Dave Filoni to Receive the George Pal Memorial Award at the Saturn Awards
Newly-minted Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni will receive the George Pal Memorial Award at the 51st Saturn Awards on February 4.
The award is named after filmmaker and animator George Pal (War of the Worlds, The Time Machine) and is considered one of the Saturn Award’s top honors.
According to the organization, the award is “presented on rare occasions to a filmmaker who embodies a sense of wonder, imagination and mastery of the fantastic in cinematic storytelling.”
A Storied ‘Star Wars’ Career
Filoni joined Lucasfilm in 2005 when George Lucas selected him to help build the company’s animation studio for Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
The animated series would go on to become a fan favorite, running for seven seasons and over 100 episodes. It would also flesh out Star Wars lore, making Filoni perhaps the predominant Star Wars expert.
“Dave’s work has had a profound impact on the ‘Star Wars‘ franchise, breathing new life into beloved characters and expanding the universe in exciting and unexpected ways,” Academy president Robert Holguin and Saturn Awards producers Bradley and Kevin Marcus said in a joint statement. “He is a true visionary in the world of animation and storytelling, and we are truly honored to bestow this very special award to him.”
After The Clone Wars, Filoni created Star Wars Rebels, continuing the story of the galaxy between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
More recently, the Star Wars guru has jumped into live-action, working on The Mandalorian with Jon Favreau and continuing the story of The Clone Wars and Rebels in last year’s Ahsoka.
A High Honor
Now, Filoni will join the ranks of Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, John Carpenter, Sam Raimi, Guillermo del Toro, and Ray Harryhausen as a George Pal Memorial Award recipient.
The Saturn Awards will occur on February 4, 2024, and will be livestreamed at 7 p.m. ET on ElectricNow.
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