George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy to Receive Milestone Honor at 2022 Producers Guild Awards

George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy will be honored with the 2022 Milestone Award at the 33rd annual Producers Guild Awards, the guild announced on Friday.

The duo will be recognized for their contribution to film both individually and collaboratively, through Lucasfilm. The 33rd annual Producers Guild Awards will take place on March 19 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, California.

The Milestone Award is considered the PGA‘s most prestigious honor and recognized a person, or a team’s, contributions to the industry. In 2020, the guild honored Ted Sarandos, and former recipients include Louis B. Mayer, Walt Disney, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Sherry Lansing, Bob Iger, Clint Eastwood, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, Donna Langley, and more.

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“Together, George and Kathleen have carved out a fantastic empire of entertainment that inspires and entertains billions, all with the highest levels of both creative and technical achievement,” said Producers Guild of America presidents Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher. “What George has built through his movies and through Lucasfilm has enriched every facet of filmmaking, and his colossal creativity and technical genius amazed the world. Kathleen has ascended to the highest levels of our industry, facing ever-changing challenges each time she succeeded in producing one of the brilliant and boundary breaking films she is known for. And since joining Lucasfilm as president, she has expertly exalted its IP to be even more influential and treasured around the world. We’re very proud to honor George and Kathleen as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of Lucasfilm.”

Lucas’ 1977 film Star Wars broke all box office records and received seven Academy Awards. Prior to Star Wars, Lucas’ 1973 film American Graffiti became the most successful film of its time. He has been the storywriter and executive producer of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and in 1981, he created Indiana Jones, and co-wrote and executive-produced the series that has won seven Academy Awards. He has also executive produced Willow, Tucker: The Man and His Dream, and Labyrinth, among others. Lucasfilm Ltd. was acquired by the Walt Disney Company in 2012, and Kennedy, his longtime collaborator, was named as his successor.

Lucas adds: “Receiving the Milestone Award from the PGA is a celebration of all that goes into bringing stories to life across a lifetime… protecting creativity while balancing business, moving technology forward to make real what you can see in your mind’s eye and doing it all from scratch most of the time.  Being recognized alongside my longtime friend and fellow producer Kathleen Kennedy makes this honoring of our shared and individual works even more meaningful.”

Kennedy is an eight-time Academy Award-nominee and is currently the president of Lucasfilm, overseeing the company’s three divisions: Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound. She has produced and executive produced over 70 films including Jurassic Park, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, The Sixth Sense, the Back to the Future trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Empire of the Sun, Poltergeist, Schindler’s List and Poltergeist.

She is also an EP of Emmy Award-winning series The Mandalorian and serves as a producer on all of Lucasfilm’s live-action titles in development such as Indiana Jones, Willow, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor. Before joining Lucasfilm in 2012, Kennedy founded The Kennedy/Marshall Company in 1992 with director and producer Frank Marshall, and in 1981 she co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Marshall and Steven Spielberg.

“I am very honored to share this award with George Lucas who has inspired a generation of filmmakers who were coming of age, not only through his storytelling but through technological innovation that unlocked our imagination,” says Kennedy.