TORONTO – May 25, 2016 – The Directors Guild of Canada is delighted to announce the recipients of three special career acknowledgments for 2016. The three individuals were selected at a meeting of the DGC’s National Executive Board, held in Vancouver, B.C. earlier this spring. 

DGC Lifetime Achievement Award 

ANNE WHEELER

The Don Haldane Distinguished Service Award

MANNY DANELON

The Honourary Life Member Award

TRINA MCQUEEN

Additionally, the DGC is proud to introduce the DGC DISCOVERY AWARD,a special award which will be presented to the Director of a feature film that reflects a bold, new cinematic voice. The film can be the Director’s 1^st or 2^nd film, or it may be one that represents a new direction for an established filmmaker. The recipient of the first annual DGC DISCOVERY AWARD will be selected by a jury of DGC Members. 

All four Special Awards will be presented at the annual DGC Awards Gala on Saturday, October 22, 2016 at The Carlu, the home of the DGC Awards.

The DGC Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the Member’s full career and body of work. This year’s recipient, Anne Wheeler, is a director and longstanding DGC Member who has directed over 40 feature films, several documentaries and many episodes of television. She started her film career by joining award-winning Edmonton film collective FilmWest which was dedicated to making indigenous films that addressed issues about the environment, native rights, women's rights, western politics and people's history. Anne’s credits include Better Than Chocolate, Bye-Bye Blues, A War Story, Bomb Girls, Remedy and Romeo Section, to name a few. Anne is also a writer, teacher and mentor and the initiating director for Women in the Directors Chair. Anne has received Seven Honorary Doctorates as well as the prestigious Order of Canada.

The Don Haldane Distinguished Service Award is presented to a DGC Member in recognition of outstanding service to the membership of the Directors Guild of Canada. This year’s recipient, MANNY DANELON, is a longstanding DGC Member and has worked in the industry for over 33 years. Manny Danelon is a 2^nd Unit Director/Line Producer/Production Manager whose credits include Harriet the Spy, Peter Benchley’s Amazon, Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, K-19 The Widowmaker, Hemingway vs. Callaghan, The Newsroom, Closing the Ring, Regenesis, King, Cracked, A Christmas Horror Story and most recently Private Eyes and The Expanse. Since 1985, Manny has served on both the National Executive Board and the DGC Ontario Executive Board. He has also held the position of Location Caucus Rep and Secretary Treasurer for both National and the Ontario District Council. Manny was also a founding force behind the DGC Awards and has been the Chair of the DGC Awards Committee for 8 years. He has also run the DGC National elections and served as the Nominating Chair for the last six years, while also running the DGC Ontario elections. During Manny’s tenure as the National Secretary/Treasurer, the implementation of the DGC RRSP and DGC Health and Welfare plans was the result of DGC Team efforts, an accomplishment that brings Manny great pride.

The DGC Honourary Life Member Award is presented to an individual whose outstanding contribution to the industry has had a major beneficial impact on the Guild and Guild members. This year’s recipient TRINA MCQUEEN has dedicated her career to the health, prosperity and freedom of Canadian media & Canadian artists. Trina was head of CBC News, the Founding President of the Discovery Channel and President of CTV; she is currently Adjunct Professor in Arts & Media at the Schulich School of Business. Trina has sat on the Boards of CBC, Telefilm, the Canadian Television Fund, CAB, the Canadian Journalism Foundation, the National Film Board Advisory Council and several other arts organizations. Trina was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for services to broadcasting.

“These special awards allow the DGC to honour three individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to Canada’s creative spirit and to our country’s profile on screens at home and around the world,” said Tim Southam, DGC National President. “We are proud to celebrate their work.”

For the full press release, click HERE.