LOS ANGELES, June 30, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Michael Apted was elected President of the Directors Guild of America at the Guild's National Biennial Convention held today at DGA National Headquarters in Los Angeles. In addition, 129 delegates representing the 13,400 members of the DGA elected a new slate of officers and National Board of Directors.
Apted, who joined the DGA in 1978, has an extensive history of elected service to the Guild. He was elected President in 2003 and re-elected in 2005. Prior to serving as President, he was elected as Fifth Vice President in 2002, elected as a member of the National Board in 2001, and as a member of the Western Directors Council in 1997. A filmmaker who has enjoyed success in many filmmaking arenas -- from independent features, to documentaries, to television, to major studio films -- Apted has also served on the DGA Independent Directors Committee since its inception and as chairperson until he became president.
"I am honored to have been re-elected for a third term as president of the DGA," Apted said today after winning the election by acclamation. "The next few years will be critical to our Guild and to the industry. It is my goal as president to lead our Guild through upcoming negotiations and ensure that the creative and economic rights of directors and their teams are protected for years to come. And I am particularly fortunate to have such an experienced team of fellow officers, like Steven Soderbergh and Gil Cates, who have been elected to serve beside me."
Steven Soderbergh, who was re-elected National Vice President, the Guild's second highest position, for his third term, said of Apted's election: "Michael Apted epitomizes the phrase 'leadership in action' -- in our Guild, in our industry, and in our craft. His passion, diligence, and integrity serve as an inspiration and a model for all our members and I am proud to serve with him and the whole board as we tackle the challenges ahead."
Gil Cates, a past-president of the DGA, was elected Secretary-Treasurer for his fifth consecutive term. Cates had been previously appointed in February 2007 as Chairman of the DGA's Negotiations Committee. Also elected to office were First Vice President Paris Barclay, Second Vice President William M. Brady, Third Vice President Taylor Hackford, Fourth Vice President Gary Donatelli, Fifth Vice President Betty Thomas, Sixth Vice President Max Schindler, and Assistant Secretary-Treasurer Scott Berger.
Herb Adelman, LeVar Burton, Stephen Glanzrock, Victoria Hochberg, Jeremy Kagan, Kim Kurumada, Michael Mann, Scott Rindenow, Thomas Schlamme, Ed Sherin, and Jesus Trevino were elected to Board seats. (A complete list of the new officers and board members concludes this release.)
In his thirty-seven years as a director, Apted has helmed an extensive list of feature films and documentaries. His feature films include Coalminer's Daughter, Gorillas in the Mist, Thunderheart, Nell, The World is Not Enough, Triple Echo, Stardust, The Squeeze, Agatha, Continental Divide, Gorky Park, Class Action, Enigma, and Enough. More recently, he directed the first three episodes of the television series "Rome", winning the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television, Dramatic Series and the feature film Amazing Grace, released in February 2007. He is currently in pre-production on the feature film Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
His documentary credits include Incident at Oglala, Bring on the Night, Me and Isaac Newton, and Married in America. But Apted's most widely recognized documentary directorial achievement remains his internationally acclaimed, multi-award winning sequels based on the original 7 UP documentary -- 7 Plus 7, 21, 28, 35, 42 and 49 UP -- which have followed the lives of 14 Britons since the age of seven in seven-year increments.
NOTE: A COMPLETE LIST OF OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS FOLLOWS.
DGA NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2007 - 2009 PRESIDENT Michael Apted NATIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT Steven Soderbergh SECRETARY-TREASURER Gilbert Cates ASSISTANT SECRETARY-TREASURER Scott Berger FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT Paris Barclay SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT William M. Brady THIRD VICE-PRESIDENT Taylor Hackford FOURTH VICE-PRESIDENT Gary Donatelli FIFTH VICE-PRESIDENT Betty Thomas SIXTH VICE-PRESIDENT Max Schindler BOARD MEMBERS Herb Adelman LeVar Burton Stephen Glanzrock Victoria Hochberg Jeremy Kagan Kim Kurumada Michael Mann Scott L. Rindenow Thomas Schlamme Ed Sherin Jesus Trevino ASSOCIATE BOARD MEMBERS Craig Bigelow Duncan S. Henderson Barbara Roche Liz Ryan Mary Rae Thewlis ALTERNATE BOARD MEMBERS Laura Belsey Theodore Bogosian Randal Kleiser Rod Holcomb Lesli Linka Glatter Garry Marshall Donald Petrie Lee Shallat Chemel John Singleton Carl Weathers Eames Yates Michael Zinberg SECOND ALTERNATE BOARD MEMBERS Lee Blaine Alan B. Curtiss Julie Gelfand Dennis W. Mazzocco Kathleen McGill Elena Santaballa
The Directors Guild of America was founded in 1936 to protect the economic and creative rights of directors. Over the years its membership has expanded to include the directorial team - Unit Production Managers, Assistant Directors, Technical Coordinators, Associate Directors, Stage Managers and Production Associates. Today, through the collective voice of close to 13,500 members, the Guild seeks to protect the rights of directorial teams, to contend for their creative freedom and strengthen their ability to develop meaningful and lifelong careers in film, tape and digital media. Visit the DGA at www.dga.org.