Director Stanley Donen to receive 2002 ASC Award

Director Stanley Donen will receive the 2002 American Society ofCinematographers (ASC) Board of Governors Award. The award isperiodically presented to an individual who has made extraordinary andenduring contributions to advancing the art of filmmaking. The ASCBoard of Governors Award is the only recognition ASC reserves forfilmmakers who operate outside of the realm of cinematography. It willbe presented to Donen at the 16th Annual ASC Outstanding AchievementAward ceremonies on February 17 at the Century Plaza Hotel.

"Stanley Donen created a memorable body of work, including manyclassic films that have become an integral part of our culture," saysASC President Victor J. Kemper. "He has an incomparable gift fortranslating music and dance into cinematic art, and that is just onedimension of his talent. Movies that he directed more than 40 years agostill set the highest standards for artistic innovation, and we aresure that will be true 40 years from now. Cinematographers lovedworking on Stanley Donen films."

Donen's body of work as a director includes such milestone musicalsas "Singin' in the Rain," "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," "FunnyFace," "The Pajama Game" and "Damn Yankees!" After the demise of thebig studio musicals, Donen reinvented himself by moving to Europe,where he helmed film noire style movies such as "Charade." His creditsalso include the notable films "Bedazzled," "Two for the Road," "TheLittle Prince," "Movie Movie" and "Blame It on Rio."

"Filmmaking is an uniquely collaborative form of art," Kemper says."We feel that it is important for the ASC to pay tribute to influentialartists who are co-authors of the stories we help create. StanleyDonen’s work has stood the test of time. He has touched souls ofgenerations of movie fans and is greatly admired by our members."

Donen joins a relatively short list of elite filmmakers who havereceived the ASC Board of Governors Award, including Steven Spielberg,Martin Scorsese, Warren Beatty, Robert Altman, Francis Ford Coppola,Robert Wise, Sally Field, Jodie Foster, Fay Kanin, Gregory Peck,Charles Champlin and Sheldon Leonard.

Donen was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, where hebegan dancing at the age of 10. His talent took him to New York in1940, where he appeared on Broadway in the chorus of "Pal Joey" at theage of 16. It was the beginning of his extraordinary collaboration withGene Kelly who was the star of that show. In 1941, Donen was in thechorus and assisted Kelly in choreographing "Best Foot Forward,"another Broadway hit. He debuted in Hollywood in 1943 in the chorus andas assistant choreographer for Kelly in the film version of "Best FootForward."

Donen continued his collaboration with Kelly on "Cover Girl" and"Anchors Aweigh," and subsequently earned choreography credits onvarious other 1940s musicals, including "A Date with Judy," "TheKissing Bandit" and "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." He shared his firstdirecting credit with Kelly in "On the Town" in 1949 when he was only25 years old.

Three years later, Donen and Kelly collaborated on "Singin' in theRain." Donen compiled more than 20 film credits by his 30th birthday.He subsequently co-directed several films with the venerable GeorgeAbbott, including "The Pajama Game" and "Damn Yankees!," and went soloon other classics, including "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and"Funny Face."

When the studios' interests in musicals waned, Donen moved to Europewhere he directed Audrey Hepburn in "Charade," a comic mystery with anew wave aesthetic, and various other films. His most recent credit wasthe 1999 telefilm "Love Letters," which he directed just about 50 yearsafter his Hollywood debut.