The Directors Guild of America (DGA) will honor Ron Howard, Tyler Perry, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, Teamsters Local 817 President Thomas J. O’Donnell and film editor Thelma Shoonmaker at the 2015 DGA Honors, the guild announced today.
DGA Honors, held this year at the DGA Theater in New York City on October 15, celebrates individuals and institutions that have made contributions to American culture through film and television.
“As we approach the 80th anniversary of the Directors Guild of America, it is with great pride that we pause to express our appreciation of five incredible leaders who have shaped the direction of the entertainment community,” DGA President Paris Barclay said in a statement.
“From an influential DGA and Academy Award-winning master filmmaker like Ron Howard, to a multi-hyphenate entertainment powerhouse and Atlanta business leader like Tyler Perry, to a renowned legislator and advocate for production incentives and job creation like Senator Chuck Schumer, DGA Honors recognizes both the visionary artists who create media as well as leaders in government and beyond.”
Renowned filmmaker Howard is receiving the honor for his contributions to American film and television — he has directed films like “The Da Vinci Code,” “Apollo 13” and “A Beautiful Mind,” for which he won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement.
O’Donnell is the President of Theatrical Teamsters Local 817 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union. He is being recognized by the guild for his labor rights efforts.
Perry is being honored for his contributions to film after directing, producing and starring in films like “The Single Moms Club” and “Why Did I Get Married Too.” He is currently filming “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2.”
Shoonmaker is receiving an honor for her trailblazing film editing career. Her credits include “Raging Bull,” “The Departed,” “Shutter Island” and “Wolf of Wall Street.”
Schumer, a Democrat from New York, is being recognized for being a champion of job creation.
Past DGA Honors recipients have included filmmakers Nora Ephron, Spike Lee, Mike Nichols and Martin Scorsese, as well as people like “Law & Order” creator Dick Wolf, “Saturday Night Live” producer Lorne Michaels, Robert De Niro, Danny Glover, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Past presenters and hosts have included Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Cruise, Halle Berry, Helen Mirren, Julianne Moore, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ellen DeGeneres.
The DGA represents nearly 16,000 directors and members of directorial teams working in film, TV, commercials and new media.