Adam McKay to Be Honored With Advanced Imaging Society Voices for the Earth Award

“Don’t Look Up” director Adam McKay will receive the Advanced Imaging Society Voices For The Earth Award.

The Society will honor McKay at the 12th annual awards ceremony, which will now take place as a luncheon planned for March 4 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

“Considering the incredible obstacles our creative community has worked through to create their brilliant stories in the last year, we knew we needed to find a way to present these awards but to do so in a very safe way,” said Jim Chabin, president of AIS. “We remain flexible and are confident and committed to creatively getting that done on March 4th.”

McKay’s credits include “Vice,” “The Big Short” and “Don’t Look Up,” which follows two low-level astronomers played by Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio who go on a giant media tour to warn about an approaching comet that will destroy Earth.

The Voices For The Earth Award celebrates innovation and inspiration in environmental storytelling and acknowledges creatives who have found a unique approach to strengthen the audience’s appreciation for nature and illustrate the importance of taking care of our shared planet.

Presenting the award to McKay will be Kathleen Rogers, President of Earthday.org. Rogers says, “Earthday.org is in the movement-building business. We now recognize that solid science, indisputable facts, and dire warnings are not changing minds as fast as the relentless march of climate change requires. While our earnestness, our knowledge, and our commitment fits the threat, we need to broaden our approach. One approach is humor — an approach that ‘Don’t Look Up’ hilariously utilizes. We know that humor has a way of breaking down barriers and that educating with humor increases memory and retention of facts. And as Andrew Carnegie said, ‘There is little success where there is little laughter.’ ‘Don’t Look Up’ comes at precisely the right time, charting an urgently needed alternative pathway along the road to building consensus and action. And it is very funny every step of the way.”

“Adam McKay and his superb cast and creative technology teams have dazzled a global audience of millions while starting a conversation around the critical issue of saving our planet,” said Chabin. “We are thrilled to see our community’s creative genius used for such vital purpose.”

McKay says: “Since reading the 2018 IPCC Report and then Dave Wallace-Wells’ ‘The Un-inhabitable Earth,’ I had been searching for the right story to tackle the climate crisis. Given how audiences around the globe have shown they have an appetite for these stories, I hope we will see many more that can continue to raise awareness and mobilize people the world over. I’m very grateful for this award from AIS, presented by Kathleen Rogers at Earthday.org. It’s great to see their support of filmmakers telling environmental stories.”

McKay will be joined by previously announced Harold Lloyd Award recipient, director Denis Villeneuve, who is being honored for his film “Dune.”

The Lumiere Awards have been presented over the last decade to the industry’s most respected creative and technical leaders. In addition to awards for motion pictures, episodic and new media content, the society will bestow awards for best musical motion picture, best musical scene or performance, and best immersive audio.

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