The Academy of Motion Pictures announced September 1 that Anne V. Coates, ACE, will receive an honorary Oscar statuette at the 8th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, November 12, along with three other stalwarts of the motion picture industry. The other recipients are actor Jackie Chan, casting director Lynn Stalmaster and documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman. The ceremony will be held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center, Los Angeles.
This award marks only the second time in Academy history that a picture editor was selected for an honorary Oscar. The last time was nearly 40 years ago, in 1977, when the legendary editor Margaret Booth was honored by the Academy for her “exceptional contribution to the art of film editing in the motion picture industry.”
“The Honorary Award was created for artists like Jackie Chan, Anne Coates, Lynn Stalmaster and Frederick Wiseman – true pioneers and legends in their crafts,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “The Board is proud to honor their extraordinary achievements, and we look forward to celebrating with them at the Governors Awards in November.”
A native of Reigate, England, Coates worked her way up to lead editor on a handful of features before collaborating with David Lean on 1962’s Lawrence of Arabia and winning and Oscar for her work. In her more than 60 years as a film editor, she has worked side by side with many leading directors on an impressive range of films, including Sidney Lumet (Murder on the Orient Express), Richard Attenborough (Chaplin) and Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich). She also earned four additional Oscar nominations, for Becket, The Elephant Man, In the Line of Fire and Out of Sight.
The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”
