Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Film Florida Legend Awards to Fete Industry Pioneers Including Burt Reynolds

Film Florida will honor Burt Reynolds, Ray Fielding, Dee Miller, Victor Milt and Wes Skiles (posthumous) as the 2011 Legend Award recipients at the Legend Awards event June 30, 2011 in West Palm Beach. The Legend Award – launched in 2006 – honors Sunshine State pioneers in the film, television and production industry.

The Legend Awards will be held at 6:30 p.m. on June 30 at the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University, Boca Raton, FL. Tickets for the event are $50 in advance. The recipients have made major contributions to the industry, including:

Burt Reynolds, Actor/Director. A Florida legend since his days as an all-star quarterback at Florida State University, Burt Reynolds is an enduring iconic actor. His acting career took off in the 1960s in TV westerns , and he carved his name into 1970/1980s pop culture as a male sex symbol (posing near naked for "Cosmopolitan" magazine) and on-screen as both a rugged action figure and then as a wisecracking, Southern-type "good olé' boy". He continues to work today, with recent roles in the filmed-in-Florida series Burn Notice.

Ray Fielding, founder of FSU film program. Ray Fielding has a long history of working in and educating in the Sunshine State. Ray joined The Film School in 1990 and served as the founding permanent dean for 13 years before stepping down in the summer of 2003. He has spent the last 45 years as a professor and/or administrator at six different university film schools, including UCLA, USC, University of Iowa, Temple University, University of Houston, and The Florida State University. Ray has written or directed films released by Walt Disney Studios, CBS Television and The Public Broadcasting Corporation, and served as a consultant to Universal Studios, United Artists, CBS Television, TransAmerica Corporation, Capital Cities Broadcasting, ABC Television, BBC Television, the Canadian Broadcasting Company and the Hearst Corporation. In 1981, he was elected a lifetime member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Dee Miller, Casting Directors Inc. Since launching her business in 1976, Dee Miller continues to cast projects for clients from all over the world. Dee is known for conducting all of her own casting sessions, and for her endless dedication and energy to each and every project. She’s been involved with casting on 65 feature films, 6500 TV commercials and more including The African Queen, The Champ, The Island, Eyes of a Stranger, Smokey and The Bandit 3, Easy Money, A Night in Heaven, Flight of the Navigator, Miami Vice (TV series), Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise, Trading Hearts, Police Acadamy 5: Assignment Miami Beach, Married to the Mob, Wrestling Ernest Hemingway, and Dostana.

Victor Milt, Director/Cinematographer. Victor Milt has been a photographer, writer, artist and director/cameraman for more than 25 years. He has over 50 national and international awards for his direction and cinematographic achievements. Victor has directed national commercials for most of the Fortune 100 and has had fashion spreads in Glamour, Ingenue and Vogue magazines among others. His industrial clients have included AT&T, GE, Honeywell and Levitt and Sons. He is known for film projects including Cracker: The Lost Cowboys of Florida, The Premonition and The Big Con. Currently, Vic is actively involved in filmmaking, marketing, advertising and photography.

Wes Skiles, Adventure Photographer. (posthumous). Wes Skiles, a celebrated freelance photographer and cinematographer, died in July 2010 at the age of 52. He died filming a project on the behavior of high-speed fish near Boyton Beach Inlet. Wes was best known for creating mystifying underwater images of uncharted stalagmite caves and ancient crocodile skeletons that revealed a dark, alien world in vibrant color. In his 27 years as a photojournalist, Wes escaped from a collapsed ocean cave off the Australian coast and was among the first people to set foot on the largest iceberg in Antarctica. He began taking photographs of his explorations to share with friends and family, and his hobby became a profession. He became a hands-on expert on underwater caves and was known as Florida's Jacques Cousteau. In the mid-1980s, Wes founded Karst Productions, a photography and cinematography company. He produced dozens of programs for television, including segments for PBS, Imax and the Discovery Channel. Wes is survived by his wife, Terri Paulson Skiles, and their two children, Nathan Skiles and Tessa Skiles, all of High Springs; a brother; and a sister.

Nominees for the Film Florida Legends Award were open to those who have made a significant impact on film in Florida – whether behind the scenes or in front of the camera.

In association with Film Florida Legend Awards, the group is also hosing its Khaki and White Party to raise money for its scholarship. For tickets for both events and more information, please visit http://www.filmflorida.org/ for updates. Sponsorships are also available. For more info, please email legends@filmflorida.org.

Film Florida is a not-for-profit corporation that provides a leadership role in Florida's film and entertainment industries by representing a coalition of interests, including private industry, local film commissions, industry associations and labor organizations. Its purpose is to offer to businesses and individuals the benefits of a statewide trade association to promote the creation of jobs in the film and entertainment production industries and to promote economic development and tourism. For more information on Film Florida, please visit http://www.filmflorida.org/.

1 comment:

  1. A documentary film is one of several creative modes, including narrative fiction and experimental avant-garde. Documentaries have a purpose, viewpoint and approach, and evolve from the formative process - as either scripted or spontaneous. Documentaries are limited to reality or actuality.

    documentaries

    ReplyDelete