Academy Award Winning Director Robert Zemeckis to Receive Lifetime Career Achievement Honor from Visual Effects Society.

LOS ANGELES -- Award to Be Presented at 3rd Annual VES Awards Feb. 16

Academy Award(R) winning director, Robert Zemeckis, (FORREST GUMP, ROMANCING THE STONE, the BACK TO THE FUTURE TRILOGY, CASTAWAY, THE POLAR EXPRESS) was selected by the Board of Directors of the Visual Effects Society (VES) to be honored with the organization's highest kudos, the Lifetime Career Achievement Award, recognizing an artisan whose contributions to the filmmaking industry have advanced the craft of visual effects. The honor will be presented at the 3rd Annual VES Awards, February 16 at the Hollywood Palladium.

"The VES is proud to have Bob Zemeckis as its Lifetime Achievement recipient," said Eric Roth, VES Executive Director. "He is that rare combination--someone who's got the intellectual curiosity of Einstein with the one-of-a-kind artistry of Picasso. He's a pioneering storyteller, enriching audiences with projects that not only amaze us but also touch our souls through a combination of art and technology that utilizes visual effects."

Zemeckis' films have achieved worldwide grosses in excess of $2 billion and inspired audiences internationally. FORREST GUMP earned him an Oscar(R), a Golden Globe and a Directors Guild of America award for Best Director. The film's numerous honors also included Oscars for Best Actor (Tom Hanks) and Best Picture. Zemeckis re-teamed with Hanks on the contemporary drama CASTAWAY, the filmmaking of which was split into two sections, book-ending production on the critically acclaimed thriller WHAT LIES BENEATH.

Zemeckis is known for utilizing the latest technological wizardry to enhance the storytelling aspects of his films. Several projects have broken technological barriers including the macabre comedy hit DEATH BECOMES HER, CONTACT, the BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy and WHAT LIES BENEATH, many recognized with various awards and nominations for visual effects. His creative use of cutting-edge technology is also evident in the groundbreaking FORREST GUMP, where Zemeckis used technology to help tell the story of the amiable Forrest whose life crisscrossed with some of our nation's most significant events, interacting with historical icons along the way. He also wrote/directed the box office smash WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?, cleverly blending live action and animation. Most recently, Zemeckis wrote, produced and directed the computer-generated family film THE POLAR EXPRESS, currently in theaters.