Location Managers Guild International Awards

7th Annual LMGI Awards 2020

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L O C AT I O N M A N A G E R S G U I L D I N T E R N AT I O N A L | 7 T H A N N U A L L M G I A W A R D S 2 1 A cclaimed producer, director and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie is the recipient of this year's LMGI Eva Monley Award which honors industry members supportive of the creative vision of location professionals. McQ understands our craft, as exemplified by the legacy of Eva Monley who worked with some of his artistic influencers. Monley was the go-to scout and logistics wrangler in remote locations for John Huston, David Lean and Otto Preminger. Immensely curious, capable and self-reliant, she thrived in a nomadic film career spanning five decades. Her credits include cinematic legends Lawrence of Arabia, Exodus, The African Queen, and The Man Who Would Be King. Eva Monley would appreciate the weight Christopher McQuarrie ascribes to his filming locations. Having director Edgar Wright (Baby Driver) present the award increases the amperage, with two consummate professionals shining a light on the craft of location management and scouting. Wright gives "big props" to his friend McQ, enthusing, "he's not daunted by anything… I'm dumbfounded by what he manages to get away with in his location filmmaking … just the use of Paris alone in Mission: Impossible - Fallout was extraordinary. In this day and age of green screen and people using VFX as a crutch to create other worlds, just seeing what Chris does on location is positively thrilling." SLM Sam Hutchins/LMGI echoes Wright's praise. "Working with McQ is the greatest experience I have ever had as a location manager as he is truly collabo- rative. His process incorporates location scouting as the foundation of his scripts. It begins with some shared ideas and places that may interest him. Scouting inspires the writing and every part of the journey shapes the story, whether it's a filmed location or merely someplace that inspires a scene shot elsewhere. Working with him is the ultimate validation of our craft." McQuarrie received his Oscar for his screenplay of The Usual Suspects, directed by his childhood friend, Bryan Singer. The Writers Guild of America recognized The Usual Suspects as one of the greatest screenplays of all time. He collaborated with Singer again to produce and co-write Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise, leading to many McQuarrie-Cruise collaborations, including Jack Reacher, Edge of Tomorrow, and Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. The successful fifth installment of the Ethan Hunt saga, also written by McQuarrie, led to his writing and directing MI 6 - Fallout, which garnered the biggest opening in the history of the franchise. McQuarrie is concurrently writing and directing the seventh and eighth Mission: Impossible chapters, making him the first repeat director in the film's two-decade history. McQuarrie's contribution to the Mission: Impossible franchise is fast, sleek, and fun, with the locations driving home layers of international intrigue and the illusion of nonstop globetrotting. McQ's location selections are key to advancing the story—providing something to literally hinge the action on. Locations are a driving force, making these particular missions possible. Previous Eva Monley Award recipients include Peter Weir, Wes Anderson, Danny Boyle and Alexander Payne.

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