Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Martian were big winners in the live-action feature competition at the Advanced Imaging Society's Creative Arts Awards on Wednesday at Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles.
Disney/Lucasfilm's The Force Awakens received Lumiere statuettes, for best 3D live-action feature and best 2D-to-3D conversion. Fox's The Martian also earned two awards, for best live-action stereography and best use of native 3D. The Walk from Sony Pictures won 3D scene of the year for its Act 3 high-wire walk at New York's World Trade Center in 1974.
In the animation competition, Disney/Pixar nabbed a trio of trophies, for best 3D animated feature and best animated stereography for Inside Out, as well as best 3D short for Lava.
Conquest of the Skies, hosted by Sir David Attenborough for U.K.-based Atlantic Productions, won best 3D documentary.
In the new category for a virtual reality experience, the award was presented to Sony and Create Design LA for The Walk: VR. Other honorees included Emma, directed by former Disney vp production technology Howard Lukk through his Pannon Entertainment, which was hailed for best use of high dynamic range.
Marvel’s Victoria Alonso, who heads the studio’s physical production unit and serves as executive producer on many of the its films, was presented with the Harold Lloyd Award for filmmaking. Alonso was the first woman to receive the award.
In her speech, Alonso, who was born in Argentina, spoke on the issue of diversity in Hollywood. “I grew up in a military dictatorship where if you had a voice your life could have been at risk, but I did go to the marches and I held a banner on the front line,” she said. “I will hold this banner for your daughters, but what I ask is that you let women into your room, let them at your table and your offices. The balance that we create for filmmaking, for storytelling, is incredible. You don't know it because you haven't let us in. Let us in. We can create magic.”
BBC and BBC Earth were awarded the annual Sir Charles Wheatstone Award for excellence in natural history documentaries.
Several jury prizes were presented for special achievement. Among them, director Raman Hui was awarded a trophy for Chinese blockbuster Monster Hunt.
