“Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Elvis” are among the films that took top honors at the 13th annual Lumiere Awards, the Advanced Imaging Society (AIS) announced today.
The Feb. 10 ceremony was presented by Microsoft and held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. Twenty-three awards were given out to the creative teams behind entertainment that utilizes technology to make immersive content.
Jon Landau, producer of the “Avatar” sequel, took to the stage with visual effects supervisors Eric Saindon and Richie Baneham to accept the award for best live action feature film. The feature, directed by James Cameron, was painstakingly crafted using performance capture above and below water and dubbed by AIS as the “most awe-inspiring and astonishing cinematic experience of the year.”
Though not in attendance at the ceremony, Cameron was also honored with the Voices for the Earth Award in recognition of the filmmaker’s green thumb. Landau accepted the award on Cameron’s behalf, who is currently located in New Zealand.
Academy Award winner Baz Luhrmann, the director, producer and writer of “Elvis,” received nods in both the musical motion picture and musical scene categories for his recent biopic. Luhrmann was honored again at the conclusion of the ceremony with the Harold Lloyd Award, which prompted a surprise appearance from “Elvis” star Austin Butler.
“Baz Luhrmann’s films have entertained millions around the world, but their innovative style also illuminates something much deeper about the zeitgeist of the world at a particular moment,” said Harold Lloyd Entertainment chairman Suzanne Lloyd, who presented Luhrmann with the award. “Mr. Luhrmann’s incredible artistry and work on Elvis represents a bold new forefront for technical, emotional, and memorable cinematic achievement. We are thrilled to honor him with this award.”
“Babylon” writer-director Damien Chazelle also received special distinction with the Gene Kelly Visionary Award. Other notable accolades from the 2023 event include “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinnochio” being named best animated feature film and director Ryan White’s “Good Night Oppy” securing a win in the best documentary category.
View the full list of winners from this year’s Lumiere Awards below.
Best Feature Film – Live Action: “Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios)
Best Feature Film – Animated: “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix)
Best Documentary: “Good Night Oppy” (Amazon)
Best Motion Picture – Musical: “Elvis” (Warner Bros)
Best Audio – Theatrical: “The Batman” (Warner Bros.)
Best Audio – Episodic: “Stranger Things: Season Four” (Netflix)
Best Use of AR/VR: “Gorilla Trek” (Immotion)
Best Original Song: “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Hold My Hand” (Paramount)
Best Use of High Dynamic Range – Live Action: “Lightyear” (Pixar)
Best Use of High Dynamic Range – Episodic: “I Am Groot” (Marvel)
Best 2D to 3D Conversion: “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (Marvel Studios/ Disney)
Best Musical Scene or Sequence: “Elvis” (Warner Bros)
Best Scene or Sequence in a Feature Film: “Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount)
Best Episodic – Animated: “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi” (Lucasfilm/Disney)
Best Episodic – Live Action: “Andor” (Lucasfilm/Disney)
Best Achievement in 8K Production: Kansai TV
Sir Charles Wheatstone Award for Creative Excellence in Visual Effects: Wētā FX
Innovation in Technology Award: Microsoft
Innovation in Post Production Tools: Adobe
Distinguished Achievement in Education: “Camera Assessment Series” (HBO Max)
Voices For The Earth Award: James Cameron and Jon Landau, “Avatar: The Way of Water”
Gene Kelly Visionary Award: Damien Chazelle, “Babylon”
Harold Lloyd Award: Baz Luhrmann, “Elvis”