Tuesday,February11th,2025
Los Angeles
Here in Los Angeles, the air feels heavy, not only with the weight of loss but also with the unyielding strength of resilience. Our hearts are with everyone affected by the wildfires. The outpouring of compassion from around the world is a beautiful reminder of how deeply we’re connected even in the darkest times.
Recovery will take time, but together, we will stand by our friends, neighbors, and loved ones as they rebuild their lives and communities.
To support these efforts, VES has contributed to the Motion Picture and Television Fund and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. For our members, the VES Member Assistance Program offers free legal, financial, or mental health support at (800) 433-7916.
To the firefighters, first responders, and every quiet hero offering a helping hand, you are the heart of our community. Your courage and kindness inspire us all to move forward together.
Please scan the QR code to join us in supporting relief efforts.
About the Visual Effects Society
Since 1997, the Visual Effects Society has grown into a vibrant, global family - a community united by our shared passion for the art and science of visual effects. Now in our 28th year, we are immensely proud to champion this dynamic industry, empower our members, and celebrate the unparalleled creativity that fuels visual storytelling. Through professional education, fostering connections, and honoring excellence, we are shaping the future of VFX.
As the entertainment industry’s only official organization representing the worldwide visual effects community, our membership spans supervisors, artists, producers, technologists, educators, and studio executivesmore than 5,000 professionals across 50 countries and growing. From film and television to commercials, games, animation, and new media, our members bring cinematic dreams to life in every corner of the entertainment world.
Every year, our international presence grows stronger, thanks to the incredible efforts of our regional communities. With 16 sections in Australia, the San Francisco Bay Area, France, Georgia (USA), Germany, India, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, New Zealand, Oregon, Texas, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington State, we are proud to connect and support visual effects practitioners from all walks of life. These regional hubs not only advance the Society’s mission but also create spaces for collaboration, inspiration, and camaraderie.
The annual VES Awards celebrate the visionaries, trailblazers, and innovators who redefine what’s possible in visual storytelling. As we come together for the 23rd Annual VES Awards, we honor the extraordinary VFX achievements of the past year - a true testament to the artistry, creativity, and dedication of our global community. This year’s nominees, spanning 25 categories, were chosen by VES members through a rigorous selection process led by the tireless efforts of our VES Awards Committee. The 49 in-person and virtual nomination events took place worldwide over an intensive 30-hour period, showcasing the incredible passion and diversity of our international membership.
Visual Effects Society
Chair and Executive Director
Welcome to the 23rd Annual VES Awards!
We’re delighted to have you with us tonight to celebrate the magic of visual effects and the visionaries who bring these creations to life. As we gather together in Los Angeles, the region is starting a long road to recovery and rebuilding from the fires, and we continue to share our support with everyone affected in our extended community.
As the entertainment industry’s only organization dedicated to advancing the art and science of visual effects, the Visual Effects Society is home to more than 5,000 practitioners across 50+ countries, all working together to shape the future of storytelling.
Tonight, we shine a spotlight on the remarkable artists, producers, and creators who make the impossible possible on screens around the world. We are honored to recognize Dr. Jacquelyn Ford Morie, recipient of the Georges Méliès Award; Takashi Yamazaki, recipient of the Visionary Award; and Hiroyuki Sanada, recipient of the Award for Creative Excellence. Along with our wonderful hosts, The Sklar Brothers, we are set for a dazzling evening of celebration, laughter, and inspiration.
On behalf of the VES Board of Directors, our staff, and our members around the world, we thank you for supporting the visual effects community and joining us in honoring this extraordinary craft. We hope you leave tonight filled with awe, excitement, and pride in the incredible moments we create together.
Now, on with the show!
Kim Davidson
Nancy Ward VES Board Chair VES Executive Director
Awards Hosts The Sklar Brothers
Comedians Randy and Jason Sklar - The Sklar Brothers - are hosts of the 23rd Annual VES Awards.
Randy and Jason Sklar can currently be seen in the fourth season of FX’s What We Do in the Shadows playing fictional Property Brothers ‘Bran and Toby Daltry’. The Sklars produced, wrote, and starred in The Nosebleeds, a UFC original series that was created in summer of 2022 on UFC’s Fight Pass. The series is a hilarious deep dive into UFC’s history featuring comedy sketches, field pieces, and in-studio character bits.
The Sklars notably hosted and produced History Channel’s United Stats of America and created and starred in the ESPN cult hit series Cheap Seats, besides being guest hosts on Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle. Their television credits include GLOW, Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, Maron, Agent Carter, Playing House, Partners, Grey’s Anatomy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Entourage, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Law & Order and Comedy Central Presents. They released their special, Hipster Ghosts on Starz. They also recently produced the documentary, Poop Talk. The Sklars have recurred on the TruTV Series Those Who Can’t and several episodes of AMC’s hit series Better Call Saul. Randy and Jason can also be seen in Wild Hogs and The Comebacks, while their internet shows Held Up, Layers and Back on Topps have received critical acclaim. They also recurred as panelists on ESPN’s SportsCenter and E!’s Chelsea Lately. Their podcast View from the Cheap Seats (formerly Sklarbro Country) was nominated for best comedy podcast in 2012 at Comedy Central’s Comedy Awards and their new podcast Dumb People Town is averaging 75k downloads per episode in its first month. They are currently developing the pilot for Dumb People Town, based on the podcast, with Will Arnett’s Electric Avenue and Val Kilmer Ruined Our Lives with Bill Lawrence.
Georges Méliès Award Recipient Dr. Jacquelyn Ford Morie
Dr. Jacquelyn Ford Morie is an acclaimed Virtual Reality pioneer, who redefined the possibilities of immersive media, infusing them with profound emotional and educational resonance. Her visionary leadership has shaped pivotal projects across health, space exploration, art, and education, underscoring her as a transformative innovator and thought leader. Dr. Morie helped establish the USC Institute for Creative Technologies and was a Senior Scientist there for 14 years, working on groundbreaking projects in virtual reality, virtual worlds, mobile applications and intelligent virtual humans. Prior to that, she initiated comprehensive training programs for the computer animation and special effects industries, including work for Walt Disney Feature Animation and Rhythm & Hues Studios. She also designed animation, computer graphics and immersive media curricula for academic programs including Ringling College of Art and Design, the University of Central Florida, Otis College of Art and Design and UCLA Extension.
After forming her own company, All These Worlds, LLC, she produced a pivotal study for NASA called ANSIBLE, designed to mitigate social isolation and sensory deprivation future astronauts would encounter on long duration space missions. She served as Senior Technical Advisor on the ANA Avatar XPRIZE Competition for 2018-2022, advocating for the use of two-way haptics in robot avatars to bring enhanced sensory impact to the operators of such robots. Dr. Morie is the co-editor of Handbook of Research on the Global Impacts and Roles of Immersive Media, a definitive work illuminating the transformative influence of immersive technologies of all forms. She has received several recognitions, including the prestigious AIXR Accenture VR Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the inaugural AWE XR Hall of Fame.
Visionary Award Recipient Takashi Yamazaki
Born in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture in 1964, Takashi Yamazaki is a Japanese filmmaker and visual effects supervisor, counted as one of Japan’s leading film directors. Most recently Yamazaki wrote, directed and led the visual effects team responsible for the groundbreaking global hit Godzilla Minus One, making him the first director since Stanley Kubrick to win an Academy Award® for Best Visual Effects. Godzilla Minus One is currently the third-highestgrossing foreign language film in U.S. box office history making over $56 million. The film also won eight Japan Academy Awards including the prize for Best Film, Best Screenplay and multiple technical and craft awards, becoming the most-awarded film at the 47th annual awards.
Yamazaki is set to make his Hollywood debut with Grandgear for Bad Robot and Sony Pictures. In addition to writing and directing the film, he will also serve as a producer alongside J.J. Abrams and Glen Zipper.
Yamazaki credits childhood viewings of Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind with influencing his pursuit of a career in special effects. After graduating from Asagaya College of Art and Design, he joined VFX house Shirogumi Inc. in 1986 working on SFX and digital compositing in films directed by Juzo Itami, such as The Last Dance (1993) and A Quiet Life (1995). He made his debut as a film director in 2000 with Juvenile and became a leading figure in visual expression and VFX using computer graphics in Japan.
Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005), using VFX to depict the streets of Tokyo in the late 1950s, won 12 awards, including Best Picture and Best Director at the 29th Japan Academy Awards. His films The Eternal Zero (2014) and Stand by Me Doraemon (2014) won Best Film, Best Director and six other awards at the 38th Japan Academy Awards, including the Best Animation Film in the same year.
Award for Creative Excellence Recipient Hiroyuki Sanada
Hiroyuki Sanada is one of Japan’s most celebrated actors, earning two Japan Academy Awards, three Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actor and the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon from the Japanese government for his artistic developments, improvements, and accomplishments. With a career spanning over 60 years, he has appeared in more than 100 films, including The Twilight Samurai, which was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film.
Sanada most recently starred in and produced Shōgun, an FX series where he plays Lord Toranaga, a role that earned him two 2024 Emmy Awards® for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Drama Series as a Producer and a 2025 Golden Globe win for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Drama Series. Shōgun now holds the record for most Emmy wins in a single year in history. On the big screen, Sanada has appeared in major films such as John Wick: Chapter 4, Bullet Train, Army of the Dead, Mortal Kombat and Minamata. His earlier Hollywood roles include The Last Samurai, The Railway Man, The Wolverine, The White Countess, 47 Ronin, The City of Your Final Destination and Avengers: Endgame.
In television, Sanada has made notable appearances in Lost and Westworld. As a stage actor, he gained critical acclaim for his role as ‘The Fool’ in King Lear, performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), earning him an honorary Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for promoting British-Japanese cultural exchange.
The Program
Outstanding Environment in an Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic, or Real-time Project
Outstanding Environment in an Animated Feature
Outstanding Environment in a Photoreal Feature
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
Georges Méliès Award: Dr. Jacquelyn Ford Morie
Outstanding CG Cinematography
Emerging Technology Award
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project
Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project
Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal Project
Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in an Episode
Visionary Award: Takashi Yamazaki
Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in a Commercial
Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in a Feature
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic, or Real-time Project
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature
Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature
Outstanding Character in a Photoreal Feature
Outstanding Character in an Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic, or Real-Time Project
Outstanding Character in an Animated Feature
VES Award for Creative Excellence: Hiroyuki Sanada
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Nominees
Outstanding Environment in an Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic, or Real-time Project
Dune: Prophecy – Pilot:
The Imperial Palace
Scott Coates
Sam Besseau
Vincent l’Heureux
Lourenco Abreu
Dune: Prophecy - Two Wolves: Zimia Spaceport
Nils Weisbrod
David Anastacio
Rene Borst
Ruben Valente
Shōgun - Osaka
Manuel Martinez
Phil Hannigan
Keith Malone
Francesco Corvino
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 2 - Doomed to Die: Eregion
Yordan Petrov
Bertrand Cabrol
Lea Desrozier
Karan Dhandha
Outstanding Environment in an Animated Feature
Kung Fu Panda 4 - Juniper City
Benjamin Lippert
Ryan Prestridge
Sarah Vawter
Peter Maynez
The Wild Robot - The Forest
John Wake
He Jung Park
Woojin Choi
Shane Glading
Transformers One - Iacon City
Alex Popescu
Geoffrey Lebreton
Ryan Kirby
Hussein Nabeel
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most
Fowl - Aqueduct
Matt Perry
Dave Alex Riddett
Matt Sanders
Howard Jones
Outstanding Environment in a Photoreal Feature
Civil War - Washington, D.C.
Matthew Chandler
James Harmer
Robert Moore
Adrien Zeppieri
Dune: Part Two - The Arrakeen Basin
Daniel Rhein
Daniel Anton Fernandez
Marc James Austin
Christopher Anciaume
Gladiator II - Rome
Oliver Kane
Stefano Farci
John Seru
Frederick Vallee
Wicked - The Emerald City
Alan Lam
Steve Bevins
Deepali Negi
Miguel Sanchez López-Ruíz
Nominees
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
YouTube TV - NFL Sunday Ticket:
The Magic of Sunday
Chris Bayol
Jeremy Brooks
Lane Jolly
Jacob Bergman
Disney - Holidays 2024
Adam Droy
Helen Tang
Christian Baker-Steele
David Fleet
Virgin Media - Walrus Whizzer
Sebastian Caldwell
Ian Berry
Ben Cronin
Alex Grey
Coca-Cola - The Heroes
Greg McKneally
Antonia Vlasto
Ryan Knowles
Fabrice Fiteni
Six Kings Slam - Call of the Kings
Ryan Knowles
Joe Billington
Dean Robinson
George Savvas
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project
[REDACTED]
Fabio Silva
Matthew Sherman
Caleb Essex
Bob Kopinsky
Destiny 2: The Final Shape
Dave Samuel
Ben Fabric
Eric Greenlief
Glenn Gamble
Star Wars Outlaws
Stephen Hawes
Lionel Le Dain
Benedikt Podlesnigg
Andi-Bogdan Draghici
What If…? – An Immersive Story
Patrick N.P. Conran
Shereif Fattouh
Zain Homer
Jax Lee
Until Dawn
Nicholas Chambers
Jack Hidde Glavimans
Alex Gabor
Nominees
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
D23 - Real-Time Rocket
Evan Goldberg
Alyssa Finley
Jason Breneman
Alice Taylor
The Goldau Landslide Experience
Roman Kaelin
Gianluca Ravioli
Florian Baumann
MTV Video Music Awards -
Slim Shady Live
Jo Plaete
Sara Mustafa
Cameron Jackson
Andries Courteaux
Outstanding
Better Man
Blair Burke
Shweta Bhatnagar
Tim Walker
Craig Young
Dune: Part Two - Arrakis
Greig Fraser
Xin Steve Guo
Sandra Murta
Ben Wiggs
Tokyo DisneySea - Peter Pan’s
Never Land Adventure
Michael Sean Foley
Kirk Bodyfelt
Darin Hollings
Bert Klein
Maya Vyas
Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
- Run
Benjamin Le Ster
Gilles de Lusignan
Gerome Viavant
Romain Tinturier
CG Cinematography
House of the Dragon, Season 2 - The Red Dragon and the Gold: Battle at Rook’s Rest
Matt Perrin
James Thompson
Jacob Doehner
P.J. Dillon
Kingdom of the Planet of the ApesEgg Climb
Dennis Yoo
Angelo Perrotta
Samantha Erickstad
Miae Kang
Nominees
Emerging Technology Award
Dune: Part Two - Nuke CopyCat
Ben Kent
Guillaume Gales
Mairead Grogan
Johanna Barbier
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - Artistdriven Machine Learning Character
John Bastian
Ben Ward
Thomas Rowntree
Robert Beveridge
Here - Neural Performance Toolset
Jo Plaete
Oriel Frigo
Tomas Koutsky
Matteo Olivieri-Dancey
Mufasa: The Lion King - Real-Time Interactive Filmmaking, From Stage To Post
Callum James
James Hood
Lloyd Bishop
Bruno Pedrinha
The Penguin - Phase Synced FlashGun System
Johnny Han
Jefferson Han
Joseph Menafra
Michael Pynn
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project
Dawn
Noah Mercier
Apolline Royer
Lorys Stora
Marie Pradeilles
Student Accomplice
Spencer Blanchard
Lisa Bird
Anson Savage
Kiara Spencer
Pittura
Adam Lauriol
Titouan Lassère
Rémi Vivenza
Helloïs Marre
Courage
Salomé Cognon
Margot Jacquet
Nathan Baudry
Lise Delcroix
Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project
Alien: Romulus - Renaissance Space
Station
Waldemar Bartkowiak
Trevor Wide
Matt Middleton
Ben Shearman
Deadpool & Wolverine - Ant-Man
Arena
Carlos Flores Gomez
Corinne Dy
Chris Byrnes
Gerald Blaise
Dune: Part Two - The Harkonnen
Harvester
Andrew Hodgson
Timothy Russell
Erik Lehmann
Louie Cho
Gladiator II - The Colosseum
Oliver Kane
Marnie Pitts
Charlotte Fargier
Laurie Priest
Nominees
Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal Project
Blitz
Hayley Williams
David Eves
Alex Freeman
David Watson
Constellation
Martin Goeres
Johara Raukamp
Lion David Bogus
Leon Mark
The Penguin - Safe Guns
Devin Maggio
Johnny Han
Cory Candrilli
Alexandre Prod’homme
Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in an Episode
Shōgun - Broken to the Fist: Landslide
Benjamin Bernon
Douglas Roshamn
Victor Kirsch
Charlie Raud
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew - Episode
6: Jaws
Rich Grande
Tomas Lefebvre
Ian Dodman
Rey Reynolds
The Boys, Season 4 - Life Among the Septics
Tristan Zerafa
Mike Stadnyckyj
Toshi Kosaka
Rajeev BR
The Penguin - After Hours
Jonas Stuckenbrock
Karen Cheng
Eugene Bondar
Miky Girón
Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in a Commercial
Virgin Media - Walrus Whizzer
Sebastian Caldwell
Alex Grey
Kanishk Chouhan
Shubham Mehta
Coca-Cola - The Heroes
Ryan Knowles
Alex Gabucci
Jack Powell
Dan Yargici
Corcept - Marionette
Yongchan Kim
Arman Matin
Yoon Bae
Rajesh Kaushik
Disney - Holidays 2024
Christian Baker-Steele
Luke Warpus
Pritesh Kotian
Jack Harris
Nominees
Outstanding
Compositing & Lighting in a Feature
Better Man
Mark McNicholl
Gordon Spencer de Haseth
Eva Snyder
Markus Reithoffer
Dune: Part Two - Wormriding, Geidi
Prime, and the Final Battle
Christopher Rickard
Francesco Dell’Anna
Paul Chapman
Ryan Wing
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Joerg Bruemmer
Zachary Brake
Tim Walker
Kaustubh A. Patil
The Wild Robot
Sondra L. Verlander
Baptiste Van Opstal
Eszter Offertaler
Austin Casale
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic, or Real-time Project
Avatar: The Last Airbender -
Legends: Koizilla
Ioan Boieriu
David Stopford
Per Balay
Saysana Rintharamy
Shōgun - Broken to the Fist: Landslide
Dominic Tiedeken
Heinrich Löwe
Charles Guerton
Timmy Lundin
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew – Pilot: Spaceship Hillside Takeoff
Travis Harkleroad
Xiaolong Peng
Marcella Brown
Mickael Riciotti
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 2 - Shadow and Flame:
Balrog Fire and Collapsing Cliff
Koen Hofmeester
Miguel Perez Senent
Miguel Santana da Silva
Billy Copley
Three Body Problem - Judgment Day
Yves D’Incau
Gavin Templer
Martin Chabannes
Eloi Andaluz Fullà
Nominees
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature
Kung Fu Panda 4
Jinguang Huang
Zhao Wang
Hamid Shahsavari
Joshua LaBrot
Moana 2
Zoran Stojanoski
Jesse Erickson
Shamintha Kalamba Arachchi
Erin V. Ramos
The Wild Robot
Derek Cheung
Michael Losure
David Chow
Nyoung Kim
Ultraman: Rising
Goncalo Cabaca
Zheng Yong Oh
Nicholas Yoon
Praveen Boppana
Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature
Dune: Part Two - Atomic Explosions and Wormriding
Nicholas Papworth
Sandy la Tourelle
Lisa Nolan
Christopher Phillips
Kingdom of the Planet of the ApesBurning Village, Rapids and Floods
Alex Nowotny
Claude Schitter
Frédéric Valleur
Kevin Kelm
Twisters
Matthew Hanger
Joakim Arnesson
Laurent Kermel
Zheng Yong Oh
Venom: The Last Dance - Water, Fire & Symbiote Effects
Xavier Martin Ramirez
Oscar Dahlen
Hedi Namar
Hang Yang
Nominees
Outstanding Character in a Photoreal Feature
Better Man - Robbie Williams
Milton Ramirez
Andrea Merlo
Seoungseok Charlie Kim
Eteuati Tema
Kingdom of the Planet of the ApesRaka
Seoungseok Charlie Kim
Giorgio Lafratta
Tim Teramoto
Aidan Martin
Kingdom of the Planet of the ApesNoa
Rachael Dunk
Andrei Coval
John Sore
Niels Peter Kaagaard
Mufasa: The Lion King - Taka
Klaus Skovbo
Valentina Rosselli
Eli De Koninck
Amelie Talarmain
Outstanding Character in an Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic, or Real-Time Project
Secret Level - Armored Core: Asset Management - Mech Pilot
Zsolt Vida
Péter Krucsai
Ágnes Vona
Enric Nebleza
Diablo IV: Vessel of HatredNeyrelle
Chris Bostjanick
James Ma
Yeon-Ho Lee
Atsushi Ikarashi
Disney - Holidays 2024: Octopus
Alex Doyle
Philippe Moine
Lewis Pickston
Andrea Lacedelli
Ronja the Robber’s DaughterVildvittran the Queen Harpy
Nicklas Andersson
David Allan
Gustav Åhren
Niklas Wallén
Nominees
Outstanding Character in an Animated Feature
Inside Out 2 - Anxiety
Alexander Alvarado
Brianne Francisco
Amanda Wagner
Brenda Lin Zhang
The Wild Robot - Roz
Fabio Lignini
Yukinori Inagaki
Owen Demers
Hyun Huh
Thelma The Unicorn - Vic Diamond
Guillaume Arantes
Adrien Montero
Anne-Claire Leroux
Gaspard Roche
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl - Gromit
Jo Fenton
Alison Evans
Andy Symanowski
Emanuel Nevado
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Expats - Home
Robert Bock
Glorivette Somoza
Charles Labbé
Tim Emeis
Lady in the Lake - It Has to Do With the Search for the Marvelous
Jay Worth
Eddie Bonin
Culley Bunker
Eric Levin-Hatz
Mike Myers
Masters of the Air: Part Three - The Regensburg-Schweinfurt Mission
Stephen Rosenbaum
Bruce Franklin
Xavier Matia Bernasconi
David Andrews
Neil Corbould
The Penguin - Bliss
Johnny Han
Michelle Rose
Goran Pavles
Ed Bruce
Devin Maggio
The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Pilot
Simon Giles
Alan Church
David Schneider
James Hattsmith
Nominees
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Blitz
Andrew Whitehurst
Sona Pak
Theo Demiris
Vincent Poitras
Hayley Williams
Civil War
David Simpson
Michelle Rose
Freddy Salazar
Chris Zeh
J.D. Schwalm
Horizon: An American Saga -
Chapter 1
Jason Neese
Armen Fetulagian
Jamie Neese
J.P. Jaramillo
Nosferatu
Angela Barson
Lisa Renney
David Scott
Dave Cook
Pavel Ságner
Young Woman and the Sea
Richard Briscoe
Carrie Rishel
Jeremy Robert
Stéphane Dittoo
Ivo Jivkov
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Fallout - The Head
Jay Worth
Andrea Knoll
Grant Everett
Joao Sita
Devin Maggio
House of the Dragon, Season 2 -
The Red Dragon and the Gold
Daði Einarsson
Tom Horton
Sven Martin
Wayne Stables
Mike Dawson
Shōgun - Anjin
Michael Cliett
Melody Mead
Philip Engström
Ed Bruce
Cameron Waldbauer
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew - Episode 5
John Knoll
Pablo Molles
Jhon Alvarado
Jeff Capogreco
The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 2 - Eldest
Jason Smith
Tim Keene
Ann Podlozny
Ara Khanikian
Ryan Conder
Nominees
Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature
Inside Out 2
Kelsey Mann
Mark Nielsen
Sudeep Rangaswamy
Bill Watral
Moana 2
Carlos Cabral
Tucker Gilmore
Ian Gooding
Gabriela Hernandez
The Wild Robot
Chris Sanders
Jeff Hermann
Jeff Budsberg
Jakob Hjort Jensen
Transformers One
Frazer Churchill
Fiona Chilton
Josh Cooley
Stephen King
Ultraman: Rising
Hayden Jones
Sean M. Murphy
Shannon Tindle
Mathieu Vig
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Better Man
Luke Millar
Andy Taylor
David Clayton
Keith Herft
Peter Stubbs
Dune: Part Two
Paul Lambert
Brice Parker
Stephen James
Rhys Salcombe
Gerd Nefzer
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Erik Winquist
Julia Neighly
Paul Story
Danielle Immerman
Rodney Burke
Mufasa: The Lion King
Adam Valdez
Barry St. John
Audrey Ferrara
Daniel Fotheringham
Twisters
Ben Snow
Mark Soper
Florian Witzel
Susan Greenhow
Scott Fisher
Thank You to our Global Venues!
The 23rd Annual VES Awards Nomination judging event was conducted by 27 in-person and 22 virtual panels from all around the globe. It was indeed a worldwide celebration of visual effects! We would like to recognize the Event Leads and the generous companies who hosted the nomination judging.
Atlanta
Zach Bell
Bay Area
Nina Rappaport-Rowen
Berlin
Thomas Knop, VES
Burbank
Lopsie Schwartz
Shannon Cassidy
London
Victor Perez
Madrid
Astrid Busser-Casas
Melbourne
Ian Cope
Montreal
Stefan Bernscherer
Mumbai
Prag Gargatte
New York
Jose Marin
New Zealand
Lance Lones
Oregon
Michael Cordova
Paris
Sebastián Eyherabide
Santa Monica
Theresa Patten-Koeckert
Sydney Aditya Talwar
Texas
Colin Campbell
Tokyo
Jeffrey Dillinger
Toronto
Laurence Cymet
Vancouver
Dave Morley
Washington
Eric Greenlief
Special thanks to Mike Brodersen, Tom Vice, Andre Trejo, Brad Henry and the whole FotoKem team for distributing the media globally, and for their ongoing support for this event!
Prashant Agrawal
Brent Armstrong
Rob Blau
Kathryn Brillhart
Stephen Chiu
Thank You
VES Awards Committee
Den Serras, Chair
Scott Kilburn, Co-Chair
Lopsie Schwartz, Co-Chair
Committee Members
Emma Clifton Perry
Dave Gouge
Eric Greenlief
David ‘DJ’ Johnson, VES
Sarah McGee
Sarah McGrail
Nancy Ward, Executive Director
Elvia Gonzalez, Associate Director
Jim Sullivan, Director of Operations
Pramita Mukherjee
Michael Ramirez
Olun Riley
Dan Rosen
Brad Simonsen
Dane Smith
VES Office
Ben Schneider, Director of Membership Services
Charles Mesa, Media & Content Manager
Eric Bass, Marketing Manager
Kevin Castaneto
Xavier Miller
Luke Morton
Agon Ushaku
David Valentin
Dylen Velasquez
Philipp Wolf
Ross Auerbach, Program Manager
Colleen Kelly, Office Manager
Mark Mulkerron, Administrative Assistant
Shannon Cassidy, Global Manager
P.J. Schumacher, Controller
Naomi Goldman, Public Relations
Volunteers
Neil Reola
Marlon Rivas
Julia Ruscio
Mitchell Tanaka
Brian Tran
Partners
Thank You To Our Nomination Event Volunteers!
VES members selected the VES Awards Nominees via 49 in-person and virtual panels conducted across the globe. Thank you to the panel teams listed below and the hundreds of judges who participated.
Region Leads
Region 1-3: Dylen Velasquez
Region 4: Agon Ushaku
Wellington
Kay Hoddy
Lance Lones
Brian Starr
Sydney
Andrew Cho
Ian Cope
Leah Darrington
Andres Grajales
Melbourne
Chris Cosgrove
Aalisha Kumar
Sabrina Matthaus
Tokyo
Takahiko Akiyama
Jeffrey Dillinger
Faisal Mustapha
Christophe Rodo
Region 1:
Oceania Virtual
Rachel Copp
Ben Schneider
Region 2/3:
Asia/India Virtual
Felder Kwek
Sandra Zy
Mumbai
Prag Gargatte
Neha Mehta
Rutul Patel
Jay Varia
Madrid
Astrid Busser-Casas
Alex Rivas
Jose Rossi
Berlin
Kay Delventhal
Thomas Knop, VES
Region 5-6: Philipp Wolf
Region 7: David Valentin
Panel Teams
Paris
Pauline Aubert
Sebastián Eyherabide
Fabrice Lagayette
Julien Lambert
Franck Lambertz
Gouna Logan
Anthony Lyant
Quentin Martin
Olivia McLean
London
Klaudija Cermak
Devrishi Chatterjee
Charles Chorein
Gianluca Dentici
Ricardo Fereira
Helen Moody
Victor Perez
Sean Varney
Salvador Zalvidea
Region 4:
Europe Virtual
Jan Adamczyk
Guillermo Algora
Matthias Buehler
Manuel Ray Gonzalez
Mieszko Łaciński
Nina Pries
Kai Todenhoefer
Matheusz Woit
Montreal
Stefan Bernscherer
David Bitton
Patrick David
Jean-Paul Rovelo
Anthony Tan
Atlanta Virtual
Zach Bell
Michael Leitmann
New York
Bjorn Ahlstedt
George Jimenez
Sam O’Hare
Natalie Palumbo
Ari Reisner
Region 5:
East Coast Virtual
Claire Callway
Laurence Cymet
Diego Garzon
Jose Marin
Hari Prasath
Marc A. Rousseau
Gustavo Sanchez-Perez
Ross Shain
Rob Wright
Dallas Virtual
Colin Campbell
Ludovick Michaud
Region 6: Central Virtual
Shane Davis
Mark Wendell
Bay Area
Mark Casey
Paul Churchill
Michael Conte, VES
Indira Guerrieri
Jeffrey Johnson
Jax Lee
Nina Rappaport-Rowen
Vancouver
Jo Ann Belen
Fred Chapman
Matthew Lane
Mariana Lira Pacheco
Dave Morley
Sonny Sy
Kelsy Toye
Rene Wittmann
Keri Young
Portland
Rob Blau
Jasmine Carruthers
Michael Cordova
Washington
Eric Greenlief
Andy Romine
Pavel “Pasha” Ushakov
Los Angeles Virtual
Kathryn Brillhart
Taber daCosta
Beste Demirel
Belle Devins
Martin Hall
Scott Kilburn
Pramita Mukherjee
Charlotte Nelson
Theresa Patten-Koeckert
Michael Ramirez
Olun Riley
Marlon Rivas
Ben Schneider
Den Serras
Annie Sollish
Brian Tran
Ihimo Ukpo
Region 7:
Western Virtual
Balu Adsumilli
Brent Armstrong
Jessica Beisler
Jeff Bloch
Tram Le-Jones
Justin Mead
Jonathan Perez
Chris Schnitzer
Bryon Wedderburn
Visual Effects Society
Nancy Ward
Executive Director
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Kim Davidson Chair
Susan O’Neal
1st Vice Chair
David Tanaka, VES
2nd Vice Chair
Neishaw Ali
Fatima Anes
Laura Barbera
Alan Boucek
Kathryn Brillhart
Mike Chambers, VES
Emma Clifton Perry
Rose Duignan
Dave Gouge
Kay Hoddy
Thomas Knop, VES
Brooke Lyndon-Stanford
Quentin Martin
Rita Cahill Secretary
Jeffrey A. Okun, VES Treasurer
Board Members
Julie McDonald
Karen Murphy
Janet Muswell Hamilton, VES
Maggie Oh
Robin Prybil
Lopsie Schwartz
David Valentin
Sean Varney
Bill Villarreal
Sam Winkler
Philipp Wolf
Susan Zwerman, VES
Alternates
Fred Chapman
Dayne Cowan
Aladino Debert
John Decker
William Mesa
Ariele Podreider Lenzi
Founder - Tom Atkin
VES Logo Design - Allen Battino
In Memoriam
The Visual Effects Society pays homage to members, as well as special and visual effects luminaries, who passed away in 2024.
Their passion, talent and pioneering spirit will be missed.
Mark Williams Ardington (1976-2024)
Academy Award-winning CG Creature Supervisor on EX MACHINA
Thad Beier (1960-2024)
Technical Achievement Academy Award-winning VFX Supervisor at Hammerhead, Digital Domain and Dolby Labs
Alex Bicknell (1968-2024)
VES Award nominated Visual Effects Supervisor and Visual Effects Producer
Laurie Blavin (1961-2024)
Former VES Board Treasurer and Recruiter at MPC, DreamWorks Animation and Scanline
Glenn Campbell (1956-2024)
Emmy Award-winning Visual Effects Supervisor and founding member of the global VES Board of Directors
Colin Chilvers (1945-2024)
Special Achievement Academy Award- and BAFTA-winning SUPERMAN Special Effects Supervisor and Director
Alan Church (1964-2024)
BAFTA-winning Visual Effects Supervisor, Producer and Consultant who started in the Optical Camera department
Roger Corman (1926-2024)
Honorary Academy Award-winning Producer and Director as well as VES Hall of Fame inductee
Roger Dicken (1939-2024)
Academy Award nominated Special Effects Artist known for ALIEN, WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH and more
In Memoriam
Dan Goozee (1943-2024)
VFX Artist on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY, Disney Imagineer and Poster Artist
Robin Ann Griffin-McLachlan (1961-2024)
Visual Effects Producer who was nominated for two VES Awards and an Emmy
Jon Landau (1960-2024)
Academy Award-winning Producer of TITANIC, AVATAR and AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
Daniel J. Lombardo (1964-2024)
Emmy Award-winning Visual Effects Producer on many features and episodic projects
Tim McGovern, VES (1955-2024)
VES Founders Award recipient, VES Fellow, long-time VES Board member and Academy Awardwinning VFX Supervisor
John McKenna (1952-2024)
International Emmy nominated Producer who led One Animation and was also Head of Production at Exodus and Prana Studios
Eli Noyes (1942-2024)
Academy Award nominated Stop-Motion Animator
Eugene “Gene” P. Rizzardi, Jr. (1952-2024)
Emmy Award-winning Special Effects Model Supervisor, VES Lifetime Member and former VES Board Treasurer
Nancy St. John, VES (1953-2024)
Visual Effects Producer, VES Fellow, former member of the global VES Board of Directors who served as 1st and 2nd Vice Chair
Mathew Sweeney (1948-2024)
BAFTA Award-winning APOLLO 13 Special Effects Coordinator who won 3 Technical Achievement Academy Awards
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OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Erik Winquist, Julia Neighly, Paul Story, Danielle Immerman, Rodney Burke
OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Noa - Rachael Dunk, Andrei Coval, John Sore, Niels Peter Kaagaard
OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Raka - Seoungseok Charlie Kim, Giorgio Lafratta, Tim Teramoto, Aidan Martin
OUTSTANDING CG CINEMATOGRAPHY
Egg Climb - Dennis Yoo, Angelo Perrotta, Samantha Erickstad, Miae Kang
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Burning Village, Rapids and Floods - Alex Nowotny, Claude Schitter, Frédéric Valleur, Kevin Kelm
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A FEATURE
Joerg Bruemmer, Zachary Brake, Tim Walker, Kaustubh A. Patil
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
“Anjin” - Michael Cliett, Melody Mead, Philip Engström, Ed Bruce, Cameron Waldbauer
OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Osaka - Manuel Martinez, Phil Hannigan, Keith Malone, Francesco Corvino
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
“Broken to the Fist”; Landslide - Dominic Tiedeken, Heinrich Löwe, Charles Guerton, Timmy Lundin
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE
“Broken to the Fist”; Landslide - Benjamin Bernon, Douglas Roshamn, Victor Kirsch, Charlie Raud
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
“Episode 5” - John Knoll, Pablo Molles, Jhon Alvarado, Jeff Capogreco
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
“Pilot”; Spaceship Hillside Takeoff - Travis Harkleroad, Xiaolong Peng, Marcella Brown, Mickael Riciotti
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE
“Episode 6”; Jaws - Rich Grande, Tomas Lefebvre, Ian Dodman, Rey Reynolds
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SPECIAL VENUE PROJECT
Real-Time Rocket - Evan Goldberg, Alyssa Finley, Jason Breneman, Alice Taylor
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE Kelsey Mann, Mark Nielsen, Sudeep Rangaswamy, Bill Watral
OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE Anxiety - Alexander Alvarado, Brianne Francisco, Amanda Wagner, Brenda Lin Zhang
OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT
Ant-Man Arena - Carlos Flores Gomez, Corinne Dy, Chris Byrnes, Gerald Blaise
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OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A COMMERCIAL
Holidays 2024 - Adam Droy, Helen Tang, Christian Baker-Steele, David Fleet
OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Holidays 2024; Octopus - Alex Doyle, Philippe Moine, Lewis Pickston, Andrea Lacedelli
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A COMMERCIAL
Holidays 2024 - Christian Baker-Steele, Luke Warpus, Pritesh Kotian, Jack Harris
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE Adam Valdez, Barry St. John, Audrey Ferrara, Daniel Fotheringham
OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Taka - Klaus Skovbo, Valentina Rosselli, Eli De Koninck, Amelie Talarmain
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD
Real-Time Interactive Filmmaking, From Stage To Post - Callum James, James Hood, Lloyd Bishop, Bruno Pedrinha
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE Carlos Cabral, Tucker Gilmore, Ian Gooding, Gabriela Hernandez
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE Zoran Stojanoski, Jesse Erickson, Shamintha Kalamba Arachchi, Erin V. Ramos
OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT
Renaissance Space Station - Waldemar Bartkowiak, Trevor Wide, Matt Middleton, Ben Shearman
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A REAL-TIME PROJECT
An Immersive Story - Patrick N.P. Conran, Shereif Fattouh, Zain Homer, Jax Lee
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Richard Briscoe, Carrie Rishel, Jeremy Robert, Stéphane Dittoo, Ivo Jivkov
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OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
“Bliss”
Johnny Han
Michelle Rose
Goran Pavles
Ed Bruce
Devin Maggio
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE
“After Hours”
Jonas Stuckenbrock
Karen Cheng
Eugene Bondar
Miky Girón
OUTSTANDING SPECIAL (PRACTICAL) EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL PROJECT
“Safe Guns”
Devin Maggio
Johnny Han
Cory Candrilli
Alexandre Prod’homme
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD
“Phase Synced Flash-Gun System”
Johnny Han
Jefferson Han
Joseph Menafra
Michael Pynn
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OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
“The Hidden Hand” | The Imperial Palace
Scott Coates
Sam Besseau
Vincent L’Heureux
Lourenco Abreu
“Two Wolves” | Zimía Spaceport
Nils Weisbrod
David Anastacio
Rene Borst
Ruben Valente
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
“The Red Dragon and the Gold”
Daði Einarsson
Tom Horton
Sven Martin
Wayne Stables
Mike Dawson
OUTSTANDING CG CINEMATOGRAHY
“The Red Dragon and the Gold” Battle at Rook’s Rest
Matt Perrin
James Thompson
Jacob Doehner
P.J. Dillon
Thank you, VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY, for your recognition.
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BEFORE / ALYLA BROWNE / WITH AI INTEGRATION
ANYA TAYLOR-JOY
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD
ARTIST-DRIVEN MACHINE LEARNING CHARACTER
JOHN BASTIAN / BEN WARD / THOMAS ROWNTREE / ROBERT BEVERIDGE
CG was also required for some nifty facial animation, given that two actresses played Furiosa — Alyla Browne as a child and teenager and Taylor-Joy as an adult. This consisted of seamlessly blending Taylor-Joy’s features with Browne’s with the use of AI. This was handled by Rising Sun Pictures using machine learning software. ‘We wanted to make Alyla’s eye shape more similar to the way that Anya might have looked when she was that age,’ Production VFX Supervisor Andrew Jackson said. ‘We replaced a patch of her face, depending on the shot. In some of the closeup stuff, there’s quite a significant component that’s been modified. We also modified the look of Alyla to be slightly older towards the end.’”
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THANK THE VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY AND PROUDLY CONGRATULATE OUR NOMINEES
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE PAUL LAMBERT • BRICE PARKER • STEPHEN JAMES • RHYS SALCOMBE • GERD NEFZER
OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE // THE ARRAKEEN BASIN
DANIEL RHEIN • DANIEL ANTÓ N FERN Á NDEZ • MARC JAMES AUSTIN • CHRISTOPHER ANCIAUME
OUTSTANDING CG CINEMATOGRAPHY // ARRAKIS GREIG FRASER • XIN STEVE GUO • SANDRA MURTA • BEN WIGGS
OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT // THE HARKONNEN HARVESTER ANDREW HODGSON • TIMOTHY RUSSELL • ERIK LEHMANN • LOUIE CHO
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE // ATOMIC EXPLOSIONS AND WORMRIDING NICHOLAS PAPWORTH • SANDY LA TOURELLE • LISA NOLAN • CHRISTOPHER PHILLIPS
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A FEATURE // WORMRIDING, GEIDI PRIME AND THE FINAL BATTLE CHRISTOPHER RICKARD • FRANCESCO DELL’ANNA • PAUL CHAPMAN • RYAN WING
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD // NUKE COPYCAT BEN KENT • GUILLAUME GALES • MAIREAD GROGAN • JOHANNA BARBIER
“THE ULTIMATE SENSORY SPECTACLE.”
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BRAVO
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2025 NOMINEES & WINNERS
VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY AWARDS ®
Dr. Jacquelyn Ford Morie
Georges Méliès Award
Hiroyuki Sanada
VES Award for Creative Excellence
Takashi Yamazaki
VES Visionary Award
All Nominees & Winners at 23rd Annual VES Awards and
MTA Events congratulates the Visual Effects Society on its 23rd Annual VES Awards
Congratulations to Dr. Jacquelyn Ford Morie Hiroyuki Sanada Takashi Yamazaki and the 2025 Nominees and Winners
To the artists, editors, directors, actors, producers, and everyone who calls Los Angeles home: We love this city and the magic you create every day. We believe in you – your resilience, creativity, and spirit – and know that spirit will fuel an even brighter future ahead.
Congratulations to all the nominees and winners for your exceptional visual effects artistry and innovation. A special congratulations to the nominees and winners in the “Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project” category.
