Director Christopher Nolan paid tribute to the late David Keighley, Imax’s first chief quality officer and a pioneer of large-format cinema, at the 8th annual Kodak Film Awards.
Nolan was on hand to present the inaugural Keighley award to Imax’s Patricia Keighley, David Keighley’s business partner and wife. As he took to the stage, Nolan said, “David Keeley was my friend and my Imax mentor for over 20 years. He was incredibly knowledgeable, a wonderful collaborator. He was the first person to take seriously and ultimately enable my mad dream of shooting Hollywood movies on Imax film.”
David Keighley died after a battle with cancer last year. As Imax’s first chief quality officer, he oversaw post-production on more than 500 Imax films. Nolan went on to say, “The last film he completed was the aforementioned ‘Sinners.’ He did some incredible work on that. And I’m pleased to be able to say that before he left us last year, he was able to finish supervising every foot shot on our upcoming version of ‘The Odyssey.’”
Nolan’s tribute to David Keighley continued, stressing how important he was to the business. He talked about how under previous management, Kodak had come to Hollywood “and essentially sounded out the studios on whether or not they want to keep making film. They’d met with a lot of middle management in different studios who had said, ‘Well, nobody cares.’ They hadn’t spoken to any filmmakers.”
It was David Keighley who sat with Nolan and producer Emma Thomas and tasked them with rallying filmmakers of all budget levels, all disciplines, to bring attention to the critical importance of shooting on film. “Ultimately, that effort was successful,” said Nolan.
“Sinners” DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw received the Lumière Award in recognition of her contributions to the art of cinematography. Kodak has supported and collaborated with Arkapaw on recent projects, including “Sinners” as well as “The Last Showgirl.”
Arkapaw celebrated her camera team who she called the “unsung heroes of filmmaking.” She also praised director Ryan Coogler and said, “Ryan is someone who champions the people around him. He leads with love and grace in turn that is reflected in the films that we make. He sees all the people that work for him, and he sees my crew.”
“Sentimental Value” director Joachim Trier received the Auteur Award, which recognizes motion picture artists who have created critically acclaimed work and remain steadfast in their artistic process. Kodak honored him as an artist whose body of work reflects both rigor and originality, and whose influence on contemporary cinema continues to grow.
Trier, who shot five of his six features on film, said, “I really feel grateful for that. It’s not a snobbish thing. It’s actually how I feel: at home on a film set. Something happens around the camera. Something happens when that sound of a purring cat comes from the camera. The actors feel it. We all feel it. It creates a different type of focus to what happens with the actors and the wonderful DPs.” He praised the format of shooting on film saying, “You can see all the rich skin tones of the performances that you saw in reality just a little bit more magical and a little bit better.”
The evening also honored Kristen Stewart who was presented with the Debut Feature Award for her directorial debut, “The Chronology of Water.” Salomon Ligthelm was presented with the Music & Commercial Film Director Award, and” Fallout,” which shot on film, was named Television Series of the Year.
