the International Cinematographers Guildwebsite at www.cameraguild.com.