NEW YORK CITY — The New York section of the Visual Effects Society (www.visualeffectssociety.com) will recognize exceptional artistry in the fields of visual effects and filmed entertainment when it hosts its sixth annual awards celebration on Friday, February 28th at The Green Building in Brooklyn. Billed as the VES Awards “after-after party,” the evening celebrates the finest achievements in visual effects artistry — from New York's VFX community to the VES Award winners around the globe.
Photo (L-R): Perlin & Weil
The VES Empire Awards are bestowed upon New York-based entertainment industry professionals who have made enormous contributions to the field of visual arts and filmed entertainment, and whose work embodies the spirit of New York. Ken Perlin, Academy Award winner and director of NYU’s Future Reality Lab, will receive the 2020 VES New York Empire Award in recognition of his achievements in visual effects. Perlin is a pioneer in the field of graphics research, animation, and visual storytelling. A professor in the Department of Computer Science at New York University, Perlin directs the Future Reality Lab, and is a participating faculty member at NYU Magnet. His research interests include future reality, graphics and animation, user interfaces and education; and he serves as chief scientist at Parallux, Tactonic Technologies and Autotoon.
Alex Weil, co-founder and creative director of Charlex, who passed away in April 2019, will be honored posthumously. His contributions dramatically influenced and elevated the status of the visual effects industry in New York City. Notorious for pushing the limits of both analog and digital mediums, Weil crafted compelling and visually stunning stories. As co-founder and creative director of New York-based digital design and production studio Charlex, Inc., his storied legacy is ingrained in his diverse body of work, including the award winning short animated film One Rat Short, the show open for ABC Evening News, Emmy Award-winning titles sequences for Saturday Night Live and National Geographic: On Assignment, The Cars’ MTV Award-winning music video You Might Think, and a plethora of awards for his advertising portfolio.
Highlights from the 18th Annual VES Awards, held last month in Los Angeles, will also be shown.