The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Thursday that it has named Ali Sar as president, replacing Lorenzo Soria, who was halfway through a two-year term when he died suddenly last Friday.
Sar has been a member of the HFPA for more than 35 years and most recently served as vice president.
“We were shocked by Lorenzo’s untimely passing. We are committed to the vision he had charted for HFPA,” Sar said.
Soria, 68, was serving his third term as president of the organization that produces the Golden Globe Awards. Soria was a member of the HFPA for 31 years and covered entertainment for Italy’s L’espresso and La Stampa.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is comprised of about 90 Los Angeles-based members who cover entertainment for international publications and outlets. Founded in 1943, the organization produced its 77th Golden Globes ceremony in January, and co-hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are set to return for the 78th edition on Feb. 28.
Sar is a native of Istanbul and has covered entertainment for publications in Turkey and Argentina as well as serving as special correspondent for The Moscow Times.
He also served as managing editor of the Los Angeles Daily News, where he had a career of more than two decades.
Sar was also an executive at Thomson Newspapers’ Southern California Group.