The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) is the largest organization of Location Managers and Location Scouts in the motion picture, television, commercial and print production industries. Their membership plays a vital role in the creativ
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22 • LMGI COMPASS | Fall 2026 TRAILBLAZER AWARD: ASSOCIATION OF FILM COMMISSIONERS INTERNATIONAL (AFCI) This year, we honor an organization that has transformed the way productions navigate the world, helping them transcend geographical boundaries to bring stories to life. For half a century, the AFCI has united independent agencies with a shared purpose into a worldwide network. What began in 1975 as a small coalition of North American film commissions has grown into a global organization connecting productions with experienced local partners. For location professionals, the relationship is personal. Film commissioners are often among the first people we call when a story takes us somewhere new. We arrive equipped with a script, a camera and the vision of filmmakers whose imagined worlds drive our search for the place where each story truly belongs. "The AFCI and LMGI are natural allies whose partnership has changed both the look of production and the practical nature of how best to meet your infinite production needs," remarked WALT DISNEY COMPANY VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCTION MARY ANN HUGHES, as she introduced AFCI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CLAIRE BROOKS. "It is an extraordinary honor to accept the LMGI Trailblazer Award on behalf of AFCI and our members around the world," said Brooks. "Film commissioners operate at the intersection of government, industry, culture and community. They are entrepreneurial, resourceful and often the people quietly creating the conditions that allow extraordinary creative work to happen. And at a moment of profound change in our industry, that work has never been more important. "AFCI and LMGI share a fundamental belief: place matters. Place shapes stories, holds history, creates opportunity and connects audiences to communities around the world. "So tonight, this award belongs to the film commissioners doing this work today, to those who built AFCI over the last five decades, and to those who will carry it forward. Thank you to LMGI for this extraordinary recognition, for your partnership and for honoring AFCI's first 50 years." L-R: AFCI Executive Director Claire Brooks, Awards Chair Nancy Haecker, Presenter Mary Ann Hughes, LMGI President Danny Finn "I've had the good fortune of working with many directors, producers, designers, cinematographers and fellow location managers who taught me so much about light, composition, design, architecture and logistics, and helped me become the best location manager I could. To them, I express my endless thanks." Fantasia's influence extends miles beyond the horizons he's brought to the screen. As a founding LMGI member, he helped build the organization into what it is today. "I've devoted many years to the Guild, serving for over a decade on the Board and as President, and I'd like to think I had a hand in some of the successes and progress the Guild has made in our 23 years of existence. From a few dozen members to over a thousand around the world, we have made an incredible difference in promoting excellence on location worldwide." Colleagues praise Fantasia's character and professional rigor, noting not only his instinct for recognizing the emotional resonance of a place, but also for his guidance and mentorship. "And then there are my assistants," he says. "I'm indebted to you for your years of hard work, loyalty and friendship. Your friendship has made the low points not quite as bad as they could have been and the highs that much sweeter. I share this honor with all of you."